The Fifty and Tony Harris, first time around

In olden days, or at least the olden days as I would love to have lived them, I would have been a patron of Tony Harris. Or even better, I would have been a friend in good times and bad, and a drinking partner and beneficiary of his talent. I would've taken the castoffs even, so to speak. (HEY! Keep it clean, art castoffs I mean.)

That is my poor way of just saying that I love Tony Harris' art. He is still the man and will always be among my favorite artists. That list really doesn't change - and the first guy whose art I can really afford to buy, after Moebius, Crumb, and BWS comes Tony Harris. He is right there with Billy da' Sienk for me as a modern master that I can watch grow and mature. I may not have agreed with some of his style evolutions, but who am I to try to place my perspective on the man's creative processes. He knows far better than I what is best for his art and his life. Say what you want but there is a reason I have owned hundreds of pages of his work. Hundreds, although I sold off most that was not from either Starman or Dr. Strange Flight of Bones (have some, sell them to me for top dollar please!) when I decided I really couldn't keep up and try to have it all.

Best to focus on having the best.

So I still have over a hundred Harris pieces.

Which brings us to this.

Tony Harris / Ray Snyder WIRED Magazine cover

I have it framed but if I showed that to you I would reveal too much. Soon though, soon enough.

I love this piece. It has that Tony Harris chest design that he loves and everyone else pretty much ignores. I like it but it may be tough to draw well. At least you can tell now that it is a demon/ghost type thing, which many artists seem unaware of. The demon cherubs are fantastic, and the giant Doc head is pretty groovy as well. I like to notice how the piece approaches the viewer, and in this piece it is the head that takes our attention after we viewing the central image. then those birds pull our eyes to the demons and when we come back to doc visually we pause and take it all in again. A wonderfully designed piece.

And then the execution. Tony just nails it with the drawing and Ray Snyder masterfully slings the ink here, really adding depth and texture to the art. It is a true team-up, and Ray inked Tony as well as anyone ever did. Even Wade, who is right there with Ray as the best inker for Tony.

Did I mention that I love Tony's art? Well I also love the character of Dr. Strange. He is perhaps my favorite character in all of comics. (Look, I love me some Spider-Man. I cannot deny. But everyone loves Spidey and it made no sense to me to compile an art collection around Spider-Man.) So I love Spider-Man but Doc is probably tied right there with him. 1a and 1b.

So you take the designer and penciller (my favorite by the way), the inker (my favorite inker on my favorite artist), and the character (my collecting focus), add perfect execution on the fantastic design and you have a new entry into The Fifty. Coming in at #2 even!


The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4
2  Tony Harris and Ray Snyder - Dr. Strange WIRED Magazine cover  
3  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones 2007 commission
4  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
5  Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation
6  Anna Merli Clea commission
7  JH Williams 3rd / Mick Gray Promethea 24 double page spread
8  Rudy Nebres - commission Doctor Strange comes upon Dracula & The Scarlet Witch

More Thoughts on The Fifty

If I have not been clear, The Fifty is my attempt to focus my collection into something it is not. At least not now.

It is something like the discussion about what is meant by MVP in baseball or football. Is it the best player in the league or is it the most valuable player, thereby essentially eliminating players on teams that do not win?

The Fifty will consist of the favorite pieces of art that I was able to acquire in the past and hopefully in the future as well. To honor the spirit, and because you have to start somewhere, I have tried to designate pieces in my collection as part of The Fifty. But when I went to look at the best of my best, some pieces were artistically better or perhaps from more renowned and even more talented artists than some of those I chose for The Fifty. That is because The Fifty will be about the art I love.

I intend to live with my art. I now have 9 pieces of framed art. Two really do not count, as I framed them myself. My two Cerebus pages. Two others were purchased framed. They are up on the walls but will likely end up switched out of the frames for better pieces. That leaves five pieces I have taken to the framers (Michaels!) myself. Only one of these, the Barry Windsor-Smith Storyteller splash page, has been revealed as part of The Fifty but the other four are in as well.

Here is that Storyteller splash again, just for kicks

framed BWS Storyteller splash page Young Gods pg 4

As you can see, it is now framed and on the wall. It is next to some more framed BWS art. I have refrained from showing multiple pieces from the same artist for The Fifty so far, but you know it is going to happen. And certainly BWS will have at least two pieces in there. I can tell you Tony Harris, JHW3, and BWS all have more than one piece in The Fifty as it now stands.

I don't know if I have said anything new about The Fifty here. But the fact that I intend to have all of The Fifty framed and on my walls is definitely the intention. If not for all the moisture I might even consider placing the Merli in the bathroom with all the salmon and pinks we have in one of them! But Clea will be framed, last perhaps because the size makes it more expensive per square inch, but she will be framed for sure. Or bounced from the Fifty by then, but I cannot see that happening.

You see, The Fifty as a concept comes from the fact that I am aging and getting closer to death every day. that certainly hasn't changed but it has become more pronounced as of late. So I acknowledge that I will eventually die. And I do not want to leave my heirs and loved ones my art, because they could not care less. It would be a problem more than an inheritance. So I will sell it off eventually.

And I have over 600 items now.

Maybe even 700.

And I still buy stuff like crazy. So I figured if I sold 50 more items every year than I bought, I would lose 500 items in the next ten years. That would leave me with 150-200 pieces, plus the 10 or so I buy every year now anyway. That is another 100 pieces over those 10 years, making it more like 250-300. In ten years. After selling off 500 items. I am 46 now, so I would be 56 with the distilled essence of my current collection plus some goodies to yet be acquired.

Yeah, I could deal with that. In fact, I am making it happen as we speak. You may recall from a previous post that I consigned 31 items to Comic Link. Five have sold and 31 more to go -most in October and maybe some later even this year. Taxes won't be so bad since I lost money big time so far on these! But the money will be liquid soon and not art, so that counts for something I guess.

So between having too much art to live with, and more importantly too much to die with, and having bills to pay and college coming up and all that...well, The Fifty was born.

I will be getting four or five more pieces framed when the first check from Comic Link comes through and it will be a blast to throw some more art up on the walls. I am getting the original art from a concert poster - New Year's Eve of The Millenium for Ratdog, Planet Drum, and Hot Tuna - framed for the living room wall. Tim Truman painted this and it is fantastic!

That won't be in The Fifty as I do not think it qualifies, but I may change my opinion on that in the future.

Okay, too much blathering!

Take care and be well everyone!

Anna Merli and The Fifty

I love this piece.

wonderful Anna Merli commission of Clea, lover and disciple of Stephen Strange

Enrico Salvini and Red Sector Art facillitated this commission from Anna Merli. Anna does not do many superhero(ine) commissions but was willing to take on Clea. All I told her was the character, and she produced this wonderful piece. It is small but still found a place in my heart immediately. I love it. Clea on her wedding bed awaiting the good doctor as he locks the doors, casting spells of protection and privacy perhaps.

I am pretty sure it is watercolor. It is sexy and sweet and true to character and adult and yet clean and honest. Did I tell you that I love this piece?

So to me this may come as a bit of a surprise, that this commission places in The Fifty. Well, it is no surprise to me. Yes, I did not initially think of this piece for The Fifty. Until, that is, until I saw it in my search through my CAF for pieces to include in The Fifty. As soon as I saw it I knew it belonged.

It is a masterful work of whimsy, beauty, and character. It is of the best of the best. Of course it belongs in The Fifty.

The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4
2  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones 2007 commission
3  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
4  Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation
5  Anna Merli Clea commission
6  JH Williams 3rd / Mick Gray Promethea 24 double page spread
7  Rudy Nebres - commission Doctor Strange comes upon Dracula & The Scarlet Witch

The Fifty

My post earlier got me thinking. That can be a rare occurrence so I thought it worth mentioning. I decided that I would throw a curve a show something a little unexpected for The Fifity.

So in the next day or so expect to see a piece a little different from what people think of when they think of excellent comic art.

I have noticed that the majority of The Fifty is commissions. That surprised me. I am not sure it will be that way if I am ever "done" collecting, but it seems to be the case for now. Of course only 34 pieces are in The Fifty in my mind so far anyway; there is a lot of time before we get to the end point.

And I do have an end point.

The Fifty - It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's...Bill Sienkiewicz

This was a no brainer.

Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 recreation

I got a comment on CAF or the yahoo group list about this being the first commission the person had ever known of that requested the back of the character's head. That was a good one, pretty observant and a killer dig at a great piece.

Well played Thomas Vise, well played.

This piece was the result of a little mis-communication that resulted in it not being done in color as originally requested. At first I was really bummed. But that was the first and immediately and visceral reaction; I expected the big red cape but got black and white. Then I looked at the piece and all was well. I have since decided that I am glad it is in ink only. It is more singular of purpose. More abstract. The white is white hot, full of energy the red could never suggest. Less is more, at least in the hands of a master.

In fact it occurred to me that perhaps it was too good. Could Bill have lightboxed his own piece? I mean this is remarkably similar to the pin-up published in Superman 400 that it recreates. Upon further reflection I do not think this to be so, I thik it is original and new and wonderful. The background retains the most important effects and squiggles but is still totally original.  Bill told me when I requested this that it was the first time anyone asked but not the first time it occurred to him and that he was doing a bigger one himself. This piece is really great and Bill was a gentleman to work with. I have received mail from Bill in the past so I was confident I could pull it off but was wrong and thank to the art angel who prodded and reminded Bill a few times.

So this piece really impressed me and is a wonderful addition to my collection. I have gushed about it before here on the blog, so suffice it to say I fuckin' love it. It is the kinetic energy I have always wanted from Bill.

And I even know what I will get next time. Although this may be the ultimate unpublished Sienkiewicz piece for me, I don't think I will ever stop getting convention sketches from him.

See you soon Bill, see you soon.

The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4
2  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones 2007 commission
3  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
4  Bill Sienkiewicz Superman 400 pinup recreation
5  JH Williams 3rd / Mick Gray Promethea 24 double page spread
6 Rudy Nebres - commission Doctor Strange comes upon Dracula & The Scarlet Witch

Comments, or lack thereof

I wonder sometimes why I do not receive comments on this blog. I try to engage the occasional person who honors me with a comment, but it never leads to more comments from them or from others.

Why is this?

See what I tried to do there?

Anyway, I would love to have an honest, fun and engaging dialogue in the comments section if anyone cares to go at it. I would love comments from readers out there to the comments, not even to me. I would really enjoy more discussion about original comic art, or whatever else  is on your mind as you read my posts. It can be related to the posts or not. Whatever. I would love to listen and hopefully learn a little as well.

I got 74 hits today so far. Someone seems to be reading. I used to get a steady 5-15 per day until I started posting more regularly. Lesson learned there. So I will post and hope someone reads and will be pleased as punch should someone comment.

And thank you to those of you who have commented in the past. I enjoyed reading them and I hope to hear from you all again. Each and every one of you!

The Pursuit of The Fifty

I have finished moving everything from other galleries on CAF to the gallery for The Fifty. I have two other pieces, at least, that I will have in there eventually but have no scans now. Most everything I have is on CAF though.

So right now we have these pieces active in The Fifty on CAF:

The Fifty
1  BWS Storyteller Young Gods page 4
2  Simon Bisley Dr. Strange vs The Mindless Ones 2007 commission
3  Dan Green Dr. Strange: Into Shamballa splash
4  Rudy Nebres - commission Doctor Strange comes upon Dracula & The Scarlet Witch
5  JH Williams 3rd / Mick Gray Promethea 24 double page spread

Five pieces revealed. Well I just counted and I have 34 in the gallery now. Many did not initially come to mind, but as I went through my galleries I saw some things that I knew fit right in The Fifty. Real gems. I thought I had about twenty or so. 

Nope.

Thirty-four. Thirty four gems already in The Fifty.

Does that mean I stop collecting when I have sixteen more great pieces? Of course not! I know right away that just a few are tenuous at best. There are some convention sketches in there, and I am not sure they will eventually pass muster. But right now they do, and that is all I can ask.

And listen...I meant what I said and I said what I meant. I passed over some truly wonderful pieces when looking for members of The Fifty. I thought, more than once, "well, I won't sell that one until the bitter end. If at all." I mean, how do I get rid of something like this, even if it is not in The Fifty: 

Matt Smith commission - Dr Strange and Hellboy