[Gunsmoke]

Many of the Golden Age Companies are R.I.P>> but whay ever happen to all the original art that was created by those talented Artist? (Jack Kamen/ Matt Baker/Wally Wood; many is on private collections??? or many was destroyed.... Marvel Comics i heard has a Vault were they keep Originals. What about Fiction House/ Quality/ St John/Charlton/Harvey Comics.......

[JVJ]

Most of it just got dumped, Gunsmoke,
Nobody cared and nobody EVER thought that it would be desirable. A lot of  1950s Standard art turned up in a warehouse in the 1970s, but that was an anomaly. If you want to hear about Marvel's "vault", read the new book on Marie Severin where she talks about the regular "shreading" of the pages that were taking up too much space.

Nice Baker page, BTW.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[Roygbiv666]

Quite similar to early film stock - "why would we want to keep those things"?

What are we producing as cheap entertainment now and throwing away? Websites?

Any idea why DC/Marvel even bothered with shredding or burning when they could have had the artists just come in and pick stuff up? Seems like a lot of work just to be douchebags.

Most of it just got dumped, Gunsmoke,
Nobody cared and nobody EVER thought that it would be desirable. A lot of  1950s Standard art turned up in a warehouse in the 1970s, but that was an anomaly. If you want to hear about Marvel's "vault", read the new book on Marie Severin where she talks about the regular "shreading" of the pages that were taking up too much space.

Nice Baker page, BTW.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[JVJ]

In the 70s on up, Roy, I can't give a satisfactory answer to that question. Earlier, few artists cared all that much about retrieving the art. EC art survived because Bill Gaines believed that it was worth preserving. Few other publishers, and almost NO artists, had such faith. It was a job. A way to make a living without working up a sweat. Sometimes an artist would have a special attachment to some pages and the publishers generally would give them back the art. When I was doing the Kinstler book, he had dozens of the his Avon inside front covers because he liked what he had done and asked for them back. He did not have a single inside story page.

FWIW. (|:{>

[Gunsmoke]

is really unbelievable how art was destroyed. for those lucky pages that survive now we paying top money. JVJ:i met mr Kinstler at Comic-Con 2006 really nice guy.
"Marvel's "vault", read the new book on Marie Severin where she talks about the regular "shreading" of the pages that were taking up too much space." now i can see my dream of finding A Matt Baker Western go bye bye.  cause who ever owns the western pg below no way they will sell it.

[JVJ]

The guy with his hand on the chair behind Mr. Kinstler is ME. And that's my book in the lower right corner!

I must have met you, too.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[Gunsmoke]

The guy with his hand on the chair behind Mr. Kinstler is ME. And that's my book in the lower right corner!

I must have met you, too.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

wow small world, i had mr kinstler signed some of my cgc books.

[josemas]

Seems like I've seen a fair amount of original art from GA Harvey comics posted on the web (sometimes complete stories).  Anyone know the story as to how these survived?

Curious

Joe

[Gunsmoke]

Seems like I've seen a fair amount of original art from GA Harvey comics posted on the web (sometimes complete stories).  Anyone know the story as to how these survived?

Curious

Joe

which website? please share link. thanks 

[josemas]

Start working your way through Pappy's Blog to start.

For example, in this recent (August 17th) entry (a tribute to the recently passed Joe Kubert) Pappy posts a Harvey story of Joe's from 1944 which also includes scans of several of the pages from original art'

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/

Joe

[bluskies]

In the early 1960s, I remember Julius Schwartz would give The Flash covers, chapters, and even scripts to people whose letters were published in the letter column.  As far as Marvel, there was was a big fight about Jack Kirby not being allowed to get his original art back...which I think was a major reason for him leaving Marvel for DC.  That and the work-for-hire rule.  I seem to recall reading that Kirby got upset when someone would bring him art of his for signing because basically he considered it stolen.

[Gunsmoke]

In the early 1960s, I remember Julius Schwartz would give The Flash covers, chapters, and even scripts to people whose letters were published in the letter column.  As far as Marvel, there was was a big fight about Jack Kirby not being allowed to get his original art back...which I think was a major reason for him leaving Marvel for DC.  That and the work-for-hire rule.  I seem to recall reading that Kirby got upset when someone would bring him art of his for signing because basically he considered it stolen.

thanks for sharing, i feel Mr Kirby's pain not only his art was fantastic also expensive ones it hit the marketplace. many golden age art was destroy or recycle.

[bluskies]

I have had a nice item here and there in the past.  This was a piece done for The Columbia Dispatch newspaper in 1939.  Below it, you will see where it was printed in the newspaper.  The one major difference is that the artist got it signed later by Laurence Olivier, Catherine Cornell, and Margalo Gillmore.

[narfstar]

cool blu

[moondood]

I do comics lettering for many publishers, and I found myself doing a DC series for [to me] local writer Marv Wolfman, of whom many of you may know.  He was having a BBQ at his home and was kind enough to invite me---this was yee-ears ago.  Seems I was the first to arrive, so we talked in his office as we waited for others to arrive.  He had a framed Superman Shuster page above his writing desk on the wall.  I asked about it and he told me the story of how when he and Len Wein were fanboys, not yet pros, but kind-of industry insiders [1969 or so] he was in the DC offices soaking up the fanboy wonderfulness when someone came by with a cart of original art that was going to the furnace or the trash or something.  They were essentially asked if they wanted any as a souvenir.  Turns out Marv had the whole Superman story--he was able to pick out all the related pages from the pile.  He [and I] wished that he could have taken the whole stack, but it was cumbersome at best. Not sure what Mr. Wein took, but I'm sure he didn't pass on the offer.

Another story I recall from, I think in Comics Interview magazine---it was an article/interview with Gil Kane, one'a my all-time top fave comics artists...he was relating a story where in the mid 60's, he'd drive into Manhattan [prob'ly from Connecticut or Long Island] to drop off pages.  If it was snowing, he'd grab old pages from somewhere and toss them onto the floor of his car to keep the dirty snow from soiling the car's rug under his feet while driving.  Even as he told the story [in the 80's, I think] he seemed to wince at the idea...but in the 60's the art was just a by-product of a job.  The artist usually didn't want it back, and so the pages were thought of as worthless.  It wasn't until the fan movement showed interest and when Comics were deemed a true American art form that the pages were then thought of as a commodity.


Kurt Hathaway
khathawayart@gmail.com

[narfstar]

A Gil Kane original art "floor mat" 

[Roygbiv666]

 

I do comics lettering for many publishers, and I found myself doing a DC series for [to me] local writer Marv Wolfman, of whom many of you may know.  He was having a BBQ at his home and was kind enough to invite me---this was yee-ears ago.  Seems I was the first to arrive, so we talked in his office as we waited for others to arrive.  He had a framed Superman Shuster page above his writing desk on the wall.  I asked about it and he told me the story of how when he and Len Wein were fanboys, not yet pros, but kind-of industry insiders [1969 or so] he was in the DC offices soaking up the fanboy wonderfulness when someone came by with a cart of original art that was going to the furnace or the trash or something.  They were essentially asked if they wanted any as a souvenir.  Turns out Marv had the whole Superman story--he was able to pick out all the related pages from the pile.  He [and I] wished that he could have taken the whole stack, but it was cumbersome at best. Not sure what Mr. Wein took, but I'm sure he didn't pass on the offer.

Another story I recall from, I think in Comics Interview magazine---it was an article/interview with Gil Kane, one'a my all-time top fave comics artists...he was relating a story where in the mid 60's, he'd drive into Manhattan [prob'ly from Connecticut or Long Island] to drop off pages.  If it was snowing, he'd grab old pages from somewhere and toss them onto the floor of his car to keep the dirty snow from soiling the car's rug under his feet while driving.  Even as he told the story [in the 80's, I think] he seemed to wince at the idea...but in the 60's the art was just a by-product of a job.  The artist usually didn't want it back, and so the pages were thought of as worthless.  It wasn't until the fan movement showed interest and when Comics were deemed a true American art form that the pages were then thought of as a commodity.


Kurt Hathaway
khathawayart@gmail.com

[Gunsmoke]

Thanks for sharing those stories. Is just crazy to think after the art was published they trash everything. its sad that alot of great art-work no longer exist.

[Roygbiv666]

Same thing with silent-era movies and tv shows - who knew they'd be worth anything? Studios should have been more greedy!

Thanks for sharing those stories. Is just crazy to think after the art was publish they trash everything. its sad that alot of great art-work no longer exist.

[paw broon]

On trashing art - I mentioned in the copyright section that lots of original art done for AP was thrown away or destroyed in and pre. the Maxwell era.  But DC Thomson seem to have a huge archive of original art or, at least, copies of the publications in which it appeared.  Hence their ability to continue to reprint all those very old strips going back to the start of their comics lines.