2020, a year that we will never forget. it turned out to be a rather great
year for art collecting perhaps because of the lock downs and travel bans. to
be fair, 4 of my 5 pieces were purchased prior to the pandemic causing any
issues in North America. Here they are for you consideration.
Covers:
Cloak and Dagger #6 Cover by Leonardi and Austin - I found this at Albert Moy's
booth at C2E2 this year. who knew this would the last big convention. I have a
real nostalgic spot for cloak and dagger and had my goal set on a standout
piece this year. when i saw this, i knew this would hit the spot. i am not
usually a covers guy so rarely participate in this category. The colors were
done decades ago and while i don't usually like colored art, it works extremely
well here and makes for a piece that shows much better for it.
https://www.comicartfans.com/bestofpiece.asp?piece=1613742
Interior Pages: New Mutants #18 featuring the Demon Bear by Bill Sienkiewicz -
Bill's groundbreaking work on Moon Knight came to a pinnacle when he started on
the New Mutants. Here is a page from that first issue where Bill made it clear
the rules no longer apply to comics so you better buckle up. The Demon Bear was
such an iconic creation. I had long admired this page in several of the former
owners galleries. A set of circumstances I could not have predicted led to this
piece finding its way to my wall right next to where I am sitting as I type
this.
https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1603387
Strip Art: Male Call by Milton Caniff - Milton Caniff is a favorite of mine.
after a visit to the largest caniff collection in the world, I decided to
strive for truly top tier piece. I think I found it. I am aware of less than a
dozen of these surviving. This is my highlight of 2020.
https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1642297
Commissions - warning - NWS - nudity - Milo Manara's homage to Milton Caniff.
this piece was referenced from a Caniff print but was Milo and when I saw this
for the first time in his studio in Verona, Italy, I was floored. A big part of
the meaning of this piece to me will be the visit we shared...i got to have
lunch with one of my all time favorite comic artists.
https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1656093
Illustration - Charles Addams Vampire - such a fun piece and if you read the
description, done for a fittingly strange promotion.
https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1649170
i could have easily filled this list up a second time. more quality and less
quantity has been my collecting goal for the past many years but this was the
first year i was able to implement the plan. the list of runner up pieces would
be quite large so i won't include those.
i look forward to seeing the treasures and gems others have added to their
collection. this is always a fun time of the year and one that is good for
refocusing and refining one's collecting goals.
jeff
