Batman Dark Victory Issue 10 Page 17 By Tim Sale
Artist: Tim Sale (All)
21 Comments - 640 Views - 30 Likes
Artwork Details
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DescriptionThe page that (almost) never was.Every collector has likely experienced this familiar scenario: encountering a coveted piece of art at the wrong moment, hesitating, then regretting it later. I remember when I first saw this page on the Heritage preview for their November 2020 auction. I was fairly nascent in my collecting career, owning only a handful of commissions at the time and no published pages. I actually didn't even have an account with heritage yet, but it didn't matter...I was determined to get this page. When the auction started, I bid instantly. I was excited, and rightfully so...I mean I WAS winning. Even when the live auction started, the price had risen slightly, but was below my max bid. When my lot came up, I'm pretty sure I was winning for only a second before I got outbid. The price was steadily increasing and by time it closed...it was double my max bid, not including the juice. I was stunned. I was winning the auction for the last 30 days and then got outbid in the last 30 seconds. I always kicked myself for not fully commiting. I was uneducated on the market, but vowed I'd be prepared next time. About 1.5 years after the auction, I was browsing the Heritage app and saw the same page in the "sold" section. I clicked on it, and there was a green "make offer to owner" tab. I didn't know this was an option, so I sent along an offer..and a prayer. It was declined. A couple of days later, I sent another offer....waited a few days...it was declined. I went back and forth with the mysterious owner over the next few months. Every offer I sent was either declined or outrageously countered. I kept pushing my max...and when I would offer what he countered months prior, he would still deny it. I was desperate and decided to send along one final offer. He countered with a higher price of course, trying to squeeze out just a bit more. I did not want to let this page get away again...I decided to sell some art to add this to my collection. When the funds were available, I went to confirm the offer but it expired. I sent another offer, what I thought was the agreed upon price from the offer 2-3 days prior, and guess what...he wanted more. I declined the offer and accepted that it was not meant to be. A few months later, I was browsing CAF, and lo and behold someone posted the page. I couldn't help myself. I messaged the owner and introduced myself as the crazy guy from Heritage. He was the one who outbid me on heritage roughly 2 years ago..., the mysterious owner who led me on a wild goose chase. We laughed about it, exchanged compliments towards each other's gallery, and found out we had very similar tastes. He was a fan of Tim's work. He mentioned he would only sell if he had another TS page to replace it. I didn't push it any further...what I sent him was my best and final offer. It wasn't meant to be, and I was okay with that (or at least I think I was?). Anyway, this next part is crazy...I log into CAF one day (now 3 years after the original Heritage auction) and there was a message in my inbox... "Hey Sonu, am contacting you to see if you are still interested in my dark victory 10 page" My eyes widened...is this actually happening!? My first thought was "wait, is this the same page?". Then I thought "this is my last chance to own this", followed by "how much is this gonna set me back?". Luckily, he was interested in two of my pages, so we were able to make a trade plus cash deal. Funny enough, the value of the trade/cash deal we agreed on cost me less than what my best offer was on Heritage a year ago. What's there not to love about it. A page with the three big players of Dark Victory. Dent, Gordon, and Batman. A page with all the hallmark's of Tim's style. Deep flowing and heavy inks with clever use of negative space. The absence of ink conveys how dark the sewers really are and how bright the flashlight is as it bounces off the wall. Your eyes are drawn to Gotham's "white knight" being arrested in the first panel, and the prominent bat symbol on the chest in the second panel. I want to highlight the composition of the page. The choice of two vertical panels at the climax of the chase literally shows how deep the sewers go, how deep Gotham's underbelly really is. I know this is comic ART fans, but who isn't captured in the moment in the last two word bubbles, "it is becoming harder to remember...when we were all friends". How far they've strayed from their "deal" on the rooftop years ago. Batman's monologue in the opening pages of Dark Victory ring true..."We had won the war...but lost Harvey Dent..". It took three years to add this to my collection, and an additional year to post it on CAF, but I'm glad to share it now. Every time I look at it, it serves as a tangible reminder of the ups and downs of collecting, as well as a testament to the persistence and dedication required to achieve a collecting goal. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Daeh Bew 
Member Since 2019
3 - Posted on 4/26/2024
I've watched your taste and focus in art slowly evolve over the years.. It seems like every calculated turn you've taken (in some wierd way), kinda foreshadowed the acquisition of a piece like this. This particular page, in my eyes, is the epitome of what you've been trying to represent in your collection all these years. It's funny because I remember not liking Tim's work at all. Your loyal adimiration for his work is what really opened my eyes to the beauty in his art, and now that I can see through that lense, I can confidently say that this a definitive example of Tim Sale on BATMAN. The contrast between those bold and precise inks against the use of negative space. The heartfelt distress you can feel in Batman's sentiments in that final panel. All together, it makes this page something special. To call this page a cornerstone in your collection would be an understatement.. Congratulations on a great piece.
Kevin C
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 4/27/2024
That was a great story! Glad to see this page in your collection. Huge congrats!
Brent S
Member Since 2016
1 - Posted on 4/27/2024
Love what you wrote...and CONGRATS on an absolutely stunning Sale page!!!
Julian Ross
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 4/27/2024
great story with a great ending, congrats i'm happy for you
alessandro gentili
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 4/27/2024
Great example ( and great story ) Sale's Art . He was really a Master !!
Huge congrats !
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 4/27/2024
Three years is not much. I have been waiting nearly twenty years for someone to change their mind. Lol. Congratulations.
Steve . M
Member Since 2017
2 - Posted on 4/28/2024
I love and admire not only your appreciation for the hobby and the art but also for your passion for sharing the story behind the art. Collectors like you, who give us not only their thoughts on the piece posted, but also insight on the journey to acquire, are what keep me coming back to CAF every day.
Sonu Kumar
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 4/28/2024
Steve . M wrote:
I love and admire not only your appreciation for the hobby and the art but also for your passion for sharing the story behind the art. Collectors like you, who give us not only their thoughts on the piece posted, but also insight on the journey to acquire, are what keep me coming back to CAF every day.
I really appreciate that. I like to take my time when writing these, often revisiting what I have written and make slight changes. If I can make someone see a peice of art slightly differently, then I've accomplished my goal. I've been in a rut recently and have a backlog of published/unpublished things to post. Its a shame to the hobby if I don't share them and they stayed trapped in an Itoya. The beauty about this hobby is I don't need to OWN the art for it to make me feel a certain way. Sometime's seeing it in someone else's gallery is enough
Jared Michalski
Member Since 2004
2 - Posted on 4/28/2024
"...how deep Gotham's underbelly really is."
Great line in a great write up, but I expect nothing less from you. You certainly changed the way I look at crafting my write ups and I'm eternally grateful for that.
A write up like this deepens my appreciation for the artist, the collector and the hobby. I know it can be time consuming, but I wish more people would invest the effort. Maybe they just need to try it once to realize putting pen to paper can deepen their own appreciation too.
As to this piece in particular, I'm so happy you have it. And not just because that means I can see it in person. Lol. An absolutely pitch perfect representation of Tim's Batman, and also one of the few vertical examples in Tim's oeuvre. He used them to great storytelling effect, as your thoughtful words highlight.
What's more, the caption box you love is a stunningly poignant bit of wordplay reminding us that, while Tim was a master storyteller, his pairing with Jeph, and their shared fondness for small, emotional moments, elevated their work to a level few creative teams will ever reach.
David Kwock
Member Since 2012
1 - Posted on 4/29/2024
What and excellen page. I love a great acquisition story as much as I love seeing great art posted here. Major congrats, and thank you for sharing your story.
Michael 07
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 4/30/2024
Very nice page that i ve missed in the past...very very nice collection!!
Comics Superworld
Member Since 2007
1 - Posted on 4/30/2024
Great Scott! This is a truly amazing page, and from such a terrific storyline too.
Peter Roe
Member Since 2009
Posted on 5/12/2024
Great art, incredible story of the twists and turns to get it, and insightful art analysis. The piece drips with Tim Sale's signature noir style. Congratulations!
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