An Introduction to Orignal Comics Art Part II: Back from the Dead

Because we haven't done a "true" Exfanding-type post in a couple of weeks (and because I'm really just not that creative...and probably a little too lazy for my own good), I wanted to revisit a previous introductory post on collecting original comic book art.

You can read that first post right here, if you haven't already, but beware--it's an early post in the grand history of this blog, and it's more than a little but clunky. Uh...I mean "bit."

Heh.

Which is another reason I wanted to clarify some things, and fix a few (stupid) omissions. I spent so much of that post on the most basic aspects of original art (OA from here on out) that I missed large chunks of important and (hopefully) useful facts that the beginning collector might need.

And after Nathaniel's great, honest, and from the heart post yesterday, I feel as though I should make amends, and do a better job of Exfanding comic art collecting to the masses.

So in this Part the Second, I want to address the...let's call them "issues"...of storing one's OA. Then I'd like to provide a far-reaching list of online stores that sell OA, since at this point I've dealt with nearly every one of them in some capacity. I'll try to provide a fairly complete list, including sites for artists who sell their work directly.
But before I get into that Herculean effort, I wanted to remind anyone out there looking to get into this section of the hobby that it's not cheap. It just isn't. Not even a little bit. And, because of the economy and other things, I am taking a nice, long break from collecting art.

A permanent vacation, you ask? Most likely no, but certainly a rest of the year vacation. And that's another warning I'd like to bestow upon you--OA is pretty addictive, and the quest for pages, while incredibly fun, can also be maddening at times. There's always (always!) going to be someone out there willing to spend more money on something than you, and there will always be collectors who will buy a piece and flip it at a much higher cost.

That goes with the territory and I suppose most hobbies function in that way. So those are the "negatives" but believe me, this is a pretty cool, fun sub section of the comic book hobby.

Okay, enough preamble. Let's get to it...

Your Portfolio, Sir or Madame

Any artist worth his or her salt carries a portfolio filled with all the latest, and greatest, pieces of art that they've created. And OA collectors are the same. (Well, except for the whole "creating" part)

OA is, by nature, incredibly thin--I mean, they're card stock paper for goodness sake. So if you purchase one or two pieces, storage really isn't a problem. But, let me tell you, after some time (and after a few conventions...) those pages really stack up. And it's just not financially feasible to frame all of them. And, if it is financially feasible for some out there...well, everyone runs out of wall space at some point.

So OA collectors buy big 'ol portfolios, just like the ones artists carry around, and they use them to store their art. Problem solved, right?

A little.

Now, I have one portfolio that isn't even half-filled at this point, and it's a nice, sturdy case that fits right under the bed and it protects the art. But it cost me more than some OA pieces that I've bought. Why? Mostly because I'm an idiot, and a glutton for punishment.

You see, I decided to buy my portfolio at an art store. And not an art wholesaler, either. A fancy, stupid art store that was...fancy and stupid.

*sigh*

And since then, I've found several places online that sell portfolios for way (WAY) cheaper. Like Dick Blick, for instance. Next time, I'm buying from there.

Now, if buying art and sticking it in a case and throwing it under the bed sounds insane to you (and why wouldn't it?) then you might prefer to frame your pieces. Again, not cheap, but certainly a nice addition to a room. Professional framing, while costly, will provide your piece with the needed protection of museum glass and other things that will ensure your piece won't fade or deteriorate.

When I started collecting, I framed the very first two pieces I bought. And while they look cool on the wall, I quickly realized that, with the money I spent on them things what hold the art, I could have bought more...um...art.

Or, you know, groceries.

But I've recently found an alternative to high-end framing. There's a store online called Frame it Again, Sam, and every art collector should check it out. Their frames are made-to-order, and the top panel of the wood slides off so you can easily switch out your art so you can rotate what pieces go on the wall. It's a very cool idea, at a very reasonable price. (They also offer frames for single issue comics, so be sure to check that, too!)

OA Link-apalozza

Now that you're ready to store and display your art, let's talk about buying the art. (Sequential storytelling means nothing to me--I read Grant Morrison comics) The following is a handy (and extensive!) list of some of my favorite comic art sites. Even if I have no intention to buy (which is most of the time), I still check many of these sites out weekly just to ogle the great art.

Seriously, check them out. There's some amazing art to be ogled.

First, the big-name dealers, with their exclusive artists and their fancy pants:

--The Artist's Choice represents too many pencillers to count, but Ethan Van Sciver, Steve McNiven, and Joe Quesada are just a few of the big names there. While often over market value (or, at least perceived market value according to Ebay sales and the like) on many pieces, TAC is one of the premier places online to shop for modern art. I've bought several pages from them, and I am quite happy with them. If you do some hunting on the site, I guarantee you'll find some very good deals (like the piece below by Mark Bagley).
--Anthony Snyder represents Alex Maleev, Esad Ribic, and Damion Scott. He also has tons of art from every age of comics, ranging from the incredibly high-priced to the incredibly low-priced. I've ordered two pieces from them--one online and one in person at a con. Great guys, great art. I bought this Alex Maleev Daredevil from them last summer.
--Romitaman is another high end dealer, but the breadth of what they have is pretty awe-inspiring. Again, you could buy a piece that's more expensive than my car, and worth way more than my savings account, or you could buy great art for under a hundred bucks. The owner, Mike Burkey, is one of the greats in the OA world, and he's just a flat-out good guy and incredibly easy to work with.

--Albert Moy is the rep for luminaries such as Jim Lee (!!!), John Cassaday, and Darwyn Cooke. Lately, he has Eric Powell as a featured artist on his site, so you know the man has good taste! Anyway, this is another high end to low end site, with some stunning pieces available.

--Fanfare is run by a great guy, Tom Fleming, and serves as the rep for Greg Land, J.G. Jones, and Stuart Immonen, among others. Fanfare's selection is diverse and very affordable. Some of the best deals in OA can be found there. I've bought several pages from them, and each time I came away happy as can be. The Kelley Jones piece below is a favorite of said purchases.
--Will's Comic Art is run by another staple in the OA community, and features a vast array of work by innumerable artists from every era. I've purchased from Will in the past (actually, see the image just below), and it was easy and the shipping was quick and secure. Another great dealer.
--ComiCon Art represents several rising stars in the industry, including two of DC's best, Ed Benes and Shane Davis. The companion site, Ed Benes Art has many pages by the superstar up for sale. ComiCon specializes in pin up art and they are always taking commissions. There are some unknown (for now) artists there, so prices are low, but expect to hear good things from many on the roster there in the near future.

--Comic-art-ink has a great selection of artists, including the incredible Adrianno Melo, Paolo Siqueira, and Renato Guedes. Great selection, great prices, easy to work with.

--Splash Page Art reps many of today's best, cutting edge artists, including Tim Bradstreet, Marko Djurdjevic, Ben Templesmith, and Marcelo Frusin. There's tons of great stuff there, including the addition of Mauro Cascioli to the site. His stuff is killer (as seen in the James Robinson-penned Justice League: Cry for Justice a couple of weeks back).
--Comic Book Art Gallery is the home of Mike Perkins and Mel Rubi, among others. The site is run by a very cool guy, and they are incredibly easy to deal with.

--Comic Art Links is a great site, for two reasons. First, there's a bunch of links to OA sale sites. And second, because they rep several artists, including a favorite of mine, Francis Manapul.

--Catskill Comics reps Mike Grell and Tom Mandrake, among a nice variety of others, and offers plenty of commission work.

--And for you Indie fans out there, The Beguiling is one-stop shopping for some of the best in the field, including Becky Cloonan, Gabriel Ba, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Joe Matt, and Paul Pope!! Check it out!

Now, on to a few artist sites:

--First up, of course, is the Official Goon Store, on Ebay. There's always something good up for bid (or Buy It Now), and Eric occasionally sells his pages directly there. I've dealt with them several times now, online and in person, and they are the best.
--Marvel superstar David Finch's site has originals as well as sketchbooks and how-to DVDs for sale. I ordered one of my very first pages directly from them, and I couldn't be happier with the experience.
--Aaron Lopresti has just recently started selling interior pages (along with covers and sketchbooks) and his stuff is beautiful.

--Another place to scour is Comic Art Fans (and their sister site, Comic Art Shop), as many artists have their own online portfolios, and they sell their work directly from there. Just do a search for the artist you're looking for. Either you'll find that person's gallery, or you might stumble across other members with pages for sale.

--- --- ---

This is not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination, but one that I hope can give someone who might be interested in OA a good start. It's something I wish I had when I got started, that's for sure.

As I discover more sites (and as I recall all the sites I managed to leave off), I will update the list as often as possible.

If you're a collector, and you'd like to add some of your favorite sites, please just leave the link in the comments section of this post, and we'll be sure to add them to the list!

And, on a final note, I'd like to mention that, so far for me at least, I have not had a single negative experience with dealers or artists, either online or in person, or with sellers on Comic Art Fans/Shop. Everyone I've dealt with truly could not have been nicer, and it's pretty cool to be able to say what's up to them at various conventions.

The OA community online is a pretty tight one--sure, there are scuffles now and then--but it's a very fun place to be. Anyway, I hope this was helpful, and I apologize for trying to break the Internet in half with the word count of this post...

The 3 P's of Blogging

Well, my run of Mega Man 4 is complete and posted on YouTube, and I have to say I'm relieved. While I greatly enjoyed playing through the game and adding the audio commentary, something always goes wrong when processing or uploading the videos, replaying levels endlessly to get the perfect video footage can be time-consuming and frustrating, finding a time when it's quiet enough to do audio recording can be a challenge, it's sometimes taxing to come up with interesting things to talk about, and it's exhausting to talk almost continuously for hours on end--especially if I need to re-record anything (which I always do).

After something like a month (I've lost track) of dedicating the majority of my free time to this project, I'm more than glad that I can waste an entire night just fighting random enemies in Tales of Symphonia and not feel like I should really be doing anything else.

...Except writing for this blog, of course.

That's the thing: my creative energies have been so focused on audio commentary (and, at the very end of June, on GameCola stuff) that it's been difficult to blog. Whether due to self-imposed time constraints or fatigue, I haven't been as passionate about or satisfied with my posts here during the last few weeks as I normally am. The last post I was truly, totally satisfied with was my Father's Day reflection (from June 20th), and the one before that was the one where I mused about Star Trek and cereal boxes (from June 6th). Well, alright, I guess was pretty satisfied with my introduction to the "wonky rock" group Tally Hall (from June 29th), too.

Still.

Even when you take into consideration that we don't usually post on Sundays and that I only write about 50% of the posts during any given week, those are still some rather large gaps to be even partially unsatisfied with my writing.

I've even considered going back to spruce up a few of my posts once I have the energy, starting with my introduction to the Universal Hint System, which should have been so much funnier than it was. I have no compunction about revising old blog posts; not that anyone would have noticed this, but I periodically go back to older Exfanding posts (such as my introductions to webcomics, Mega Man, and Space Quest) to spruce them up with better/more pictures and updated information as the fandoms expand and my knowledge of them increases.

If this were an ordinary blog, I probably wouldn't bother. But, Alex and I are planning on sticking with this blog for a while, and if/when we decide to close up shop, there are plans of turning this into a more traditional website, with something like an index of fandoms that you can peruse and learn more about. Heck, it's not too terribly long before we celebrate this blog's first birthday, and we're already thinking ahead to how we're going to celebrate that. A lot more goes on behind the scenes of this humble little blog than one might expect, and we are at our best when there's more happening here than just figuring out who wants to post tomorrow.

That would be Alex, by the way.

See? We do think ahead.

The way I see it, there are three major factors that contribute to our success and enjoyment with this blog: Passion, Planning, and Persistence. Almost all of my Passion has been directed elsewhere for the past few weeks, and during this time, Alex and I have been too preoccupied with other non-bloggy matters to put in as much Planning as usual. Persistence prevails, for we continue to stick to our daily posting schedule, and thus we stay afloat.

However, I'm not content to stop at "afloat."

I'm eager to get back into writing the diverse and meaty posts I know I'm capable of, and I'm psyched to do some real work behind the scenes again. Alex and I will be meeting this weekend to discuss important matters of bloggery, and I'm anticipating getting the kind of creative jumpstart I've been looking for.

That being said, this is a perfect time for feedback, whether you review us on Technorati, give us a rating and review on Blogged, say something on our Facebook page, or leave a comment on this post. It's entirely possible that what I've written in the past month is, in your opinion, better than anything else I've written previously, and that's valuable knowledge right there.

For the record, I am not dissatisfied with Exfanding Your Horizons. I'm impressed with how far we've come, and I'm pleased with the overall quality of the blog. Alex continues to be a great blogging partner, and I'm grateful to have a little corner of the Internet that we can call our own. I'm not dissatisfied with the quality of my recent posts so much as I am dissatisfied with my lack of focus and passion. You can tell from the likes of Waiting for Wednesday and yesterday's post that Alex is invested in his blogging and is sticking with a direction; more than anything else, I want to restore the clear focus and passion for blogging I had back in May so that the two writers of this blog can once again be united in writing with a purpose about the things they love.

That's what this blog is about, after all. I want to pour my heart into what I write. I want to have a plan that's bigger than simply meeting the 11 AM posting deadline. I strongly believe that what you do is not as important as why you do it; if I can't look back on each of my posts and say, "I truly enjoyed writing that, and I'm proud of it," then I'm not blogging for the right reasons, and there's little point in expending the effort required to carry on with the blog if there's no satisfaction in doing so.

Quick fact: I truly enjoyed writing this post, and I'm proud of it. You don't even have to like it or agree with any of my thoughts. For the first time in a while, I'm satisfied with my writing.

All is well.

Thursday Comics

Well, ya see...what had happened was...

So, today I had planned on writing a review of the big Wednesday Comics launch issue that hit stands yesterday, only...my comics shop did not get any issues in. Diamond didn't ship one of the several boxes of stuff that my LCS receives every week, and of course, Wednesday Comics was in that box.

Along with, ahem, Green Lantern (Blackest Night), and Amazing Spider-Man, issue 600.

The three biggest books of the week, and Diamond didn't ship them to a comics shop that has managed to survive for two decades in a highly competitive area by being honest and fair and friendly.

*sigh*

It's amazing--and I mean truly amazing--how ANY comics shop stays in business these days, let alone comics shops that don't receive product on the day it ships. I mean, the online sites are fast and easy and oftentimes cheaper. And that's not even considering the breadth of stuff available (for far below retail) on Ebay.

So, instead of a post about Wednesday Comics, the book, let's talk about Wednesday comics the...uh...thing. As in, the Wednesday shipping date and my plea to all comics fans out there.

If you haunt a particular shop each week, be loyal to that shop.

If you get to the store on Wednesday, and your LCS is out of a book--even if it's your absolute favorite book--don't go elsewhere to buy it.

Seriously.

Remember, your LCS owner has already ordered and paid for the books coming to his or her store. So, if you are a regular buyer of, say, The Goon, and your LCS owner gets ten copies of the book each month knowing that you buy one of them, and then you don't buy it...

Well, you see where this rambling is going. And that's not even mentioning those...I'll call them people...who special order books (or two hundred dollar statues) and just don't ever show up to buy their stuff.

In all of the above cases, the retailer gets stuck holding the bag. And, believe me, as someone who always, always, always gets stuck holding the bag--that stinks.

Ew. Sorry for that metaphor.

Anyway, be loyal to and support your LCS because without them...well, where would this hobby be?

Waiting for Wednesday, Issue 20

Holy Cats! It's the 20th Week-iversary of Waiting for Wednesday! And it seems like only yesterday that I started this rambling, one-day-a-week-filling...uh, I mean...incredibly important addition to the Interweb's comics community.

Yeeeah, that's what this is.

Anyway, thanks for joining us on this not-so-monumental-or-educational journey through the best of what's around in the world of comics. So, without further ado, let's get to this week's short list of books I'm looking forward to.

Now, while it's a relatively small shipping week, there are some major "event-y" type books coming our way from the big publishers. First and foremost is DC's Blackest Night mini series that will run through the Green Lantern titles.

This is the big one, in DC's eyes--the event that everything has been building up to recently, written by Geoff Johns and with art by Ivan Reis. Look on ye advertising image, and tremble:
Ooooh, scary stuff. But will the book be good? The short answer: Yes, yes it will. Why? Well, it's Geoff Johns on Green Lantern. Really can't go wrong there. And the whole "The Dead Shall Rise" tag line? Bruce Wayne, anyone?

Quickly, two other books I can't wait read are The Unwritten, issue three, from DC's resurgent Vertigo line, which has been a smart, well-plotted read, and issue one of North 40, from Wildstorm.

North 40 is a book that managed to catch my eye in the abyss that is the Previews catalog, so I have high hopes for this title. It's a horror book by the team of Aaron Williams and Fiona Staples, and seems pretty intriguing. Here's the blurb:

Somewhere in Midwestern America was a place called Conover County. When the old book was opened, and the runes therein used in haste and ignorance, a place of farms, simple folk, and small-town dreams became a den of monsters and nightmare.

NORTH 40 is the story of those who survived and came to confront an even greater evil on the horizon – one that wouldn't just consume their flesh, but their souls as well.

Heroes arise with power to bring against the dark: Wyatt, an unwilling protector of his former tormentors; Amanda, an apprentice to forgotten arts; and Sheriff Morgan, whose bonds with Conover County go back farther than even he can remember. See where it started, and watch where it's all going in NORTH 40 #1.

And here's the creepy cover:
Oh! And I almost forgot--Marvel's big book this week is the Giant-Sized 600th issue of Amazing Spider-Man, which will feature over 100 pages of story. So, you may want to check that out, as well.

But the Big Story this week comes from DC, and no, it's not Blackest Night. Instead, it's something called Wednesday Comics, the first issue of which launches today. What is Wednesday Comics, some of you might be asking. Well, it's like the Sunday comics section, only with DC characters and stories written and illustrated by the top talent at the company.

And, yes, it will be in newsprint, in standard newspaper size.

So, what does Alex think of this idea? Well, (glad you asked) here's the deal--I like that DC is trying something different (I'd say it's something new, but it's really something old, when you think about it), and while I'm not real sure if it will pan out for the company, I'll be buying the first issue.

I mean, I like that DC is finally (finally) doing something that Marvel isn't doing, or hasn't already done. And, yes, okay, so instead of surging to the forefront of digital comics like Marvel is, DC has decided to go in a--um, let's call it retro--direction.

And that's kinda cool. I love anthologies, be it short fiction or graphic collections, so this book should be right up my alley. Will DC screw it up? Most likely, but hey, they have some of the absolute top talent in the field working on the book...um, I mean, paper...so you know the stories will be good.
So, what's the not good part? It rhymes with Collections, and it's two-fold.

Wednesday Comics will be produced in newsprint, which by nature, is not very sturdy. Comics People, by nature, are collectors. And a good portion of Comics People who read the characters that will be featured in WC (Batman, Superman, Catwoman, Kamandi, etc) are straight up collectors. Which means they'll want their books to be preserved and in pristine condition for years to come.

So, those people may buy two copies--one to read, one to "collect."

So sales figures among the fanpeople base might be a bit skewed there. The other issue with printing in this format is--how in the world will DC collect this material? If the most important feature is newsprint, how would they go about collecting the stories in trade? Will they even collect them? Or are we back to the old, buy 'em when they ship mentality?

I dunno, and maybe DC's made an announcement to this end, so let's hope these things get collected.

Before wrapping up, I do want to harp once again on the positives of this idea, because I do think it's pretty cool and I think that it could be something big. To that point, here are some of the creative teams on WC, and as you'll see, this is where DC definitely got things right: Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso on Batman; Neil Gaiman (yay!) and Michael Allred on Metamorpho; Adam Kubert (on writing duties!) and his dad, Joe Kubert, on Sgt. Rock.

Great creators, on both big time and not so big time characters. We'll see how the market reacts to this experiment, and if maybe, just maybe, WC can take a big bite out of the collector's mentality that plagues our hobby.

Anyway, that's just my two cents. What about you? What are you Waiting for?

Universal Hint System: (Almost) Spoiler-free walkthroughs

Maybe you graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the nation; maybe you have decades of military and tactical training under your belt; maybe you're the world's foremost expert on playing chess and solving Rubik's Cubes... no matter the circumstances, there almost always comes a time when you find yourself stuck on some video game puzzle or challenge that only a walkthrough--written by a kid who's barely old enough to shave, no less--can help you through.

It's not uncommon to read a walkthough and then slap your forehead, saying, "I'm so stupid! I can't believe I didn't think to dodge the monster's attack!" It's also not uncommon to read a walkthrough and accidentally spoil half the game for yourself while looking for the information you need.

That's why the Universal Hint System exists. UHS is a website that allows you to gradually learn more about how to solve any given puzzle or challenge; instead of straight-out telling you what to do, UHS has a tiered hint system that starts out giving you vague and general clues that become more specific as you press on. You control how much information you see, and sometimes all it takes is a single vague clue to inspire you to try something you never even considered... and sometimes you need to beat yourself over the head with the full list of clues because you'll never figure things out on your own.

So, if you're looking for video or computer game help that spoils only as much as you're willing to spoil, check out the Universal Hint System. You'll find hints for games of all genres and ages, so it's definitely worth a look.