GOGOS, VAMPI STAR IN HERITAGE AUCTION

Heritage Auctions has released the catalog for its next Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, to be held May 10-11 in Dallas and online. While there are no monster movie magazines included this time, I'd say there are several items that will be of interest to MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD readers.

Basil Gogos is renowned and beloved for his FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND cover art. The original cover painting for FM #14 of Vincent Price in THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is up for sale. It measures 8” x 11.5” and is done in acrylics on illustration board. Based on the catalog photo, the painting still looks beautiful after fifty years!

Serious VAMPIRELLA collectors as well as the more casual Vampi fans may want to check out the paintings of Drakulon’s favorite daughter by Enrique Torres (Enric). One is an oil on canvas recreation of Jose Gonzalez’s famous life-sized poster. There is also a slightly smaller pencil illustration of the same picture. The original cover art for VAMPIRELLA #110 is offered, featuring Vampi with Balazaar. In two other gorgeous works of art, Enric paints Vampi from behind, looking over her shoulder at the viewer, as she confronts a panther and a giant, furry monster. Enric painted covers for other Warren magazines, as well. His artwork for CREEPY #115 of an alien carrying a nearly-nude human woman is a striking example.

There are also a couple of copies of VAMPIRELLA #1 in very nice condition up for bid, also. They are CGC-graded and sealed, which is a great selling point, I suppose. I prefer to read my Warren mags instead of sealing them up.

When Orsatti Productions was planning a full-length animated feature of DRACULA in 1975, they commissioned character designs from the great Frank Frazetta. His Dracula and Van Helsing studies are offered in this auction. They are head shots done in watercolor and pencil and the Dracula picture is particularly creepy. If you have Frazetta’s LEGACY book, check out page 112 to see a copy.

Three more of the R. Crumb Monster Card messages from the 1965 Topps series are in this auction. Unlike previous catalogs, this time the catalog writer includes some decent descriptive information about the artwork. The pieces, all 3.5” x 4.75”, lack the photos with the punch line which made these cards funny. Apparently the drawings were placed in an album with black paper pages and have some black residue with small glue stains. Bummer! There is a huge selection of Crumb artwork in this auction and I am wondering if a good portion of it is from his personal collection.

There are at least 29 lots of pulp magazines, including several issues of the classic WEIRD TALES. A number of STRANGE TALES copies from the early 1930s contain stories by fantastic authors Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, and Hugh B. Cave. HORROR STORIES, EERIE, and SPICY ADVENTURE are also represented.

Check out Heritage Auctions’ web site, HA.com, for more information and images. Just to be clear, I am not an employee of the auction house and none of the items mentioned are mine. I enjoy looking at this stuff and making plans for when I hit the Lotto! And I think it is of interest to other readers of MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD.

Read More → GOGOS, VAMPI STAR IN HERITAGE AUCTION

VAMPI AND CRUMB ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

Last month, it was reported here at MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD of a piece of original art for sale from the Robert Crumb monster card series he created for Topps in the 1960s. The artwork was included in the February Heritage Comics & Comic Art Auction in New York. The piece, "I Love Your Beautiful Eyes," sold for $1912! That price includes the commission. Inflation is not dead in the comic/monster art world! Two similar drawings sold last year for $776 and $1135. The number of bidders for the Crumb drawing also increased, with fifteen individuals bidding for the monster card original.

Also auctioned were two Vampirella paintings by Enrique Torres-Prat, better known to readers of Warren's VAMPIRELLA as "Enric", which commanded prices of $1314 and $1434. Both were listed in "good" condition in the catalogue and both are beautiful.

And you thought there was a recession going on!

Read More → VAMPI AND CRUMB ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

HOW DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE EYES . . .

Heritage Auctions has sent out the catalog for its February 22-24 Signature Comic Book Auction to be held in New York. While they are offering an amazing amount of rare vintage comic books, monster magazines and memorabilia are very under-represented this time. One item of interest to MMW readers is the original art for a Topps Monster Greeting Card. Design and artwork are by legendary underground comic artist Robert Crumb. Two of these cards were featured last year in MMW’s Monster Card Monday. The obverse reads “I love your beautiful eyes” and the reverse reads “All four of them.” A lovely sentiment for Valentine’s Day!

Read More → HOW DO I LOVE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE EYES . . .

HOUSE OF HORROR AUCTION: THE RESULTS ARE IN

You may remember a DOUG'S HALL OF FLAME guest post announcing a slabbed, 9.2 copy of Warren's HOUSE OF HORROR that was to be sold by HERITAGE AUCTIONS. The item sold for an amazing $1,314.50! Not in the same league as a copy of ACTION COMICS #1 that recently sold for 2.16 million, but quite healthy nonetheless. It appears that the collectible market is withstanding the economic downturn better than others.

Read More → HOUSE OF HORROR AUCTION: THE RESULTS ARE IN

HOUSE OF HORROR NO. 1 ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

I received the catalog for the November Comics and Comic Art Auction by HERITAGE AUCTIONS. One lot may be of particular interest to MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD readers -- a graded & slabbed copy of Warren's rarity, HOUSE of HORROR. Also of interest are some original comic art pages from VAMPIRELLA and CREEPY.

Read More → HOUSE OF HORROR NO. 1 ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

WHAT PRICE HEIDI SAHA?

The young, teenage "model" that caught the eye of talent agent, promoter and FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND's first Editor Forrest J. Ackerman, was named Heidi Saha. Legend has it that she came to fame in the early 70's when she arrived at the Sixth Annual New York Comic Convention dressed in a skimpy Vampirella costume. Despite some prevailing negativity surrounding her attempts at grabbing the Vampi spotlight from another model, FJA was introduced to her, and whether smitten by her young beauty or in a deal that was stricly business, the result was her own magazine and 24" x 36" poster for sale in the back pages of Warren Publications.

Now, almost 40 years later, her magazine, AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF HEIDI SAHA, commands high prices on a market that's hot for these types of collectibles. HERITAGE AUCTIONS  is currently accepting bids on a "slabbed" copy that is graded 7.0 out of 10. A collector's market watchdog, NOSTOMANIA, has listed on its website the most recent graded pricing as a "blended" value averaged from several markets. One thing is for sure, it is quite certain that this rare (only about 500 copies were ever printed) collector's commodity will close at a price that is well out of the reach of many a-Monsterologist.



The HEIDI SAHA magazine listing on the Heritage Auctions website.





Graded pricing at Nostomania.



Read More → WHAT PRICE HEIDI SAHA?