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Grailpages: Original Comic Book Art And The Collectors Review
I’m rather new to the whole concept of buying / collecting comic book art, so I was rather intrigued by this book when it was recommended to me by my local shop. Looking for reviews, I came across one from professional comic writer Tony Isabella, who gave it a glowing review. This prompted me to go back and purchase the book. Like most collectors, I’d like to think I have pretty extensive knowledge of the comic book industry as well as a good handle on the history behind some of my favorite books. What I truly enjoyed about Steven Payne’s book was the insight into not only the mind of the collector, but also the artist who created the pages.
He does a great job of starting with an overview of the hobby, then discussing how much money some pieces have been sold for, and then (what I enjoyed the most) leading into the conversations he had and continues to have with fellow collectors. At the heart of it, all collectors have their stories about the “one book,” or that “one page.” This is what makes collecting fun. This is what Steven understands, the fun behind the hunt, the fun behind the “find,” and also the fun behind making the painful decision of selling a page.
I wasn’t looking for a “history” on collecting comic book art, I didn’t need a lesson as to the how’s and why’s, what I was looking for was exactly what I found, that being a great collection of thoughts, stories, and interviews with those who found, bought, lost, and penciled these amazing works of art.
Lastly, what I admire about Steven is that he wrote about what he enjoys. He took the time to research and write on a topic that hasn’t been extensively written about from which you can see the passion he himself has for this hobby.
Reading the book, I found myself recollecting my first purchase and my first “hunt.” I highly recommend this book to the experienced collector and the novice. It will remind you that the reason we’re collecting is that we enjoy and still see it as fun.
Grailpages: Original Comic Book Art And The Collectors Overview
Grailpages brings to light the burgeoning hobby of collecting the original, hand-drawn art that was used to create comic books! Beginning more as a novelty, the hobby of collecting original comic art has expanded to a point where some of the seminal pages commonly run more than ,000 each! Author Steven Alan Payne allows you to meet collectors from around the globe and hear their passion in their own words, as they detail collections ranging from a few key pages, to broad, encompassing collections of literally hundreds of pages of original comic art by such artists as Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr., and others! Balancing out the narratives are incisive interviews with industry pros, including writers Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, and Roy Thomas, and exclusive perspectives from Silver Age artists Dick Giordano, Bob McLeod, Ernie Chan, Tony DeZuniga, and the unparalleled great, Gene Colan! Completing the book is a diverse sampling of breathtakingly beautiful original comic art, some lavishly presented in full-page spreads, including pages not seen publicly for decades!
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And I owe all of this to my one and only sweetheart Stace! See her dad is the Doc’s carpenter and he is the reason I had this awesome priveledge of seeing and Meeting Dr. Martin May.
Yanisa