"AMAZING ADVENTURES" VOL. 2 #17 COMIC BOOK SPLASH PAGE ORIGINAL ART BY JIM STARLIN (BEAST'S ORIGIN).
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Winning Bid:
$12,980.00
(Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bidding Ended:
Thursday, September 24, 2020 9:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Thursday, September 24, 2020 9:00:00 PM)
Item Description
11.5x13-1/8" artboard was applied to another artboard for overall size of 11-5/8x17.5". Applied artboard features pen and ink original art by Jim Starlin for two-page origin story of longtime X-Men and Avengers member Beast. Art appeared in "Amazing Adventures" Vol. 2, #17, published by Marvel March 1973. Beast headlined "Amazing Adventures" beginning w/issue #11, in which the character's brutish human appearance was altered, mutated into his more familiar hairy form (albeit initially gray-furred) before his feature ended in issue #16. These issues mainly featured art by Tom Sutton w/the art from issue #16 being provided by Bob Brown and Marie Severin. The following issue featured this two-page story recounting the Beast's origin by Starlin, noted for revamping Marvel characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; for creating/co-creating Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora and Shang-Chi as well for his work on Marvel's space odysseys like "The Infinity Gauntlet" and "The Infinity War" among others. "The Birth Of The Beast" splash page features full body image of Beast (who by time of publication had achieved his more cobalt complexion) crouched in a circle of lit candles. Word balloons w/hand-lettered text capture Beast's wish that before he leaves "Amazing Adventures," he wanted readers to be aware of how he came to be. This issue consisted mainly of a reprint of Beast's origin that originally appeared as back-up in the original "X-Men" series, issues #49 (Oct. 1968) through issue #53 (Feb. 1969). Starlin was brought in to provide new art for this brief, two-page introduction and conclusion to the origin story (printed as pages 1 and 20), and we are offering the original art for the first of those two pages. Starlin has signed art in black ink below Beast's foot. This art is significant as it represents Starlin's only published X-Men-related story art and is among his earliest published professional interior art, w/his professional interior story art debut in "Iron Man" #55 being published just one month prior in Feb. 1973 (Starlin contributed to two other titles w/March 1973 cover dates; "Captain Marvel" #25 and "Iron Man" #56). Starlin also provided Beast cover art for "Amazing Adventures," though only for issues #15-17. It is also important to note that Beast's storyline in "Amazing Adventures" was the only non-reprint X-Men material being published at the time, as the original "X-Men" series ended w/issue #66 two years prior (at which point it transitioned to reprints) and "Giant-Size X-Men" #1 (which saw the revitalization of the X-Men) was still two years away. Applied artboard was once glued to larger artboard (resulting in .75" strip and 1.25" strip of glue staining above/below art), has since come loose and is now attached by tape to 2x5" section at top left ("Birth" portion of title). Tape has aged. Left/right margins have some scattered soiling/staining and artboard has some penciling on back which has some scattered staining. Fine overall, but main art area remains clean and could be matted and framed for Exc. display. Historic and impressive Bronze Art comic art. Long held privately, this is the first time this art is being offered at auction.
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