Six weeks ago in Scoop, we began running market reports and observations from contributors to our new book, The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art. We started with Comic Art Con founder Joe Veteri. Then we shared thoughts from Metropolis Collectibles and ComicConnect.com Chief Operating Officer Vincent Zurzolo and former Comics Buyer’s Guide editor Maggie Thompson, followed by veteran comic art dealer Anthony Snyder and longtime collector Art Cloos. Three weeks ago we featured collector Nick Katradis, a recent addition to the ranks of the Overstreet Advisors. Two weeks ago we turned the spotlight on Peter Bilelis, a veteran collector and Overstreet Advisor who wrote about artist Mac Raboy for The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #43 and Alex Winter and Todd Sheffer of Hake’s Americana & Collectibles. Last week, we talked with collector, dealer, Overstreet Advisor, historian and comic book writer Rob Hughes.

This week our observations are from Comic Art Con founder Dan Gallo (the next edition of Comic Art Con is Sunday, September 22).

Editor’s note: The Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comic & Animation Art was offered on Pages 321-322 in the August 2013 issue of Previews from Diamond Comic Distributors. Retailers can still place orders for it. It’s due on sale in October.

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?
Dan Gallo (DG): The image. How it strikes me at first look.

Scoop: How do you define the eye appeal of a page?
DG: How a page looks to me. The variables to consider are how many panels are there? Are there good images of the main character? Is there action and does the action overwhelm the page to a point where the main character is lost?

Scoop: Is that different than the eye appeal of a cover or is it the same?
DG: It’s pretty much the same.

Scoop: When purchasing a cover from the paste-up era, is it more desirable to have the logo in place or not?
DG: I want to see the logo. It completes the cover; it makes it whole. Plus, the eye appeal is heightened as you can easily tell what you are looking at.

Scoop: Other than eye appeal, what are the ways you evaluate a piece?
DG: Beyond eye appeal, I evaluate art by the artists, the title, the era, the history, (is it from a famous storyline or run?), the condition, and the price.

Scoop: What makes a page stand out from other pages of the same issue or same run?
DG: What’s going on on the page. Basically, the image. Is the page chock full of characters? If it is an Amazing Spider-Man page, is there a good image of Spidey battling the Green Goblin with MJ in another panel or is a page with Peter sitting on the couch alone with his thoughts?

Scoop: Splash pages are often touted. Including the obvious, what gives them their appeal?
DG: Besides having a big image what also attracts people to splashes are their relative affordability as compared to a cover. Covers understandably command the most money because they are recognizable (you don’t have to open a book or even to have owned or read the book to recognize a cover). Splashes usually sell for a fraction of what a cover does and often the images on a splash are better than those on a cover.

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?
DG: Besides being a one of a kind, factors such as the artists, writer, storyline, era, history, title, nostalgia, condition, and price all factor into desirability. Each collector weighs those factors according to their own personal tastes and preferences which accounts for a wide variation in realized prices. Group think doesn’t always apply.

Scoop: When does a page of comic art transcend being a component of a bigger effort and become a piece of art unto itself?
DG: If the page has an important historical element behind it then the piece can take on a life of it’s own. Although everything is one of a kind, the historical piece is truly unique. When there is nothing else that can compare then you know you have something extra special.

Scoop: Does action always trump “talking heads” material, and if not, when doesn’t it?
DG: I wouldn’t say “always” but I would say “often.” Sometimes action sequences can be too busy and I find myself staring at it wondering what is going on. In those cases, I prefer a page that has good images of the character even if they are just standing around doing nothing.

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?
DG: It’s up to each collector to weigh how important the image is. You just have to see it and see how it hits you.

Scoop: How does the flow of the story on the page or how a page reads contribute to its desirability?
DG: For me, not much. It is all about the eye appeal. If there is some good verbiage then I would consider that a bonus.

Scoop: From the paste-up era, what is the impact of missing word balloons or caption boxes?
DG: As long as there are not ugly glue stains where the missing balloons should be then it wouldn’t bother me much. The stains play to the eye appeal which is central for me. The missing balloons can always be replaced.

Scoop: How does the significance of the featured character affect the appeal of a piece?
DG: Greatly. The only exception would be if the page had a villain. A Cap page with no Cap but the Red Skull; a Thor page with no Thor but it has Loki; a Spidey page with no Spidey but it has Venom. Those are fine by me!

Scoop: How important is it that the main character is in all (or many) of the panels?
DG: It’s very important, which is probably why you are considering a page in the first place. Often price factors in where the main character might be present in only one panel at a lesser price then one where he or she is in every panel. It all goes back to collectors individually weighing the variables.

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?
DG: It is pretty much the case. In the example of Amazing Spider-Man vs. Spectacular Spider-Man, the core title was more read and more collected hence more people are going to want an original from it.

Scoop: How do first appearances, crossovers or other notable events affect the desirability of a page?
DG: Tremendously. First appearances or a page from a historical issue or popular storyline transcends the prices of pages from a regular issue. As mentioned earlier, if you have a page that there are zero or few comparables than you have something that is truly unique. Take a page from a first appearance book; the only comps it has would be from that very same book which might be only a few pages. Pages from the next issue simply will not do if that is what you want. Even better would be when something has no peer like the splash page from Iron Man #128 with Tony Stark sitting behind his desk, in costume with his helmet off, with the bottle of alcohol sitting right there. You don’t even have to read the page to know what you are looking at. There is nothing else in the book that can match it (except the cover). No splash from any other book can compare. One page that can convey an entire story arc, and one of the most famous stories in his history… Priceless.

Scoop: How does the aging of the art board or paper affect your decision making?
DG: I don’t want to see an page that has aged to a point that the condition negatively affects the eye appeal. If it does, I will usually pass. Usually.

Scoop: How does restoration or clean-up impact a piece of comic art?
DG: I hate ugly glue stains so if a little clean up can fix that then that is one less negative to consider.

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)?
DG: It can be very important to some but less important to others. I would rather have a Kirby page inked by Sinnott instead of someone else. I would rather have a Jim Lee page inked by Scott Williams instead of someone else. Just another variable to consider.

Scoop: How much effect does – or should – nostalgia have in such purchases?
DG: Nostalgia certainly has its place in most people’s decision process, but it doesn’t have to be a component. Some people buy something just because it looks cool, period. It is important that collectors don’t let the nostalgia factor make them lose their common sense. It is one thing to pay strong for something you like or remember fondly and it is another thing to go absolutely bonkers in acquiring something.

Scoop: What – if anything – makes a piece an automatic “yes” for you?
DG: Price. There are plenty of pieces that come available that I would love to own but when the price goes beyond my comfort level, then I am out. Live to fight another day.

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?
DG: Besides collecting based on artist, title, or page collectors can gear their purchases based on pages from books they may have read in their youth, character, maybe pages just with villains, or pages that show a certain image, such as romance, a battle, the hero getting his or her butt kicked or perhaps standing victorious. There are lots of ways to go and one thing about collecting is that it is fluid. You can be on a certain path, doing your thing and then all of a sudden you hang a right, refocus, and soldier on.

Scoop: How do you price your pieces?
DG: Pricing can be tricky. I price art that I want to sell at a level that I feel is reasonable to the marketplace. On stuff I don’t want to sell, well…

Scoop: Where do you see the market going over the next five years?
DG: I see no end in sight for prime material. I see more and more and more people coming into the hobby and not enough prime stuff to go around. If the page has any combination of great eye appeal, legendary artists, and historical storylines then sky’s the limit. Let’s face it, this is fun stuff. Spend $10,000 on a stock that may go up or down for no apparent reason or buy a beautiful page of art for the same money that you can hang on your wall and enjoy. It is an easy choice for me.