Looking over my stack of old Comic Buyers Guide issues from the seventies again, I ran across an ad from a dealer by the name of Cartoon Carnival, purveyors of fine comic art, out of Glenolden, Pennsylvania. It had a a blurb where The Man of Steel looks directly at you and says that we all need to hurry and invest in original art--now! Even though thousands of comic books are published monthly, there is only ONE piece of original art created per page. We firmly believe that the art will appreciate in value even more rapidly than the comics! -- I'm sold, anyone have a time machine? The DC and Marvel pages offered looked very cheep to me, but they had this gimmick that if you bought three pages the prices went down even lower. How would you like the cover featured here to Our Love Story #19 by Gene "The Dean" Colan, for the grand sum of $18. Somebody call 911, because I think I've just just lost my pulse! When is the last time you bought a cover for under twenty dollars. What about two beautiful Filipino covers by Ernie Chan of that axe swinging Robert E. Howard hero, Kull The Conqueror #24 with Acala inks or issue #27 with Nebres inks for just $50 each. Need more Colan. WAAAUGH! Howard the Duck was all the rage and Colan strips of the famous fowl went for a whopping $25 each, while a Sunday rang up at $65. But you could have the cover to Tomb of Dracula #64 for a mere forty bucks! Go figure that out? And these weren't even the bargains - that list was enclosed with ever order, prices too low for them to print.
How about some "good" panel pages that were listed above the picture of the Mighty Thor swinging Mjolnir telling us to be sure to include $2 for postage and insurance. Let's start out with a few Dick Dillin pages from Justice League of America, from issue #102-107, lots to choose from, take your pick at $16 a page or (The Deal) three for $40 -- nice but I might spring for some Rich Buckler Deathlock pages (a favorite of mine) from Astonishing Tales #26 for the same price, or maybe more great Colan Dr. Strange artwork from issues #11 or #15 or Dracula pages from issues #38 or #43 for sixteen bucks a page. And to think that Gene's Howard the Duck originals went for the super low price (their words not mine) of $25 to $45 a piece -- makes my hands shake when compared to what else was in the advertisement. How about breakin' your piggy bank open to pay thirty America dollars for "Jazzy" John Romita Daredevil #14 twice-up originals, or just get three for $75 and save yourself fifteen dollars! Rudy Nebres' Marvel black-and-white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu went for the same price, since everybody was kung-fu fighting, those cats were fast as lightning, these prices were a little bit frightening, but I wish we still had them today. Lots of splashes went for that magic $30 price range and material by Mike Grell from Green Lantern #95 sold for the same price. Nuff said.
Good thing Spider-Man was holding those Visa and Master Charge logos or I wouldn't never been able to afford this stuff. But I know what your thinking, it's still too high, so where is the really cheep stuff? Well, they had other pages for $13 each or three for $30, like George Perez Avengers pages from #155, or try John Buscema Thor #248 art, and Keith Giffin Defenders #46 examples. For the collector on a tight budget you settle for the ten dollar pages, or three for $27, like Bob Brown pieces from Detective Comics #415, 423, or 434, or Curt Swan Superman #258 pages, before I found the least expensive bottom feeder material. If only I could get some Irv Novick Batman pages today from issue #250, 261, 263, or Flash #227 for EIGHT bucks. Great buys the ad stated, but sorry, no deal if you buy three pages on these. I don't think I would have been complaining.
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