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Going to auction next week is the original hand colored silver proof of the cover to Action comics #1 from 1938. It;s was used to set the color palette for the cover and the series. It is believe dto be the only surviving piece of original art form that debut issue.
Story on Bleeding Cool...https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/11...ics-1-auction/
the history of the piece...
[QUOTEEd Eisenberg got his start as a young man doing color proofs for National Periodicals (now DC comics). To save money and time, publishers would print “silver proofs,” cheap and slightly faded knockoff prints of finalized black-and-white line art printed on paper that would easily absorb watercolors, allowing color artists to mock up basic looks for the covers and interiors of comics to see what palette would work best. It was Ed who devised the color scheme for what became the single most-important comic cover ever published, Action Comics #1, the first appearance of the first superhero, Superman. As always, several proofs were made, allowing editors to choose which look had maximum impact, while the discarded ideas were tossed and gone forever.
Eisenberg, returning to the job after WWII, discovered this one surviving copy, showcasing his original color art, which had been hanging on Harry Donenefeld’s office wall behind his desk, for years, and was about to be disposed of while workers cleared out the desk of the ailing publisher. Ed saved it from the scrap heap and took it home, where it remained in his possession until its appearance in auction some 60 years later. As the original art from this issue is long lost, this is likely the only remaining piece left of the construction of an American pop-culture monument, making it among the most historically significant items we’ve had the privilege of offering.
Observe the major variation in coloring: Eisenberg notes that the red car, while attractive and eye-catching, fought for attention with the red of Superman’s cape, and, as editors felt that Superman must be the central figure on the cover, so the car’s color was changed, bringing the final imagery in line with what we all know and love. The value and importance of this piece, both to comics and to Americana, cannot possibly be overstated. There are less than 100 copies of Action #1 out there, and look what’s happened to the prices on those. Imagine if there was only one, like this hand-colored silver print!][/QUOTE]
and a look at it...
It will be interesting to see what it goes for. Definitely a unique piece of comic and pop culture history, but well beyond my resources, so I will have to enjoy it vicariously through other people's bids. I guess I hope it winds up in a museum rather than in a private collection, but outside of Geppi;s Museum in Baltimore I don't know of any that might have the right combination of interest and resources to acquire it. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library on the campus of Ohio State is one that might have the interest, but I doubt it has the kind of resources to outlay for it unless it is bought by someone in the private sector and donated to the library.
-M
Story on Bleeding Cool...https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/11...ics-1-auction/
the history of the piece...
[QUOTEEd Eisenberg got his start as a young man doing color proofs for National Periodicals (now DC comics). To save money and time, publishers would print “silver proofs,” cheap and slightly faded knockoff prints of finalized black-and-white line art printed on paper that would easily absorb watercolors, allowing color artists to mock up basic looks for the covers and interiors of comics to see what palette would work best. It was Ed who devised the color scheme for what became the single most-important comic cover ever published, Action Comics #1, the first appearance of the first superhero, Superman. As always, several proofs were made, allowing editors to choose which look had maximum impact, while the discarded ideas were tossed and gone forever.
Eisenberg, returning to the job after WWII, discovered this one surviving copy, showcasing his original color art, which had been hanging on Harry Donenefeld’s office wall behind his desk, for years, and was about to be disposed of while workers cleared out the desk of the ailing publisher. Ed saved it from the scrap heap and took it home, where it remained in his possession until its appearance in auction some 60 years later. As the original art from this issue is long lost, this is likely the only remaining piece left of the construction of an American pop-culture monument, making it among the most historically significant items we’ve had the privilege of offering.
Observe the major variation in coloring: Eisenberg notes that the red car, while attractive and eye-catching, fought for attention with the red of Superman’s cape, and, as editors felt that Superman must be the central figure on the cover, so the car’s color was changed, bringing the final imagery in line with what we all know and love. The value and importance of this piece, both to comics and to Americana, cannot possibly be overstated. There are less than 100 copies of Action #1 out there, and look what’s happened to the prices on those. Imagine if there was only one, like this hand-colored silver print!][/QUOTE]
and a look at it...
It will be interesting to see what it goes for. Definitely a unique piece of comic and pop culture history, but well beyond my resources, so I will have to enjoy it vicariously through other people's bids. I guess I hope it winds up in a museum rather than in a private collection, but outside of Geppi;s Museum in Baltimore I don't know of any that might have the right combination of interest and resources to acquire it. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library on the campus of Ohio State is one that might have the interest, but I doubt it has the kind of resources to outlay for it unless it is bought by someone in the private sector and donated to the library.
-M
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