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This term is used to describe any one-of-a-kind artwork created by comic artists as part of the creation process of comic books. This can include, but is not limited to, sketches, pencils, inked pages, painted pages or covers, color guides, etc. By extension, it also refers to comic book related artworks such as convention sketches, commissions, recreations, etc. Colors and lettering used to be part of these artworks but now they are mainly added digitally.
Comics have different origins and names: they are called bande dessinée in France, fumetti in Italy, manga in Japan or manhwa in Korea to name a few.
Comic art prices range from less than $100 for unpublished art to more than $100,000 for top-tier historical pages and covers. You can buy them from artists -- either directly at conventions or via social media, or through the artist's rep. There is also an active secondary market comprised of dealers, auction houses, and collector-to-collector marketplaces.
Through this Comic Art Collecting Guide you'll find a lot of useful information about original comic art and ComicArtTracker will help you find pages within your budget from the series, artists and characters you like. If you're new in original comic art collecting, take your time and browse the Collecting original comic art topics to get a better understanding of the market before spending money on it. Welcome to the hobby!
A few topics in this Comic Art Collecting Guide to start with: Where can I buy comic art? - Where can I interact with comic art collectors? - How to price original comic art? - What are the main features of ComicArtTracker?…
Some interesting resources: Overview of the comic creation process - The Comic Book Development Process (Prop Store) - How to Collect Original Comic Art (Cantu Comics) part 1 and part 2 - Superhero Comic Artist: Behind the Scenes (WSJ) - How comics were printed in the 1980s-90s (Bill Black) - A Brief and Broad History of Post Golden Age-Pre-Digital Comic Book Coloring - How Comic Books are Made (Walden Wong) part 1 and part 2 - Creating Wallace the Brave Comic Strip - La bande dessinée, du mépris aux galeries - KABOOM BD #41 - Le marché de l'Art en BD
There's plenty of places where you can buy original comic art:
Also, please be aware of the risk of buying some original art through marketplaces. If you don't have a strong familiarity with an artist's work, you should definitely avoid buying any unpublished artwork and make sure that any (supposedly) published art is identical to the publication and is the genuine original art and not a production art, poster or so. Search Google Images, ComicArtFans, and ask other collectors you may know. Or ask on the forums at places like BDGest.com or CGCcomics.com.
Resources: The Next Stage In Comic Collecting: The Comic Art Con
There are a lot of places where you can sell your art (basically the same places where you can buy art), with specificities that will match your needs or not:
As you can see, there are several considerations to take into consideration before selling your original art:
See also How to price / get an estimate of my original comic art?
Some related videos: Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum: Overview - The Belgian Comic Strip Museum - walk through level 1 - The Belgian Comic Strip Museum - walk through level 1 - Exposition Révolution bande dessinée - Exhibition of European comic art in New York - Comics get a place in Paris' Louvre Museum - Hergé, Franquin, Jacobs et Cie au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège - Learn how Marvel Comics are made and tour MoPOP
These data about comic art auction houses are provided as is. They have been gathered from different sources but may evolve or vary for each auction. Please check auction catalogs and T&C carefully before bidding. Feel free to contact us if you have any information to complete or correct this table.
You have two options: scan your art or take a picture of it.
Either you have a scanner at home and it is large enough to handle your artwork, or you can use a scanning service (in the US most Office Depot and Staples stores can scan for you, in France you have Copy-Top stores or the likes). You should scan your art to a 600dpi 16-bit color RGB TIFF for archiving purposes. This is a large enough dpi that you can use the scans for print publication (in case your art is ever needed for one of the prestigious Artist Editions books from TK or Gallery Editions from Graphitti Designs!) You can then create a copy of your archival TIFF and downsize it to a 150dpi JPG for posting on ComicArtFans, 2DGalleries, or social media.
It is usually better to scan in color, even for black & white comic art, to capture details such as page quality, pencils, blue lines, etc.
Modern smartphones have good cameras. You don't have any limitation on the artwork size, and "document scanner" applications make it easy to crop the image (e.g. remove any distortion of the page and make it "square" again) and enhance colors and sharpness. Comic art collectors usually use CamScanner or Microsoft Office Lens:
Be careful of lighting when taking your pictures - try to keep brightness uniform on the whole page and avoid shadows or overexposure.
Resources: A beginner’s guide to prepping your comic art for print - How to Scan Black and White Line Art
Insuring your original comic art collection is highly recommended, the major risks being fire, water flooding or theft.
Most major insurance companies have an insurance department dedicated to collections. Some insurance companies are specialized in comic collection and comic art collection insurance. In some cases your homeowner insurance will insure the entire or part of your collection with or without limitations of liability and declared value. Contact them to check this point.
In all cases, please carefuly read the list of exclusions to their coverage. Such exclusions may include gradual deteoriation (fading, creasing), insects, dampness, loss or damage while being worked on by you or others working on your behalf, etc. Check also if your insurance policy includes shipping or not.
You should also consider keeping a record of all your purchases. Such inventory should include:
Major insurance companies: Hiscox - AXA XL
Specialized insurance companies: Collectibles Insurance - MiniCo - Markel - MiniCo - Chubb - American Collectors - ArtInsuranceNow
If you’re travelling by plane, taking your art with you in a cabin baggage is highly recommended. A checked luggage can be stolen, lost, delayed, damaged or opened and/or confiscated by TSA or Customs during your travel.
In case of lost or damaged luggage, the airline compensation will vary with the country of the airlines:
For the cabin baggage, the standard size will vary from 115cm to 126cm - or 45 inches to 50 inches (size = sum of length + width + depth) and standard max weight is 10kg - to be checked with your airline company. It usually leaves enough room to store your art inside a hard packaging or a rigid portfolio. Your art can pass the screening securities scanners and manual security clearance without restriction (except in case of oversized or overweight baggage).
Notice about the applicable taxes: when entering the destination country, import taxes / VAT on the declared value of the art shall apply, with two exceptions:
More information on Customs: US Customs and Border Protection (US) - Douanes françaises (FR) - HRMC (UK) - Administration générale des Douanes et Accises (BE) - Zoll (DE)
There are two main styles of auction: a timed system and a hammer system.
A timed system has an auction listing end at a specified, fixed time. They are also usually proxy bidding systems. The highest bid placed before the auction ends, wins one bidding increment over the next highest bidder. Examples of timed systems include eBay, ComicLink, and Catawiki. Timed systems are synonymous with sniping. As such, most of the bidding action happens in the last 60, 30, or even 10 seconds!
A hammer system is a more traditional auction. There may be a pre-bidding session in the weeks before, but the auction has a start time where the lots are opened for live bidding and then sold one after the other. Live bids could come in via phone, internet, or in person by bidders "in the room". Examples of hammer systems include Heritage, Christie's, and Sotheby's. A hammer-style auction does not necessarily have a real auctioneer; rather, it could be entirely automated (such as with Heritage's weekly Monday auctions.) Automated or moderated, most of the bidding action takes place during the live auction period.
There are hybrid systems which combine elements of the two systems, such as Hake's or ComicConnect. These auction listings start with a fixed ending, but guard against sniping by extending the ending as long as there is still active bidding in progress (see Time extension).
Pros and cons:
Auctions sometimes have reserves. A reserve price is a minimum price to bid to win an item. eBay reserves are hidden. Whereas, Heritage and ComicLink will open a piece for pre-bidding, but automatically raise the bid one step below the reserve a few days before the end of the auction. European auction houses usually start bidding slightly below the lower end of the estimate. See Reserve price.
Auctions are notorious for charging numerous costs on top of your high bid. You MUST budget for these ahead of time. Other costs include: buyer's premium, wire transfer fee, credit card fee, shipping, resale right, customs fee, sales tax, storage fee, late payment fee, etc. Please review all terms and conditions well before the start of the auction.
[img comic-art-auction-estimated-fees.jpg Christie's Cost calculator: buyer's fees would sum up to 49.5% (shipping within the same country) if lot sold at low estimate (and the seller would probably get 57% of what the buyer would pay, with a seller's commission of 15%).]
With the exception of eBay, most auction houses will send an invoice to be paid in the week following a major auction. Depending on their terms, payment is usually expected within 7-30 days. Different houses accept different forms of payment. Again, always check the terms before the auction. Don't expect every house to accept a credit card, PayPay, cash, or a personal check.
Some smaller or regional houses may not handle shipping. Be prepared to contact a third-party shipper near the auction house who will charge you a fee to collect the art, pack, and ship it to you. This is common when dealing with houses listed on Invaluable or LiveAuctioneers.
Most advice for framing any art applies to comic art as well. Be sure to frame it using archival-safe materials and methods. Do not hang it in direct or bright sunlight (see also How should I store my original comic art?). Plexiglass is lighter and safer than regular glass. Museum-grade or anti-UV plexiglass is an option, but do not rely on it to block sun damage. Do not dry-mount your art onto a backing.
Always work with a reputable framer. You can provide them with a same-size Xerox or blank board to mockup your frame and mat. Then, bring the artwork in later so you can supervise the final assembly and packing.
There are numerous ways to mat and frame your art. Many collectors prefer a "less is more" approach with a simple black frame and white mat board, but see these threads for many examples: "Art behing glass" on CGC boards (in English) and Les encadrements d'originaux (bonnes idées, techniques) (in French).
Useful links: Original comic art frames (Bags Unlimited) - Le Cadre d'Olivier (framer in Paris)
Most major multinational delivery services companies (Chronopost-DPD, DHL, Fedex, UPS) and national postal services (Canada post, Deutsch post, Royal Mail, USPS, La Poste, etc.) are able to transport your parcels. The former offer US-EU or EU-US express deliveries service within 2 or 3 working days. The national posts deliveries service will depend on the departure / transit / destination cities / countries.
In case of US-US or EU-EU shipping, no customs fees will apply for the recipient. In case of international shipping, customs duties, VAT on declared value basis, and administrative fees will apply to recipient. Customs duties and VAT will depend of each country.
Important notices:
Delivery services companies: Chronopost - DHL - FedEx - UPS
National post services: Canada Post - Deutsche Post - La Poste - Royal Mail - USPS
Complimentary insurance companies: Parcel Pro
Simply put: in a cool, dry and acid-free place!
Most collectors opt to store their less expensive art bare in Itoya or similar portfolios. These portfolios display nicely, store horizontally or vertically, are reasonably priced, reasonably protective and reasonably archival. Although most modern comic art is 11x17, it is recommended to purchase 13x19 portfolios to easily remove pages and to accommodate slight variations in board sizes such as 12x18, A3, etc.
For their higher-priced pieces ($500+), most collectors will store the piece in an oversized mylar with a buffered backing board and then place that in a portfolio or archival gallery box. The Library of Congress recommends "airing out" paper artifacts kept in mylar at least annually.
Conservation Resources sells Microchamber interleave tissues to place between art and backing boards. These tissues absorb off-gasses and trap migrating acids.
Metal flat files are expensive and large, but they are a good option for storing large collections.
Wooden cabinets should be avoided. If they are stained, the off-gassing will severely damage paper. If they are made from MDF, the glue used can also off-gas. If wooden cabinets are the only option, consider not staining interior areas, painting the interiors with Microchamber paint, or lining them with Microchamber tissue. Alternatively, do not enclose them with doors.
Fireproof safes will not typically protect paper items inside.
Do not store your comic art in a basement. The humidity and chances of flooding are too great. Many wonderful collections have been ruined in this way.
Do not store your comic art in easy reach of pets or children. Dogs like to chew. Cats like to pee. Children like to color with crayons!
Useful resources: How to Store Comic Art (Cantu Comics) - Are "acid-free" backing boards truly acid-free? (part 1) and (part 2) - Understanding Plastics for Preservation (Gaylord Archival)
Alternatively, you can purchase a specialty art shipping box such as the PrintPad from AirFloat.
Below are two great unboxed packages, received respectively from La Galerie de la Bande Dessinée and Heritage:
[img packing-original-comic-art-in-mylar-between-masonite-boards.jpg Comic art slipped into Mylar taped between two strong pieces of Masonite board]
Pricing a piece of original comic art can be quite complex. Each piece is unique which makes it difficult to find price comparisons. Ask any three experienced collectors to value a piece and you may get wildly different results!
Comic art valuation depends on many criteria:
With all of these criteria in mind, how do you estimate your original comic art?
Keep also in mind that:
If you're still not confident with how to estimate your art, you may also consider contacting an auction house for a free appraisal (try to find an auction house with a good track record on the same kind of art), or contact a dealer to see if they are interested in purchasing your art (knowing that they will account for a comfortable margin at resale). See also Where can I sell my original comic art? Finally, you can ask for other collectors' opinions on dedicated forums or Facebook groups, but be prepared to reply to offers which are both fair or ridiculously low!
A few resources: Who are the most expensive comic artists? - Pricing comic art (alxjhnsn)
In short, it's almost impossible to acquire manga published pages or covers. Mangaka (manga artists) do not sell their published artworks for cultural and copyright reasons. If you see any "published" original artwork from series like Akira, Naruto, Lone Wolf and Cub, Dragonball, One Piece, Death Note, Captain Harlock and the like, it is likely a fake or a (re)production art!
Sketches/prelims and shikishis (sort of convention sketches) can be found for sale at auctions (the safest place for that being Mandarake Auction which is a Japanase website), but they often go for high prices because of their scarcity.
Related resource: Why is not manga original artwork for sale?
Restoring an original comic artwork can include page cleaning, flattening, page whitening, tape or glue removal (adhesives from old tape sink into paper, damage it and leave yellow or brown stains), sealing of tears, text / logo stat reproduction, image reconstruction, etc. As the comic art hobby matures, more and more pieces from the 20th century will need conservation or restoration.
If one of your artworks requires a restoration, you should not do it yourself! Below, you'll find restoration experts that have experience with comic art and other works on paper. (If you know of other restorers to add to this list, feel free to contact us):
[img restored1.jpg Restoration of original cover art to Uncanny X-Men #162 by Robert Dennis]
A few interesting resources: Restoring Tintin comic art - Comic art home repair (Colleen Doran) - Paper mending - How to Get Scotch Tape Off of a Work of Art
If we take the most expensive auctioned comic artworks as a reference (considering not only their prices but also the number of times each artist appears in this list), the most expensive comic artists are:
In the 70's and 80's in the US, comic art pages were taped to a rolling drum during the copying process. It was easier to slice the pages off than take the tape off with care. Hence the corners cut. These cut corners usually have no impact on the value of the artwork, as long as it does not touch the drawing itself.
[img cut-corner.jpg Joe Staton - Green Lantern #152 title page with cut corners]