Extreme $$$: 3 of Comics' Most Expensive Artifacts

 Most Expensive Comic Book Cover:

Weird Science Fantasy #29
Art & Inks by Frank Frazzetta

WSF was a science fiction anthology comic that ran for 7 issues starting on March 1954. And this art you are seeing on the left was the cover for its #29 issue - considered by most comic art afficionados as one of the finest comic masterpieces of all time. Frazetta's beautiful anatomy and great attention to detail up to the tiniest parts of this original art -is simply stunning and downright incredible.

How much was this original art for?

Frazetta's Family sold this for an amazing $380,000 to Jim Halperin, co-chariman of the third largest auction house - Heritage Auctions.

Wow. That's a lot of money. But wait till you see this next piece of comic royalty made by another Frank.

Most Expensive Interior Art:

Splash Page from The Dark Knight Returns #3

Pencils and Inks by Frank Miller

Frank Miller's DKR was one of the main guns that triggered the start of the industry's turn from child-friendly, lighthearted stories into something dark, gritty and violent. 

DKR featured an aging Bruce Wayne/Batman coming back out of retirement to don the iconic cowl and rid his beloved Gotham City of more evil, and was considered as one of the greatest comic books of all time (but I don't buy that totally.)

This original art by Miller showing Batman and his sidekick Robin jumping out of the Gotham night - sold for a whopping $448,125, making it the most priced original art ever. 

Damn, I thought the economy is not good nowadays? Where do these junkies get their money to pay for a piece of paper with Batman and Robin? Crazy insane.

Now if you thought that was crazy expensive, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Because there is one particular comic artifact that was sold... at a price that would totally blow your minds off like you have no idea.

Most Expensive Comic Book: 

 Action Comics #1

 Art by Joe Shuster

This is called the "Holy Grail" of comic books. 

The one that started it all.

It featured the first ever superhero. The one that would eventually become the superhero-archetype and an American cultural icon.

His name?

Superman. 

The price?

A copy (in great "brand-new" condition) of Action Comics #1 was bought by an unknown buyer from ComicConnect.com for a staggering... mind-boggling... totally out-of-this-shit price of...

$1,500,000.  (those who threw their copies of this comic book might have probably kicked themselves in the head)

Just in case you thought what you just read was a typo, I'll repeat it again: 

1.5 MILLION. U.S. DOLLARS.

'Nuff said. I wanna find one of these somewhere in the garbage cans right now and be a fucking millionaire. 
 

Face-Off: Frank Quitely's Alan Moore & Louie Joyce's Frank Miller

Two of comics' most celebrated creators get their own title/typefaces.

Click image to enlarge, and try to spot the hidden messages on his beard.

Alan Moore might not be the nicest person around, but there is not doubt that he has done a lot to revolutionize the industry through his masterful writing skills and though-provoking stories, making him arguably "The Greatest Comic Book Writer Of All Time". Frank Quitely captured his presence perfectly with this sketch.

Check out Moore's mighty beard. It says a lot. See if you can find them.

Click for biggie. Its amazing to see all these words forming a human face.

Frank Miller is known for his works in the 80's such as the black-and-white crime-noir novel Sin City, 300, and the popular The Dark Knight Returns and sparked a trend in the comic book industry that pointed towards more mature and "dark" storylines partnered with  more aggressive and provocative imagery and dialogue. Here Louie Joyce created an astonishing Miller portrait made up of some of his titles and quotes from his works. 

I bet you already saw the infamous "Goddamn Batman" line even before you read this.

[via ComicsAlliance and BleedingCool]

Comic Book Review: Daredevil - The Man Without Fear

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Writer: Frank Miller

Artist: John Romita Jr.

Published by Marvel Comics

Daredevil has been in the comics scene since the 1960's and his character has gone several revamps, but nothing truly captured the character's origin like Frank Miller's  Daredevil: The Man Without Fear released in 1993.

Collaborating with one of the greatest comic book artists of all time in John Romita Jr., this 5-issue mini series tells the whole story of one young Matt Murdock, of his life in  the dungy streets of New York City's Hell's Kitchen, and how he came about to be the man who dresses like a devil spawned from hell - who fights for justice and the oppressed.

The son of champion boxer "Battlin" Jack Murdock (who also works  for a mob boss known only as The Fixer), young Matt is just like any other kid in the neighborhood who gets bullied almost everyday by his peers. Until one fateful day, while trying to save a blind old man from being run over by a truck loaded with radioactive chemical drums, Matt Murdock accidentally became the victim with all the muck spilling all over him, rendering him sightless - but his remaining senses were heightened to near -superhuman levels.

A mysterious blind man named Stick shows up and decides to take Matt under his wing and hone his skills in order to take advantage of his new found abilities. But things we're not easy for Matt, and making it harder for him is an unfortunate event that would change his life forever.

Matt and Elektra's first time together

Matt's transformation into the hero he would become is a painfully slow process. But the story is more than just explaining the origin this superhero. Emotions were well shown and intricately examined all through out, and real aspects of society were also showcased such as organized crime and poverty. Themes of revenge, death and love are also imminent and proves to be a very important part of maintaining the drama that is necessary to make this a balanced, noir  kind of novel.

The Kingpin

And of course, we get to see Matt in his first adventure in "ninja" kind of suit before donning his iconic costume, thwarting an illegal mob operation but not without getting the attention of one New York crime boss, The Kingpin. Every good hero needs a good adversary and this is what the big bad mafia boss is adding up to the elements of an already good story.

There is nothing you won't like in this definitive work of art and literature by the team of Miller and Romita. Two of the greatest comic book personalities giving a dramatically stylized, well-illustrated, and fantastically written Daredevil origin while maintaining the realism that readers always want to see and feel.

I certainly enjoyed reading every bit of it right from the start. This is one Marvel classic that is definitely worth picking up.

My Top 9 Comic Book Movies of All Time

Since I'm a fan of comic books, I have virtually watched every superhero/comic book film out there - except for a few good ones - like Sin City and V for Vendetta for example, which is a shame really. Anyway, I have been running out of things to write on my blog and I don't want to fill this up with comic book reviews all the time.

There were a lot of comic book movies that I own on DVD, some of them are good, some of them not, and only a few are memorable, and I will going to list them down in no particular order.

So without further ado here are the best comic book movies that I have watched:

Spider-Man

The original is always the best as they say and this first Spidey flick proved that. It told the classic Spiderman origin, of how an ordinary school geek named Peter Parker became a super powered hero because of a bite from an irradiated spider, and learning that "with great power comes with great responsibility." Our friendly neighborhood hero surely didn't disappoint, with Tobey Maguire playing an excellent lead role. 

Favorite Scene: What else? The Mary Jane-Spidey upside down kiss in the rain. 'Nuff said.

 Batman (1989) 

The mother of all Batman movies. Tim Burton (of the Edward Scissorhands fame) directed this new take on the Batman mythos (new at the time at least) while comedic actor Michael Keaton took on the role as the caped crusader. The villain? The Joker played by the legendary Jack Nicholson. Loosely based on the Alan Moore classic "The Killing Joke", it gave new breath to the character and paved way for the creation of the Batman franchise. It is still one of my favorite Batman movies and I remember being so excited every time it was played on TV. It was that memorable - especially Jack's performance.

 Favorite scene: The first ever Batman-Joker face off. 

300

 

Who wouldn't forget all the bloody action and six-pack abs? This movie adaptation of Frank Miller's comic book masterpiece re-imagines the epic battle that occured in "The Battle of Thermopylae". 300 brave spartans led by King Leonidas (played by Gerard Butler) against millions of Persian warriors led by Xerxes. It was a great visual treat and a good historical film.

Favorite scene:  I was thinking the sex scene between King Leonidas and his wife (played by the red hot Lena Headey), but I changed my mind:

Messenger: This is blasphemy! This is madness!
King Leonidas: Madness...?
[shouting]
King Leonidas: This is Sparta! 

[Kicks the messenger down the well] 

Leonidas doesn't give a f**k.

Men In Black

 

Big guns, aliens in all varieties, and a white guy and a black guy teaming up to defend the Earth against all abominations? This movie kicked-butt, with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the lead roles. The theme song didn't hurt either. 

Favorite scene:  There were so many, and some I can't really remember, but I kinda chuckled everytime they did that "flashy-thing" routine to make people forget whenever they saw aliens.

Iron Man (2008)

Like I said, nothing beats the original. Robert Downey Jr as billionaire-industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man. It was the perfect. Packed with a lot of action scenes and high tech special effects, Iron Man gave me a lot of "WOW" moments and that's all I needed to realize that this was one hell of a comic book movie.

Favorite scene:  Iron Man taking his first flight.

X-Men (1999)

Any X-Men fan was happy to see this movie. All those characters that we all knew since childhood coming alive on the big screen: Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Rogue, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, and the rest of the gang fighting Magneto and his evil mutants in an all-out war with Earth's fatehanging in the balance. Epic. Not to mention that it spawned two more sequels and started the re-emergence of comic book movies.

Favorite scene:   Can't remember the best scene for me. There were too many. I think I have to watch it again. haha. 

Blade (1998)

Wesley Snipes as a half-vampire, half-human killing machine was cool. I can't say anything that wouldn't make this as one of the best comic book movies. Anybody who saw this film wanted more when the credits rolled at the end.

Favorite scene: Again, I can't remember one fantastic scene that stood out in my mind. Kinda forgot. It's been a long time since I watched it, cmon.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Though the success of Batman Begins revived the whole Batman franchise after the abysmal movies that came before it years ago (remember Batman: Forever with all the nipples in the Bat costume? horrible), Christopher Nolan's sequel is probably the greatest Batman film ever. It broke box-office records and became the talk of the movie world - primarily because of Heath Ledger's monumental performance as the criminal psychopath, The Joker. 

His untimely death even before the film was released didn't hurt the movie's mystique and appeal either. R.I.P. Heath.

Favorite scene: I would say scenes. The first being the Joker "Pencil Trick" scene and then the Batman & Joker Interrogation scene. Both were fantastic. Watch it again if you don't believe me.

Superman: The Movie (1978)

For those guys who were born in the "Spider-Man" or "X-Men" era, you got to have and watch this movie if haven't seen it once because this is the movie that started it all. Directed by Richard Donner, Superman: The Movie set the standards of what a superhero movie should be. 

Starring a then-unknown Christopher Reeve in the lead role as the Big Blue Boy Scout,  the movie became an instant classic primarily because of Reeve's amazing performance as  the bumbling Clark Kent and Superman, in a "a role within a role" setup. The effects were pretty considering the time this was created and it not only that, it boasted a star-studded cast featuring Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Phyllis Thaxter etc. 

It really made us believe that a man can fly. And it still does up to this day.

Favorite scene: Superman's first save. The unforgettable helicopter scene with Lois Lane. Goosebumps.  Watch it here.

So those we're my best comic book movies. If you feel like I forgot a movie that's deserving to be included in this list, or a movie that shouldn't be here, feel free to comment. Hope you liked my list!

Comic Book Review: The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns
Writer: Frank Miller
Penciller: Frank Miller
No of Issues: 4
Published by DC Comics

DKR is set in the future DC universe (year was never specified), where costumed superheroes and vigilantes (except for Superman) were either forced to retire or driven away by leery citizens. It has been 10 years since the last sighting of Batman due to the death of Jason Todd (the second Robin), and a new group called "Mutants" runs rampant and is instigating terror Gotham City. To add  to the injury, an old nemesis again comes back and a middle-aged Bruce Wayne is forced to don the costume once more.

Its a story of an old Batman trying to make himself relevant in a dystopian world, and because of his vigilantism, he finds himself at odds with the United States government who stops at nothing to apprehend him. Superman is also here, but more of just a supporting character, and merely acts as a puppet for the US Government, as he believes that it is the only way for him to do some good.

 (Batman was inspired from the likes of Zorro, 

and he certainly looks like him. Just change the cowl to the Zorro mask.)

Now for the following paragraphs... I'm veering away from the consensus. And I think I'm gonna get murdered for it, but what the hell...

The Dark Knight Returns (written by Frank Miller - yeah, the same guy who created 300) was not as good as it was advertised. Not as great as it was described by critics. It didn't deserve to be in that no.2  spot as one of the greatest Batman books of all time and I'm just clueless as to why people are raved about it for so long.

Let's face it: every great comic book is packed with great art. And this is where this graphic novel truly fails miserably.

The storyline is hard to follow and it gets even worse because of too much text crammed in the pages.  I had a hard time reading the book really, and there were times where I had to stop reading because I got tired of reading cluttered texts and pictures. Images we're too crammed in, making it look awfully unorganized and rubbish. The art wasn't too pleasing either. Its horrible - Bats and Supes being too muscular and bulky in this book was probably the worst rendition I've ever seen. It was putrid. Graphic novels should be easy to the eye, not otherwise.

 (the first time i saw this on Google Images, 

i thought it was a fan artwork.)

But I have to give credit where credit is due here: Frank Miller made an outstanding Batman story. One that has never been written before and one that truly epitomizes the true essence of the "dark and gritty" essence of the Caped Crusader and Gotham City.

Here is Gotham's protector, trying to defy Father Time while trying to save his beloved city from all the evil that he swore to eradicate since childhood, taking him to the extreme limits of his physical and mental capabilities. Even coming face to face with the most  sinister of villains of years past, plus standing toe to toe against the Big Blue Boy Scout in one climactic a fist fight just to get his job done.

His characterization is very humanized, and I like how he made Superman so humanly real rather than the almost- Godlike character we used to see. And Batman is as brooding, twisted minded and bad-ass as ever even at a very old age. And with that I give both the story and the character-build up 4 stars.

All in all, I was disappointed with the book mainly because of the art. It wasn't  that bad though because Miller delivered a classic Batman story that would eventually redefine both the Dark Knight and "graphic novels" for good. But then again, this could have been better had Miller got a bona-fide artist to do that other side of the equation. That would have made it the greatest Batman graphic novel ever in my book.