Joelle Jones – Fables: Legends in Exile Commission
VERY pleased with this one. In my previous post I mentioned I had a few goodies coming in soon, and here is some original art from the amazing Joelle Jones! What’s notable about this piece is that it’s the first commission I have received (I have commissioned others prior to this one, but they are still in progress). Like in that last post regarding Action Comics#29, this is new ground I never thought I’d get into, as previously I had a policy of strictly buying published art. The subject of this commission, however, had something to do with my change of heart. I have mentioned that finding a perfect Fables page has been problematic and I got tired of seeing the same pages over and over up for grabs. I decided to query artists to do what are essentially film one-sheets for the series arcs, and I thought (and was proven right) that Joelle was perfect for this leg of the project, considering the nature of Legends in Exile being a throwback mystery, and the skills Joelle has shown in works we’ve covered at BSC, like You Have Killed Me.
Read more
First Lady of Comics’ First Cover
It’s been awhile but I have a few items coming in the next month or so that I know about, so the activity should be picking up at VI soon! This time I took it back to 1940 to add to my permanent collection! When I made this purchase I tweeted that I made my first purchase of a restored comic. This is generally not something to celebrate or be proud of, as the comic industry is one of hobbies that views (in terms of affecting pricing) restoration negatively. Beyond that. I’ve always had a firm no resto policy; a sort of artificial way of eliminating potential purchases. This purchase was kind of a perfect storm. I knew I’d never find another copy that presented as well for anywhere near the price, it fell into one of my collecting focuses, and I love adding affordable Golden Age gems when I can.
Rose Red for that Ass
You have to love Fables. For a series to be around that three digit figure in issues and having no arcs that anyone of adequate taste can describe as subpar is not a feat that many runs in comic history can claim (no matter what Spider-Girl fans will tell you!). Getting a new trade of Fables is among my favorite reading situations over the last few years, and I’m always on the lookout to nab original art from the series. I’ve remarked in the past I’ve found some difficulty in this, because while perfect for the story at hand, when confronted with examples of the original art itself (and I say this as compliment though it doesn’t seem like it) they don’t always grab me as individual items that I find myself eventually pulling the trigger on. In some fashion, it makes me think that perhaps the optimal comic book reading experience doesn’t lend itself to optimal OA purchasing options outside of one’s personal nostalgia zone (Fables is a read that I found as an adult). I find myself much more readily buying panel pages from books of my childhood., and more often than prefer splashy pages of my more current vices .With that in mind, I do get an extra satisfaction when I am able to grab a Fables piece.
Rare Batman Intro
“This is probably the most desirable comic Heritage has ever auctioned”
That in itself is an incredible statement, as Heritage is a complete beast in the high end, publicly moved, collectible comic world. It isn’t carnival barking either, as we are talking an auction for the one of the two highest graded (by CGC) of Detective Comics#27 – the first appearance of Batman – on the planet. That doesn’t mean it’s the best copy, as that copy is regarded to be the Allentown copy owned by “The Dentist”–who also owns the best copy of Action Comics#1 (1st Superman) in the world, the Edgar Church copy (aka the Mile High Pedigree). There are also copies of TEC#27 in the Church and Reilly (also known as the San Francisco collection) that would probably grade better.
Cover Grab – Action Comics #206
By far the best online resource for comic collectors or comic enthusiasts (in terms of back issues, and just general knowledge of comics) is the CGC boards. It doesn’t matter if you agree or participate in graded comics or not, the community there is an outstanding source of information on this hobby. I’ve spent hours going through older threads just reading about comics history (a lot of which is first hand) that you simply don’t get anywhere else. Part of that community is a – in my experience – a terrific forum marketplace, one that’s self-policed and has within in it some of the best dealers and well regarded collectors in the biz, both buying and selling. I haven’t bought a ton from there, but its certainly over a dozen times and I’ve never had a problem. However, for every book I have bought, there are literally hundred that I get exposed to, many of which end up on my want list, or at the very least give me some sort of odd happiness in seeing (you have to be a comic fan to get that–I call it the cover grab)–something even more welcome when its a run that I thought I had a comprehensive mental gallery of.
