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The Art Binder (my CAF before CAF)
Artists: Art Adams, Mike Mignola (All) , Dale Keown, Jack Kirby (All) , Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane (All)
49 Comments - 1,366 Views - 23 Likes
Additional Images:
sample page
AA sample page
MM sample page
Lee sample page
Need more duct tape
Artwork Details
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DescriptionIn the early 90’s, when the internet was still in its infancy, I was part of a small correspondence group of art collectors. The idea was fairly simple and straightforward. Communicate or correspond with other collectors, and share images (much like CAF). We didn’t have any official rules or policies, and we certainly did not have a moderator (although in hindsight, we probably could have used one). Again, being pretty much the pre-internet days, everything was done old school, with photocopies and snail mail. If we had ten members, you had to make ten copies, OF EVERYTHING! Even though my collection was probably about a third the size it is now, that’s still a lot of copies to make and mail out. I must admit, it was a fun experience, at the beginning. Unfortunately (as can happen in many groups, forums, and message boards), it just eroded from a lot of personal silliness. I think I left in 1994. I have no idea when it actually dissolved. Off the top of my head, I count seven former members with galleries currently on CAF. Many are still friends.
I have so many fond memories of sitting there at a dealer's booth while someone was going through my binder, and having people pass by do double takes. The next thing I knew, small crowds would form trying to look over the person’s shoulder. And once they were done, all these hands would reach out wanting to be next to go through it. After a while, I started seeing other people with art binders. It was so cool. Anyway, I lugged this thing around to every convention for over ten years (right up until I joined CAF). You can see from one of the ADDITIONAL IMAGES photos that the cover even had to be duct taped at some point, and finally, just fell off completely. I’m just glad that Bill came up with CAF so now all our “binders” are online. If nothing else, I just love not having to lug those extra pounds to each con. LOL! Thanks Bill. Social/Sharing |
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Comic Art Channel 
Member Since 2018
Posted on 9/20/2021
Awesome! Everything is great but really love those Mignolas!
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
Posted on 9/20/2021
As someone who was briefly part of an APA in the mid-1990s, I remember well those days of making multiple photocopies for distribution (although there was at least a central mailer). Great reading about the original art version!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
Olivier D wrote:
Stormmmm...... ME LOVE A LOT ! ;-)
Hey Oli!!!!! Hello my brother. At least you did not tease everyone for being one of the few who have visited me to see all of these in person. Hope you are doing well my friend.
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
E DLS wrote:
Hey Oli!!!!! Hello my brother. At least you did not tease everyone for being one of the few who have visited me to see all of these in person. Hope you are doing well my friend.
People visited you to see the photocopies???? Lol
Olivier D
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
E DLS wrote:
Hey Oli!!!!! Hello my brother. At least you did not tease everyone for being one of the few who have visited me to see all of these in person. Hope you are doing well my friend.
Low profile & trust :-) I'll mail you a PM
Bill J
Member Since 2009
Posted on 9/20/2021
Cool story! And considering YOUR collection, it would have been jaw-dropping to go through!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
Bill J wrote:
Cool story! And considering YOUR collection, it would have been jaw-dropping to go through!
Thanks buddy! While it would be impossible to make that separation, I can't help but wonder if this wasn't my collection and I was going through this binder, what would be going through my head? LOL
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/20/2021
M L wrote:
How they've grown and flown! Great parenting!
Sigh! So true. But hopefully empty nest syndrome is a long ways off.
K Gearon
Member Since 2011
Posted on 9/20/2021
Fun story, Eric - the good ol' days :) And thanks for shaing the pics - cool seeing those great pieces in the portfolio. Even if said porfolio appears to be holding on by a thread :)
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/20/2021
K Gearon wrote:
Fun story, Eric - the good ol' days :) And thanks for shaing the pics - cool seeing those great pieces in the portfolio. Even if said porfolio appears to be holding on by a thread :)
Thanks Khalil. And you are not kidding. By the time I "retired" this binder, it was LITERALLY hanging on by a single thread of duct tape fiber. LOL
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/21/2021
K Gearon wrote:
Fun story, Eric - the good ol' days :) And thanks for shaing the pics - cool seeing those great pieces in the portfolio. Even if said porfolio appears to be holding on by a thread :)
This is what happens when you don't rest your binder over two pillows when presenting it.
West Stephan
Member Since 2007
Posted on 9/20/2021
I did the exact same thing in the late 80's thorough 2004, except my binder was full of the Golden Age color Xerox's of all the comics I owned. I Still have the color copies, but none of the comics :(
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
West Stephan wrote:
I did the exact same thing in the late 80's thorough 2004, except my binder was full of the Golden Age color Xerox's of all the comics I owned. I Still have the color copies, but none of the comics :(
Yikes! I hope your story doesn't turn into a prophecy for me! LOL! Anyway, I would have really enjoyed looking through your GA binder. One of the reasons I used to buy old copies of the Overstreet Price Guide was for those GA cover galleries they used to have in the front, middle, and back sections of the book. It's actually what got me started on collecting pedigree GA books back in the day. Like you, I wish I still had some of those books now. Sigh!
Dave W
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
Wow, that is a great story and amazing art! I SOOO wish I were also collecting during this time. That McFarlane ... wow!! I spent many hours copying/drawing that Cap figure - great memories! Thanks for sharing!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
Dave W wrote:
Wow, that is a great story and amazing art! I SOOO wish I were also collecting during this time. That McFarlane ... wow!! I spent many hours copying/drawing that Cap figure - great memories! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks buddy! Personally, I think playing the catch-up game is just frustrating and (in most cases), ultimately fruitless. I actually started in the early 80's. But after about 10 years of collecting, all I could think of was how I wish I had started even earlier than that. Would we all have better collections if we had started earlier than we actually did? Probably. But that doesn't do us any good now. Ultimately, it's just better to live in the moment. Try to study and fully understand the climate and landscape of the current market. And then develop effective strategies to take full advantage of what's going on TODAY. Only two things really matter in this hobby. A wealthy bank account, or a wealth of knowledge. I've never had the former, so over 40 years I've relied on the latter. How did that work out for me? I think this collection speaks for itself. Hey, great job on the panel last night by the way.
Eelco V
Member Since 2004
Posted on 9/20/2021
Great to see and "feel" a bit of the fun experience of showing them at a con.
Dino Mauricio
Member Since 2009
Posted on 9/20/2021
Amazing to see this as historical artifacts of our hobby. Much of OA's appeal is largely visual so it's impossible to convey their artistry (not to mention coolness!) by words alone. I can only imagine the show-and-tell stories and comments spurred by your copies that evolved into the core CAF experience. Thanks for sharing Eric!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
Dino Mauricio wrote:
Amazing to see this as historical artifacts of our hobby. Much of OA's appeal is largely visual so it's impossible to convey their artistry (not to mention coolness!) by words alone. I can only imagine the show-and-tell stories and comments spurred by your copies that evolved into the core CAF experience. Thanks for sharing Eric!
Ha! I love your term "artifact". When I put this thing out of its misery over 15 years ago, I never thought I would see it as that. But when I dug it out of storage for these photos, it did seem as if I were digging up a fossil. And I totally agree with you about visual appeal. For me personally, it's almost entirely about visual appeal (since I don't really subscribe to buying for nostalgia, or sentiment, or narrative content). So even though the copies were a third the size of the originals (even more so for double spreads), I still thought it would be infinitely more fun and interesting than just trying to describe these pieces in conversation. Appreciate the comment sir.
Frank Lanza
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
Ahh, the good old days of collecting art. When you had to make actual phone calls and get faxes or emails of terrible scans of pieces that were available!
I love your stories and wish I had been more involved in the scene at that time, I didn't fully dive in until '98 or so. The idea of a binder to pass around really pings my nostalgia bone as well. CAF as a binder is pretty damn awesome but putting eyeballs on the pieces, even on stats, is a whole different order of things. Thanks for sharing this!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
Frank Lanza wrote:
Ahh, the good old days of collecting art. When you had to make actual phone calls and get faxes or emails of terrible scans of pieces that were available!
I love your stories and wish I had been more involved in the scene at that time, I didn't fully dive in until '98 or so. The idea of a binder to pass around really pings my nostalgia bone as well. CAF as a binder is pretty damn awesome but putting eyeballs on the pieces, even on stats, is a whole different order of things. Thanks for sharing this!
I think what matters most is to just believe that the hobby can be as much fun today as it was 30 years ago. So there really is no right or wrong time to "dive in". Just joining the party is more important than what time you arrive. But you are absolutely right. We sure do things a lot differently today. LOL! Thanks Frank! As always, your kindess and your comments are much appreciated.
* bronze-is-gold
Member Since 2007
Posted on 9/20/2021
That original X-Men Classic #4 Storm cover is spectacular and blows away the printed version - crazy that they altered it! What an amazing collection!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/20/2021
* bronze-is-gold wrote:
That original X-Men Classic #4 Storm cover is spectacular and blows away the printed version - crazy that they altered it! What an amazing collection!
I know!!!!! Crazy is putting it mildly. I would almost pay money to find out the name of the person who made that call. I mean, what the hell was he or she thinking? Really the only reason I can laugh about it is because I have the original. And at least they had the good sense not to touch THAT. Thanks for the comment.
Kirk Dilbeck (3-Wishes and Patron-of-art)
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
How very cool and wish I would have known you back then.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/20/2021
Kirk Dilbeck (3-Wishes and Patron-of-art) wrote:
How very cool and wish I would have known you back then.
Well, we know each other now. And you're just down the road (only a 5-hour drive). Now that I think about it, you should have just driven up with Oli when he was here. Then you could have just flown home. I'm sure you'll make it to the house one of these days.
Kirk Dilbeck (3-Wishes and Patron-of-art)
Member Since 2006
Posted on 9/20/2021
E DLS wrote:
Well, we know each other now. And you're just down the road (only a 5-hour drive). Now that I think about it, you should have just driven up with Oli when he was here. Then you could have just flown home. I'm sure you'll make it to the house one of these days.
Looking forward to it!
James Dornoff
Member Since 2019
Posted on 9/20/2021
Love the sentiments and whole-heartedly agree. It's a great place to see what are in other people's "binders". Nice that you have the cool history of doing this for the years you have. Fun to see your binder.
Rick W
Member Since 2017
Posted on 9/20/2021
Art and collectors are the glue that binds CAF.
Duct tape holds the universe together ;)
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/20/2021
Rick W wrote:
Art and collectors are the glue that binds CAF.
Duct tape holds the universe together ;)
I was going to write a Windex-inspired duct tape joke, but your line is so much funnier. I hate it when someone comes up with more clever lines than me. Damn you!
Paul P Spiderversity
Member Since 2011
Posted on 9/20/2021
Wow, a great trip down memory lane (you are a natural born story teller), and such a wonderful cross section of amazing pieces! The art binder is a fabulous idea. Thanks so much for sharing!
artless artmore
Member Since 2013
Posted on 9/20/2021
Another awesome nostalgic post from you, Eric, and CAF responds! Great comments here! So much fun to see your binder and read about your virtual and in-person OA experiences in the early 90's. I totally agree with you that playing the catch-up mind game is a silly waste of time (never mind that I do it all the time...) --- there is so much fabulous new art coming out in 2021 that collectors with a good eye and a passion for comics can find affordable masterpieces that will likely be future grails. (If I could go back, though, I would grab one of those Lee Punisher War Journal covers...)
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/21/2021
artless artmore wrote:
Another awesome nostalgic post from you, Eric, and CAF responds! Great comments here! So much fun to see your binder and read about your virtual and in-person OA experiences in the early 90's. I totally agree with you that playing the catch-up mind game is a silly waste of time (never mind that I do it all the time...) --- there is so much fabulous new art coming out in 2021 that collectors with a good eye and a passion for comics can find affordable masterpieces that will likely be future grails. (If I could go back, though, I would grab one of those Lee Punisher War Journal covers...)
Thanks Mike! I think the response from CAF kind of makes my point. Like-minded, fun-loving, art enthusiasts, who don't take themselves too seriously, gathering to share their mutual passion for this great hobby. Bill knew what he was doing when he picked this target audience. A great bunch of guys (and gals) who make up our wonderful community. Couldn't be more proud to be a part of it.
As for the Lee PWJ covers, while mine obviously wasn't a one and done piece (had to get my Hush example), I did pass up several others that crossed my path after I got it. Certainly buying them all at those 30-year old prices would have been the smart thing to do. But I think I just felt that the one I got was the perfect fit for me, so it was easy to be dismissive of those others. Still, it makes me chuckle to recall that the only reason I got that one in the first place was because it came with a bunch of Art Adams covers I wanted to buy. Can you imagine? It was sort of a throw-in, and now it's one of my very favorite pieces. Ha!
kent mansley
Member Since 2015
Posted on 9/20/2021
So much good stuff in that binder! I like the metaphor of CAF as the modern art binder. So true!
Ron S
Member Since 2007
Posted on 9/21/2021
That's great. I'm sorry that group ended poorly, but I'm really happy that it allowed me to have met you here.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/21/2021
Ron S wrote:
That's great. I'm sorry that group ended poorly, but I'm really happy that it allowed me to have met you here.
Thanks buddy! I'd like to think we would have met eventually. But am I glad that CAF helped expedite the prcoess? Absolutely! For me, that alone is worth the price of admission. Yeah, yeah! I know the site is free, but you know what I mean. Hope to see you again sooner rather than later my friend.
Duke Fleed aka #1 Groo Fan
Member Since 2013
Posted on 9/21/2021
Love the concept! The art ain't bad either!!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/21/2021
Duke Fleed aka #1 Groo Fan wrote:
Love the concept! The art ain't bad either!!
Are you just saying that because one of the pieces that USED to be in the binder is now yours? LOL! Thanks for the comment buddy! Hope you're enjoying the piece.
J H
Member Since 2019
Posted on 9/21/2021
I think "Need More Duct Tape" is going to be the name of my biography. I feel your handyman special abilities, that art binder was a great idea ahead of your time. I love the way back machine. Thanks for taking us in ride in yours. I dig hearing the old collecting stories. And agreed, we have a great community here. :)
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/24/2021
J H wrote:
I think "Need More Duct Tape" is going to be the name of my biography. I feel your handyman special abilities, that art binder was a great idea ahead of your time. I love the way back machine. Thanks for taking us in ride in yours. I dig hearing the old collecting stories. And agreed, we have a great community here. :)
Ha! Was wondering how bad it would get with the duct tape jokes. Actually surprised there weren't more! Thank you for the very kind comment Jason. It's people like you who make this community great. And although I wish we had met even sooner, I'm just so grateful that CAF allowed us to connect at all. Take care buddy! And hey, when your bio is finally published, let me know where I can get an autographed copy. Hopefully you will remember to give me credit for the title. LOL
J H
Member Since 2019
Posted on 9/24/2021
E DLS wrote:
Ha! Was wondering how bad it would get with the duct tape jokes. Actually surprised there weren't more! Thank you for the very kind comment Jason. It's people like you who make this community great. And although I wish we had met even sooner, I'm just so grateful that CAF allowed us to connect at all. Take care buddy! And hey, when your bio is finally published, let me know where I can get an autographed copy. Hopefully you will remember to give me credit for the title. LOL
Right back at you, Buddy! :) I can say the same for people like you making this place so great. Thank you
P A
Member Since 2013
Posted on 9/24/2021
Wow man! So impressive to see gems like these as they look 'in person' rather than just the digital images we look at online. You have such an incredible collection and like many other collectors, I wish I could go back in time to enjoy the same memorable experiences with art collecting you shared.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/24/2021
P A wrote:
Wow man! So impressive to see gems like these as they look 'in person' rather than just the digital images we look at online. You have such an incredible collection and like many other collectors, I wish I could go back in time to enjoy the same memorable experiences with art collecting you shared.
Thanks buddy! But again, as appealing as it may seem to be able to go back and experience those earlier years, I think the message here is to enjoy your experiences NOW. The hobby is as much fun as it's ever been, and I would think that there are more people involved in it today than 20-30 years ago. Just focus on making it as fun and as positive as possible. And then, years from now, people will be wishing they could go back to your time. I think that we are not just caretakers for the artwork. We are, in a way, caretakers for the hobby as well. We want to make it fun, not just for ourselves, but for future participants. I don't think any of us want to be responsible for ruining the hobby for the next generation. So let's all do our best to keep it positive!
Steve . M
Member Since 2017
Posted on 9/27/2021
Fantastic description. Love hearing about the good ol days. You forget, pre internet, that the hobby and the interest was still predicated on seeing the artwork! Great workaround! Even better art!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 9/27/2021
Steve . M wrote:
Fantastic description. Love hearing about the good ol days. You forget, pre internet, that the hobby and the interest was still predicated on seeing the artwork! Great workaround! Even better art!
Thanks buddy! I think the whole topic of pre and post internet collecting would make an excellent topic for discussion. I've spent about 20 years on both sides and I think there are obvious pros and cons to each era. For me personally, I built the bulk of my collection's foundation in the 80's and 90's when there was less access, but also less competition. When the internet connected everyONE to everyTHING, you really had to adopt different strategies to get the edge over the other collectors. It almost seems like too much work these days, even though there was a lot more of "pounding the pavement" (so to speak) in the old days. But yeah, we could go on and on about this one. Anyway, appreciate the comment my friend. You keep safe out there.
Mister Mol
Member Since 2007
Posted on 10/28/2021
Great to see, awesome art in a ragtag binder hahaha. Most of these pages are NON atainable these days!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 10/28/2021
Mister Mol wrote:
Great to see, awesome art in a ragtag binder hahaha. Most of these pages are NON atainable these days!
Haha! Yeah, I probably should have just changed binders instead of letting it fall apart like that. A little wear and tear might have given it character, but when it's hanging on with duct tape, that's just sad. LOL! But I totally get what you're saying too. If I had started collecting today, or even just 20 years ago, I would not have been able to attain a lot of these pieces. Thanks for the comment my friend. Please be safe.
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