Comic book original art

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Comic book original art refers to the original production pieces used to make comic books. Most typically, these are 11x14 bristol boards with the pencils and inking done by the comic book artist or artists, but there is a wide variation in the type of material.

[edit] Collectibility and Value

The auction price realized for certain rare pieces of original comic art has already exceeded 6 figures. Heritage Auctions has sold original art for a 1940's Batman cover sold for $275,000 and cover art for a 1960's Amazing Spider-man cover for over $100,000.[1]

Original art collections exist at the University of Missouri[2] and the Northern Illinois University[3].

Original art is unique - for any given page of any given comic book, there is only one page that the artist drew. The phrase "original art" may encompass any of the following:

  • Bristol board containing the artist's pencil and inks. The pencils are typically done in non-reproducing blue with black ink over. Often, corrections (such as with White-out) can be seen, as well as production directives in the margins. This work is now now done electronically by most shops and more recent original art pieces have only the artwork.
  • Proofs used in production. These are often paste-ups of photocopies, titles, etc. used in the final camera-ready copy. There is often little or no actual drawing on these pages. These are considerably less valuable than the actual original art, but can still command high prices for desirable pieces. For example, in May 2007, the production proof for X-Men #4, feature Jack Kirby art, listed for $1,500.[4]
  • Color proofs. These are production proofs used by the colorist to correct colors.
  • Sketches and commissions. For example, comic book artists often appear at conventions and do sketches for fans, or accept commissions to produce pinups or other artwork. These are not directly related to the production of finished comic books, but are often referred to as "original art" regardless.

[edit] Copyright

Note that the purchaser of an original art piece is not entitled to the copyright, which is still owned by the creator, typically the comic book company.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://comics.ha.com/common/auction/pricesrealized.php?hdnSearch=true&cboDenomination=Original+Comic+Art:Covers&ic=homepage_browse&stage=1
  2. ^ http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/specialcollections/comic.htm. Accessed May 24, 2007
  3. ^ http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/aboutcom.htm. Accessed Mar 24, 2007
  4. ^ eBay May 24, 2007