The Third Barry Smith Piece in The Fifty!

It is framed so why not announce and anoint it officially: Barry Windsor-Smith Daredevil 236 page for The Fifty! I have three pages so far from this issue and have my eye on a fourth but this is my favorite of those I own.

Barry Smith full art Daredevil 236

When I owned 2 pages from this issue I took them to a show where Bob Wiacek was appearing. Bob shares inking duties with Barry Smith over the Smith pencils for this issue. I asked Bob if he had inked either of the pages and I figured he had likely done one or the other as this page was so dense and dark and the other is very sparse and light-handed. Bob told me he did not ink either of the pages and as I pondered this I decided to show the pages to artist Jimmy Cheung, who was also attending the show. As I told Jimmy of my encounter with Bob he laughed and said something like "of course Barry inked these pages. that's a Barry line there, and those as well" as he pointed out his examples. It hit me in the face how obvious it was as he said it.

Every so often I am reminded of this lesson and have to remember to really look at the art I own. It was lessons like the one Jimmy gave me that spawned my decision to put my art on the walls and eventually create the concept of The Fifty.

I love this page. I only became aware of the rogue issues Barry did occasionally for Marvel after I became a collector of his original comic art. For some reason the pages from Iron man have escaped me and yet this issue seems to find me. This is a great story page with Black Widow sticking up for DD and it not helping one bit. My  favorite panel is that one of DD upside down at the bottom of the page but that middle tier is tremendous as well. DD's head in the panel with Natasha's kick is also well done.

I am just throwing the pieces in here when I rank them but it is really making me think about which pieces deserve what spots.


The Fifty
1  Barry Windsor-Smith Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  Barry Windsor-Smith Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 22  (framed)
5  Tony Harris Starman 3 cover  (framed)
6  Barry Windsor-Smith Daredevil 236 page (framed)
7  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)

8  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19

9  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

10  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
11  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
12  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
13  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
14  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash (framed)
15  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
16 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

17  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
18  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

19  Bryan Talbot Dr. Strange commission
20  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

21 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

22  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
23  Mike Allred - Doctor Strange, Clea, The Ancient One, Wong, and Rintrah...A Day Off
24  Anna Merli Clea
25  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
26  Jae Lee Dr. Strange
27  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

Gene Colan in The Fifty...again

What a great page! Colan / Palmer ToD 44 p 22

This is the first page I acquired from this classic issue of Tomb of Dracula. Issue 44 was a crossover with Dr.Strange 14, and when pages from both issues began showing up a few years ago I went after them. Eventually I owned three pages from ToD 44 and one from Doc 14, but now I am down to the two I intend to keep - the one above and the page one splash from this issue.

I love that first panel, and the last one is striking as well. In between is story, but the page as a whole works very well. The growth of The Eye of Agamotto as it comes off Doc's chest shows true artistry by both Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. I have a lot of my own issues with Colan's work at times, but this page is an excellent example of what made Gene Colan special and also why Tom Palmer was his best inker.

Look at that last panel. Doc firing spells in a classic pose. Classic. This page is awesome and I am proud to own it and look at it on my wall. So without further eloquence...without further eloquence...Gene Colan and Tom Palmer enter The Fifty with a page from ToD 44 (again).


The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  BWS Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 22  (framed)
5  Tony Harris Starman 3 cover  (framed)
6  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)

7  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19

8  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

9  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
10  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
11  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
12  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
13  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash (framed)
14  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
15 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

16  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
17  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

18  Bryan Talbot Dr. Strange commission
19  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

20 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

21  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
22  Mike Allred - Doctor Strange, Clea, The Ancient One, Wong, and Rintrah...A Day Off
23  Anna Merli Clea
24  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
25  Jae Lee Dr. Strange
26  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

The Fifty - Starman 3 cover painted by Tony Harris

Tony Harris - Starman 3

I was so happy to be able to acquire this cover in 2012 (Thank you Elizabeth!). It is a masterpiece. The vibrant colors, the art deco stylings, the Zodiac imagery used in so many early Starman pieces...if you are looking for a piece to represent Tony Harris' early paintings this one would serve that purpose well as it is all here.

I sold some of my Harris art recently, and am a bit regretful even though the money was well spent. At the time I was pressed a bit about this cover and offered it for $5000. That offer would not be made today, as I took the money from that sale and used some of it to frame this cover. As it stands now the plan is for it to stay on my wall for a decade or three. In fact I am over selling the bigger pieces for a bit (at least until my 11/29 birthday sale perhaps) and won't be selling any Harris at all unless something changes.

So getting framed means being placed in The Fifty. I sent another piece out along with this one, so there are more additions to the Fifty to come soon. But for now it is "welcome to The Fifty" for this exquisite cover! I now have 25 items in the list and 15 framed pieces of art on the walls!



The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  BWS Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Tony Harris Starman 3 cover  (framed)
5  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)

6  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19

7  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

8  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
9  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
10  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
11  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
12  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash (framed)
13  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
14 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

15  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
16  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

17  Bryan Talbot Dr. Strange commission
18  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

19 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

20  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
21  Mike Allred - Doctor Strange, Clea, The Ancient One, Wong, and Rintrah...A Day Off
22  Anna Merli Clea
23  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
24  Jae Lee Dr. Strange
25  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

The Fifty - Doc at the Beach, my Mike Allred commission

I have loved the look of Mike Allred's work since I first saw it. I cannot tell you when that was, but I know for sure that although I had possibly acquired an issue of Madman or something from dark Horse that had Mike's work in it, I first became a buyer of his work with Superman/Madman: Hullabaloo and Red Rocket 7. I loved Red Rocket 7 especially, it was a ton of fun and that seemed to me to be what separated Mike's work from others for me. He has the chops technically and I appreciate that, but it is his design sense and the way he sets up the page that speaks of genuine joy and just plain fun.

Now speaking of those chops, I really love the look of Mike's smooth, thin, clean line. His style and the choices he makes are what make him special, but he has great anatomy and great storytelling capabilities. he is a real gem in the industry.

So when I heard he was doing commissions (and still is through Simon at gotsuperpowers.com as far as I know) I knew I wanted something. At the time I was very much into commissions and have quite a few good ones by very talented artists. But there are only so many ways to draw Dr. Strange (no, really, there are only a few poses. Get as many commissions as I have and you will find that most artist stick to the stock single figure poses more often that not) and I knew I wanted something distinctive from Mike Allred if I was going to spend serious money. And yet...I had this idea noodling its' way through my psyche. It was The Defenders, specifically Valkyrie, at the beach. Not the kind of thing you get when you are getting something that has a minimum cost of $1000. The resale value on commissions is notoriously low and that goes for even very strong pieces. So when I factored in the 6-8 characters necessary for The Defenders to look like it did in my head I realized it was going to be beyond what I wanted to spend for what was likely to yield considerably less than the cost upon any eventual resale. But the idea just wouldn't let me go. I knew it was a perfect topic for Mike Allred to draw. So I decided to focus on Doctor Strange exclusively and use his supporting cast instead of The Defenders.

Mike Allread commission - Thanks Mike!

I always figure in 20 years I can commission the companion piece with The Valkyrie, Hellstrom, The Demon, The Hulk, The Silver Surfer, and Namor. Maybe all of those people trying to get Namor to come on in to the water and he is snubbing them. Or alternately Namor could be leading them on a waterskiing type thing with sea creatures and even flying fish supporting them. Someday maybe.

As it is this piece is just about perfect. I was really thrilled when I got it but a bit disappointed that there were not some crabs or birds or such about. I am not sure where I would put them though, to be fair. But this piece has everything I hoped for and more. I trusted that the odd nature of the request would elicit Mike's natural proclivities and I think I was right. The volleyball scene is fun and solves some structural problems (getting the game in with recognizable characters on both sides of the net, fitting it all in there at a good size, etc.) with classic Allred wit and style. I think I may have requested an Hawaiian shirt on The Ancient One and I guess I can't blame Mike for giving me the basic shirt style without the effects. Those would be added simply in the coloring process in most cases anyway. I inquired about having it colored by Mike's talented colorist and wife Laura but the answer came back...and it was no. Luckily I know another Dr. Strange fan who also happens to do coloring. Sure enough he couldn't resist jumping all over it immediately when he saw it, and with some discussion I got my Hawaiian shirt. Two of them in fact.

Both colored by fellow Doc devotee and talented colorist Gerry Turnbull

I liked the one with the tress on it, even though they should be on different planes, all upside down and sideways and such scattered across the shirt. Gerry liked the blue one better if I recall correctly. Either way,  it was worth his reasonable charge just to get the shirt on The Ancient One done and to have Clea's suit done just right. Wong and Doc look so good as well. Gerry is a fan and it shows in the work. Thanks again Gerry!

So it is with honor that I put this crazy,wonderful commission by Mike Allred in The Fifty. Someday I'll get the rest of the scene Mike, and I can't wait to see what you do for it!

The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  BWS Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)
5  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19
6  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

7  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
8  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
9  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
10  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
11  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
12  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
13 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

14  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
15  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

16  Bryan Talbot Dr. Strange commission
17  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

18 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

19  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
20  Mike Allred - Doctor Strange, Clea, The Ancient One, Wong, and Rintrah...A Day Off
21  Anna Merli Clea
22  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
23  Jae Lee Dr. Strange
24  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

The Fifty - Bryan Talbot commission Dr. Strange, Dimensional Traveler

Bryan Talbot Dr.Strange commission 11x17

This wonderful Bryan Talbot commission was obtained in 2008 when Bryan came over to the US for a convention in NY. This was a really odd show, Bryan and David Lloyd were stuck in a corner at the show and virtually ignored despite having been brought over as special guests from England. When I had seen Bryan listed for the show a fe wmonths earlier I inquired about a commission. I ended up getting quite a few pieces that day from Bryan - I pre-arranged this piece and a single figure commission of Desire of the Endless (which sold in the last Comic Link auction for far less than $200 unfortunately) and then got convention sketches of Destruction and dream and bought some art from Alice In Sunderland. Only Dream and this piece remain.

I have made frequent requests for Ditko-esque dimensional scenes when commissioning art, but so far only a few guys have taken the challenge. Neil Vokes did a great one but Bryan Talbot really went above and beyond with this piece. It is 11x17 and is packed full of interdimensional delight. Dormammu lurking just beyond the veil is a wonderful addition too. I was blown away when bryan gave this to me in 2008 and remain awestruck to this day. I am proud to own such a groovy piece of comic art. Thanks to the original inspiration, Steve Ditko, and to Bryan Talbot for this wonderful rendition.



The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  BWS Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)
5  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19
6  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

7  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
8  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
9  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
10  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
11  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
12  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
13 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

14  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
15  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

16  Bryan Talbot Dr. Strange commission
17  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

18 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

19  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
20  Anna Merli Clea
21  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
22  Jae Lee Dr. Strange
23  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

New Addition to The Fifty - David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19

I remember reading this comic book and knowing it was special at the time. I also remember buying this page years ago from Spencer Beck , back when we did business with each other.

David Mazzucchelli DD 233 page from Frank Miller script

When Spencer sold the pages from this issue, they were generally $900 each. For some reason there were a few pages, two or three is my recollection, priced at $300 each. I may have bought the last of these $300 pages; it was a large purchase for me at the time but I jumped on it. (HA! I see from looking at the internet archive, aka the wayback machine, that it was $330 in 2004. I just looked at some sweet pages that went for $900, including a Captain America page recently on the market.)

This page is crazy cool. Every panel is great. If you want to see it yourself, buy the IDW Mazzucchelli Artist Edition; this page was one of those where the rice paper, or whatever it is, was placed in the book so it is easy to find. That third panel is fantastic; I have considered making a shirt of it and have even worked it up. Now that I have framed a 5 Dr. Strange and 3 Starman pieces I have tried to move to some of the artists represented only once or twice in The Fifty when choosing what to frame. This page will be in the next batch I think.

With regard to The Fifty, this page is one of the few actual nostalgia pieces I have to be included. Most of my art focus is on modern age pieces but this page was purchased because I loved reading the comic for which the art was made. And why this page was considered lesser in value is lost to me. I think it is a great page, I was so psyched to see it for that price those ten years ago. It is easily a piece worthy of The Fifty and is a great page in and of itself - watch Nuke escape and strut his psychotic stuff all on one page. The writing and action are so consistent in the "Born Again" storyline that you instantly know what you are looking at. The only thing missing is "Give me a red."

The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4 (framed)
2  Tony Harris / Ray Snyder Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  (framed)
3  BWS Weapon X page  (framed)
4  Tony Harris Starman 53 cover  (framed)
5  David Mazzucchelli Daredevil 233 page 19
6  JHW3 Milestone Forever pinup

7  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones
8  Paul Smith Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom  (framed)
9  Dave Sim Mars Attacks variant cover
10  Gene Colan / Tom Palmer Tomb of Dracula 44 page 1 splash  (framed)
11  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
12  Tony Harris 1994 Starman pinup  (framed)
13 Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation

14  Ted McKeever Dr. Strange vs Dr.Doom in Hell
15  Dean Ormston Dr. Strange & Eternity

16  Darwyn Cooke Wonder Woman  (framed)

17  Dan Adkins Dr Strange 170 page 11  (framed)

18 Ulises Farinas - Dr. Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum

19  Rudy Nebres - Dr. Strange, Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
20  Anna Merli Clea
21  Mitchell Bretweiser Dr. Strange watercolor
22  Jae Lee Dr. Strange