Britt Comic Art has announced the sale of Frank Creezal Art, including original pencil art for the cover of the All-Star Superman Collection Edition. The price is $50,000, as listed,
The cover comes from Quely’s personal collection and is the last All-Star Superman cover he owns. It has never been sold before.
Written by Grant Morrison and portrayed by Quely, All-Star Superman is considered to be the biggest modern take on Superman and has had a major impact on upcoming James Gunn Superman films. Also, it’s Super Monday on Friday, so it seems like it’s a good time to sell this inventive and much-loved piece of art.
But it is also a seemingly simple piece, a naked pencil sketch digitally illuminated for the finished cover. And some people thought $50,000 was a lot of money for such things. (Other Quelly covers are available in the $15,000 range.)
And to my surprise, things started! Jimmy Palmiotti began kicking, asking,
They are seeking $50,000 for this pencil piece, which will be used as a cover and trade for the All-Star Superman – quietly art by Frank. I’d like to hear your opinions.
And he gave his own answer:
I think it’s a future icon image. Therefore, the cost is justified.
TL;DR: Of course it’s worth the money. However, many Twitter commenters didn’t think so. I don’t mind quoting them because they’re wrong. Sampling of other comments by experts.
Mark Brooks: My opinion – the value of art is what it means to the buyer and that means for the larger story. Four Doodles on napkins by Picasso could be fetched in the same way. I don’t charge on lines or brush strokes, I do charge on value.
Artists have value based on their work and reputation. The same can be said about the characters and subject matter. You can spend 80 hours of fatigued drawing new characters for an indie book, but when I sell it it becomes pale compared to the Spider-Man cover I spend 15 hours. Both are purchased based on my name and reputation, but they are only so far. At the end of the day, what I draw determines the value. My name and reputation are simply the floor of my value, not the ceiling.
As for this work, that frankly means that his floor is already high. Combine it with the ceiling that is the main image of the collective All-Star Superman Run and you get the answer. After all, it’s something people willing to pay for. That’s the value.
Scott Snyder threw his 2¢: I understand that I’m approaching comic art as an investment, that’s not a problem at all, but the value of this work is not linked to the film for fans of the book. For many fans, All-Star Superman is a comic masterpiece and an ingenious moment. The value is personal
White urged Aditya Bidikar to respond. Imagine being frankly covered by All-Star Superman, of all things, that you consider it worth only in relation to the film.
But Manhattan artist Nick Pitala has made a project of many others, and this has put it all to rest.
Let’s end this discussion.
Full disclosure, I am one of many art collectors who are in a hurry to work directly with Joe (Quitely rep, yes, this comes directly from Quely), and are trying to win the history of this comic.
I think this All-Star Superman Trade cover will not just say it all, but end the conversation. As Grant and Vin enveloped the acclaimed run, Vin drew one final image. This image.
This rant begins by saying that he is endlessly fascinated by how the story changes across time and culture. It is as if they are these invisible eternal monoliths that exist outside of space and time, just waiting to be revealed and repainted. It brings me to this little essay about All-Star Superman, or 2d Jesus.
Thousands of creators have worked on both Batman and Superman for decades.
Return by Frank Miller of Batman, The Dark Knight: The Most Grounded Man of the Earth’s Men. All unreliable. I’m ready to defeat my friends if necessary. I’m hopeless in a dark world. It literally works in the darkness. A completely material existence as Bruce Wayne. Completely fatal. A man without gods.
Superman, All-Star Superman: Pure symbol of hope. It moved the sun (light). It comes from above. Essentially, he is a god who lives humbly as someone who knows that he has limited time on earth. Who won’t leave until even the man who planned to kill him is saved. He leaves not only a power but an example of goodness. His message of hope. His way.
This All-Star Superman cover gives a clear contrast, especially when placed next to DKR#2. It’s like over 70 years of myth poured into two franks. Inkey grit from Frank Miller, Frank’s graphite grace. Reservations for these icons. Raise them into the ultimate form.
What is my heart? This is just knowing when Batman behaves like Batman, how instinctively and sometimes unconsciously – or when Superman is becoming Superman? We all feel that. We all know that. Separately and somehow collectively. And that’s wild for me.
And it’s not just thousands of creators. It’s millions of fans too. Readers supported the version, ran the version they loved most, and told editors and publishers what they resonated through their purchasing power. They helped turn the story arc into an evergreen myth. The fans and creators came together to allow these characters to coexist in their current state.
Miller dismantled Batman into his gritty, true essence. He tied Morrison and Quellyately Superman into his ultimate divine form. This image reminds me of a photo of Jesus hanging in Grandma’s kitchen. And I love it.
Finally, I call The Dark Knight Returns and All-Star Superman the Bookends of these characters. Not because they’re everyone’s favorite versions, but for many. This is my point. Whatever your favorite version of Batman or Superman is… I probably live somewhere between these two books and these two images. These are myths, realised, fully formed.
Frank Miller’s Batman bookend was sold for around 500k at auctions 11-12 years ago, and Comic Art Market has since entered the stratosphere.
Frank Kreitt’s Superman bookends are provided directly from 50k artists today. Please tell me once more that this is a rift.
Pitala added some examples of the art in question on display at the museum, and author/producer Shanazil added:
I fully agree that it is symbolic. And it’s worth every penny. This is the page of the publications we have done about this work.
Added: Aside from its symbolism, it is one of the most recognizable covers of the past 30 years. Define the era of comics
Please note that we have been here before. People complained about Jim Lee’s $20,000 commission fee, but the resale value showed it was a reasonable price. The bottom line is that art is worthy that people pay for it, but great art also has endless value.
My other day, my reference to David Friedrich, the painter Casper, was because I had just seen a show of his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There is no sense of standing in front of a great work of art and communicating that power directly to you. Friedrich was a popular artist of the time, and paintings of crosses on the mountains were trendy for a while. Can you imagine what it would be like to own something like that and walk it in your living room every day?
I’m not going to rank Friedrich (who had great techniques but portrayed in a rather narrow genre) relatively Quely, but Quelly is also a great artist. His work has a quality that goes beyond just a line to convey some of the deepest emotions we can experience. That’s super nuance. It’s quiet yet lightning, but still shattered. I’m just… Although we couldn’t draw Superman as Jesus and make it moquish, Quelly’s image resonates with what our Jesus idea is and places Superman in its context.
If you ask me, $50,000 is a bargain. This is a classic image that is always one of the great Superman drawings. May it fall in value!
Brit Comics Art is run by Joseph Melchior and also offers art from Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Frank Quely, Mark Buckingham and Duncan Fegredo. There are some good pieces out there and are relatively affordable. And as I wrote when I covered Jim Lee Matter:
We recommend you go to your local con artists’ alley to see who is the future superstar and join the committee reasonably. Seriously, there are so many talented artists out there. They are available immediately at the show. Buy beautiful and valuable things for under $100 at Comic Con or the Indie Comics Show. Being able to get an affordable original art is one of the great things about this industry. Enter on the first floor. Daniel Warren Johnson was a man of fraud only once, but now his art goes to thousands.
Buy art and support the artists. Place it on your wall, see it and allow you to experience joy every day. You need joy.
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