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Allen Spiegel, art lover and friend. RIP

Artists: Arthur Adams (All) , Mike Mignola (All) , Jon J Muth (All) , Bernie Wrightson (All)

5 Comments - 744 Views - 21 Likes

Allen Spiegel, art lover and friend. RIP Comic Art

Additional Images:

Thanks Allen

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Artwork Details

Title:	Allen Spiegel, art lover and friend. RIP
Artist:	Arthur Adams (All)
Artist:	Mike Mignola (All)
Artist:	Jon J Muth (All)
Artist:	Bernie Wrightson (All)
Media Type:	Photograph
Art Type:	Photograph
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	744
Likes on CAF:	21 22
Comments:	5
Added to Site:	8/7/2023
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Please forgive this personal indulgence. While it seemed important to note the recent passings of comics luminaries such as Romita, Perez, Adams, and Pearson, I felt that it was equally important for me to pay tribute to someone who played a huge part in my collecting experience and journey. My association with Allen Spiegel (and his then business partner Wally Harrington) began back in the mid 80�s. I think I bought my first Muth paintings from Allen in 1986, many of which I still own today. After meeting the two of them in San Diego the following year, I don�t think I ever went to SDCC without coming home with a piece from his booth. It would be easy enough to assume that he was friendly with me because of the money I spent. But I think he liked me because we each saw the other as a good, kind, person who loved the hobby, the art, and the people. As with many of us, SDCC was an annual gathering we looked forward to because it was the one time we could visit with people we don�t normally see. Allen was one of those people I looked forward to chatting with, and we did pretty much every year I attended. With COVID (and retiring to take care of my Mother), I had not been to the con since 2018. It�s funny, I guess you just always assume that the people you�ve seen there every year for the last 30-plus years will always be there. I will always regret not being able to see his warm smile one last time. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So instead of filling this space with words that won�t mean anything to people who didn�t know him, I will instead direct you to the Additional Images where I�ve posted some of the many incredible pieces that I acquired from Allen. These pieces are the cornerstones of my collection. There are less than a handful of people who helped me build the foundation of what my collection was to become. He was one of them. Thank you Allen, for everything. We�ll meet again.

There is a beautiful tribute to Allen by his nephew Scott Zoback on his Facebook page. I encourage everyone to go read it.

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About the Owner

	E DLS ( 3 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2005
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A E's Classifieds E's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About EDLS

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Malcolm Bourne
Member Since 2005

Posted on 8/7/2023

What a beautifully written tribute, Eric. It's a measure of how he touched our hearts, how much we miss him already.

Paul P Spiderversity
Member Since 2011

Posted on 8/8/2023

A really beautiful tribute, Eric, thanks so much for sharing.

Kasra Ghanbari
Member Since 2004
CAF Administrator

Posted on 8/8/2023

Terrible news that I can't shake. I'd only known him for 20 years, and like you seeing him and his booth at SDCC was one of the joys of being there, always my first stop. They were always kind to me in those early years as I nervously hung around, left, came back, bringing out boxes of art from underneath the tables and letting me take my time to go through them, whether I bought something or not. It was THE hang out at SDCC. Allen was such a special man. May he rest in peace.

E DLS
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 8/8/2023

Kasra Ghanbari wrote:

Absolutely! In those early years (god, I miss those days so much) Allen & Wally's booth was definitely one of my go-to stops. People have to understand that this was another era. It was pre-Scott Dunbier, pre-Albert, pre-Burkey, pre-Anthony, and anyone else who came after these guys. Back then, the three must see art guys were dealer supreme (and my dear friend) Mitch Itkowitz, the Donnelly's, and Allen & Wally. If I came to the con with $500 bucks, I was practically a millionaire. The sheer number (and quality) of pieces I could bring home with that money was ridiculous. Talk about a target rich environment - Mitch, Allen, & Wally had so much good stuff back then that almost every year I was broke after the first day. Yet for every piece I managed to secure, there were probably 10-20 that I had to pass on. And I see so many of these in other people's collections today. Sigh! I really, really, miss those days. And Allen was such a huge part of them. It's a very somber thought knowing that we'll continue to say goodbye to more and more of that generation. I'm just glad I have so many happy and beautiful memories of my time with wonderful folks like him. Thanks for the comment my friend.

James Dornoff
Member Since 2019

Posted on 8/8/2023

My condolences to all those that knew him, we always enjoyed going to his booth each year at SDCC.

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