Alpha Flight 12, Page 28

(click for larger image or click HERE for triptych)

SOLD!! 2013

Back in the 1980's, I became a full-fledged comic book addict. I just loved the stuff and couldn't get enough. I would buy any title that caught my interest, in hopes that it would be worth my while. Some stuff was great, and some stuff not so great. I soon found that the current monthly books were not enough, and began backtracking to find previously published issues of things I liked, or other titles that I'd never heard of. If memory serves, the first John Byrne comic book I purchased off the newsstand was Fantastic Four 272. I was instantly smitten. I loved both the writing, and especially, the artwork (Byrne was doing both). It wasn't long before I was tracking down back-issues to get up to speed on what I'd missed (he began his run with issue 232). I was also happy to discover another title that Byrne was writing and drawing at the same time - his own creation, the Canadian super-team, Alpha Flight.

Alpha Flight wasn't as "cosmic" as the Fantastic Four, and it certainly didn't have the history (having been created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). It was also not a favorite of Byrne himself as he has stated repeatedly in interviews. Nonetheless, I loved it simply because it was Byrne. The book may not have been Byrne's personal favorite, but it did have a strong fan following. Byrne only ended up doing the first 28 issues, but some might argue that his initial run climaxed with issue 12 - the death of Guardian. Fans were shocked and devastated. If most fans were like me, they were probably thinking "he'll be back". Surely it was just some stunt or trick to boost sales? But, unlike today's superhero comics, he was dead. Really dead. Forever.

When I got introduced to the world of original comic art, my first thought was to obtain some nice Byrne Fantastic Four art. It turned out that that wouldn't be so easy (as chronicled in my CFA-APA article for issue 62 link HERE). So in conjunction with my search for Fantastic Four pages, I happily added Alpha Flight pages to my collection. And not just any Alpha Flight pages, but pages from the famed issue 12! Here is the first one I obtained. I've posted it on this blog before, but always in a group with the other two pages in the sequence (see them together HERE). I thought these pages deserved their own post, so here is the last. (Pencils and inks by John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Alpha Flight 12, Page 27

(click for larger image or click HERE for triptych)

SOLD!! 2013

Back in the 1980's, I became a full-fledged comic book addict. I just loved the stuff and couldn't get enough. I would buy any title that caught my interest, in hopes that it would be worth my while. Some stuff was great, and some stuff not so great. I soon found that the current monthly books were not enough, and began backtracking to find previously published issues of things I liked, or other titles that I'd never heard of. If memory serves, the first John Byrne comic book I purchased off the newsstand was Fantastic Four 272. I was instantly smitten. I loved both the writing, and especially, the artwork (Byrne was doing both). It wasn't long before I was tracking down back-issues to get up to speed on what I'd missed (he began his run with issue 232). I was also happy to discover another title that Byrne was writing and drawing at the same time - his own creation, the Canadian super-team, Alpha Flight.

Alpha Flight wasn't as "cosmic" as the Fantastic Four, and it certainly didn't have the history (having been created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). It was also not a favorite of Byrne himself as he has stated repeatedly in interviews. Nonetheless, I loved it simply because it was Byrne. The book may not have been Byrne's personal favorite, but it did have a strong fan following. Byrne only ended up doing the first 28 issues, but some might argue that his initial run climaxed with issue 12 - the death of Guardian. Fans were shocked and devastated. If most fans were like me, they were probably thinking "he'll be back". Surely it was just some stunt or trick to boost sales? But, unlike today's superhero comics, he was dead. Really dead. Forever.

When I got introduced to the world of original comic art, my first thought was to obtain some nice Byrne Fantastic Four art. It turned out that that wouldn't be so easy (as chronicled in my CFA-APA article for issue 62 link HERE). So in conjunction with my search for Fantastic Four pages, I happily added Alpha Flight pages to my collection. And not just any Alpha Flight pages, but pages from the famed issue 12! Here is the first one I obtained. I've posted it on this blog before, but always in a group with the other two pages in the sequence (see them together HERE). I thought these pages deserved their own post, so here is the second. (Pencils and inks by John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Alpha Flight 12, Page 26

(click for larger image or click HERE for triptych)


SOLD!! 2013

Back in the 1980's, I became a full-fledged comic book addict. I just loved the stuff and couldn't get enough. I would buy any title that caught my interest, in hopes that it would be worth my while. Some stuff was great, and some stuff not so great. I soon found that the current monthly books were not enough, and began backtracking to find previously published issues of things I liked, or other titles that I'd never heard of. If memory serves, the first John Byrne comic book I purchased off the newsstand was Fantastic Four 272. I was instantly smitten. I loved both the writing, and especially, the artwork (Byrne was doing both). It wasn't long before I was tracking down back-issues to get up to speed on what I'd missed (he began his run with issue 232). I was also happy to discover another title that Byrne was writing and drawing at the same time - his own creation, the Canadian super-team, Alpha Flight.

Alpha Flight wasn't as "cosmic" as the Fantastic Four, and it certainly didn't have the history (having been created in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby). It was also not a favorite of Byrne himself as he has stated repeatedly in interviews. Nonetheless, I loved it simply because it was Byrne. The book may not have been Byrne's personal favorite, but it did have a strong fan following. Byrne only ended up doing the first 28 issues, but some might argue that his initial run climaxed with issue 12 - the death of Guardian. Fans were shocked and devastated. If most fans were like me, they were probably thinking "he'll be back". Surely it was just some stunt or trick to boost sales? But, unlike today's superhero comics, he was dead. Really dead. Forever.

When I got introduced to the world of original comic art, my first thought was to obtain some nice Byrne Fantastic Four art. It turned out that that wouldn't be so easy (as chronicled in my CFA-APA article for issue 62 link HERE). So in conjunction with my search for Fantastic Four pages, I happily added Alpha Flight pages to my collection. And not just any Alpha Flight pages, but pages from the famed issue 12! Here is the first one I obtained. I've posted it on this blog before, but always in a group with the other two pages in the sequence (see them together HERE). I thought these pages deserved their own post, so here is the first. (Pencils and inks by John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Fantastic Four 253, Page 20

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2012!

I had nearly the entire issue of this book, but never planned to keep it. I sold all but this page. For years I had hunted down Byrne FF art, and I especially wanted a nice early page featuring inks done using "traditional" inking tools (i.e., pen and brush - all the later stuff was done with magic marker). I was finally able to buy an example, but had to buy all the pages together. That shows you how rare this stuff is. Ironically, after I purchased the near-complete book, early pages began hitting the market after all. Go figure. Anyway, great inking on this page - very detailed. Compare this to the later pages I have from the 260's and you'll see the difference. (click for larger image)

You can read about my hunt for John Byrne Fantastic Four art in some of my CFA-APA articles (click for link)

Fantastic Four 253, Page 10

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2012!

Here's another great page from FF 253 featuring Mr. Fantastic. This page dates to just around the time when John Byrne switched from traditional inking tools (pen and brush), to magic marker. These earlier pen and brush pages have much crisper inking. (click for larger image)

Fantastic Four 253 2 Page Sequence

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2011!

Another killer couple of pages from FF 253. Featuring all four of the FF, a "Flame On!", Sue using her powers, and some really cool aliens. Love the inking on these pages! Classic stuff!! (click for larger image)

World's Finest 258 Page

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2010!!

More nostalgia from my early days of comic reading (1979). This was one of the few stories that stood out to me from way back then - likely due to the fact that it was scripted by the great Denny O'Neill. It features two of my favorite DC artists of that time - Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (pencils), and Dick Giordano (inks), and the cover is a classic done by Neal Adams, which depicts the action in panel one (click for larger image)

Daredevil 217 Splash - 1985

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2010!

If it wasn't for David Mazzucchelli, I may have never discovered Frank Miller. Back in the 1980's, when I started reading comics full-time, I almost always made buying decisions based on the artist of the book. Coming in at issue 216 (I think), I'd completely missed out on Miller's original run on Daredevil. For me, Daredevil was defined by Denny O'Neil scripts and Mazzucchelli art. The stories were dark and moody, and Mazzucchelli's art was the perfect fit. Miller would be back on the book with issue 227 - the first of a seven issue story arc, later collected in a trade edition entitled "Born Again" (now a classic - see the other Mazzucchelli pages from this saga in this blog). But prior to Miller's return, there was some great stuff being done on this title. I recently re-read most of these stories, and they really hold up well. I was happy to pick up this splash, penciled and inked by Mazzucchelli himself (click for larger image).

Dr. Kildare 05-30-1963

Found another great strip that I couldn't resist - a 1963 Dr. Kildare daily by Ken Bald featuring a very lovely woman. I owned a few Bald Judd Saxon dailies once, but sold them off. It's nice to have another Bald back in my collection. This strip is a bit earlier than the ones I used to own, and the quality is a bit nicer. What makes it extra special though is that it once belonged to comic art giant Wally Wood!! Pretty nifty (see inscription).

Whenever I see a strip signed with a dedication to another person (like my On Stage daily by Leonard Starr ), I always assume the artist was particularly pleased with the strip since they were giving it as a gift. I could be wrong but both the dedicated strips in my collection are pretty darned good examples. (Click for larger scan. Pencils and inks Ken Bald.)

UPDATE - SOLD THIS PIECE IN MAY 2009!!

Fantastic Four 253 Pages!!

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2012!

Well, it seems I've come full circle in my collecting life. As outlined in my article for CFA-APA 62, owning a John Byrne Fantastic Four page is what set me down the path of collecting original art. Despite the fact that Byrne worked on over 60 issues, good pages are very scarce!! Over the years, I was able to acquire some nice pages, but all of them were from the later part of the run - the 260's, in which Byrne used marker to ink the pages. For the first time, I've finally been able to get a hold of some earlier pages from 253. These pages are all inked using the traditional "pens" (or crow quill), and they are amazing!! The inking is very crisp and detailed, and the blacks are very solid - a big difference from the later marker pages. Couple that with the great content - all four of the FF in battle, well, I couldn't ask for more.

Morrison - Quitely All Star Superman 07, Page 21

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2010!

For the last few years I've been saying that we're in a second "Golden Age" of comics. The quality of writing and art in many titles is as good or better than anything previously produced in the history of the medium. Some of the standouts have been - The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, Astonishing X-Men by Josh Whedon and John Cassaday, and Alan Moore's ABC line of comics - Tom Strong (art by Chris Sprouse), and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (art by Kevin O'Neill), to name just a few.

My most recent favorite has been Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's new Superman series. Morrison seems to be harkening back to the Man of Steel's Silver Age, where anything could happen in any given issue. And that's the fun of it - no worrying about continuity, and no need to be a Superman historian. You can just jump right in and enjoy the fun. I've taken a strong liking to Quitely's work too. My first exposure to his work didn't really impress me, but after reading this series, I'm finally beginning to see the light (it might help that he's not being inked by anyone - the pencils are scanned directly and colored). I picked up this page at San Diego Comicon in 2008, and I'd love a bunch more! I've added word balloons using Photoshop to make it more readable (click for larger image).

Killing Joke Prelim 28

UPDATE: SOLD IN 2012!

Here's another neat prelim from Alan Moore's Killing Joke, with art by Brian Bolland. I love comparing these to the printed page and seeing the differences. You can see in panel four that Bolland indicated that the Joker's face be rotated, and in the printed page, he has done just that. I also love the last panel with the Joker's reflection in the puddle. The very next panel in the book begins a flashback sequence and is nearly identical to this one - it also shows him standing over a puddle just before the "accident" that will turn him into the Joker. Moore uses this trick several times in the story when he switches from past to present and vice versa, and I'm quite fond of it.

Rusty Riley 01/17/55

UPDATE - SOLD THIS PIECE IN AUGUST 2008!!

As mentioned in my article for the CFA-APA 65, I believe that strip art is where you get the most bang for your buck. My personal favorites are the photo-realistic adventure strips of the 1950's and later. Guys like Alex Raymond, Stan Drake, Leonard Starr, Jose Luis Salinas, Ken Bald, Neal Adams, Frank Godwin and others were producing high quality strips, literally, on a daily basis. Since most collectors interests are driven by superhero based nostalgia, many of these great artists works can be had amazingly cheap.

I made the decision a while back to sell off my strip art collection. I haven't really regretted it, but whenever I see a particularly nice daily, it gets the wheels turning in my head. In fact, whenever I see a nice Godwin Rusty Riley, I wonder why I don't own a bunch. That changed recently as I picked up a couple of nice dailies from 1955. Here's the first one.

Asajj Ventress by Mahmud Asrar

This is a great piece by a relatively unknown artist Mahmud Asrar. I think he's super-talented and reminds me a lot of the great Adam Hughes who he cites as an influence (click for larger image).

UPDATE: SOLD THIS PIECE IN JUNE OF 2008!!

Killing Joke Prelim 3

UPDATE: SOLD THIS PIECE IN AUGUST OF 2008!

The most recent KJ prelim I picked up featuring a nice shot of the Joker! (Interesting note: the pencil image has a slight red cast to it. That's because I took a picture of it with my digital camera behind my house while the San Diego forestfires of 2007 were raging. Lots of ash in the sky and everything tinged in red. Eerie... (Brian Bolland pencils. Click for larger image.)

Killing Joke Prelim 2

UPDATE: SOLD THIS PIECE IN 2011!!

I'd heard from a fellow collector that Brian Bolland did multiple prelims per page. I got to ask Bolland directly at San Diego Comicon 2006 about his working process, and he confirmed that he only did one version per page (as shown above), and used a projector to transfer the image to the final art board. (Click for larger image.)

Alpha Flight 12, Page 13

SOLD!! Fall 2014


John Byrne was a master of characterization. There was always something interesting going on with each character which enabled the reader to empathize with them (whether they were likeable or not). Here's and interesting interaction between Puck and Northstar from issue 12. (Pencils and inks John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Alpha Flight 12, Page 24

UPDATE: SOLD THIS PIECE IN 2012!!

Another cool page from Alpha Flight 12 featuring Guardian going toe to toe with Flashback (or several Flashback's) of Omega Flight. I'm looking for page 25 which would give me a nice 5 page sequence. (Pencils and inks John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Alpha Flight 12, Pages 26, 27, and 28

SOLD!! 2013

Alpha Flight was one of my favorite comics back in the 80's and another reason why I'm such a huge John Byrne fan. The series climaxed with this issue (#12), and it was quite a shocker. These pages feature Snowbird, Diamond Lil, Shaman, and Smart Alec (don't look in the bag...!!) I'm always on the lookout for more good AF pages! (Pencils and inks John Byrne. Click for larger image.)

Neal Adams Strange Adventures 213, Page 06

UPDATE: SOLD THIS PIECE IN AUGUST OF 2008!

This was the first piece of Neal Adams art I ever purchased. I developed a fondness for Neal's work on Deadman (Strange Adventures & Brave and the Bold) via the reprints done in the 1980's. As mentioned previously, I focus primarily on 1980's artwork, and even though these stories were originally published in the late 1960's, I only became aware of them much later on. (Pencils and inks Neal Adams. Click for larger image.)