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Posts Tagged ‘Marvel Comics’
J Michael Straczynski’s BOOK OF LOST SOULS On Sale!
by Colleen Doran on February 11th, 2012NOW AVAILABLE AT NEARLY HALF OFF COVER WITH FREE SHIPPING!
One of my very favorite projects EVER was The Book of Lost Souls, a series I drew for J Michael Straczynski at Marvel Comics’ Icon Line. I have rarely enjoyed any assignment so much, and count it among my best work.
Jonathan, in despair over lost love and thwarted ambitions, commits suicide. He awakens in the 21st century, where he is transformed into a psychopomp, a spirit who escorts lost souls. Does he save them or send them to their doom?
He acts on the orders of the Dark Man, and his guide is a talking cat named Mystery.
Unfortunately, The Book of Lost Souls just did not get the circulation it really deserved. It would make an outstanding TV series, IMHO.
Marvel collected the entire run in a handsome, full color trade paperback. Issue 3 is a heartbreaking story that will get right into the soul of any artist. It’s worth it on its own.
For some years now, I’ve been unable to get The Book of Lost Souls trade paperbacks, except on the secondary market. I was told it was sold out and there were no copies available from the publisher, Marvel Comics.
Eh. No.
Nice Mr. Straczynski found and obtained the ENTIRE remaining stock of this trade paperback collection, and it is available here, minty fresh, uncirculated, for a super low price!
Near HALF off cover for MINT condition copies signed by me, with shipping included. How cool is that? Only $9.95 for SIGNED copies! $16.95 foreign. The Canadian cover price on this thing is $28! Get it from us for $16.95!
SALE IS OVER! thanks for your orders.
Or, go deluxe!
Get this trade paperback collection AND a page of ORIGINAL INTERIOR ART from the series for only $59.95, or $69.95 foreign. BARGAIN AND A HALF. I pick the page, you get the signed book and art. Your page MAY even be one interior from the UNPUBLISHED seventh issue.
All pages are hand drawn originals on acid free paper measuring 11″x14″.
SALE IS OVER! Thanks for your orders.
This sale is for a limited time.
Please check out my bookstore for other offers!
Click HOME to go to my advertiser supported webcomic. Thanks for reading at my official website.
Unpublished Sandman, Star Wars, Tarzan, Fallen Angels and rarely seen short story art for sale
by Colleen Doran on September 18th, 2011My art sale auctions continue! CLICK HERE TO BUY!
The last of my art will post on October 1. Then all of my direct art and books sales are suspended until further notice. Of course, you can still buy my books at stores and other online shops, but I’ll be out of the country and unable to handle mail order. If you want to buy any books or art for Christmas, now is the last chance to get them from me.
On sale now, a full page of Sandman and Death prelims for The Sandman 20th anniversary exhibit at Gallery Nucleus. 
The final version of this piece was shown HERE.
One of the last two Star Wars Clone Wars Widescreen Artist Proof Sketch cards. These are getting very high prices. I am really glad people like them!
A page of practice doodles for an unpublished official Tarzan project for European publisher Semic. Circa about 1994.
An unpublished Fallen Angels II cover sketch for the unpublished KIA series by Marvel. Circa 1987.
A rarely seen splash page from the short story “Eugenie”, which I wrote and drew in the 1980′s, and reprinted in a later issue of A Distant Soil. One of my favorite pieces, as a straight on romance, this is not the sort of thing publishers usually go for, but if the prices I’ve been getting on the original art are any indication, the public likes it fine.
One of the frustrating things about being an illustrator is seeing your favorite art get lower prices because it is not connected to a major project from a big client. A beautiful page can go for chump change because it wasn’t drawn for The X-Men. When art from an obscure project like this gets a good price, it is very gratifying.
This go-round of auctions has been amazingly successful. I’d sworn off ebay some years ago, because not only do I not thrill to the terms, but my art prices were dropping and I had some serious problems with bidders.
Now my prices are significantly higher, and the collectors have been incredibly kind and supportive. This gives me confidence for financing more A Distant Soil next year, since most of my time will be eaten up by the end of the series. I have great confidence that I can finance the end without resorting to extreme fundraising. If I do have to go Kickstarter, I don’t think I’m going to need a big financial boost.
There are many more unseen pieces in my files I know people will want. But everything goes back off the market in a couple of weeks, so get what you can while you can!
Thank you for all your support!
When this round finishes, I think I will also be finished with Gone to Amerikay, and can start winding up my commissions list, as well as getting into serious work on my new GN for Dark Horse. Spent the last month doing layouts and taking reference photos!
Now, go read my A Distant Soil webcomic. It’s online and advertiser supported, so you don’t have to fork over the dough to feast your eyes. Isn’t that nice?
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Unpublished Sandman Preliminary sketches, Star Wars, A Distant Soil more
by Colleen Doran on August 19th, 2011To purchase any of these pieces, click this link to my ebay shop.
First, this page of preliminary sketches for The Sandman Gallery, circa 1994. Alas, I think the sketches are more interesting than the final painting.
This is drawn on DC Comics paper and is in excellent condition.
A classical study of a Greek youth. Quite like this.
Here’s two very nice Artist Proof sketch cards from Marvel Masterpieces II and Star Wars Clone Wars. Storm and Padme.
An unused prelim sketch for a base card for the Star Wars series for Topps. Here’s the one that was actually used for this project.
I also have unpublished A Distant Soil art and other goodies in my shop.
As annoying as ebay can be, it’s much easier to sell art there than here at my website. So far, all transactions have been very smooth, and I must say, all the buyers have been super-nice.
All of my auctions must be completed and shipped by the first week of October. I will be closing ALL my art and book sales until next year. I will be out of the country for over a month, and will be unable to process any orders during the holidays. If you want to buy books or art, please do so over the next few weeks.
All ebay sales must end, and my website sales must be shut down until March 2012, or later. So please, if you want to purchase books or art, especially for the holidays, please do so as soon as possible. I must make sure that everything has been processed and received by customers before I leave.
Naturally, I also need to make some good sales to make up for the fact that I will be doing no mail order for a good six months. Even though I have plenty of assignments, the loss of mail order will be quite a hit.
Take advantage of the sales and get books while you can. I am very happy to sign any books you order direct from me, too.
HERE IS MY BOOK SHOP. Order limited edition hardcovers and other books direct from me.
AND HERE IS MY EBAY STORE where you can find the above art for sale. I’ll be adding more pieces in the coming weeks, but then all my art and books go off the market for about six months.
MUST READ: Copyhype on the Kirby Case
by Colleen Doran on August 3rd, 2011Super-busy today, but can’t let this go by without urging you to read this extensive and interesting article at Copyhype on the Kirby vs Marvel case.
Like most people, I did not have a grasp on the way 1909 copyright is applied. Most contemporary creators believe that there was no work for hire provision until 1976. But the 1909 law was not wiped out by the 1976 copyright law. Terrance Hart, who is probably the best art and entertainment blogger out there, explains in detailed layman’s terms.
Factors that a court might consider include “the skill required; the source of the instrumentalities and tools; the location of the work; the duration of the relationship between the parties; whether the hiring party has the right to assign additional projects to the hired party; the extent of the hired party’s discretion over when and how long to work; the method of payment; the hired party’s role in hiring and paying assistants; whether the work is part of the regular business of the hiring party; whether the hiring party is in business; the provision of employee benefits; and the tax treatment of the hired party.”
Also, MStein popped in with some comments to the previous Kirby post, with a look at how the Kirby case differs significantly from the Superman rights dispute. A pdf of the relevant documents is here.
It is instructive to read and compare the decision in the Superman case, which explained why Action #1 was not a work for hire and therefore could have the assignments terminated under the 1976 law as the Kirby family contended they should have been able to do.
I’ve angered a few people by stating that I don’t really thing the Kirby heirs have much of a legal case here, but I’m not sure why my stating the obvious is substantive to anyone. I am not a lawyer, so my opinion doesn’t matter much.
The moral issue of whether or not a corporation might see the benefit of granting a substantial gift to the children of a creator is a completely separate issue. I don’t think the art and entertainment industry has a track record of doing that sort of thing.
Creators, the lesson was hard won by our forefathers. Don’t sign away your precious creations without the full understanding of what you are doing. I’ve signed many work for hire agreements, and have never had cause to regret it, because the work for hire contracts I sign with DC Comics are substantially better than anything creators got 50 years ago.
Yet there are many publishers, including small ones who sell themselves as little mavericks fighting against The Man, who will sell you a bill of goods about what they want on the cheap.
You can be Jack Kirby.
Or you can be JK Rowling.













