As we’ve been working on our next book, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art, we’ve reached out to a number of our Overstreet Advisors. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing samples of the feedback we’ve been getting. This week we’re hearing from veteran comic book art dealer Anthony Snyder.

Editor’s note: The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art can be found on Pages 321-322 in the August 2013 issue of Previews from Diamond Comic Distributors.

Overstreet Advisor Questions for
The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art#1

Scoop: What is the first thing that compels you about a piece of comic art?
Anthony Snyder (AS): Beauty compels me about art, eye appeal. I have seen most of the great art in the great museums around the world and I love comic book art.

Scoop: How do you define the eye appeal of a page?
AS: Eye appeal is different for everyone. Eye appeal reflects everything that person finds beautiful, that person’s personality. When I first began selling, I was only selling art that I had bought because I loved it. But some of it wasn’t selling and I realized my taste wasn’t for everyone, so it did not become a real business to me until I was willing to offer for sale art that I did not like.

Scoop: Is that different than the eye appeal of a cover or is it the same?
AS: With covers, it’s a single image appeal that is designed to catch your eye. With [interior] pages, it’s a story telling talent.

Scoop: When purchasing a cover from the paste-up era, is it more desirable to have the logo in place or not?
AS: It’s always best to have covers in the most original condition, especially for customers.

Scoop: Other than eye appeal, what are the ways you evaluate a piece?
AS: Hero content. Is the hero featured well and facing the viewer? Is he fighting his arch enemy?

Scoop: What makes a page stand out from other pages of the same issue or same run?
AS: Again, hero content. In costume? In action? Is the villain featured?

Scoop: Splash pages are often touted. Including the obvious, what gives them their appeal?
AS: Splash pages are more valuable if they feature the hero well and have great eye appeal, if the hero is in costume, and if it’s a full page image. Splash pages can be very disappointing if they are just atmospheric, establishing shots that don’t feature the hero.

Scoop: Given that any page of original art is inherently a one-of-a-kind item, what are the other ways that rarity or scarcity could enter into the equation?
AS: Rarity enters in when the artist kept his art and didn’t sell it, or when it was destroyed by company policy… or he was great and didn’t produce a lot.

Scoop: When does a page of comic art transcend being a component of a bigger effort and become a piece of art unto itself?
AS: I believe that comic art is coming into its own as “art” unto itself. “Museum quality” is a term being used by pros and collectors alike now

Scoop: Does action always trump “talking heads” material, and if not, when doesn’t it?
AS: Action pages, especially in America, always trump talking heads. It’s not close. In Europe the collectors are more willing to accept talking heads as an example of the artist’s work.

Scoop: And in terms of action, particularly in superhero titles, how important is it if the hero is triumphant or winning as opposed to being defeated in on the page in question?
AS: I always like the hero in the power position, as do most of collectors. We always want to see our favorite hero win in the end. There are significant examples of heroes being defeated that have great comics history value, though.

Scoop: How does the flow of the story on the page or how a page reads contribute to its desirability?
AS: I love pages that have great story telling structure such as a beginning, middle and end on the page. What I call “wall quality” panel pages that can be framed and tell the story on one page to the viewer.

Scoop: From the paste-up era, what is the impact of missing word balloons or caption boxes?
AS: It’s always best to have complete pages that have all the paste-ups, but I don’t devalue the page because of missing ones.

Scoop: How does the significance of the featured character affect the appeal of a piece?
AS: It always affects appeal. This is the difference between a good example and a great example and a “keeper.”

Scoop: It seems that the market generally deems art from main or original titles, such as Amazing Spider-Man, more desirable than that of secondary titles, such as Spectacular Spider-Man. Only speaking in general, is that the case or is that reading too much into it?
AS: I think it’s because the main audience read Amazing Spider-Man and that was the main focus for collectors my age. Amazing was Spider-Man to us and the other titles were filler, just trying to sell quantity. All the main stories happened in Amazing Spider-Man, not Spectacular. The history of the title is and will always be in Amazing Spider-Man.

Scoop: How do first appearances, crossovers or other notable events affect the desirability of a page?
AS: First appearance pages are always desirable and pages from those issues are always hot in the market place. Premium prices are always obtained for these examples. I personally love crossover pages and story lines. I love Marvel Team-Up examples and the Avengers – Defenders crossover. I collect pages from that story line and nice Marvel Team-Up [pages as well].

Scoop: How does the aging of the art board or paper affect your decision making?
AS: Condition only comes into it when the eye appeal is diminished. Cleaning a valuable page does not destroy value like comics.

Scoop: How does restoration or clean-up impact a piece of comic art?
AS: I have bought and sold many pieces that have been restored and pressed and cleaned, etc., to me it only hurts if art was missing and been replaced.

Scoop: How do different penciler/inker teams affect the desirability of a piece (for instance, Jack Kirby inked by Joe Sinnott vs. Jack Kirby inked by Mike Royer)?
AS: The most desirable art of Kirby is the Kirby/Sinnott art from the ‘60s and the most sought after art from the ‘70s is the Royer-inked art. Price bumps always come into play with great combos. Byrne/Austin is another example and today Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Magic happens with these combos and people are willing to pay to own a piece of that magic.

Scoop: How much effect does – or should – nostalgia have in such purchases?
AS: Nostalgia is everything to me. If I remember that story, that page, I want to keep it, if not it’s inventory. And that same feeling is huge in the collectors market. There would not be a hobby without it. It propels the day-to-day sales.

Scoop: What – if anything – makes a piece an automatic “yes” for you?
AS: There is no auto-buy because I can be priced out of the art. It happens almost everyday. I am offered art that I feel I have no room on to resale. Everyday I will pay above “market” on art when there is nostalgia involved, though.

Scoop: In addition to such choices as collecting by creator, by series, or splash pages, what are the different ways to collecting comic book art?
AS: I arrange art on my website by artist in order, but at comic cons I have the art by character mostly because the day-to-day collector will approach me and say “Got any Batman stuff?” “Yes,” I reply, “here are the five books of Batman stuff I have.” Everyone expresses their own personality with collecting and there are many, many ways to express that personality.

Scoop: How do you price your pieces?
AS: Prices are posted by artist quality and rarity in the marketplace. And, of course, what the market will bear and market conditions.

Scoop: Where do you see the market going over the next five years?
AS: More and more to classic storyline art as more and more artists fall into the digital trap.

Recent Notable Sales/Acquisitions:
I recently bought the cover to Captain America #168, a cover that I have sought forever! I have 10 pages and the cover now, a truly nostalgic piece for me as I played the book and record edition over and over. Business-wise, I have Jack Kirby’s X-Men #4 splash for sale. It was just discovered last year, a true piece of comics history.