Although Comic Books and Comic Art are strong categories in their own right, some pieces fit just as solidly within the realm of Entertainment and Hollywood memorabilia. Comic culture and the incredible universes that host our favorite superheroes have made the natural transition from pulp to screen, and that happy meeting produces, in addition to mags and art, tangible and highly collectible props, costumes and signature weapons the fans can’t get enough of.
So, it’s natural to have a serious comic book and art presence in most of our sales. Some prime examples of comic-related material in the upcoming July 22 & 23rd Hollywood & Entertainment Auction are:
Lot #89434. Original “Captain America” Painting by Legendary Comic Artist and “Cap” Creator Joe Simon (1941). According to creator Joe Simon, this is one of the earliest original Captain America art that he recalled making. He also points out that a similar piece is in the collection of the Library of Congress, however, this one includes Cap’s sidekick “Bucky.”
Lots #89452, 89453, 89454, 89455 & 89456 – The Eastman and Laird-created phenomenon known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – is represented by high CGC graded copies of the 1st four issues, plus many others. Especially Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Mirage Studios, 1984) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages.
Lot #89447. Roy Thomas “Barbarian” Archive of 160+ Comic Books. Includes (9) Graded, Signed and Remarqued books. Titles include Conan the Barbarian, Kull, Red Sonja and more (1970-1982). Sometime between Robert E Howard creating the Cimmerian barbarian and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bigger-than-life representation of him, Marvel Comics brought the character to the masses. Roy Thomas was responsible for most of the writing duties. This collection is capped by (9) high-CGC graded key issues that were all signed and remarqued by writer Roy Thomas. When the books were presented to Thomas, he was merely asked to “have fun.” Thomas responded by leaving nine unique drawings, each of a different Conan character.
If comic art inspired the cinematic treatment of our great superheroes, the success of the Marvel and DC movie-verses has created a new generation of comic lovers looking back to the books that captured the imagination of their grandparents, parents, and friends.
The comics market is boundless and shows no signs of diminishing as the studios continue to crank out blockbusters and old-time collectors turn over their well-loved and cared-for collections. In the context of the movies, the original art, and comic books serve as the original map, the concept sketch, and the colorful, fanciful, clever stuff that started it all.
These are just a few of the comic book and comic-related offerings in this fantastic auction. Be sure to peruse the entire catalog as there are quite a few gems in there just waiting for you.
-Michael Mansfield