Now THIS is a nice Kirby Page...

[Blue Meanie]

Check out this auction that ended recently. All 4 of the FF in one panel which is a rarity. Damn is all I have to say at that ending price of the auction:

FANTASTIC FOUR 11 PAGE 12 ORIGINAL ART JACK KIRBY - eBay (item 160512548681 end time Dec-05-10 12:43:02 PST)

[Mego Milk]

TWELVE GRAND!

Congrats!

[Blue Meanie]

TWELVE GRAND!

Congrats!

I wish it was mine...either on the sellers end or the buyers end

[Earth 2 Chris]

All 4 FF...and Willie Lumpkin!!!

Great page!

Crazy price! But he's THE KING, baby!

Chris

[Adam West]

One thing I find kind of sad when I see these auctions is how little someone like Kirby was paid to draw for Marvel and now his drawings are going through the roof (I guess that's pretty typical in the art world in general). I hope his next of kin at least have property rights to some of the artwork and can sell it themselves.

[Brazoo]

WOW - that's an amazing page! Crazy good price too - still way beyond my price range though. Sigh...

Adam West - The saddest part is that most of Kirby's early Marvel pages were either stolen or given away without permission. He went through a whole legal battle with Marvel to try and get back some of the original artwork they still had - it's was very public and very dirty. So buying Kirby's work does come with that little moral dilemma.

As far as rights go - Kirby's estate is still in legally contesting their steak in some of the copyrights now. I believe the new Siegel & Shuster V. DC verdicts set new precedents that they're using. Years later this whole thing is still unfathomable - how was Kirby not made a vice-president of the company and given shares in the 60s? I hope the public becomes more aware of the MIND BOGGLING GREED of DC and Marvel.

[clemso]

$12K is pretty conservative for early FF page

[Brazoo]

You're probably right - I just love that page and I'm no good with money. Thank goodness I don't have any!

[Blue Meanie]

Adam West - The saddest part is that most of Kirby's early Marvel pages were either stolen or given away without permission. He went through a whole legal battle with Marvel to try and get back some of the original artwork they still had

Funny thing is when I talked to Herb Trimpe, about 10 or so years ago at the old Big Apple National shows that used to be held at the St. Pauls Church in Manhattan, I asked him about the art to Hulk 181 and he said that the art was just put in an empty bullpen cubby and it was stacked up to the ceiling....it could have been anyone that took art home with them. From the editor in chief right down to the copy boy. Unfortunately Len Wein had the art to Hulk 181 and it was destroyed, I think, in his fire at his home a few years back.

So the art wasn't really regarded as anything "Sacred" back then...which is very sad and very unfortunate for the kin of artists and writers of that time.

[Brazoo]

Yeah - I don't think Kirby thought they were worth anything until later either - and even then I think Roz was the one who figured out they had value - but when he asked for them back Marvel made a big deal over it.

[kingdom warrior]

True, it was no big deal for Kirby back then. He drew fast because he had bills and a family to take care of. If he had known the art would be valuable he would have asked or taken it back.....

[suspense39]

seems cheap

i know it's a lot of money but, from what i saw at last comicon, it seems very reasonable! nice page!!

[Adam West]

I thought I remember reading that he did realize that his art would probably be worth something later in life and was fighting to get it back. I think Marvel even contended at some point that he was never an employee but a contractor.

[clemso]

Unbelievably, even as far back as the mid 80s. Original comic book art was considered to be worth very little. It was only when Sothebys and Christies auction houses got in on the act in 1991, that the price hype began.

[kingdom warrior]

I thought I remember reading that he did realize that his art would probably be worth something later in life and was fighting to get it back. I think Marvel even contended at some point that he was never an employee but a contractor.

I know Frazetta's Wife fought to get her husbands work back and she did.
Marvel always said that he along with all the freelancers were work for hire and the art was property of Marvel.