Absolutely incredible.  As good as it gets, really.  Love the composition (with the bottom half in complete darkness) and the glorious lighting elements that work to amp up the magic here, obvious and subtle (like the tiny jot of reflected starlight on the otherwise pitch black rivet on the Giant's right side of his belt, as well as the grey rivet next to it (where the belt is black)...).  Just phenomenal stuff, Mike, even throwing in a cherry-on-the-cake shooting star to cinch the whole image together.  Matt nailed this, Mike!  Possibly the crown jewel of your incredible Matt Wagner collection.  MEGA-congrats on this treasure, Mike!

Phenomenal composition and lighting here, Mike!  The spectacular use of grey tones here make the bright white of his cape and leggings feel like they're reflecting raw sunlight!  Beautifully powerful, impossibly heroic piece!  Congrats, Mike!

I don't see many Sinestro commissions, so please forgive me if it feels like I'm damning with faint praise here... but this is (by far) the most compelling Sinestro piece I've seen.  FANTASTIC and brilliant choice to set this bad boy down on yellow paper, and Matt's shading and figure work take it over the top.  You request the -best- commissions, Mike!  Thanks for sharing these!

Sensational image of Hal here!  It's so easy to see (on this incredible page and many others from the series) just how completely invested Liam was in this run.  A natural fit with a GL collector like yourself!  Great pick up, Mike!  Congrats!

Beautiful t-shirt-worthy design of Hal and a few Corps members.  This has -got- to be stunning in person, at that size, Mike!  Great pick up!

Talk about a specialty piece!  A fantastic McKone - great pick up, Mike!

From the King to (Buc)king(ham), bashful Benjy rarely looks this good!  Steve Rude -maybe?- does a comparable version, but this is pure, unfiltered magic streamed straight into Mark's pencil from Kirby's Kosmic Krackling hum.  Mark clobbered this, Mike!  Sincere congrats!

Wowie zowie - congrats on an all-timer, Malcolm!  Great panel structure and storytelling throughout, but that tall Myrth panel?  Absolutely sublime and indelibly etched into my brain (as it is, I'm sure, in yours, and many, many others' as well)!   So many elements of this series were flat-out magic, and it seems they all were focused on (and in service of) the -story- above all else.  Chief among them were Sam Keith's inks.  Love the choices he made here (you can see the pencils that were left unrealized) to keep things rolling along and the readers' attentions focused on the moment between our two leads here.  Beautiful, beautiful work, Malcolm - congrats on adding this wonder to your gallery!

Absolutely stunning, Malcolm, with almost a Mona Lisa smile to briefly mislead you into thinking hers might be a social call rather than a "business visit"...  The textured canvases of McKean are always so compelling and add an otherworldly feel to a piece (which puts this beauty over the top), while the simple "found paper" cutouts (they remind me of the inside of an envelope) bring the whole thing back down to earth.  I love how McKean foregoes the traditional Ankh here in favor of the Bachaloan "curly cue" below the eye, too.  Sensational piece, Malcolm!  Sincere congrats!

JR, Jr. is among the very best to channel the dynamic freneticism of Kirby into his very own "thing", right?  He learned all the lessons and propels his own work forward with them (rather than just doing straight "tribute work"), and this is a fantastic example of that, to me.  There's an unbelievable sense of raw energy and drama to Romita, Jr's work that flows so directly from Kirby.  JR, Jr. can craft a cover like no one's business, too, ratcheting up some unbelievable tension.  Great "parenthetical" composition here that creates a duo-walled bracket that Spidey is trapped, helpless, within, creating a feedback loop that threatens to shake the whole thing apart.  (Can you feel it buzz in your hands when you hold it? ;) )  Too, too good, Paul!  Mega-congrats on landing this (-AND- the complete interiors!  Wow!)!

One of Marvel's earliest power couples!  Pretty cool to get 40% of the original Avengers lineup on a single card! :) Classic take on the classic duds - a great Hembeck add!  Congrats, Paul!

Sweet, Paul!  Love the invisible (!) swirly knee, but extra special are the octopus beak ears!   Getting a Hembeck take on my favorite Marvel villain is Fantastic... For all the right reasons!  Congrats on another (inter)stellar Hembeck add!

SUPER cool piece, Chris!  Love the tones and zip, and all the textures they create here (using zip for the padding in the weapon cases is sensational).  Love the jigsaw piece at his feet, as well as where Marco adds his signature.  A great portrait of the character in a "reloading" moment, tending some wounds and about to get back on the street.  Great execution!  Congrats on the cool pick up, Chris!

Another outstanding Wagner commission, Mike!  Beautiful greys that pop out the dabs of color perfectly.  Looks like Matt had a lot of fun with this one, and I'm now dying to see Matt write and draw a Godzilla story... :). I wonder how often he's requested to draw the King of Monsters?  Really special piece, Mike - congrats!

Leave it to Matt Wagner!  Matt infused this with a sense of adventure and exploration equal to that of Waterson's, but in a style all his own!  Like a great band taking a cover version of a beloved song in a bold and unique direction, Wagner boosts the bass here in his remarkable take on the classic duo.  A -fantastic- choice of commission, Mike, and Matt knocked this one out of the park!

Had to swing past and leave another comment here, Miki - this one kills me (er, so to speak... :) )!  Brereton's color sense is (obviously) a major strength of his, and I love how Hela's green pops against the backdrop of a lifeless, brown landscape.  Fantastic skeleton warriors, too.  Just a bone-chilling page (in all the right ways).  Fantastic!

Oof!  Muth was channeling the Power Cosmic himself on this one!  A spectacular powerhouse of composition and balance, that applies to the "feel" of the piece as well as the amazing artistry...  The Surfer gives this a quiet and calm at the heart of a release of energy that should herald the birth of a star... but brings forth another type of herald altogether!  Those incredibly large and shadowed hands make the viewer ponder divinity, while the Surfer himself represents Grace and responsibility.  As I said, OOF.  Superb piece, Miki!  Sincere congrats!

Clint cuts an imposing figure as Cap, no question, and (just as you say!) owes a lot to JR, Jr's rain-soaking and Klaus's excellent inks.  Great balance to the page, too, as Cap (in the light) pops nicely, while Patriot and Kate Bishop look great nestled in the shadows of the right edge of the page.  Really fun piece, CAB!  Another winner!

Zounds!  This has a weight and significance that belies it's small size: this is an astonishing treasure!  A perfect add to your collection, CAB!  Mega-congrats - this is wicked cool!

Love this!  I am rarely happier than when Deodato's leaning heavily into his Chiaroscuric, high-contrast work, and this is a superb example.  Sexy, shadowy, and sultry, it's more than clear here: this lady is TROUBLE.  Beautiful pencil (?!?) work with her hair and the -very- cool webbing background adding some outstanding visual texture to this awesome composition.  And just in time for Halloween, too! :)  Beautiful Deodato add, CAB!!

Superb, highly dramatic and detailed Bagley USM splash, Simon!  Fantastic inks by Scott, achieving a great black/white balance, with lots of great visual details for the viewer to appreciate.  That huge hulking Hobgoblin must just explode off the page, and I can imagine the effect on the viewer is similar to Peter's, in-person!  What a barn-burner - gorgeous!  Congrats, Simon!

Fantastic collector's story, Chris, and I'm delighted this one is now home - sincere congrats!  Even back then, you could really pick 'em!  Chaykin brings all his skills to bear on this one to capture the savagery of Logan.  The gradient splatter and sweet, simple composition / camera zoom are dialed in perfectly to showcase a killing machine of terrifying, remorseless efficiency.  It has the feeling of a Byrne to me, with the raw power and fantastic presentation.  Superb pick up, Chris!  Congrats again on this artistic and auction triumph! :)

It's sort of like a Weird Al cover tune, right?  I mean, you gotta wonder at what point artists start thinking, "Is -this- the one?  Is this the piece that will -finally- make my work a subject of exploration by the great Hembeck / Weird Al...?"  And while my -guess- is that Walt was probably(?) not thinking that here (maybe?), it sure is a fantastic choice by Fred.  It doesn't strike me at all as the "usual" kind of recreation he does (undoubtedly because of Simonson's indelible and often "non-traditional comic book-y" style), which makes it twice as compelling as usual (which is pretty darn compelling)!  Superb pick up, Christopher!  Congrats!

FANTASTIC!   Insane energy to this one, starting with the Rider's mount...  Hellfire is just bursting out of this thing (of particular bad-assedness is that spectacular mane and tail) and it's not that the horse is see-through so much as that the hellfire in its chest is burning -so- hot and bright that it just shines right -through- the skin...  And the Rider itself is amazing, simultaneously holding on for dear life and as comfy as can be (with loose reins, even).  His boots are to die for, no doubt, but the barrel of his gun, for my money, is what cost him his soul. :) Wicked, wicked, WICKED cool, K.  This thing is unbelievable.  Mega-congrats!

Oh, my goodness - YES.  FANTASTIC piece, Kavi!!  Looks like somebody's got a rumbly in their tumbly...  Fantastic lighting on this; love the "dark scale" being used, lit from below due to the hellish nuclear rage he just unleashed (and showing all the texture on his impervious hide).  This is not a Godzilla who moves mountains; this dude goes right -through- them. Also, I truly, madly, deeply love the sky on this one, too. Adds so much to the feel (chaos!) and setting (destroyed city!) of the piece.  Beautiful!  Congrats on a -great- pick up!

Absolutely -outstanding- version of our man Kurt here!  A stellar composition, and I -love- the way the tail and feet are drawn (the tail dipping back into - and coming out of - the smoke, and just how perfectly the toe-fingers are articulated to really sell their ability to grasp onto anything).  Super-DUPER cool!  Really love this one!  Congrats on a great Christmas pick up (and thanks for finally sharing it with us)!  :)

Kavi, this is superb.  You gotta keep in mind, pal, that -nothing- will ever come close to containing the details in those Frankenstein portfolio plates -except for- those portfolio plates, and there aren't that many of those around... :)  The details here are -fantastic-!!  Look at the shading, the hands, the torn shirt and clothing textures/tears on the ghoul in the bottom left... and then the expression on the face of the stalked victim here?  Pure Wrightson excellence.  Fantastic pencil piece by the Master - an absolute treasure.  I love this thing!  Congrats, Kavi!

Unbelievably historic, Kavi!  This is truly a moment of pedigreed comics history that will never NOT exist (or be ret-conned out, etc.).  Look at the lineup of talent you have attributed to this page: that's pretty hard to beat - not many other teams do it - and to have scored a page from this run is a major achievement.  So, so, sooo cool, Kavi!  Mega-congrats on this one!

Hamner definitely gets better, but this is another great "early artist" example in your collection, Fred!  Always interesting to see the origins of our favorite creators, and here's a cosmic-sized plate of opportunity served up for us.  Really love that bottom tier of three panels and how Cully (and Tom) used the shadows there.  Honestly, can you ever go wrong with Heralds of Galactus beating the tar out of each other (and leaving divots in the surrounding planets)?  Fun stuff, Fred - congrats!

Very interesting historic piece, and I'd wager you're right: it might have a bit of uphill work in front of it, were it a modern work looking to be published for the first time today. :)  (Yeah, that's not happening.)  Thorne's lens is as unflinching as his women are beautiful.  Very important one keep the historical context in mind as one reads this, and be grateful for the progress we've made (while recognizing there's still a long, long way to go).  Important add to your Thorne collection, Fred - congrats!

Wow!  A boldly (and beautifully) composed splash as the Batman tries to interrogate a Parademon by cutting a more imposing figure than Darkseid himself.  (You'd think Batman might have more limited success with this tactic than when used on humanity's superstitious and cowardly lot, but you do you, Bruce!)  That might explain the "thank you" he adds in panel 3 for good measure?  Either way, this Bat means business, and Gleason and Gray also pull no punches here, offering up a highly detailed "in your face" moment.  (The Parademon's drill-like tail is particularly scary to me here...  imagine the fate of another, un armored hero grabbing them like this and exposing their belly...  Eeshk!). This page is comic book "rawk and roll": brash, bold brawling in the service of good over evil.  Fun add, Fred!

A fantastic write up, Mark, that absolutely does justice to both the series and the cover/provenance itself.  And this is a pretty perfect single-image summation of everything Zot! was, too: a beautifully composed, deceptively ambitious big swing of a work by a master craftsman who simultaneously believes in the power and potential of the medium, and is just figuring everything out as he goes along.  -VERY- Zot!-like. :)  But  first and foremost, it is fun, and a love letter to the cacophonous beast comics is, can be, and should be.  Another spectacular add to your fabulous collection, Mark.  Everything about this is just a big chef's kiss.  Congrats!

You know, even though it already bears the banner of "Master's Edition", I'm still not sure it accurately captures the majesty of the piece!  You're absolutely right about the new 'Devil By The Deed' containing showstopper after showstopper - it's an onslaught as unrelenting as one of Hunter Rose's bear traps of a scheme - and this one may be the crown jewel.  Wagner's design sense has never been sharper, filling out the image without cluttering it; allowing plenty of room for the text without shortchanging the images here at all.  Grendel is menacing and looms over all; Hunter burns with (and in) an inferno-like cistern of greed and evil; Argent patiently waits and watches over all... but my favorite has to be the mansion, absolutely gorgeous, with no detail spared.  Sensational spread, Mark - ENORMOUS congrats; a treasure!

I -love- these types of "playing card" compositions!  So much fun to compare and contrast the environments and situations of two characters like this, and Ed really takes advantage of the opportunity to give us some beautiful drawings.  And Marc's inking?  Superb, as always.  Lots of great details ("Dormammu and You") and sense of place(s) in each of the portraits, all while avoiding the important question I think we all want answered the most: just -how-, exactly, does Spidey get the pizza to stay in the upside down box? :)  Super cool pick up, Kelsey!  Congrats!

Whoolf!  Well, this one packs a punch!  I can imagine the colors on the original really pop out at you (especially at that size)...  Fantastic lighting on the Hydra Goon here, and the way Jonathan captures the feel of a cold Fall day (with that awesome tree in the background and the streaky lines that feel like a wind is whipping about) -really- establishes (and sells) the setting.  Great work, prepping us for Halloween!  And I love the little narrative snippets included here to keep your brain crunching on the image: "R.I.P. Hank" (who?!?) as well as the open casket of what could only be Nick Fury (and I guess this isn't one of his robots, then...?  You may have the first appearance of Nick Fury's Life Model Decay here, Eric! :) ).  Congrats, Eric - awesome piece!

Beauuuutiful rendering here - wow! - on an image that reads perfectly: gorgeous young people in the bloom of youth, with all the joys (and challenges) that brings with it.  Super clean and crisp: a terrific and legit example that also allows you to cross an all-timer off the list?  That's Modern Komiks, baby!!  :)  Congrats, Eric - this is lovely!

A brain-melting level of detail and control here - insanity! Simone almost stuns the viewer by throwing the character right in their face like that, inviting them to dive right in and look at the incredible work he invested into the sword's bell/guard and blade, and the mask and costume... and then see he hid arguably the real power in the background, with the incredible forest and pagoda.  Surgically precise; the OA equivalent of a video game fatality - fitting the subject should be from Ninja Gaiden!  Grand slam home run of a commission, K!  Jackpot royale!  Huge congrats on scoring this!

Wow - although I'm not familiar with the character, the level of touch and detail on the piece are super impressive and a great recommendation of Emiliano's work!  The bunched folds of clothing and feet/leggings are -incredible- and the wash work throughout lifts the thing to a whole other level.  Really lovely work!  And you get to cross something off your list?  Sounds like a super fun (and successful) run at a mystery commission!  Congrats, K!

"Spectacular Spider-Men" is -RIGHT-, Paul... but it's not Peter and Miles; it's Humberto and Victor!  WOW - powerhouse page with Ramos-level delight in every panel, from first panel full body face-off, through second and third panel character builders, to fourth panel fist bump (and scoundrel scowl!), this is a beautiful example of how and why Humberto is one of the finest modern Spidey artists, able to delight and astound and (frankly) do whatever a spider can.  Supported throughout by Victor's fantastic inks, which give a superb sense of balance to the excellent composition.  Wow - I really, really love this one, Paul.  Another spectacular pick up!  Congrats!

Still a fave. :)  A fantastic slice of Gaydos still life; his style fits these moments of establishing a setting (or conveying a part of the city) SO well.  Just love, love, love it.  Congrats again, sir!

Well, this is a masterpiece (how could I have not commented on this before now?).  A fantastic "Jessica Jones moment", captured with great camera movement and lighting.  I -love- how the panels lighten as you push in closer and the slats in the blinds naturally space further apart.  Great techniques that adds a superb flavor and visual texture to the page.  You've got some scorching early Alias pages, bud!  Congrats!

YES!  Fables is an all-time classic, desert island, 'best-of', top shelf comic series, and this is a great showcase not only of characters, but of the fantasy elements (like the garb of all the different characters here) that Mark Buckingham wove sooooo beautifully throughout the series.  And it was a gift!!  First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and secondly, that's an amazing thing to receive from a family that obviously loves you and knows your passions. :) Congrats, Doc!

Getting to see you in person at Rose City this year was the high point of the con for me, K, hands down.  Another -very- memorable moment for me was when you showed this to Brian and he remarked how this page (thanks to the fantastic artistic muscle of Mark Bagley) really defined for him the size of the stage he was on, the level of talent of his collaborators, and how to best tell a Spidey story.  He said that his script had described this as a pretty straightforward scene, but when the pages came back and there was this gorgeous Spider-Man cartwheel and great storytelling moments, it was like a lightbulb going off.  "I didn't know you could really -DO- that..."  I remember him describing the page as one of the moments he -really- figured out how to tell a Spidey action sequence, which was a really moving moment of truth and humility from one of the best Spidey writers to ever tackle the character.  Thanks for allowing me to share that moment, K!  (Let's do another one soon! :) )

Beautiful piece that reeks of style and atmosphere - both traits of these gorgeous early Alias pages by the terrific Michael Gaydos.  Great page - congrats!

Had to swing past and take another look at this beauty...  and that's just the well-written description! 😜

Seriously, though - fantastic page, Rubén.  Love it. :)

Glorious Byrne storytelling!  An unforgettable opening to a barnburner of a comic, Byrne was nestling in fun and unorthodox POV shots (like panel 1) alongside classic, clear storytelling, blowing my 12-year old mind at the time!  :) Congratulations, Toni, on piecing together a chunk of this all-time classic jigsaw! Beautiful!

An absolutely unforgettable and -gorgeous- opening sequence to one of the most fun (and beautiful) issues of the FF ever done.  Byrne's fantastic technique of beginning the action with a character outside the group (who is then drawn into the web of events) is such a brilliant and seemingly effortless, organic way of bringing the readers up to speed...  And Byrne's art and visual storytelling are -easily- as impressive as his plotting and scripting here; dynamic, fluid images that grab the reader and never let them go, because of both their beauty and their perfect storytelling flow.  To have -one- example is impressive... to have these two consecutive examples is legendary! :) CONGRATS, Toni, on a spectacular collection!  Yowza!

Manic!  Anytime you can get a SUPER-huge character as part of a Manix composition, you're golden!  Either that or black and gooey!  A fantastic representation of the specter of Venom and the presence it plays in the Spuder-Man mythos: inescapable destiny writ large...  More Manix Magic!  Congrats on another gemstone, Paul (and Happy Birthday, Jiggy)!

Beautiful piece, James!  For me, a Dr. Strange piece is -the- perfect Paul Smith vehicle, establishing a rock-solid Steve Ditko "classic" art foundation and building a super modern cathedral upon it.  This has all the wildly loopy, dimension-melting goodness you'd want in a Strange piece, with Paul's own sense of flow and composition (which is mystical in its own right!).  Super, DUPER cool, James!  Mega congrats!

Superb Rude composition, perfectly balanced and dripping with charm.  And they're just having the -best- damn time, right?  The character of Death is such a great creation, allowing us (as humans) to more easily grapple with / quantify / identify with a Really Big Cosmic Truth, and this piece taps into that core intent -so- perfectly...  The fantastic sense of movement creates an almost whimsical feeling, and Steve's mastery of chiaroscuro is an elemental force all its own.  Absolutely sensational piece, Andrew!  Congrats!