How to buy original comic book art

The life of a comic book collector is an expensive one. You start with the ordinary single issues then move up to variants, deluxe-edition trade paperbacks, and graded comics. It’s like how drug addicts move from one high to the next, only less cool and more time spent in our basement.

Once you’ve passed collecting single issues and graphic novels, there is only original comic book art left to collect. Getting the original comic book art is something special because unlike those single issues and variant comics, you’ll really be the only one who has it. It’s somewhere between fanboy geekery and fine art collecting. If you still have doubts on the value of comic book art, the Spider-Man #1 cover by Todd McFarlane was sold for over $600,000 at an auction. While we aren’t on that level of collecting comic book art, the two of us have begun our small purchases. So if you’re thinking of getting some original comic book art yourself, we have some tips that may help.

1. The first and obvious rule is that the art should be amazing. It is something that is meant to be seen so it better deserve to be seen. With comic book art, pages you like just hit you. The love is instinctive so it won’t be hard finding an artwork you’ll like looking at. Of course there’s more to it than that. An important rule for choosing the art is the love for the character. Maybe list down your top three favorite characters first to help minimize your search. (Hint: You can never go wrong with Batman.) Looking up the artists you like will allow you to focus your search even more. This is equally important in buying the right art for you. Artists don’t work on one character for long, so getting that artwork with the perfect combination of character and artist should always be treated as priority buys. An example of a “priority buy” is one of Jonty’s first purchases: a two-page spread of Captain America’s history by artist Leinil Yu. It was from a beautiful story in Avenging Spider-Man and featured Captain America knocking the lights out of Hitler. A beloved character, strong visuals by a terrific artist, and from a wonderful story, are all signs that it’s a great buy.

This artwork from Avenging Spider-Man by Leinil Yu is a great example of a priority buy: it features a beloved character in a visually strong scene from a great comic.

2. Comic book art is more not just a pretty picture. The art page you’re getting is part of a story. Make sure it’s from a story you love. Is it part of a really classic storyline like X-Men’s Days of Future Past or from an important event crossover like Crisis on Infinite Earths? Maybe it’s a page from that little independent comic you’ve read a dozen times. Having the art come from a story you love adds more value to it. So it pays to read the comic first before buying the art.

3. Buying original art is a serious matter. You need to reflect on it before buying anything, especially if it’s your first time. Ask yourself if you have the appropriate budget for it and if you’re getting it as an investment or just for the love of the artwork itself. Some of the artwork from today’s comics can go as high as $10,000. Thankfully, that price isn’t the norm. You can get good art from $150-$700 on the average. But the expenses go beyond that single purchase. You also need to look for a quality framer for your art. We’d argue that getting the right frame is just as important as getting the art itself. That art you bought should be seen (don’t buy it if it’s just going to be stored in some closet; we hate people who do that) so it’s only best you get the proper “stage” for it.

4. Original art can be sourced directly from the artist if that person doesn’t have an art representative. Most of the time, you can get it from art representatives like Albert Moy (albertmoy.com), Kwan Chang (kwanchang.com), and from the lovely people of Splashpageart.com.

* * *

Trust your Batman: If you’re looking to buy original comic book art, we suggest you start with a Batman page. There is no other comic that gets the very best writers and artists than Batman’s.

Ready to buy some original art? If you want any more tips, send us an e-mail at jiggyandjonty@gmail.com.