LOT #2328 |
Sold on May 18, 2005 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
Bill Everett - Marvel Comics #1 Sub-Mariner, page 12 Original Art (Timely, 1939). A show-stopping masterwork from the dawn o...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on May 18, 2005 for:
$86,250.00
Bid Source: Live: Phone bidder
Description
Bill Everett - Marvel Comics #1 Sub-Mariner, page 12 Original Art (Timely, 1939). A show-stopping masterwork from the dawn of the Golden Age, this page must rank as the most historically significant and treasured piece of original comic book art known to survive -- it's the final page of the Sub-Mariner's origin story from Marvel Comics #1! William Blake Everett (1917-1973), broke into comics in 1938, working for one of the first companies to print original stories for comic books, Centaur Publishing. In 1939, Bill Everett joined Lloyd Jacquet's Funnies Incorporated shop as the art director when former editor Jacquet and a few other talents broke away from Centaur. Everett created the Sub-Mariner as an eight-page feature originally printed in a giveaway comic book titled Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1. The Overstreet Price Guide notes that this comic book was probably not distributed outside of advance copies, and estimates that only eight copies are known to exist. The Sub-Mariner character proved so marvelous that Jacquet repackaged Everett's origin story a few months later, with four additional pages added, for young pulp publisher Martin Goodman's title, Marvel Comics #1. So it was that Prince Namor became Marvel's first super-hero. This imaginative and beautifully rendered origin story is considered by Golden Age aficionados to be an unparalleled highlight of the early super-hero comics. The twelve-page thriller told the origin of the Sub-Mariner, "an ultra-man of the deep who lives on land and in the sea, flies in the air, has the strength of a thousand men, and is a youth of dynamic personality, with quick thought and fast action." In the slam-bang finale, the yarn ended with a splash, as the Sub-Mariner destroyed a lighthouse beacon light, flew aboard an enemy plane, disposed of the pilot with one terrific blow, and dove into the ocean with a solemn vow to continue his crusade against all surface men! Namor's cousin Dorma also starred. The image area of the page measures approximately 9" x 13.75" on 10" x 15" Craft-Tint duo-tone paper. The duo-tone shading remains vivid, and the art is in Excellent condition. Bill Everett signed the art in the lower right of panel seven. Everett took great pride in his work. He said, "I didn't want to swipe from anybody; it had to come from me. It was all Everett. Storytelling was my strong point." Everett remains one of the most talented and beloved comic book artists to ever work in the field. His original artwork is scarce and highly prized. This remarkable page is the earliest Bill Everett piece to ever come to light, and is the only complete page known to exist from a key Golden Age comic book. Don't miss your chance to own one of the oldest and most important pieces of art ever offered for sale -- Bill Everett's Marvel!More information about Bill Everett. See also: Everett, Bill, William Everett, William Blake Everett Artist.
Auction Info
2005 May Comic Auction #816 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2005
18th-20th
Wednesday-Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 24
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 7,910
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
15% of the successful bid per lot.
Jerry Weist's Comic Art Price Guide 2011
Want to know more about this artist? Dates, history, background, and value ranges are covered in the comprehensive new guide. Order Now!
Want to know more about this artist? Dates, history, background, and value ranges are covered in the comprehensive new guide. Order Now!
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms