From the Bleeding Cool blog
The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #121 has just sold at Heritage Auctions for $286,800.
This 1973 issue by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane, with cover by John Romita Sr. is considered one of the most important comic books of the Bronze Age. As the Heritage Auctions blurb says, “‘This was the end of innocence for comics… it remains one of the most potent stories ever published,’ was Arnold Blumberg’s comment in Comic Book Marketplace.” Last year, Marvel Studios founder and producer on all the Spider-Man films Avi Arad told Hero Complex, “My favorite cover is “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” This is a classic story where our hero is doing all the right things, willing to jeopardize himself, and give his life for justice, yet, inevitably, creates a complication and danger to people around him.”
Romita Sr. did (penciled or penciled & inked) approximately 100 Amazing Spider-Man covers in his initial run ranging from #39-169 (1966-1977, though his run on interior art stopped sooner).
By way of comparison, Romita Sr.’s cover for Amazing Spider-Man #49 went for $167,300 in 2011, his Amazing Spider-Man #43 cover sold for $101,700 in 2006, and his cover for Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 closed at $104,562 in 2012.
The $286,800 sale of this Amazing Spider-Man #121 cover puts it within the top 5 sales of pencil and ink American comic book cover art ever sold publicly.
The highest price ever paid for an American comic book cover is the $675,250 sale of the Todd McFarlane cover of Amazing Spider-Man #328 in 2012.
Don's blog note: That's right. Yours truly, the dandy Dondaroo, penned the peerless Heritage Auction blurb mentioned above:
John Romita Sr. Amazing Spider-Man #121 "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1973).
Some say the death of Gwen Stacy marked the end of the Silver Age of comics. "This was the end of innocence for comics... it remains one of the most potent stories ever published," was Arnold Blumberg's comment in Comic Book Marketplace.
The caption at the lower right crystallizes the theme of the most desirable piece of 1970s comic art we've auctioned to date. "Not a trick! Not an imaginary tale -- but the most startling unexpected turning point in this web-slinger's entire life. How can Spider-Man go on after being faced with this almost unbelievable death?"
It's a story that fans still talk about, and the most sense-shattering deathblow in comics. Letters from outraged fans flooded the Marvel offices, and led to another mini-controversy -- did Stan Lee OK this storyline or not?
The loss of Gwen marked nothing less than an end to the carefree fun and offbeat innocence of the Silver Age era. Spider-Man and the Marvel Age of Heroes were never quite so merry after this story.
This dynamic cover spotlights the taut suspense in an almost unbearable manner -- who among the beloved ASM cast would die? Many a fan thought, "Oh, please let it be Norman Osborn." Any Spider-fan who bought this issue off the spinner-rack has this iconic scene seared into his/her comic consciousness. With this scene, John Romita and Gerry Conway marked a tragic milestone for the world-famous Spider-Man saga launched by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee -- and for Marvelites, landmark issue covers just can't get better than this.
The image area of this eye-popping bombshell, showcasing John Romita Sr. at the height of his talent, measures 10" x 15". The art has some overall paper aging, a horizontal crease in the middle (at the level of the top of Spider-Man's head), a tear on the right side, and scattered staining that has little effect on the overwhelming power of the image; otherwise, the art is in Very Good condition. John Romita signed the page at the lower right. It's not just a classic cover -- it's a priceless piece of Bronze Age Marvel lore.
The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #121 has just sold at Heritage Auctions for $286,800.
This 1973 issue by Gerry Conway and Gil Kane, with cover by John Romita Sr. is considered one of the most important comic books of the Bronze Age. As the Heritage Auctions blurb says, “‘This was the end of innocence for comics… it remains one of the most potent stories ever published,’ was Arnold Blumberg’s comment in Comic Book Marketplace.” Last year, Marvel Studios founder and producer on all the Spider-Man films Avi Arad told Hero Complex, “My favorite cover is “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” This is a classic story where our hero is doing all the right things, willing to jeopardize himself, and give his life for justice, yet, inevitably, creates a complication and danger to people around him.”
Romita Sr. did (penciled or penciled & inked) approximately 100 Amazing Spider-Man covers in his initial run ranging from #39-169 (1966-1977, though his run on interior art stopped sooner).
By way of comparison, Romita Sr.’s cover for Amazing Spider-Man #49 went for $167,300 in 2011, his Amazing Spider-Man #43 cover sold for $101,700 in 2006, and his cover for Amazing Spider-Man Annual #3 closed at $104,562 in 2012.
The $286,800 sale of this Amazing Spider-Man #121 cover puts it within the top 5 sales of pencil and ink American comic book cover art ever sold publicly.
The highest price ever paid for an American comic book cover is the $675,250 sale of the Todd McFarlane cover of Amazing Spider-Man #328 in 2012.
Don's blog note: That's right. Yours truly, the dandy Dondaroo, penned the peerless Heritage Auction blurb mentioned above:
John Romita Sr. Amazing Spider-Man #121 "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1973).
Some say the death of Gwen Stacy marked the end of the Silver Age of comics. "This was the end of innocence for comics... it remains one of the most potent stories ever published," was Arnold Blumberg's comment in Comic Book Marketplace.
The caption at the lower right crystallizes the theme of the most desirable piece of 1970s comic art we've auctioned to date. "Not a trick! Not an imaginary tale -- but the most startling unexpected turning point in this web-slinger's entire life. How can Spider-Man go on after being faced with this almost unbelievable death?"
It's a story that fans still talk about, and the most sense-shattering deathblow in comics. Letters from outraged fans flooded the Marvel offices, and led to another mini-controversy -- did Stan Lee OK this storyline or not?
The loss of Gwen marked nothing less than an end to the carefree fun and offbeat innocence of the Silver Age era. Spider-Man and the Marvel Age of Heroes were never quite so merry after this story.
This dynamic cover spotlights the taut suspense in an almost unbearable manner -- who among the beloved ASM cast would die? Many a fan thought, "Oh, please let it be Norman Osborn." Any Spider-fan who bought this issue off the spinner-rack has this iconic scene seared into his/her comic consciousness. With this scene, John Romita and Gerry Conway marked a tragic milestone for the world-famous Spider-Man saga launched by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee -- and for Marvelites, landmark issue covers just can't get better than this.
The image area of this eye-popping bombshell, showcasing John Romita Sr. at the height of his talent, measures 10" x 15". The art has some overall paper aging, a horizontal crease in the middle (at the level of the top of Spider-Man's head), a tear on the right side, and scattered staining that has little effect on the overwhelming power of the image; otherwise, the art is in Very Good condition. John Romita signed the page at the lower right. It's not just a classic cover -- it's a priceless piece of Bronze Age Marvel lore.
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