Williams, A :: Image - Top Cow

Ascension #5 Cover - David Finch & Batt

Artists: David Finch (Penciller) , Batt (Inker)

4 Comments - 130 Views - 7 Likes

Ascension #5 Cover - David Finch & Batt Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Ascension #5 Cover - David Finch & Batt
Artist:	David Finch (Penciller)
Artist:	Batt (Inker)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	130
Likes on CAF:	7 8
Comments:	4
Added to Site:	8/12/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I crossed an ocean of time and hundreds of miles to get this piece! When this book came out in 1998 I LOVED this cover to the point that every week I'd check Ebay and various dealers sites to see if it popped up for sale. Eventually I gave up looking and stopped collecting OA while life happened to me. So when I got back into collecting in 2022 I checked around, including CAF galleries and didn't see it, I figured it had been sucked into a black hole somewhere. Then July 7, 2025 (9:17 PM CST everything changed. My nightly CAF email came in while I was taking a break at work so I checked to see what was posted that day. To say that I almost lost my shit would be an understatement. Ascension pages usually don't come up and if they do, they're the later ones. But no, this was my grail cover! I was so shocked that I didn't initially notice:

For Sale Status: FS

WHAT!?!

That night I was texting my friend that this was going to break me. It was for sale, but no price. How could I price something like this? It's early Finch (and in my opinion, his best work), but it's a dead title that Top Cow seems to have no plans to relaunch. Also I figured that this was not going to be one of those go low and work your way up deals. I had to guess what the sellers wanted and would this number coincide with what I was willing to pay? Also how badly did I want it? In the last few years I've picked up some killer Finch work, so do I let some of some to help pay for this?

The next day I sent an email and my offer. Shocker, I wasn't too far off from their sell it price. Holy crap! So now the lingering doubts crept in. Do I just let them send this to auction and hope that it goes cheaper? But what if there's someone who's wanted this cover since they were 20 too and now is an AI engineer making six figures? Hey, that could happen! There's a certain Turner DPS that I was an underbidder on that still teases me everytime I look at it on CAF. Putting these doubts aside I said screw it, I can always make more money. Then it became a question of payment and shipping. Turns out that they lived in the next state over from me.

That's also an interesting back story on this whole saga. It turns out that the seller's wife worked at Top Cow in the 90s and she had acquired these pieces directly from the artists! OMG, all that time chasing something where I had no chance (just like Mike Burkey).

Finally we agreed that I would drive out to meet them. There's nothing quite like buying high-end art in a grocery store parking lot!

Thank you Chris and Kate for parting with this piece. Another interesting detail is that Finch signed and personalized it in the lower, right corner "To Kate." Normally one is a little dismayed when the art has a name other than yours on it, but in this case I think it's really cool that she worked behind the scenes on these comics and it's not the name of some rando who happened to buy a piece at a convention. I expect that it'll probably be in my collection for another 27 years like it was in theirs!

Oh yeah, I suppose that I should say something about the actual cover itself.

It's ok. Maybe mid. That's it.

Just kidding. This cover hits on all fronts, the transformed Andromeda has minimal line work to contrast with the intricate details drawn into her jewelry and sword. The runes behind her serve to frame her figure and move the eye throughout the piece. It's everything you want on a successful cover to entice the reader into picking up the comic.

Sorry for the so-so picture. It came framed, so trying to get a good picture is hard with the glare and the reflection.

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About the Owner

	A Williams ( 17 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	April 2022
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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James S
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 8/12/2025

Nice story and congrats on a beauty of a cover!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 8/12/2025

I think you skipped the part that you just hit a treasure trove of Top Cow artwork and there's going to be a lot more coming from this unearthed stash!

Duke Fleed aka #1 Groo Fan
Member Since 2013

Posted on 8/13/2025

Wow! Amazing pick up!

TJ G
Member Since 2007

Posted on 8/17/2025

One of his best covers! Love it!!

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