Marvel Press Poster #5 (1987) and Scarlet Witch #1 foil variant cover (2024)
Artists: P. Craig Russell (Penciller) , P. Craig Russell (Inker)
51 Comments - 10,504 Views - 14 Likes
Additional Images:
poster vs. original (no contest)
Variant 1st printing
2nd printing
with mom for scale (mom is still taller, but barely LOL)
Artwork Details
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DescriptionACQUISITION DATE: 1987SOURCE: dealer OWNER HISTORY: 1 DIMENSIONS: 24x36 STOCK: single 2-ply CREATION DATE: 1986 SIGNATURE: P Craig Russell ‘86‘ PUBLICATION: 1987 (poster) 2024 (variant cover)
This is the original art for Poster #5, the Scarlet Witch, by the one and only P. Craig Russell. This is my HOF piece! And no, I don't mean Hall Of Fame. HOF stands for House On Fire. That means, if the house was burning down and I could only go in and save one piece, this would be it! LOL! Easily one of PCR's greatest artistic creations, it was done in 1986 and measures a staggering 24x36! And let me tell you folks, regardless of what other people say, size really does matter! I can still remember the day this arrived in the mail. The Post Office actually attempted to deliver it on Saturday, but I wasn't home so they had to leave one of those little pick up slips to go and claim it at the Post Office. Of course by the time I got the slip, the PO was closed. So I had to sit there for the rest of Saturday and all day Sunday dreaming about my piece, which was so near yet just out of reach. Monday morning, I was camped out at the Post Office door with my slip in hand just waiting for them to open the damn door! LOL! I even brought a box cutter with me so I could open the package in the car. One humorous side note here, I guess shipping concerns have really changed since 1987, because as big as this piece is, it was shipped only between two thin layers of foamcore board and it still made it cross country without a scracth! Anyway, needless to say I sat there in my car just drooling over it for as long as I could without being late for work. It was a bit difficult to really get a good look because the damn thing was so big it blocked my entire windshield. So I decided to just put it away until I got home later that night. Mitch, I will never be able to thank you enough for this one buddy! (6/14/21) Big shout out to my buddy Jonathan for helping me finally upgrade my image to an actual scan of the original (as opposed to the photocopy scan I had posted). I had to scan this baby in 9 sections and Jon was kind enough to splice them all together. Still not as impressive as seeing her in person, but it's a lot closer than what I had up before. Thanks buddy! (7/5/24) Big thanks to my buddy Hiroshi for picking up a copy of the new foil variant cover for Scarlet Witch #1 that this artwork was just used for (see Additional Images). Not sure if Marvel just got lazy or maybe they couldn't find anyone to do some new digital colors for the image, but it looks like they pretty much stuck with the original coloring from the original poster from 1987. Might have been fun if someone had tried to give it a new paint job instead of just basically shrinking the poster image, but at least they didn't make it worse. Oh, and apologies for the screen grab of the second printing cover. It's the only one I could find online. Will replace when I get a chance to scan my copy. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Alkis V. 
Member Since 2004
Posted on 4/15/2005
this is ... one of the most stunning items i have seen here ...
Jonathan Mueller
Member Since 2005
Posted on 7/3/2005
I couldn't care less for the Scarlet Witch... and I'm in AWE! hmm... so Eric, what exactly is your address again??? ~:)
Peter Venkman
Member Since 2003
Posted on 8/13/2005
The witch must be in the house with such a concentration of awe-inspiring pieces in one place.
Jonathan Mueller
Member Since 2005
Posted on 3/7/2007
I recently had the incredilbe pleasure of seeing this amazing piece in person, thank you Eric, thank you, and thank you some more... I am now a VERY, VERY BIG P. Craig Russell fan... if not for my need to sleep and work, I'd probably still be viewing this, it's just that entrancing in person. I so appreciate your generosity.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 3/7/2007
Glad you could stop by JM. I very much enjoyed your visit and I'm always happy to convert a new PCR fan! =)
Jonathan Mueller
Member Since 2005
Posted on 4/21/2007
Eric, it's really unfortunate for you that this piece makes the rest of your collection appear so amateurous... luckily for you I can take it off your hands, there by restoring the rest of your collection to its rightful A+ professional rating, or alternately, I could just take the rest of your collection off your hands... your choice... no need to thank me, it would be a pleasure to "help" a fellow collector ~;)
Ken R
Member Since 2006
Posted on 11/4/2007
Your "HOF" piece...haha...you're funny man...never thought of the acronym that way! Great stuff as always!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 11/4/2007
Thanks buddy! But maybe I should cool it with that whole "house-on-fire" thing. Don't want to jinx myself! LOL
Jason Versaggi
Member Since 2005
Posted on 11/5/2007
Wow! Great piece. Very BWS meets Art Adams. Unreal.
Craig Rogers
Member Since 2004
Posted on 11/5/2007
Very nice! P. Craig is great. Glad to hear size matters...I've got an 18x24 commission in the works. I'm very curious to see what that kind of size looks like in person. :)
Michael Hosey
Member Since 2004
Posted on 3/23/2008
I had this poster when I was a kid... I just loved it, the art is amazing.
Ken Fries
Member Since 2006
Posted on 6/2/2008
Like I don't have enough stuff on my walls already...hope you're happy, I dug thru my old poster collection to find this, so I'll have to find space to hang it up somewhere...all because I came here to look at your original again...I need a bigger house... :)
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 6/3/2008
Hey buddy, you should be thanking me for giving you an excuse to buy a bigger house! By the way, can I have your old one? =)
MyFavorite ComicArt
Member Since 2007
Posted on 7/4/2008
Awesome! PCR Rules! I love the slight tilt in her head! Just enough to let the poser flow even easier!
Thomas V
Member Since 2008
Posted on 8/10/2008
A perfect example of what you get when you mix the right artist with the right subject matter. This is something else.
Michael Radeke
Member Since 2006
Posted on 10/30/2008
Love the HOF comment! And I can clearly see why you would say it. Just one of PCR's finest pieces ever. Your whole collection is amazing, but this one really stands out!
mark ou
Member Since 2005
Posted on 5/28/2009
Everytime I look at this, it still blows me away... You never can get tired of looking at it...
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 5/29/2009
Thanks buddy! And I never get tired of OWNING it either! LOL!
Chris Roxx
Member Since 2010
Posted on 8/11/2010
Hello, I am a collector of comic art mostly in the form of posters. I have many from the Marvel Poster Press collection and I was wondering if you could help me with something. At the bottom of many of them, you can find the MPP# showing it's place in the collection. But I noticed that many of the earlier ones have no such number. The first I have is #133. How could you tell tht this was #5 or that the X-men vs. Sentinels one was #1?? I ave that poster and there is no number as far as I can see. Do you have a list? Can you tell me what earlier numbers are? Any help would be much appreciated. Thank You.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 8/11/2010
Hi Chris! The only way I could tell with the first series of posters was because they came wrapped in a plastic sleeve and there was a sticker on the end with the poster # on it. I'm sure you could probably find a checklist online by doing a search. I have no idea when they started printing the numbers at the bottom of each poster.
E. Vets
Member Since 2009
Posted on 1/13/2011
A very cool piece of art but as you stated there are manny of those in your collection !
Fred Bronaugh
Member Since 2005
Posted on 1/13/2011
Amazing piece. Both powerful and sensual Hamilton so does magic well
Carlo M
Member Since 2006
Posted on 1/16/2011
Beautiful piece. It must be spectacular in person. I agree, in OA size matters!
J. Hiroshi Morisaki
Member Since 2005
Posted on 1/17/2011
Man, you have lot of cool pieces but this one continually freaks my $#!+ every time I look at it... Congrats!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 1/17/2011
Thanks Hiro! And if you ever saw this piece in person, I guarantee you the size and scope of it would REALLY blow your mind.
Tom Coker
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/4/2012
Can't imagine why I haven't commented before - Eric, this is easily my favorite PCR creation. So gorgeous! I can only imagine how it looks in person.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 9/5/2012
Tom Coker wrote:
Can't imagine why I haven't commented before - Eric, this is easily my favorite PCR creation. So gorgeous! I can only imagine how it looks in person.Thanks Tom! If you're ever in the San Francisco area, you are more than welcome to come by and see it. I just don't feel that any reproduction can do justice to the original. There's a reason why this would be the only piece I run into a buring house to save! Let's just hope it never comes to that. =)
Marvelman Excelsior
Member Since 2011
Posted on 6/5/2013
Absolutely sublime piece. P.Craig Russell at his best, and that's no small thing. Beautiful!
Jeremy Radisich
Member Since 2004
Posted on 9/8/2013
Not that this needs another comment but--damn! Maybe PCR's greatest work of art?
Suat Tong Ng
Member Since 2009
Posted on 3/29/2014
Superb and memorable PCR art - certainly the highlight of your collection. One of the best posters from that era.
Greg Gross
Member Since 2006
Posted on 8/4/2014
Breathtaking! Awesome details! A VERY cool Scarlet Witch!
Emanuele Peveri
Member Since 2011
Posted on 6/6/2016
Let me tell it...WANDArful piece really WANDArful!!! Paul is one of the best illustrators EVER and I cannot believe I miss this piece in my wandering in your CAF forest! If ever want to get rid of this, let me know: most probably I cannot afford it, but I would really try. Magic in a pencil (and a pen)!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 6/6/2016
Emanuele Peveri wrote:
Let me tell it...WANDArful piece really WANDArful!!! Paul is one of the best illustrators EVER and I cannot believe I miss this piece in my wandering in your CAF forest! If ever want to get rid of this, let me know: most probably I cannot afford it, but I would really try. Magic in a pencil (and a pen)!Wow! This may be my favorite comment on this piece. WANDArful, that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that? Anyway, feel free to get lost in my CAF forest whenever you like Emanuele! Thanks for making me smile with your kind and witty comment.
Bill J
Member Since 2009
Posted on 11/2/2018
Fabulous! I've seen a lot of art that attempts to show the visual aspect of magic but this is one of the best depictions of what magic might look like that I've ever seen. It's an eye-opening work of art that makes you believe...magic is real.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 6/26/2019
Bill J wrote:
OMG! This is soo beautiful! Just stunning!
If you are impressed by this paltry scan, you should see it in person. And of course you are always welcome to drop by if you are ever in my neighborhood.
Joshua Tan
Member Since 2018
Posted on 11/15/2020
SO SO good man. I always come back to this and the other PCR piece when I am in your gallery : )
E DLS
Member Since 2005
Posted on 11/15/2020
Joshua Tan wrote:
SO SO good man. I always come back to this and the other PCR piece when I am in your gallery : )
Thanks Josh. When I have any collector friends over to the house and I'm showing my collection, this is always the last piece I pull out. Never fails to get a profound reaction. That's why I call it my HOF piece. Appreciate the nice comment and please do stay safe.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 1/23/2021
Rick W wrote:
Just an incredible piece of art!
Thanks buddy! It is indeed a show stopper. As previously stated, it's always the last piece I pull out for visitors. The problem is, I have so much stuff now that it usually takes more than one or two visits to go through everything. So most people never get to see this on the first visit. What's funny is that because of the current lockdown, I have a couple of friends who are still waiting for their second and third visits. But hopefully it will be worth the wait when they finally see this beauty in person. Have a safe and happy new year my friend.
gPrez ***
Member Since 2021
Posted on 3/28/2022
I would die to get a beautiful C. Craig page like that! Russell's art is the definition of sublime!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 2/4/2023
Michael McIsaac wrote:
Possibly the best piece of art on CAF.
Wow! That sure beats the heck out of my "house on fire" tag. Thank you for that incredible compliment my friend. Hope you get a chance to see this in person someday (if you're ever in my neck of the woods).
Chris K.
Member Since 2008
Posted on 11/29/2023
This came up on my featured pieces today...how in the heck did I miss this one in your gallery. It is stunning, Eric. Wow.
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