Best of 2021 :: Published/Unpublished Interior Panel Pages

Beware The Creeper #5, page 15

Owner: Comicart Boston
Artists: Steve Ditko (Penciller) , Mike Peppe (Inker)

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Artwork Details

Title:	Beware The Creeper #5, page 15
Artist:	Steve Ditko (Penciller)
Artist:	Mike Peppe (Inker)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
Views:	391
Likes on CAF:	10 11
Favorited on CAF:	1
Added to Site:	12/25/2021

Description

Although this page is not exceptional by any means when viewed against the original art available generally, it may mark a watershed in terms of what is presently representative of the prices of original art in general and a personal watershed in terms of what is personally affordable in the future in particular. It is no secret that the stratospheric increase in prices of original comic art in recent years has been nothing short of amazing. By way of a rough comparison, this page cost approximately eighteen times more than what I would probably have paid for it about fifteen years ago (I have pages from this issue as well). To be sure, it is a very striking as well as significant page by the late Steve Ditko (focusing, as it does, on the internal psyche as well as angst of the primary hero who has hitherto been tormented by his arch-nemesis, Proteus (whose identity is revealed only (indirectly) at the end of this issue and expressly at the beginning of the next (and final) issue)), but it is not all Ditko (although the inks by Mike Peppe are, in my personal view, excellent). It is also not a Spider-Man or Doctor Strange piece. But then again, an extra zero has been added to prices of prime examples of these works in recent times. Many explanations have been proffered for the astonishing rise in prices of original comic art (including the rise in the market for collectibles generally, the amazing returns on cryptocurrencies, the rise in the amount of cash available, as well as the immense publicity generated by the various movies), but one thing is sure - for more modest collectors such as myself who began, an age ago, collecting without any expectation of any return but with a great passion for the hobby (which continues unabated), we must content ourselves (absent a "grail" piece (whatever that may mean to each person)) with what we have obtained during saner times. This particular piece may well mark the end of the collection of artwork of this vintage as well as quality by myself. Given the continued and difficult times generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, perhaps we should be simply be glad for continued good health and safety - which is what I wish for one and all.

Many thanks for all the very perceptive comments. I guess my focus on the affordability of original art overwhelmed - in the quantity of words used at least - the wonderful quality of this particular page from both its concept as well as the actual execution of the artwork itself. This is not only a creative page but a beautiful one as well. There are also reminsicences of Ditko Spider-Man as well - especially the composite facial images (most notably, of Proteus and the Creeper). If you will take a look at the other couple of pages I have posted from the same issue on CAF, you will also notice that same ASM fluidity as well as the inimitable way in which Ditko can depict his characters in (pun intended) fluid itself (especially his artwork from that landmark issue in ASM 33 comes readily to mind when we think of Ditko and his hero in the water). Then there is the surrealism in the final panel which one would associate with his art on Doctor Strange. Indeed, this is why I went out on a limb for this particular page. However, there are only so many financial "limbs" available. Well, c'est la vie.

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About the Owner

	Comicart Boston ( 1 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	April 2010
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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