ORIGINAL COMIC ART

And Where To Get Some Of Mine...

A shot of my studio wall

A house isn’t complete without some art on the wall. Whenever we have moved house the first thing I do is put some pictures up, because instantly it signals that the new place is yours, and pictures - for me at least - make it feel like home.

Comic art has gone up in price a great deal since I first got into the industry, and if I have one regret it’s not buying or trading more when I set out! That said, there is room for the savvy new investor to do very well with a little basic knowledge. Currently the same group of huge name creators dominate the market, and set the highest prices. Mostly they are in a league beyond pretty much everybody except for a very exclusive club of wealthy buyers. And, astonishingly, the prices continue to rise as the impact of comics on global culture remains incredibly pervasive.

BUT (and yes, I include myself in the following) there are artists that are respected veterans with historic runs on seminal books who’s work remains, for the most part, very affordable. Where you have to be smart is in realizing that eventually the eyes of the collectors, exhausted with the endless recycling of ‘classic’ material, will turn towards other works, and the people who’s work will find higher regard in the future.

Let’s be clear - most of the huge names became big when it was possible to reach a massive audience. That’s not to say they aren’t geniuses! They almost always are. But there are many other artists who are just as good as the greats, but who never got the big break or fan recognition, so their work goes under the radar - for now. But great art has a way of eventually being recognized for what it is, even if it takes much longer than it should!

There’s another element to all this too: There is some AMAZING art out there that doesn’t get picked up simply because it doesn’t feature any classic characters. As a result it is priced way below the other work, despite its often superior quality as art. For instance, this piece priced at $300 -

is, in my opinion, a much more interesting and visually attractive page (from a very highly regarded single issue of The Green Lantern) than this piece, which is priced at $1,500 -

Don’t get me wrong - I ‘get’ that people love a great shot of their favourite hero, but if it’s a matter of having great art by your favourite artist, then it’s just good to know there is work out there that won’t break the bank.

It’s also worth noting that even if you’re interested as an investor, art keeps its value. I’ve never seen it go down in price in almost 40 years. You can’t really go wrong with it. And if nothing else, you can just enjoy having it - which is itself worth the price alone.

You can find a huge array or my work HERE, from top end to very affordable. Enjoy browsing!