Brian Coppola :: Carson Grubaugh

"The Strange Death of Alex Raymond (Commissioned Bookplate art)" by Carson Grubaugh and Dave Sim

Artist: Carson Grubaugh (All)

2 Comments - 532 Views - 0 Like

The Strange Death of Alex Raymond (Commissioned Bookplate art) by Carson Grubaugh and Dave Sim Comic Art

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Additional Images:

the inside back cover

the inside front cover

bookplate 183/301 is the 1/1 edition

detail

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“Mapplethorpe Dance” (2021) by Carson Grubaugh

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Artwork Details

Title:	"The Strange Death of Alex Raymond (Commissioned Bookplate art)" by Carson Grubaugh and Dave Sim
Artist:	Carson Grubaugh (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	532
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	11/20/2021
Comic Art Archive:

Description

“The Strange Death of Alex Raymond (Commissioned Bookplate art)” (2021)
by Carson Grubaugh (1981- )
8.75 x 11.75 in., ink and brush on board
Coppola Collection

In The Strange Death of Alex Raymond, Dave Sim, legendary creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, and Carson Grubaugh, talented and creative artist across multiple media, explore and examine the line-making techniques of some of comics' greatest photorealist creators.

The art is impressive. And thanks to work of master production designer and line-smith, Sean Michael Robinson, the integrity of the printing and reproduction is truly unmatched.

“The Strange Death of Alex Raymond” (SDOAR) is self-contained in a 320-page, 8.25x12 inch oversized hardcover book.

From April 28 – May 22, 2021, the book was available at a pre-sale Kickstarter, a S/N limited edition sold out on May 10. Original art is available from Carson.

Kickstarter.com, search for “The Strange Death of Alex Raymond” for the rest of the history.

I enjoy Carson’s art and really like having the pieces that I’ve picked up or commissioned. He is also a terrific person to work with, and we share a real-life connection as academics.

There was one reward tier in the Kickstarter, a 1/1 edition that included the original art for the bookplate affixed to the book along with a few pages of original art (called the “morbid” level because the tier price of $906.56 is the date of the titular death).

Yes, yes… that was me who got it. I also picked up some other art that I liked from the book.

During the campaign, Carson posted the draft for an earlier version of the bookplate, one where he and Dave were locked in a cosmic battle, swirling in a fray while a Rip Kirby character reassures us that all is swell. Dave rejected it as an idea. I did not. So, for an extra dollop of money, I commissioned Carson to complete the art and to attach it to the inside back cover as Bookplate #2 for the 1/1 edition.

I scripted the dialog and loaded it with allusions. Even the brief version is too long. Suffice it to say that I am the alchemist, and Dave did warn Carson about me, so that is the origin of this cosmic battle.

Carson’s reply is more direct and practical. The only thing you need to figure here is that because the original $906.56 for the 1/1 was selected for its honoring the day Alex Raymond died (Sept 6, 1956), I offered an additional $310.97 for the second bookplate because March 10, 1997, is the day that Stan Drake died, which belongs at ‘the other end of a SDOAR book’ and now does so.

Additional images: the original art for the two bookplates pasted into the 1/1 edition. You can check out more detail about the front end bookplate under its own entry in this gallery.

And an added note: when Carson was preparing my 1/1 edition, he grabbed a book that already had a bookplate in it (183/301), and this art was already pasted in before he noticed. Bwahaha haha. A specially remarked 1/1 bookplate is coming. I'll post that when it arrives as its own entry, given that it will have some art on it.

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About the Owner

	Brian Coppola Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2009
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 11/20/2021

Very nice with the rainbow of fine crosshatching techniques in the background.

artless artmore
Member Since 2013

Posted on 11/21/2021

This is spectacular! And the tale you tell re all the negotiations & machinations behind the bookplate & your unique copy of the hardback is so much fun

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