Heritage Comics Posts Strong Results for First Auction of 2005

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Comics Auctions (HCA) held its first sale of 2005 on Wednesday, February 10 and Thursday, February 11, in Dallas, Texas. 83.25% of the lots offered were sold, for a total of $2,316,405.40. 2,323 total bidders competed for 1,857 lots, 475 of them successfully.

"This was as strong a sale as we've ever seen," said Ed Jaster, Director of Acquisitions for HCA, "with solid prices realized across the board. I've actually had consignors calling me raving about their results, which were, in many cases, far above what anyone expected."

"In comic books, condition continues to rule," Jaster continued, "with 9.6s and 9.8s commanding strong multiples of Guide. For example, an Amazing Spider-Man #19, CGC graded MT 9.9 with off-white to white pages from the Northern Lights Collection brought $20,700, over 33 times Guide. Similarly, an Amazing Spider-Man #129, featuring the first appearance of the Punisher, CGC-graded NM/MT 9.8 with White pages, sold for $9,200, a cool 23 times Guide. It seems that Spidey still rules the roost, even though the next movie is still several years away."

"Of course, original art was the real star of this particular auction," Jaster said. "Strip art continues to increase both in popularity and value, with classic strips especially inspiring spirited bidding. We were honored to be entrusted with the collection of Rudolph Dirks, the creator of The Katzenjammer Kids, and his son John, who took over the strip from his dad in 1946. Their collection of original art and memorabilia was one of the highlights of this auction, with John's original art bringing respectable prices."

"I'm happy to report that the Kirby original art market, long thought to be depressed in the wake of the sale of the Tony Christopher collection, is back with a vengeance," Jaster enthused. "We saw quite a lot of aggressive bidding on The King's originals, including the cover to Fantastic Four # 71, which realized $34,500, the legendary Dr. Doom origin page from Fantastic Four #5, which brought $25,300, and page 14 from Avengers #1, which brought an astounding $14,950. Long Live the King!"

Jaster added, "Other notable pieces of Marvel original art included John Buscema's classic cover to Avengers Annual #2, which realized $34,500, a stunning Gene Colan/Jim Steranko collaboration on the cover of Daredevil #44, which brought $18,400, page 26 from the seminal Giant-Sized X-Men #1 by Dave Cockrum, which fetched $17,250, and page 10, a real classic, from Amazing Spider-Man #23 by Steve Ditko, which rang in at $12,650."

"Another highlight of this sale was the Original Art Collection of Richard and Wendy Pini, the creators of Elfquest," said Jaster. "Their collection ran the gamut from science-fiction and fantasy art to Fleisher animation cels to Wendy's own art for Elfquest and other projects. One of the big highlights of their sale was Chesley Bonestell's original oil painting, "Double Star," which was featured as the cover to the December 1954 issue of Life Magazine. Bidding was intense on this piece, with the winner emerging at $16,100. Another piece which saw heavy interest was a little-known pamphlet entitled What Do You Know About This Comics Seal of Approval, published in 1955 and CGC graded VG/FN 5.0 with off-white to white pages. Seldom seen, the piece brought $1,265, better than seven times Guide, after all the smoke cleared."

Additional sale highlights included:

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel, 1963) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white pages. Spider-Man is not only Marvel's most famous and enduring character, he's the star of two smash hit movies, with more to come. And Amazing Spider-Man is currently the most collected series in comics, making demand for this debut issue extremely high. It was only the character's second appearance overall after Amazing Fantasy #15. This book is ranked as the fourth most-valuable Silver Age comic book by Overstreet, topped only by the first appearances of the Fantastic Four, the Silver Age Flash, and Spidey himself. The issue also has the first appearance of a key member of Spidey's supporting cast, irascible newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson, and also reveals the origin of Jameson's grudge against the Webslinger -- it has to do with Jonah's son, astronaut John Jameson, who also makes his first appearance here and popped up in various storylines in the ensuing years. Lee's winning formula for the character of Spider-Man, plagued by everyday woes like paying the bills, was carried on here in two famous scenes: the first has the hero putting on a performance to make some money only to find out he can't cash a check that's made out to Spider-Man. Then he applies for membership in the Fantastic Four, asking "How much does the job pay? I figure I'm worth your top salary." The quartet of non-profit do-gooders can only shake their heads at that. Spider-Man even finds time to take on his first supervillain, the Chameleon. The story is of course by Lee (who can be forgiven for calling his character "Peter Palmer" in one panel), and the interior art is by Steve Ditko. The cover is billed as a team effort between Ditko and Jack Kirby -- it would appear that Jolly Jack did the layouts, and Sturdy Steve took care of the rest. Since copies of this comic were usually read, re-read, and read again, a 9.4 copy really makes us sit up and take notice. Only four copies of this issue have been certified with higher grades by CGC to date. From the Northern Lights Collection. REALIZED: $55,200.

Charles Schulz - Peanuts Daily Comic Strip Original Art, dated 10-3-51 (United Feature Syndicate, 1951). The existential angst of that round-headed kid, and the fleeting loyalty of his flop-eared pup... such are the themes of this exquisite early Peanuts, in which Charlie Brown learns that the price of friendship is the cost of a single ice cream cone. The complex relationship between a boy and his dog is only one of the joys to be found in this four-panel masterpiece, which also demonstrates the sure hand and supple linework of Maestro Schulz, who was only in his second year of drawing the strip (in fact, since Peanuts officially premiered on October 2, 1950, this strip marks the beginning of the strip's second year in syndication). This early installment features the early "versions" of the characters, including Charlie Brown's smaller feet and gi-normous head, and Snoopy's smaller, more puppy-like appearance. Patty, who does a walk-by in panel three, was one of the only other main characters to appear in these early strips, before the cast expanded to include Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, et al. We've had the privilege of offering many early Peanuts strips in the past, but this one is so iconic, so emblematic of the character of Good Ol' Charlie Brown, that we must proclaim it as the finest we've ever put up for public auction. The image area measures 27" x 5", and the art is in Excellent condition, folded (as virtually all of them are) between the second and third panels, and displaying some light smudging at the bottom of the fourth panel, but generally quite gorgeous. The piece has been professionally matted and framed, and is ready to go directly up on your wall. REALIZED: $40,250.

Mad #1 Gaines File pedigree 4/12 (EC, 1952) CGC NM/MT 9.8 Off-white to white pages. Few titles have managed to last as long as Harvey Kurtzman's brain-child, which is still going strong today. Kurtzman drew the cover to this seminal issue, Jack Davis satirized the horror genre, Wally Wood lampooned the sci-fi, John Severin skewed the westerns, and Bill Elder poked fun at the crime stories that EC published. What more could you want? Why, perhaps the most stunning specimen of this important comic! REALIZED: $32,200.

Alex Raymond - Flash Gordon with Jungle Jim Topper Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 10-13-35 (King Features Syndicate, 1935). Jungle Jim and Kolo are rescued from a man-eating ant deathtrap and then Jim outshoots his black-hearted nemesis, Romney, in this action-packed episode. This Jungle Jim topper measures an overall 25.75" x 14", while its image area is 25.5" x 12", and the art is in Excellent condition. The lower portion of this set is the matching Flash Gordon Sunday. In this thriller, General Tahl's coup d'etat is overturned, and Flash Gordon is crowned King by Queen Azura; later, Flash pleads with Dale to believe that he does not love Azura, but rather, intends to marry Dale. Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov all star. The period of 1934-36 is often cited as the most desirable to IFlash Q collectors due to the large size of the art drawn during those three years, as well as Alex Raymond's lush dry-brush inking, which was influenced by the work of magazine illustrators John LaGatta and Matt Clark. The overall size of the illustration board measures 26" x 20.75", while the image area is 25.5" x 20", and the condition of the art is Excellent. Don't let this remarkable gem slip past you without a bid! REALIZED: $27,600.

Charles Schulz - Peanuts Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 1-5-64 (United Feature Syndicate, 1964). If we had to assemble a "Top Ten" list of all-time great Peanuts gags, this classic would have to make the cut. In it, we see the quintessential embodiment of Lucy's dominion over Linus, and all else that she surveys, as she holds up her hand and says "These five fingers... individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold!" Boy -- Genghis Khan's got nothing on this crabby little gal. Schulz was at the top of his game at this period in the strip's history; his linework is smooth and seemingly effortless, his characters fully defined, and determined to make us laugh. The image area measures 22.5" x 15.25", and the artwork is in Excellent condition, with moderate overall wear and a few light stains. This is truly iconic '60s Peanuts, and it can be yours. So don't be crabby -- bid like you mean it. REALIZED: $25,300.

Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC Apparent FN+ 6.5 Extensive (P) Cream to off-white pages. The first Timely comic continues to be one of the most sought-after and elusive comic books of all. It's almost impossible to overrate the significance of the issue that introduced the Human Torch by Carl Burgos, the Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett, Angel by Paul Gustavson, Ka-Zar, and other characters to the Golden Age of comics. The cover is by pulp artist Frank R. Paul. You would have to look long and hard to find a more attractive-looking copy of the historic book than this professionally restored specimen. CGC notes, "Restoration includes: color touch, pieces added, tear seals, spine splits sealed, cover reinforced, cover and staples cleaned." REALIZED: $25,300.

Wally Wood - Weird Science-Fantasy #23 Cover Original Art (EC, 1954). Issue number twenty-three was the first issue that featured the merger of Weird Science with Weird Fantasy, and EC started things off in fine fashion with a macabre underwater spaceship wreck cover by Wally Wood. From the dramatic posing of the drowning astronauts, to the murky city in the background, Wally Wood's flawless brushwork made this tableau into an eerily sublime cover. Some parts of the art were inked in red to indicate a "color hold" to the engravers. The cover's image area measures 13.5" x 19.5". There are a few stains in the margins, well outside of the image area; otherwise the art is in Excellent condition. Don't miss out on this superb SF cover from a EC legend, Wally Wood! REALIZED: $25,300.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HeritageComics.com

HCA specializes in rare, high-grade comic books, as well as vintage comic and animation art, illustration art, classic toys, movie posters and comics-related collectibles.

Prospective consignors and sellers of top-end comics material, toys, and original art are invited to call Ed Jaster at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 288 or Lon Allen at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 261 to discuss their rare comics and original illustration and comic art. Or visit HeritageComics.com and click on the "consign" tab. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HeritageComics.com or Lon Allen at LonA@HeritageComics.com.

Music and Hollywood memorabilia collectors should contact Doug Norwine at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 452 or email DougN@HeritageGalleries.com.

Movie poster consignors, please call Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367 or email GreySm@HeritageMoviePosters.com

To order the next three sale catalogs, visit Heritage's website to pay by credit card, or send a check or money order payable to Heritage Comics in the amount of $100 (a fraction of Heritage's actual cost-to-produce the catalogs) to: Nicole Jewell, c/o Heritage Comics, 3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor, Dallas, TX 75219.