Heritage Auctions

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Press Release - May 17, 2004

Rare Alex Raymond Illustration Offered at Auction.

Did the classic illustrator predict his own death?

Dallas, Texas: Heritage Comics Auctions (HCA) will offer a rare pulp illustration by master comic artist Alex Raymond in their upcoming sale to be held June 11-13, 2004, in Dallas, Texas.

"Not only is this an exceptional illustration by an acknowledged master," said John Petty, HCA's Director of Auctions, "it's also tragically prescient. Showing a man and a woman at the wheel of a speeding car with the specter of Death watching over them, this is an eerie mirror of the fate that was to befall the artist some years later while driving with Stan Drake, the artist behind The Heart of Juliet Jones."

Writer Arlen Schumer interviewed Drake about the accident in an article for Hogan's Alley #3. To Drake, Alex Raymond was a striking figure -- matinee-idol handsome with a pencil-thin mustache, virile, hugely talented and admired among his peers. Alex Raymond wanted to test drive Drake's new 1956 Corvette convertible, which boasted 450 horsepower, and a four-second acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour. On that day, September 6th, 1956, a steady rain was falling, and the top was up on the Corvette. At first, Drake took the wheel, traveling around Westport while Raymond admired the automobile. "Finally, we were on a road over by the highway, and he said, 'Can I drive?' and I said, 'Sure.' " Raymond began driving down South Morningside Drive to Clapboard Road. Once on Clapboard Road, Raymond began driving as if he were on Thompson Speedway, his favorite racecourse in northern Connecticut. As he sped down the steeply graded Clapboard, he failed to see a stop sign that was hidden by overgrown weeds. Racing through the intersection, Raymond and Drake were suddenly in a free fall -- Clapboard dropped off precipitously after the stop sign, and the velocity of the car launched it into midair. "By not stopping, we shot out about sixty feet into the air," Drake said. "They calculated where the wheels hit the road, and it was about sixty feet. The last thing I remember, we were coming right at these trees. There was a pencil on the dashboard, and it was floating in the air. That's the last thing I remember before we hit." Raymond was killed but Drake was thrown clear, and survived the crash. While he was recovering, a doctor told him that this had been the fourth time in the past month Raymond had been hospitalized due to injuries sustained in auto accidents. "He had been trying to kill himself," Drake said.

The flawless "painterly" drybrush technique used in this drawing shows the 1930s influence of illustrator Matt Clark on Alex Raymond. The image area measures approximately 20" x 22", and the art is in Excellent condition. Many Flash Gordon aficionados consider 1935-36 to be the artistic peak of Alex Raymond's career, and after marveling at this masterful drawing, it would be hard to refute that opinion.

The piece can be seen here.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageComics.com.

HCA specializes in rare, high-grade comic books, as well as vintage comic and animation art, illustration art, classic toys, movie posters and comics-related collectibles.

Prospective consignors and sellers of top-end comics material, toys, and original art are invited to call Ed Jaster at 214-252-4288 or Fred McSurley at 214-252-4293 to discuss their rare comics and original illustration and comic art. Or visit www.HeritageComics.com and click on the "consign" tab. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HeritageComics.com or Fred McSurley at FredM@HeritageComics.com.

Movie poster consignors, please call Grey Smith at 214-668-6928 or email GreySm@HeritageMoviePosters.com.

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