Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, where we give fans the opportunity to show us their collections, both big and small. And today we have one that falls into the former category, as Bryan Hodgson a soon-to-be pharmacist who shares his collection of graphic novels, statues, original art and more.

If you’d like to see your collection here, drop me a note at jkparkin@yahoo.com. Let’s make it happen!

And now let’s hear from Bryan …

*****

My name is Bryan Hodgson, I am 33 and I have been collecting comics in one form or another for about 20 years. I am a part owner of one of the local comic stores, and I have recently returned to University to pursue a career as a Pharmacist. My wife (Lisa) shares my passion for the hobby and has become quite the enabler when it comes to additions to the collection. As such we have comic or comic-related paraphernalia in nearly every room of our house. I tried to take pictures of everything that we have set up, but I may have missed a few things here and there.

Additionally I do have a large collection of monthly comics (somewhere around 7,000+ issues), but I didn’t include pictures of them because I don’t find large white boxes incredibly interesting. If any of the readers are interested, I can certainly send them some pictures.

I did my best to number the pictures in such a way that it is like a tour around our house. I’ll make a few comments along the way, but for the most part I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. If you have any comments or questions I will be happy to answer them. On to the collection.

Starting upstairs pictures 1 through 9 include what we have on display in our living room, dining room, kitchen and main floor bathroom. The art above the fireplace is by John Cassaday and is my favorite piece in my collection.

Pictures 10-14 follow you as you make your way downstairs to the bulk of the collection. Yes Mario is made out of lego and the alien from Space Invaders is made out of chainmail links.

This is a set of art prints that the SDCC put out in 2006 for the DC comic stamps. I missed grabbing the Marvel ones that were released later so if any of the viewers know where to grab a set I would love to know.

Pictures 16-29 are three of the display cases I have stuffed full of statues and busts. I did my best to arrange each shelf with a theme in mind. Care to take any guesses?

Pictures 30-38 are found within our non-superhero comic room. The Earthworm Jim riding Tommy was a fantastic commission from Doug TenNapel who is one of the humblest comic creators I have met (super-tall too!).

And the remainder (pictures 39-89) are within the main comic room. The anal-retentiveness I put into organizing my collection becomes readily apparent within this room. Books are arranged thusly: DC and Others Absolute, Marvel HC Oversized, DC HC Oversized, Marvel HC, DC HC, Marvel Trades, DC Trades, Independent HCs, Independent Trades and then art books, regular novels and board games. It’s almost a sickness how particular I am with organizing and aligning the books.

As a final statement I would like to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed viewing the other collector’s shelf porn on the website. It is always nice to see collections (large and small) from across the world. Thank you for hosting my collection and thank you for introducing me to so many wonderful collections from other fans.

Hello and welcome to Shelf Porn, where fans show us their collections. Today’s submission comes from Victor Liew in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

If you’d like to see your collection right here on Robot 6, just send me a write-up and some jpgs, and we’ll make it happen!

Now let’s hear from Victor.

*****

I began officially collecting comic books with Alpha Flight 1 by John Byrne, which led to his Fantastic Four run, which led to Uncanny X-Men, which led to New Teen Titans, and so on. So far, I’ve managed to confine my hobby to one basement room in the house. The highlights include a complete run of Miracleman 1-24 and to date I am three issues away from completing the 300-issue run of Cerebus – unfortunately I require 1, 3, and 4 which are pretty difficult to find at an affordable price.

Although my comics are in long boxes, I keep my graphic novels, hardcovers, trade paperbacks, and collectibles on shelves. Most of the Star Wars toys are original to my childhood. Luckily I was not one of those kids whose parents threw out their toys. I managed to keep mine in pretty good shape for the most part. Other items I was able to reacquire as I got older, got a job and actually had some cash to buy.

The shelf with the Lone Wolf and Cub/Samurai Executioner/Path of the Assasin manga digests also holds most of my Star Wars swag. On the top shelf is a Dark Knight promotional vacuform (although it’s a little beat up) plus the LP for the original Star Wars record album.

The manga spin rack that holds the Archie digests was retrieved from a “dumpster dive” from a local comic shop that threw it out. It was perfectly fine so I pulled it out of the garbage, threw it in my car and drove off before too many people noticed what I was doing.

I went on an Absolute edition binge, much to the detriment of my wallet. The Battlestar Galactica Viper on the shelf is an original toy from 1979 . I also have a Cylon raider on the adjacent shelf. In both cases, they shoot out small red missiles but this was changed due to safety concerns as kids were getting nailed in the eyes with the missiles. Later versions of the viper and raider had missiles but they did not detach from the ships.

The room has original artwork from Steve Rolston on Queen and Country, a Darick Robertson head sketch of Billy Butcher from The Boys, and a Steve McNiven Nemesis sketch. The Batman Earth One print was signed by Gary Frank at Fan Expo in Toronto 2010.

Hope you like what you see. I love looking at other collector rooms so hopefully my room is worthy of inclusion. Happy New Year!

Angoulême International Comics Festival

Conventions | The Angoulême International Comics Festival has announced the Official Selections for the 2012 festival, which will be held Jan. 26-29 in Angoulême, France. Eddie Campbell’s Alec, Craig Thompson’s Habibi and Daniel Clowes’ Mister Wonderful are among the almost 60 graphic novels on the list. [Angoulême]

Editorial cartoons | The Columbus Dispatch suspended political cartoonist Jeff Stahler after finding that his Monday cartoon was too similar to a New Yorker cartoon published in 2009. At The Daily Cartoonist, Alan Gardner posts several of Stahler’s cartoons alongside earlier pieces with similar punchlines. While one can debate whether Stahler lifted his ideas from the older cartoons, it’s obvious that he drew them in his own style, unlike David Simpson, who was recently accused of copying Jeff McNally’s cartoons. [Comic Riffs]

Crime | Several pieces of original artwork, among other items, were stolen from the car of AdHouse Publisher Chris Pitzer while he was in New York City last weekend for the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Pitzer is offering a reward for any information leading to the recovery of the artwork. [AdHouse]

Creators | Congratulations to Any Empire creator Nate Powell and his wife Rachel on the new addition to their family, Harper Powell. [See My Brother Dance]

Creators | Writer Neil Gaiman talks to illustrator and filmmaker Shaun Tan. [The Guardian]

Batwing #4

Creators | Writer Judd Winick discusses his work on DC’s Batwing comic: “Bruce and Batman are these emotionless beasts who are driven by rage and seek justice and do everything they can to just stay focused on the mission: fighting crime, stopping the bad guy, finding the clues, putting the pieces together. But as we’ll learn, David Zavimbe’s a very emotional character. He’s much more self-aware in that way: He knows what he is, where he’s come from, and what he has to overcome.” [USA Today]

Creators | Artist Ben Bates talks about working on the upcoming New Crusaders digital series. [ComicsAlliance]

Creators | Felicia Day discusses The Guild comics, including the 2012 Free Comic Book Day offering from Dark Horse, as well as her work on Dragon Age: Redemption. [TFAW]

Creators | Sean Kleefeld interviews Rina Piccolo, creator of the comic strip Tina’s Groove and the webcomic Velia, Dear. [MTV Geek]

Analysis | J.L. Bell introduces the concept of a “plumber’s review,” a review that looks at the work through one narrow field of expertise: “Say, a review of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island focused entirely on details of south Pacific navigation, or an analysis of D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover for its remarks on coal mining. In the academic world, it’s the comments from the professor miffed that you haven’t said more about the particular event or compound or poetic form that he or she happens to study.” This can be good or bad, he notes, and he points out a roundtable discussion where it proved useful. [Oz and Ends]

Reviews | Kristy Valenti reviews Richard Marschall’s The Sunday Funnies: 1896-1950. [comiXology]

Fashion | Don MacPherson notes the latest in robotic-insectoid couture. [Eye on Comics]

After a too-long hiatus, Shelf Porn is back! Today’s shelves come to us from Alison Sampson in the UK, an architect and comic creator who, as you can see in the image above, drew her shelves. How cool is that? The image above is part of a four-page story she did for a UK anthology, and she breaks down what was on them for this edition of Shelf Porn (and provides some photos of what they look like now).

If you’d like to submit your shelves to us, it’s easy — just send me a write-up and some images at jkparkin@yahoo.com.

And now here’s Alison …

*****

When I drew this, I’d just finished work with my last employer and also a long three years-plus long project to design a University somewhere in the UK (I’m an architect by profession). The room is a real place. It became my whole world when I lost my job, in February 2011. This said, you don’t have to move to travel and as time passed and I sought work, my ideas traveled on. When it was mentioned to me that Tom Humberstone, the editor of UK anthology Solipsistic Pop, was looking for contributions on the subject of maps and travel, I applied and eventually submitted a four page story (the above is pages 2 and 3), which is included in the current edition.

The map is in three panels and it is not only a map of the room (all drawn to the same level), but possibly a map of something else- but what?

The drawing contains references to work by many artists, whose drawings were there at the time (I collect original comic art from mainly UK artists of around my own age). The artists represented are as follows, and their work ranges from being almost recognisable to pretty much invisible in the drawing:

Glyn Dillon (the map on the back of the door)
Jason Shawn Alexander (2 locations: the Mouseguard drawing on the back of the door and the Marvel Zombies drawing on the right)
Jock (3 locations: Judge Dredd sketches, a sketch on the mantelpiece and part of a Losers page)
Dustin Harbin (Diary Comic)
Daryl Cunningham (Daleks)
Duncan Fegredo/ Mike Mignola (Hellboy)
Ryan Kelly (Juno)
Paul Holland Davies (Juno)
Rob Davis (2 locations: his comic Slang and as editor and cover designer of Nelson)
Woodrow Phoenix and the Nelson artists
Phillippa Rice (Juno)
Guy Davis (BPRD)
John Allison (European fox)
McBess (Nobrow: on the mantelpiece)
Ben Newman (on the floor)
Dan Berry (also on the mantelpiece)

This is a close up of Jason Shawn Alexander’s Mouseguard drawing, on the back of the door:

Glyn Dillon’s map, also hung on the back of the door and possibly part of his forthcoming book, The Nao Of Brown, can best be seen here. (Scroll down to the “Journey from the East” map.)

Here are some close ups of the shelves as they currently are (some of the art has changed and there are more books):

The mantelpiece:

The Junos I’ve gradually accumulated over time. The collection is really a survey of comic art, and I’m lucky enough to have some beautiful examples of the work of artists that I admire, including Duncan Fegredo, Frank Quitely, Sean Phillips, Glyn Dillon, Simon Gane, Roger Langridge, Jock and Mick McMahon. Here is a sample of the collection: sketches of Juno by (clockwise from left) Mike Hawthorne, Dustin Harbin, Rob Davis, Matt Timson, Manon, Becky Cloonan, Jamie McKelvie and Paul Holland Davies (whose Juno shows up in the above drawing).

There are not so many comics here, as I only really discovered them a couple of years ago. Since then, I’ve tried to find out as much as I can and have logged the finds on my art blog.

There are books from publishers from all over the world, and a smattering of art books and postcards (the last book I read was Frederik Peeters’ Sandcastle). Many European books aren’t available here, so we have to go to France to get them, or search out translations as and when they come up, from publishers such as SelfMadeHero, Cinebook and Blank Slate Books. After discovering the range of what is possible in comics, and being inspired, I’ve since picked up a pen to draw, for the first time since my 20s. The SP4 drawing on the shelf is mine, and now I’m currently laying out a comic which I hope to spend a bit more time drawing. At the Thought Bubble comic convention in Leeds this weekend, I was lucky enough to have not only a Marvel portfolio review, but also the chance to receive advice and comments from the artists present, and I want to build on that. Please wish me luck.

What is it with Lisa Hanawalt and the use of automobiles for untoward purposes? Last week she drew a review of Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling’s neon-noir crime flick Drive, and now she’s selling an original art piece entitled “Car Wreck Totem Pole.” Originally created for the (very comics-friendly) Panorama issue of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, the watercolor illustration was inspired by Crash, author J.G. Ballard’s novel about accident victims who’ve become sexually fixated on car crashes. (You may also recall director David Cronenberg’s kinky film adaptation, starring James Spader at his James Spaderest.) It’s on sale for $220 at Hanawalt’s new online store. Where does she go from here — The Road Warrior, Death Race 2000, Vanishing Point, Duel, Cars, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Herbie the Love Bug? The possibilities are endless and/or unleaded.

And hey, while we’re on a Ballard kick, it’s never a bad time to check out The Diary of a Teenage Girl author Phoebe Gloeckner’s extravagantly NSFW illustrations for Ballard’s The Atrocity Exhibition — well, unless you’re at work, in which case it’s a very bad time to do so. There’s also this examination of Ballard’s book covers by Simon Sellers and Rick McGrath, featuring striking from artists such as Salvador Dali, Chip Kidd, Max Ernst, David Pelham, Bill Botten, and Chris Foss. Finally, this is a bit farther afield from comics, but the excellent BBC4 rockumentary Synth Britannia, which is now available in its entirety on YouTube, spends some time tracing Ballard’s influence on early synthesizer-heavy experimental and synthpop acts The Human League, The Normal, John Foxx, and Gary Numan. Buckle up!

Welcome to Shelf Porn, the column that features a comic fan’s shelves. Today’s Shelf Porn comes from Greg Farrell, cartoonist and drummer living in Brooklyn, New York.

If you’d like to see your shelves featured here, have I got a deal for you — just send a write-up and pictures to jkparkin@yahoo.com, and we’ll make your dreams come true. As long as your dreams are to see your shelves featured here.

Now let’s hear from Greg …

*****

It’s a little blurry but there is some good stuff here. This is the extent of my Japanese stuff on the top shelf. Mostly Tezuka.

Shifting our view to the right, more comics all the way through that shelf. Top shelf is comics-related books (bios, histories etc.), a speaker with the only DVDs I own atop it. On wall: Gay Son Vs Angry Dad print by Will Varner. Original cover art for Yo! Burbalino Comics #6. An old screen print I found in the trash. Those brown boxes at the top contain some zines and minicomics but mostly store junk. On the right hand side there is a collage I made of medical drawings of phalli and a drawing of the Scream guy.

Shifting view down, closer: More comics. Bottom shelf mostly DC/Vertigo/Batman stuff. Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, etc. Sandman three volume signed boxset that I traded weed for. Dash Shaw poster for MOCCA 2010. Black bag in foreground contains bristols of comics project in the works.

Shifting a little more to the right: Dancing Batman (I forgot the name of the artist), Jaime Hernandez cut out cover of the village voice from a while ago. Peter Kuper MOCCA 2011 poster. The cat loves to play with that yellow shoe lace on the doorknob. some more comics there on that small shelf, and some ink and erasers on that table.

These are some of my “real” books, in another room. I feel like people get judged more on their reading tastes in “real” books than they do their taste in comics, so…don’t judge me. On the wall is a drawing of a cute superman by Chris Giarusso and a dancing Robin, companion to the Batman, the artist of which I have forgotten.

More real books. Top shelf is some hardcover stuff of mine that I haven’t read yet. Limited edition hardcover of Big Questions that I got for $17, and some lotion. Bottom shelves are some of my girlfriend’s books and her comics, many of which are doubles of mine, which I convinced her to buy before we started living together. (Note
the three-volume Lost Girls set) She has not read or purchased a comic since.

My prized possession, a promotional Dark Knight vacuform. Not sure if you can tell, but It is three dimensional and very brittle. This is the last photo of it intact, as it fell over and broke right after I took the picture.

You can follow me on Twitter at @doctormobogo or see some of my work here: http://lunkbook.tumblr.com/ or here: http://www.yoburbalino.com/.

Jack Kirby

Legal | As he promised he would do last month after a federal judge declared the heirs of artist Jack Kirby had no claim to copyrights on the superheroes he co-created for Marvel Comics, Kirby family lawyer Marc Toberoff filed an appeal Monday with the Second Circuit Court of Appeal.

“Specifically, the estate of comic book superhero legend Kirby — co-creator of Captain America, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, The Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, The Silver Surfer and Thor — sent notices terminating copyright to publishers Marvel and Disney, as well as film studios that have made movies and TV shows based on characters he created or co-created, including Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures,” Deadline reports. [The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline]

Legal | Daniel Best shares details on a lawsuit the estate of Archie artist Bob Montana filed against Steve Geppi, founder of Diamond Comic Distributors, in 2009. Through his Diamond International Galleries company, Geppi agreed to pay $1 million to Montana’s family for his collection of Golden Age Archie artwork, but ended up only paying half of it. “And there was another, more important factor coming into play – at the point of purchase Steve Geppi and Diamond were hemorrhaging money to the point of legal action, not that he told anyone. Geppi was rapidly finding that more money was leaving Diamond than what was coming in from its various sources with the result that his net worth had plummeted to a fraction of its original value. While this didn’t leave him destitute, it did have the effect of leaving Diamond hovering on the brink of bankruptcy. Geppi elected to simply cry poor and not pay the remaining $500,000 owing to the Montana family.” [20th Century Danny Boy]

Retailers | The Jim Hanley’s Universe on Staten Island in New York is now open for business after suffering extensive damage from heavy rainfall over the weekend. [Jim Hanley's Universe]

Conventions | Heidi MacDonald notes that several scheduled and as-yet-unscheduled conventions have dropped off the Wizard World website, including shows in Miami, Atlanta, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Nashville, in addition to the Winnipeg show we reported on in June. [The Beat]

Orchid

Creators | Geoff Boucher talks to Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello about Orchid, his upcoming comic book from Dark Horse Comics. [Hero Complex]

Creators | NPR’s All Things Considered spotlights Grant Morrison and his recent book Supergods. [NPR]

Comics | Andy Khouri posts a very thorough examination of the “dollars and sense” of the Womanthology project. [ComicsAlliance]

Advertising | Todd Allen takes a closer look at ComicsUnited, a network that will bring paid advertising to comics published by Aspen, Boom! Studios, Dynamite, IDW and Top Cow. [Publishers Weekly]

Welcome to Shelf Porn! It’s been awhile since we’ve posted this feature and we’re back with quite the collection today, as David Dougherty, a lawyer from Florida, shares his nicely displayed collection of statues and original art.

If you’d like to see your collection featured here, contact me at jkparkin@yahoo.com. And now let’s hear from David …

*****

My name is David Dougherty from Florida. I am honored to be featured on Shelf Porn. I designed this room with this day in mind. I used to collect comics during the 1980s, but I went into hibernation when we entered the era of various variant metallic-inked hologram covers for the first issue of each title. My uncle got me into comics when he gave me his run of Amazing Spider-Man (issues #6 – #68) to read as a kid. What a way to start an obsession! I started up again in 2005 when I had a foothold in a successful career with disposable income. Only this time I had a different perspective. I didn’t want to collect comics that would stay in boxes hidden from me in the darkness. I wanted to collect comic-related items that represented the comics that I was still purchasing but donating instead of keeping. I wanted something I could look at every day and enjoy.

You can view the full gallery of 134 pictures of my collection at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27509899@N03/sets/72157627191565937/. You can find all of my original art at http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=20474.

I converted my third bedroom into this “trophy room.” There are sixty-four 16 sq. in. glass cubes filled with statues primarily from DC and Marvel. The three interior walls are covered top to bottom in original art that I have compiled. My long boxes, extra art, and remaining statues are in storage hoping to one day find their way into the arms of a caring owner.

This is my third setup for my collection as it has grown over the years, and I have learned that presentation goes a long way. I’ve had many of these same pieces displayed in wood or black shelving and it did not create the same impact on visitors.

Firestorm is my favorite DC character. I am thankful for friends with special talents that have allowed me honor Ronnie Raymond. If you look at his introduction to the Justice League in the 1980s, he is a much more powerful character than he is typically given credit for and criminally under-utilized.

From the historic comic that introduced the world to the Justice League of America… a statue based on the cover of The Brave & The Bold #28 by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson (March, 1960). It took me forever to find this piece intact. Most of the originals were broken or cracked to some degree during shipping. I purchased three before this one and each one arrived in pieces. ☹

This is my favorite piece…the one that I grab first if my house is on fire. It is #8 in the production line. “Kraven’s Last Hunt” (also known as “Fearful Symmetry”) was my favorite Spider-Man storyline as a kid and I think it still holds up today.

Long live the Independents! I think Invincible is the best superhero comic since the early run of Amazing Spider-Man. I am also a big Cassie Hack fan and I love this custom conversion. Hack/Slash is the only comic book that I still collect, but I give away the trades to readers that I am trying to recruit onto the title.

Batman Confidential issues #17 – #21 with the unparalleled art of Kevin Maguire. No one can match his facial expressions. I think I read this run in trade paperback once a month. I bet Maguire could pull off a one-shot without dialogue and still tell a gripping story.

This is the wall piece that gets the most attention obviously. Again, the framing enhances the art. It’s great that Grimm Fairy Tales has introduced a goth-twist to the classic Charles Lutwidge Dodgson story.

Did I mention I was a huge Hack/Slash fan? Dan Brereton was just a pleasure to hang out with at a convention I attended where his work was commissioned. On the right, is a page from the original artist for the first volume of the ongoing title, Emily Stone. She will be missed.

Everyone has a grail piece and this one is mine. Alan Davis did the art on my favorite comic book run for Excalibur in the late ’80s. This is my favorite cover from that run because I am a big admirer of Kitty Pryde.

In 1988, I mowed lawns as a young lad to save up to buy this 4 ft. x 4 ft. poster of all the characters from the Marvel Universe at the long-forgotten Comic Cafe. I had it laminated to preserve it. They don’t make posters like they used to…

Here is my Daredevil corner. He’s a lawyer, I’m a lawyer. He’s blind, I wear glasses to read. He’s a superhero, I do community service. The similarities are endless. Right underneath these two Hard Hero statues are the red and white Elektra statues from Sideshow and the Marvel Milestones Daredevil statue crouching on top of a gothic building.

This was once part of my brother’s childhood furniture and now it sits in the rear of this room as a complimentary piece to display more statues, my hardcovers, and my trade paperbacks. Did you notice Harvey Birdman? How could I not pull the trigger on that one.

Thank you all for checking out the fruits of my labor.

Amazing Spider-Man #49

Heritage Auctions expects the original art for the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #49 to go for around $100,000 when it goes up for auction later this month.

Drawn by John Romita Sr., the cover features Kraven the Hunter and the Vulture double-teaming Spider-Man. According to Ed Jaster, senior vice president at Heritage Auctions, it’s only the second cover by Romita they’ve offered for auction.

In addition to the Spider-Man cover, several other comic-related items will go up for bid in Heritage Auctions’ Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction on Aug. 17-18. These include Victor Moscoso’s original treatment for the wraparound cover to Zap Comix #4, Steve Ditko’s original art for page 17 of The Amazing Spider-Man #12, a George Herriman hand-colored Krazy Kat Sunday comic strip and a page of art from an unpublished Superman story by Joe Shuster, Paul Cassidy and Wayne Boring.

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is holding an art auction tonight in San Diego to raise money for their various programs, but even if you can’t attend the live auction, you can still bid on some really nice art (like the above Snarked image by Roger Langridge). But you’ll need to hurry — bids will only be accepted until 1 p.m. Pacific today. You can find complete details, including a list of what’s up for auction, on the CBLDF site or after the jump.

*****

CBLDF Benefit Auction at Comic-Con 2011
Hilton Bayfront • Sapphire Ballroom IJ
Saturday, July 23, 2011
7:30 p.m.

Support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work at the CBLDF 25th Anniversary Benefit Auction! Now held at the Hilton Bayfront hotel, the auction is open to the general public and free! Sponsored by TFAW.Com and Comic-Con International, the CBLDF Benefit Auction is the Fund’s biggest auction of the year. Come support the Fund at this terrific event!

Auction Listings

Some items may be added to those listed below. For a full photo gallery, visit www.cbldf.org, or check out our Facebook and Twitter feeds!

1. Snarked Pirate Ship pin-up by Roger Langridge

2. Defenders #2 Cover by Kevin Maguire

3. Submariner interior page dby Chris Burnham

4. Hellfire Club interior page by Cully Hamner

5. Hellfire Club interior page by Cully Hamner

6. Superman/Batman interior page by Rick Leonardi

7. Mice Templar pinup by Victor Santos

8. Web of Spider-Man #65, Page 11, by Alex Saviuk

9. Marvel Zombies Interior Art by Nick Dragotta

10. Omega The Unknown Interior art by Farel Dalrymple

11. Captain America pinup by Tom Scioli

12. Invincible interior page by Ryan Ottley

13. Liberty Annual 2011 Cover by Dave Gibbons

14. Kabuki watercolor painting by David Mack

15. Supermarket interior page by Kristian Donaldson

16. Finder painting by Carla Speed McNeil

17. “Pursuing Liberty” pinup by Terry Moore, from CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011

18. Hawkman pin-up by Bill Sienkiewicz

19. Ray Fawkes vampire pin-up

20. CBLDF Liberty Annual 2011 Variant cover original art by Frank Quitely

21. Underground pin-up by Steve Lieber

22. Catwoman pin-up by Camilla D’Errico

23. Muppet Show #5 cover by Roger Langridge

24. Muppet Show #6 cover by Roger Langridge

25. Harley Quinn pin-up by Paul Maybury

26. Pete & Pete pin-up by Joe Quinones

27. Sweet Tooth painting by Jeff Lemire

28. Landscape painting by Stefano Gaudiano

29. Tigra pin-up by Tim Seeley

30. Hellboy pin-up by Duncan Fregredo

31. Catwoman interior page by Pete Woods

32. Exiles interior page by Zach Howard

33. Incredible Change Bots pin-up by Jeffrey Brown

34. Batman & Robin pinup by Gabriel Hardman

35. Harley Quinn interior page by Terry Dodson

36. Captain America Interior page by Karl Kesel

37. Mini Marvels X-Men interior page by Chris Giarrusso

38. Batman pin-up by Dustin Nguyen

39. Catwoman interior page by Pete Woods

40. American Vampire variant cover by Cliff Chiang

41. Guy Davis, interior art

42. Tyler Crook, Tiger drawing

43. Batman pin-up by Steve Seeley

44. CBLDF Pinup by Farel Dalrymple

45. L’il Depressed Boy pin-up by Sina Grace

46. Too Much Coffee Man pin-up by Shannon Wheeler

47. Tank Girl pin-up by Rufus Dayglo

48. Captain America pin-up by Ron Chan

49. Power Man & Iron Fist pin-up by Rob Guillory

50. Green Wake pin-up by Riley Rossmo

51. Guitar by Renzo Podesta

52. Hallway by Renzo Podesta

53. Faith pin-up by Rebekah Isaacs

54. Punisher Noir pin-up by Patric Reynolds

55. Vampire Slayer pin-up by Michael DeBalfo

56. Beanworld drawing by Larry Marder

57. Thor painting by Jonathan Luna

58. Bomb Queen pin-up by Jimmie Robinson

59. Wonder Woman pin-up by Jenny Frison

60. Jim Silke painting

61. In Reilig Oran original painting by Tony Harris

62. In Reilig Oran pencil study by Tony Harris

63. Pug pin-up by Greg Espinoza

64. Cyclops & Phoenix pin-up by Fabio Moon

65. Weapon X pin-up by Gabriel Ba

66. Monkey Airways drawing by Dave Garcia

67. Reed Gunther drawing by Chris Houghton

68. Cyclops & Phoenix pin-up by Camilla D’Errico

69. Catwoman pin-up by Bill Morrison

70. David Petersen, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

71. Shannon Wheeler, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

72. Jaime Hernandez, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

73. Matthew Holm, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

74. Matt Wagner, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

75. Camilla D’Errico, CBLDF Master Session original drawing

Bidding Rules

At The Show

All bidders will need to have a bidder number, which can be picked up at Booth 1920 at any time during the convention, or at the auction.

Off-Site Bidding

If you are unable to be at the convention, or unable to attend the auction, bids will be accepted online bids starting Monday, July 19 until Saturday, July 24, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. All bids must be emailed to charles.brownstein@cbldf.org with “SDCC AUCTION BID” in the subject line. Be sure when bidding to use the item name as it appears on the website.

This is not a silent auction bidding system. All bids placed online will be used as opening bids during the live auction on Saturday, July 23. In the event there are multiple bids on the same item, the highest bid will be the one accepted.

Bid amounts placed online will not be disclosed before the item is auctioned. Winning bidders will be notified by email the week following the convention. Payment is expected within 7 days from said email

Paul Pope, for Sax Fifth Avenue

The Beguiling is not just a comic shop up in Toronto — they’re also an original art dealer for many top art-comix and indy cartoonists. And they’ll be selling some of that artwork in San Diego this week.

Our buddy Chris Butcher, who shared what he’s been reading with us this past Sunday, sent word that The Beguiling will be selling art in Drawn + Quarterly’s booth, #1629, during the show. Some of the artists who will be represented include Seth, Paul Pope, Jeff Lemire, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, Becky Cloonan, Anders Nilsen, Jason Lutes and many more. Check out the entire press release after the jump.

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Seth, from It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken.

The Beguiling: Original Comics Art at San Diego Comic Con!
Weds July 20th to Sunday July 24th
@ The Drawn & Quarterly Booth, #1629
Preview: Beguiling Artstore Online

A staple of the San Diego Comic-Con for more than a decade, The Beguiling will once again be on hand to represent the original art sales of more than 40 of the world’s top art-comix and indy cartoonists, many with brand new, never-before-seen pieces of art. As always, The Beguiling original art sales will be located in a corner of booth #1629, owned by venerable Canadian publisher Drawn & Quarterly.

The Beguiling original art store original works including comics pages, illustrations, sketches and more, 365 days a year online at http://www.beguiling.com/artstore1a.asp. Comic-Con 2011 will see originals on hand from D&Q cartoonists including Seth, Anders Nilsen, Jason Lutes, Sammy Harkham, Brian Ralph and more. In addition, we will have all-new pieces on hand available at all price-points, from industry giants including Paul Pope, Jeff Lemire, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, Jordan Crane, Farel Dalrymple, Becky Cloonan, and many more!

2011 Original Art Highlights Include:

Becky Cloonan, from Demo #1. Script by Brian Wood.

- Dozens of all new pages from Jeff Lemire, from across his award-winning works including Essex County, Sweet Tooth, The Nobody, and more!

- Brand new pages by Farel Dalrymple from Omega The Unknown (with Jonathan Lethem), The Guild (with Felicia Day), Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (with Zack and Joss Whedon), and more!

- Some gorgeous new illustrations and pin-ups from the amazing Paul Pope, including work from THB, advertising work from Sax Fifth Avenue, and pages from Heavy Liquid, Strange Science Fantasy, Roy Crane’s Captain Easy, Fantastic Four, and more!

- Your last chance to get new pages from Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire #1-5, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s BPRD, Sugar Shock, DMZ, and Umbrella Academy! Plus new pages from Becky Cloonan’s DEMO

- Rare interior pages from Seth’s It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, new Incredible Change-Bots and Cat-book art from Jeffrey Brown, Crickets #3 pages from Sammy Harkham, Illustration and concept work from Kagan McLeod (Infinite Kung-Fu), Ganges pages from Kevin Huizenga, pages from the “Paul” books by Michel Rabagliati, and more!

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Hate paying for shipping? If you will be at the San Diego Comic-Con and are interested in purchasing a specific piece of art from our website, we will happily bring it to the show for you. If you’d like us to bring a specific piece from our website to take a look at, please contact us at mail@beguiling.com. Unfortunately we are not “holding” art for people unless they have purchased it outright, but we will try to accommodate all requests.

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The Beguiling will have at least a representative sampling of original art available for sale from all of the following artists:
Jessica Abel, Rafael Albuquerque, Ho Che Anderson, Gabriel Ba, Jeffrey Brown, Eddie Campbell, Genevieve Castree, Scott Chantler, Becky Cloonan, Jordan Crane, Farel Dalrymple, Kim Deitch, Pheobe Gloeckner, Sammy Harkham, David Heatley, Kevin Huizenga, Chris Hutsul, Jason, Jeff Lemire, Jason Lutes, Matt Madden, Kagan McLeod, Fabio Moon, Anders Nilsen, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Paul Pope, Michel Rabagliati, Brian Ralph, Ron Rege Jr., Graham Roumieu, Sean Scoffield, Seth, Jay Stephens, Maurice Vellekoop, Steve Weissman, and Chip Zdarsky.

So once again, that’s The Beguiling Books & Art in San Diego at Drawn + Quarterly’s booth, #1629! See you this week!

United Media

Comic strips | After outsourcing all editorial, production, sales, marketing and distribution functions for its 150 comics and other features to Universal Uclick earlier this year, United Media closed the doors on its Madison Avenue office in New York on Friday. [Comic Riffs]

Comic Books | A copy of Detective Comics #27 owned by multimillionaire hotel heir Ben Novack Jr., who was murdered in 2009, could go up for auction and end up paying to defend his widow Narcy Novack. Narcy is facing charges that she had the comic fan and his mother murdered, plundered his bank accounts, then tried to pin the crimes on her own daughter. Narcy’s daughter, May Abad, has persuaded a Broward County judge to hold off on the auction and give her at least 14 days to find suitable storage and insurance for Novack’s massive collection. [Miami Herald]

Passings | Walter W. Schwartz, who illustrated Captain Midnight in the 1940s, passed away last Thursday. The Golden Age artist, who died of pneumonia, went on to work in advertising after his brief career in comics, drawing advertisements for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. [Plainview Patch]

Publishing | Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter recounts the circumstances behind the creation of Dazzler and shares a PDF of the Dazzler movie treatment he put together. [Jim Shooter]

Publishing | Paul Gravett talks about his upcoming book, 1001 Comics You Should Read Before You Die, and the challenge of assembling an international list and catering to international audiences. [Bleeding Cool]

Craft | Frank Santoro discusses coloring comics by hand—and why everyone should try it once in a while. [The Comics Journal]

Creators | Robert Venditti discusses his most recent graphic novel, The Homeland Directive. [The Daily Blam]

Creators | Brandon Seifert discusses his new Image/Skybound comic, Witch Doctor. [Fangoria]

Comic art | Heritage Auctions will open bidding July 23 on a piece of John Romita artwork featuring Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus in front of the Sanger Harris department store at Town East Mall in Mesquite, Texas. The auction house is unsure if the piece, which was intended for an advertising supplement in the long-defunct Dallas Times Herald, was ever used. Sanger Harris was the setting of at least one Spider-Man comic included with copies of the paper in the late 1970s/early 1980s. At least the X-Men got to go to the State Fair. [Dallas Observer]

Creators | Brian Heater wraps up his four-part interview with EmiTown author Emi Lenox. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Publishing | The Good Comics for Kids bloggers, including Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson, share 39 graphic novels kids can’t resist. [School Library Journal]

Conventions | Alverson also rounds up the new manga announcements from last weekend’s Anime Expo. [MTV Geek]

Conventions | The Miami New Times’ Cultist blog looks at five outrageous things at the Florida Supercon. [Miami New Times]

Retailing | The San Francisco Chronicle’s “The Poop” blog profiles retailer and singer Joe Ferrara, owner of Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz, Calif. [The Poop]

“I remember how it felt to be a kid in school and have no money but a passion for art so Beguiling always prices out some inexpensive art,” Pope tweeted, complete with a smiley-face emoticon. Even if you’re only just looking, this stuff’ll put a smile on your face, too. But if you are in the buying mood, better hurry, as it looks like stuff’s going fast.

Welcome once again to Shelf Porn, where we help fans show off their stuff. Today’s submission comes from Harold Yoingco from the Philippines.

If you’d like to have your collection featured here, email me a write-up and some pictures at jkparkin@yahoo.com.

And now here’s Harold …

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Hi! Harold Yoingco here. I’m 21 from the Philippines. I usually do my browsing through the internet for some inspiring photos. Shelf porn is one amazing blog post that inspired me to.. Well collect more and make my own.

Here’s a view of my table where you can see I have a few figures Union Jack and Wolverine (Hammer files). These two are the most favorite figures of all time. I seldom collect figures. As you can see on the right side there’s an original sketch of Ken aka Gorilla man from Agents of Atlas. Sketched by the artist Carlo Pagulayan.

Here’s a closer look of my figure factory thing.

A closer look of the sketch.

A closer look of my shelf I only have a few books… Mostly Stephen king’s books.

A sketch from Harvey Tolibao. Weapon X baby.

Giarrusso's sketch for an Image Comics banner

Chris Giarrusso, creator of the whimsical all-ages comic G-Man, is doing something nice for liver research: He has pledged to do a free sketch for anyone who donates $25 to the American Liver Association’s current fund-raiser. You have to donate through a particular page, which Chris links to on his site, and you can make your request during the donation process or separately; Chris will do a full-figure, black and white sketch of the character of your choice.

(If you’re not familiar with Chris’s work, check out the first chapter of G-Man: Cape Crisis. Good times!)

Grendel cover proof

Late last year a huge batch of production art, proofs and other items from defunct comics publisher Comico was listed on eBay. Comico co-founder Gerry Giovinco, now with CO2 Comics, questioned whether the seller, Coyote Surplus, had the right to sell it.

“It always was Comico policy to return all art to the creators. If there is art that was not returned, we are in total agreement that it should be returned to the rightful owners of the work. If you are a creator that believes your work could be among this lot, we would suggest you fight to get it back,” he said on the CO2 blog in December.

So whatever happened to the big batch of Comico production art? In a post titled “Finder Keepers,” Giovinco offers an update on the art and other items — they’ve been purchased by Collector Haven in Arizona. Photos of many of the items can be seen at comicoart.com.

According to a post on the site, Collector Haven bought more than 2,500 pounds of production artwork:

If you have been following the story of the Comico Art auction that was listed on ebay you may have noticed the blogosphere buzz about the mystery lot came to an abrupt end on December 1, 2010. With no additional mention of it again until we put up this website dedicated to the Comico Production Art Archives. The story picks up again on April 6th as the Comico Production Art Archives arrived in Arizona and now has a new home at Collector Haven Comics.

Fate decided to bring this fantastic collection our way, when we are in the middle of setting up a new store, and have the Phoenix Comicon right around the corner to prepare for. The art archive weighed over 2500 pounds and consists of thousands of pieces of production art from the legendary Comico Comics. We will release more information about what is actually in the collection as we begin the process of cataloging it and uploading the auctions to our ebay store. This is an exciting time for us as we were also big fans of Comico and being able to share this fantastic experience as it unfolds is one of the reasons we set up this site.

Looking through the images they’ve posted is like looking back in time at Comico’s publishing history, with artwork from Grendel, Rocketeer, Elementals, Evangeline, Robotech and many more.

Giovinco posted his correspondence with Collector Haven owner Rick Funk, where he asked Funk to return the artwork to its creators. “Regardless of how Coyote came into possession of the material, the right thing would be for at least the original art to be returned to the creators. I know I would like mine returned,” Giovinco said in his letter. “You and Collector Haven have a unique opportunity to do something that publishers like Marvel and other dealers who have sold art that they acquired from publishers like Dell and Gold Key have historically declined to do. Do the right thing and help place those works where they should have been a long time ago, back in the hands of the creators to which they belong.”

Many of the pieces are already being listed on eBay; you can see them by going to Collector Haven’s auction page.

from The Dark Knight Returns

Billed as “one of the most important pieces of original comic book art Heritage has ever offered,” Heritage Auctions expects to bring in $100,000 or more for page 10 of The Dark Knight Returns #3 , drawn by Frank Miller.

The iconic shot, arguably one of the most recognizable images from the series besides the covers (and maybe even including the covers), features Batman and the Carrie Kelley Robin leaping through the night.

“Artwork from this famed series is much scarcer than anything else from the period, as demonstrated by the fact that Heritage has only offered two Dark Knight panel pages previously, along with the fact that any splash page – much less a such an undeniably classic image – has never been offered at auction,” Heritage reported in a press release. “This gem has been locked away in a single collection since being purchased upon the series’ original publication. Unlike many pages from the series, where differences between the original art and the published version are evident, no changes were made to this artwork for publication, and the original contains no paste-ups or stats – it’s pure art, just the way it appeared in print.”

Heritage will begin taking bids on April 16, with the final auction running May 5-6. More details on the auction can be found in the press release after the jump.

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Frank Miller’s 1986 Dark Knight Batman & Robin splash page, never before offered, expected to bring $100,000+ at Heritage Auctions
The most iconic piece of 1980s comic art in the series that revitalized Batman, offered May 5, in New York

NEW YORK – The iconic original art for the page 10 splash page from issue #3 of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s The Dark Knight Returns, the comic series that almost single-handedly re-vitalized Batman, and defined the best of 1980s comics, is expected to bring $100,000+ when it comes up for auction as part of Heritage Auctions’ New York Signature® Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction, May 5, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (Ukranian Institute), 2 East 79th Street (at 5th Ave.)

“The Dark Knight Returns is universally acknowledged as one of the most important and influential superhero stories ever published,” said Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Comic & Illustration Art at Heritage. “Miller is arguably the greatest superhero writer/artist to work during this period, and Dark Knight is his undisputed masterpiece.”

Prior to the four-issue series of The Dark Knight Returns, Batman had lost his perch among the superhero elite. When Miller’s masterpiece debuted it created an almost instant buzz and rejuvenated Batman as DC’s most popular character. In the process it also helped revitalize the comics industry as a whole.

“This splash page, to my mind, is the single most memorable image from the entire book and the greatest image from the decade ever to come to market,” said Ed Jaster, Senior vice President of Heritage Auctions, “as well as one of the handful of most desirable pieces of original comic art from any era to come to market. This one has everything going for it and has already generated considerable buzz in collecting circles.”

The amazing piece is a perfect stand-alone image of Batman and Robin (Carrie Kelley, the first female, full-time Robin) soaring high above Gotham City, an apt symbol of the entire intense storyline.

Artwork from this famed series is much scarcer than anything else from the period, as demonstrated by the fact that Heritage has only offered two Dark Knight panel pages previously, along with the fact that any splash page – much less a such an undeniably classic image – has never been offered at auction. This gem has been locked away in a single collection since being purchased upon the series’ original publication. Unlike many pages from the series, where differences between the original art and the published version are evident, no changes were made to this artwork for publication, and the original contains no paste-ups or stats – it’s pure art, just the way it appeared in print.

“Definitive is the only adequate description of this masterpiece,” said Hignite, “and as such, it was chosen to represent the entire time period in DC’s recent 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking book, serving as the chapter heading for “The Dark Age: 1984-1998,” and reproduced as a glorious color full-page image, leading off the chapter on page 556.”

In 2005, Time magazine ranked The Dark Knight Returns as one of the top 10 graphic novels ever created. No less than Alan Moore, one of the creators of The Watchmen, wrote about the series:

“Beyond the imagery, themes, and essential romance of Dark Knight, Miller has also managed to shape the Batman into a true legend by introducing that element without which all true legends are incomplete and yet which for some reason hardly seems to exist in the world depicted in the average comic book, and that element is time… time has come to the Batman and the capstone that makes legends what they are has finally been fitted. In his engrossing story of a great man’s final and greatest battle, Miller has managed to create something radiant, which should hopefully illuminate things for the rest of the comic book field, casting a new light upon the problems which face all of us working within the industry and perhaps even guiding us towards some fresh solutions.”

In short, this is one of the most important pieces of original comic book art Heritage has ever offered.

Heritage Auctions, headed by Steve Ivy, Jim Halperin and Greg Rohan, is the world’s third largest auction house, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 500,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.

Want to get the up-to-the-minute updates and breaking news stories about Heritage Auctions? Get them as they happen at: www.Twitter.com/HeritageAuction; Facebook: www.HA.com/Facebook.To view a compete archive of Heritage press releases go to: HA.com/PR. To link to this press release on your blog or Website: HA.com/PR-1994.

The event will take place at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday: In less than a week, the two have pulled together donations from a number of local artists as well as the anime companies Bandai and Geneon, the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime convention AM2. They are still looking for donations, though; if you are a Los Angeles-area artist and want to contribute framed sketches, paintings or digital art, contact information is on their website (or direct-message them via Twitter). Anime actors and cosplayers will also be there to mingle and sign autographs; check the Facebook page to see who’s coming.

“Japan has always been a huge inspiration for those working in anime and comics, and we’re doing this show as a way to give back to the community there,” Kolb said in an e-mail to Robot 6.

Proceeds will go to the Japan NGO Earthquake Relief and Recovery Fund, which will work with Japan’s Give One initiative to relay the money directly to local charities that are helping with the relief efforts. And more events are in the offing; follow them on Twitter to get the latest news.

Wolverine by Dan Panosian

Brigid did a round-up yesterday of various holiday gift-giving suggestions, so I thought I’d follow suit with some that I’ve seen lately.

• The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is auctioning off original art by Paul Pope, Eric Powell, Gabriel Hardman, Tom Fowler, Dan Paosian and many more, as well as lunch with Chew writer John Layman in New York next week.

• I remember shoveling a whole bunch of quarters into the X-Men arcade game back in the day; my friend Mike and I beat the game as Nightcrawler and Wolverine. If you have an Xbox fan in your life, they too can fight the Blob, Magneto and more in side-scrolling action, as the game will be available on Xbox Live Arcade Dec. 15. The PlayStation Network, unfortunately, won’t get it until February, so you’ll have to find something else this holiday season for the PS3 fan in your life. Joy to the world! The game will hit the PlayStation Network Dec. 14!

• Khepri Comics is selling Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s Atelier, a comic they created to sell at conventions.

• Comics creator Ben Towle has a 20 percent off sale going in his web store, where you can purchase original art from books like Midnight Sun, signed copies of Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean and superhero commissions.

• IDW continues their “12 Days of Comics” sale over on their website. Today’s special deal is Star Trek comics.

• Brendan McCarthy points out that Albert Moy is selling a whole bunch of McCarthy’s original art.

• Brian Fies is offering a signed bookplate to anyone buying Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? as a gift this season.

• Two cartoonists whose books I recently read and really, really enjoyed — Eleanor Davis & Drew Weing — have a web shop with all sorts of cool stuff for sale. Let me recommend Set to Sea by Weing and The Secret Science Alliance by Davis. (Via Flog)

• And finally, more free Christmas cards … this time by artist Jeffrey Brown, featuring cats!

Welcome to Shelf Porn, our weekly peep into somebody’s comic collection. This week Shawn Borbandy shares a huge number of pictures of his collection of comics, toys, statues and more. Also, I’m trying out a different layout for Shelf Porn this week, so let me know what you think.

If you’d like to share your collection, hit me up! Email pictures and a write-up to jkparkin@yahoo.com. Also, if you’re decorating for the holidays and using any sort of comic book theme on your tree or around the house, we want to see those, too! So take some photos of your ornaments and send them to me as well.

And now let’s hear from Shawn …

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Hi there. My name is Shawn Borbandy. This is my shelf porn. My wife and I bought a new house six months ago, with one of the goals being getting a bigger den than the one we had for my stuff. The room was a bit bigger, but we noticed the front closet took alot of the space you could have away. So my wife suggested we reverse the closet into the den. You’ll notice,in the pictures with the longbox shelves, is the closet turned back into the den. Sweet idea from a sweet wife! Anyways, there’s not much in this room that a person can’t find in any store,save some original sketches from some conventions. But I think it’s all about having a space where you can put all this stuff out and enjoy it everyday. I know my daughter loves it and she’s only just turned one! By the way, best pieces I own are the 19 inch Galactus figure, and the plush Krypto! Won him in Six Flags over Arlington. Had to check him as luggage on the flight back to Canada!