Johnson, Alex :: My Art Collection - Sheldon Mayer Tributes - Art by Sheldon Mayer

Scribbly's Origin as a Cartoonist (Recreated for The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told) by Sheldon Mayer

Artist: Sheldon Mayer (All)

5 Comments - 1,202 Views - 3 Likes

Scribbly's Origin as a Cartoonist (Recreated for The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told) by Sheldon Mayer Comic Art

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Additional Images:

All-American Comics #6 scans

Nate D. Sanders Auction scans

The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told scans

Origin of the pages

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Scribbly 13 Cover (unused and recreation) by Sheldon Mayer

Next Item:
Sugar and Spike 16 pg 23 Scribbly's Cartoon Corner by Sheldon Mayer

Artwork Details

Title:	Scribbly's Origin as a Cartoonist (Recreated for The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told) by Sheldon Mayer
Artist:	Sheldon Mayer (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Complete Story
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,202
Likes on CAF:	3 4
Comments:	5
Added to Site:	3/6/2024
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Note: The pages were too big to scan so I used the Notes app on my iPhone. They aren't as white as these scans show, but they are lighter than shown in the Nate D. Sanders Auction scans.

Why I bought them
While S&S is his best-known creative work today, my true favorite is a character he created well before arriving at what we know as DC Comics, Scribbly, the Boy Cartoonist.

Scribbly was perhaps nearer to his heart than even S&S. While S&S were inspired by his children, Scribbly was Sheldon. Created when Sheldon was 19, he used Scribbly to tell stories about what he knew best - being a boy cartoonist. The stories featured a very young Scribbly using his drawing ability to help support his family. They started in DELL comics and migrated to DC when he did.

How I came to own them
Back in 2020, these pages came up for auction at Nate D. Sanders Auctions. They were billed as 'Original �Scribbly� artwork hand-drawn by comic pioneer Sheldon Mayer, published in �All-American Comics� #6 from September 1939, and then reprinted in �The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told� (DC, 1990)'.

A friend, Gary Land, told me he wanted them. I asked if he�d like to bid on them together - after all, who else would be bidding? Besides, I�d be happy with one. He declined. Bidding started. Kathy was egging me on as was my then big bank account (comic book sales). It got to $30K and I dropped out. Not long after, Gary called me and asked if I�d like to split them! I said sure.

After agreeing, I remembered the story from somewhere and went looking for it in my library. Eventually, found it in The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told. That was cool. Got to see them in print. Then I found this�

I was suddenly less happy with my purchase. So was Gary. Golden Age first appearance of a character is worth a lot of money. These pages though were recreated in 1989 or so and feature a minor character. They were not worth $7500 per page.

We talked about it and reached out to Nate. He explained. Nate understood and asked what we wanted to do. We offered $6K ($1500 per page) for the art or a full refund. Nate went to the family and Lanny decided to keep them. That was okay by me.

I never expected to see them again.

Thanks to my friend Rob Stolzer though, I did! Rob found them in the eBay comic strip section where I would never have seen them. I read the description and they were again listed incorrectly. I wrote again. They fixed it by canceling the auction and re-listing. Of course, I�d setup a search and saw it even though it was still in the wrong category.

Whew!

Only 5 people bid. Their feedback ranged from 43K to 2.7K so I figured that they were serious collectors and I�d get beaten. My cash pile is long gone, but I have a bonus coming in March. Kathy and I usually split it with the bulk going to property taxes and our summer vacation. The rest is for us to squander independently. So, I bid it all of my half of the remainder knowing it would not be enough.

Shows what I know because I did win! for less than $500 for the four pages!

Origin of the Pages
As mentioned above, these pages were re-created by Sheldon for The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told. I found out recently what triggered their creation and inclusion in the book.

Robert Greenberger, who worked as an editor on the seminal series, wrote this about the Red Tornado and the Cyclone Kids entry in 13th Dimension column on the Who's Who of DC Comics, "(Sheldon) was not in good health by this time (1986 - Alex) and couldn�t come to New York, but was happy to chat with DC staff when we called, so I was encouraged to invite him to do this page. We struck up a cordial relationship resulting in this page and, shortly thereafter, his faithful recreation of a story to be used in The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told. Having someone whose career was synonymous with DC and who was there at the beginning was a special treasure.

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About the Owner

	Alex Johnson Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	January 2006
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	alxjhnsn
Website:	http://web.mac.com/alxjhnsn
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Alex's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About AlexJohnson

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Comments on this Artwork

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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 3/6/2024

Now that's a package deal! 98.33% discount from the original $30,000! Maybe only a $50 bump for shipping!

Shelton Bryant
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 3/6/2024

Great Story and Thanks For Sharing!!

Michael Kenyon
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 3/6/2024

That description is why I rank guys like you, Lee B., Eric DLS, Ron Sonenthal, and many more as comic historians. That was a thrilling, up and down chase that ended with a smile. I think they are neato.I appreciate you putting in a few good words for Sheldon Mayer, as we owe him a debt for his contributions that can't be repayed.

Rob Stolzer
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 3/6/2024

A happy ending to a story with more twists and turns than a Tom Clancy novel! :-) Seriously, I'm glad you wound up with the pages, Alex, and for such a sweet price. Congrats again!

Chris K.
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 3/6/2024

Alex! What a story for you and an education for me on Sheldon Mayer! Thank you for sharing it all. And I'm thrilled to see such an important sequence of graphic storytelling (on numerous fronts) now in your gallery!

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