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Superman #75 Cover Original Art - Doomsday Death of Superman Logo
Artists: Mike Sellers (Penciller) , Ed Bolkus (Inker) , Mike Carlin (All)
15 Comments - 2,907 Views - 20 Likes
Additional Images:
Previous main scanned image with white out reflection
Artwork Details
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DescriptionI've had this one for a while, just wanted to vet its authenticity and origin properly before posting. The image area is roughly 11 by 11 inches on vellum, with pen, pencils, ink, and a whole lot of white out.This "bloody" version of the Superman shield was created in-house at DC/Warner Brothers under the helm of longtime DC Editor and Writer Mike Carlin. Carlin masterminded the Death of Superman saga from the editorial side and did a rough sketch of the logo in either late 1993 or early 1994 which was passed on to Ed Bolkus. At the time, Bolkus was the Art Director in the Marketing & Advertising portion of the DC/Warner Bros. Art Department (with Bolkus later spearheading the placement of DC Superhero products in Warner Bros. Stores across the nation before becoming a higher up at both DC Direct and 20th Century Fox). Due to licensing and advertising reasons, the "bloody" version of the S Shield/Death of Superman logo was needed well ahead of the writing and drawing of the actual comics entailed in the Death of Superman saga. Ed Bolkus tasked a member of the DC/Warner Bros. Art Department for the design - Michael "Mike" Sellers (who also worked as a Penciler, Inker and Editor for Marvel and DC in the 1990s and is now an Art Instructor at the Kubert School of Cartooning & Graphic Art). Both Bolkus and Sellers worked on this final piece, with Sellers starting and Bolkus making substantial edits to create the more serious final piece which you see here. Bolkus held the piece until he sold it to a friend/collector, and I bought it from the collector in the Summer of 2016. Aside from marketing the impending appearance of Doomsday and the Death of Superman, the design was also used for the cover of the bagged "memorial" edition of Superman #75. Honestly, I always assumed one of Jurgens, Ordway, or Breeding (who would go on to play a big role DC style design and licensing later in his career) designed the logo, so coming across this piece of art and tugging the strands of the story was eye-opening and a lot of fun. The image shown appears a little bright, the image is from a photograph I took of the art while framed. The bottom left drips in the symbol are omitted in some uses of the logo (like in the cover of Superman #75) and present in other depictions (like Roger Stern's Death and Life of Superman novel and DC Direct Superman vs. Doomsday Collector Set for example). - Keith 5/2020 (Switched main image to one of it framed, replacing the scan that showed several reflections because of the white out used.) Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Ruben DaCollector 
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 2/14/2020
Very cool acquisition, Keith! I always wondered who designed it and where this original might be.
Will K
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 2/21/2020
Iconic and historic !!! And I think the whiteout and darker image make it look more interesting.
Nash of the Titans
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 10/30/2020
Remarkable story to match a legendary piece! Congrats.
James Dornoff
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 12/26/2020
An awesome piece of comic history, congrats!
Steve M
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 5/1/2021
Thanks for sharing. This is great and historic and fun to hear about.
Gal Schwartz
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 8/23/2022
One of the most iconic images in comics history !! Still as effective as it was 30 years ago !
David Matheny
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 2/26/2023
wow. this is something i never would have thought i would see and here it is on caf. thanks for sharing.
Matthew Kaczynski
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 5/13/2024
Incredible! I still remember seeing that iconic image EVERYWHERE
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