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AUCTIONING OFF HISTORY
Date: 4/27/2001
Over the years loyal DC and Marvel readers have been frustrated over never having gotten the chance to see all the now near-legendary 21 pages of pencils George Perez created in 1982 for the never-completed or published JLA/Avengers crossover. Now owned by Rob Liefeld, some hope did arise early this year when a new Perez-illustrated JLA/Avengers crossover was announced, with some readers reasoning this would serve as the perfect opportunity for Marvel and DC to finally publish the pages.
Well, if you’re one of those readers interested, turns out you may be able to do yourself one better…you might be able to buy the original pages for yourself.
On May 19th Guernsey’s auction house of New York is conducting what they believe is the "most significant auction ever focusing on cartoon and comic art", including from the comic book world those Avengers/JLA pages and treasure-trove of Tim Sale artwork.
According to Guernsey’s, "Some of the works being sold are coming directly from the archives of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, the Boca Raton, FL. based institution that is generally considered the finest repository of art for this genre. In addition, there have been generous and substantial donations of artwork for the auction given by cartoonists and collectors from around the country. The auction will include original artwork created for comic strips, comic books, animation, political and sports cartoons, and theatrical illustrations. The range of material will extend from art created a century ago to contemporary work. The sale will be held at the prominent New-York Historical Society in New York City, while absentee bidders will have the opportunity of bidding on-line."
Christmas Morning for Comic Book Lovers
For comic book fans, one of the more significant offerings is a collection of work by the late Gil Kane. Another very unique item – or items, that is - is Tim Sale’s complete collection of original pages and covers from the entire 13-issue limited series Batman: Dark Victory, which will be offered as 13 individual ‘lots’, containing one entire issue, and the cover.
The follow up to Long Halloween, the series features the retelling of Robin`s origin and the first appearance of Batman & Robin. According to writer Jeph Loeb, none of that artwork for that first series is available for sale any longer.
"It was a tremendous pleasure working with Tim over that year," said writer Jeph Loeb, asked for comment about the Dark Victory auction. "The artwork is that extraordinary, that when Tim decided to sell it, we looked for a opportunity that was just as special. Guernsey`s contacted us with regards to the auction benefiting the International Museum of Carton Art that we both felt was a very worthy cause. Any chance we have at preserving the past so we have a future is something we want to part of. We look forward to our fans having a chance to participate in owning a bit of history of the Dark Knight and, at the very least, being able to see the work in its original black and white form."
Then there are those near-legendary JLA/Avengers pages, the closest thing to a ‘holy grail’ of the comic book world there is.
"Ten years ago, my artwork for X-Force #1 sold at Sotheby`s auction house for $50,000.00. Last year, the cover to New Mutants #87 sold for over $10,000.00. It`s a great time to buy and sell original comic art," explained Liefeld, asked why he decided to put the JLA/Avengers pages up for sale. "I’ve built up a fantastic collection over the years, and I feel with the announcement of the upcoming JLA/Avengers crossover that this was the opportune time to feature them in the great Guernsey`s show. The auction will definitely test the waters for the pages, which I believe are of significant value. I have fielded some great offers over the years, both cash and trade for these pages, but until now, I didn`t feel the time was right.
"As with any collector, part of the fun is hunting the pages down and obtaining them until, inevitably, something new attracts your attention. The auction has given them great exposure and we`ll see if they`ll find they`re way to a new home."
Liefeld explained that a portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the International Museum of Cartoon Art.
While four or five of the pages were published in fan press publications in the ‘80s, and Liefeld displayed the entire 21 pages at the 1997 San Diego Comicon International, most fans have never seen them, and while it’s possible they’ll eventually will be published, this is not at all dependent on whomever buys them from Liefeld.
Avengers editor Tom Brevoort and writer Kurt Busiek explained to Newsarama that if Marvel and DC eventually wanted to publish the pages, it "would be nice" to have the original boards to work for, but that Perez still has "nice, sharp" reproduction copies (and he expects DC does as well), so not only don’t they need the originals, they don’t need the permission of the originals’ new owners either.
"No publication rights are for sale, only the ownership of the actual boards," said Brevoort.
DC, who originally commissioned the pages, apparently own the reproduction rights, and don’t need the permission of, or the rights from, the original’s owner, only cooperation from Marvel, as the copyright issues involved means both companies must agree to their publication. Nor would a new owner be able to reproduce them in a trade or fan magazine.
"People have been buying original art for years - they buy the physical art, not the copyright," said Busiek. "If I go out and buy all the pages from, say, Fantastic Four #45, I don`t have the right to publish the book. Same Situation Here. Not only would the owner of the physical artwork not have the right to print and distribute it, they wouldn`t get it."
Concurred Brevoort, "Marvel and DC have, in the past, allowed people to print bits and pieces as promotion, or in conjunction with a given article or news story, just in the same way we allow people to print advance covers and artwork in a promotional capacity. But that`s not a right - Marvel and DC collectively or separately have the legal ability to prevent those pages from being published by somebody else - or to seek damages should somebody go ahead and do it anyway."
So what are the chances then of seeing those pages all legal-like, perhaps as a supplement to the new 2002 crossover? Looks like the most likely scenario is an eventual collected edition of the new four-issue series.
"There`s no interest on our part in using those pages as part of the current project - George is a different artist...a better, more confident artist, than he was in 1982, so they simply wouldn`t fit," said Brevoort. "We have talked about the possibility of including them as supplemental material in an eventual collection (similar to the Kingdom Come sketchbook that DC did for the slipcased edition), but that`s still way, way off in the future, so nothing`s been decided."
"I`d like to see it published as an appendix to a collected edition, when and if that rolls around," agreed Busiek.
"I`m pretty sure that you`ll see a deluxe edition of the book with those pages in them," added Joe Quesada.
Multi-Mediums
But comic books aren’t the only medium featured. According to Guernsey’s, "Of great importance in the event is the inclusion of 36 sketches on six storyboard panels that mark the very first appearance of Mickey Mouse. With Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse being the 20th century’s most recognized figure across the globe, these first drawings of the character represent the ‘holy grail’ in the wildly popular field of cartoon collectibles. The Mickey Mouse drawings were created as the storyboard for the animated film Plane Crazy that a young Walt Disney and his collaborator, Ub Iwerks, created in 1928. Inspired by Charles Lindbergh and his flight across the Atlantic - a topic that was on everyone’s lips at the time - Mickey Mouse was to make his debut in this silent film. Ultimately, Plane Crazy was released after Steamboat Willie (a "talkie") despite the fact that Plane Crazy was created first."
Amongst the many other works of art to be included in the auction are:
Over 30 original comic strip drawings of Dick Tracy by Chester Gould A number of Prince Valiant original Sunday comic strip drawings by Hal Foster. Original drawings of Felix the Cat by Joe Oriolo, and a selection of works by Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), Alex Raymond (Rip Kirby), George Wunder (Terry and the Pirates), Alfred Andriola (Kerry Drake), Otto Soglow (The Little King), Jose Delbo (Batgirl and Conan the Barbarian comic books). Sixteen works by Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland).
According to Guernsey’s, "The work coming from the museum’s archives will be sold with proceeds directly benefiting the museum. The International Museum of Cartoon Art was founded by Mr. Mort Walker thirty years ago and was housed in buildings in Connecticut and New York. In 1996, a permanent home was built for the museum in Boca Raton, Florida, where today thousands of delighted visitors are able to enjoy the collection. Typical of the plight of many non-profit institutions, the museum has experienced funding problems that have necessitated the sale of a minute portion of the collection. Guernsey’s, the auction house that in recent years has produced such notable events as the John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley auctions, and the baseball sale where Mark McGwire’s seventieth home run baseball fetched more than three million dollars, is greatly pleased to be producing this sale that will help assure the longevity of the International Museum of Cartoon Art. A comprehensive catalog will be available from Guernsey’s."
More information can be found at www.guernseys.com.
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