Additional Images:
Zot! #5 from personal collection
Artwork Details
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Description12 x 17.5 cover from Zot! #5, “Sirius Business,” published by Eclipse Comics in August 1984. Zot! logo design by Scott McCloud and Todd Klein. Kicking off my fourth year as an OA collector and CAF member with this Zot! cover by Scott McCloud, one of my favorite covers from the run. Zot! was a favorite series of mine in the ‘80s and McCloud art was high on my checklist of original art I hoped to acquire when I started collecting — as my 2021 comment on the original post of this cover from 2004 confirms! Needless to say, I’m thrilled to add this piece to my collection given how rarely art from McCloud or this series shows up. McCloud is best known today as a comics and visual communication theorist whose ideas still exert a powerful influence over how comic art is discussed. I first read his work, however, in the pages of Zot!, his mid-80s series from Eclipse Comics. Zot! was a little bit manga, a little bit boy’s adventure strip, a little bit slice-of-life, and a whole lot of fun. Those genre elements didn’t always gel in the series but it was always near the top of my reading pile and it was impressive as a reader to see McCloud’s creative growth with each new issue. The “Earth Stories” in the later black-and-white issues of the series deserve particular praise. These stories were nuanced, character-focused, and compelling, and reflected the influence creators such as the Hernandez brothers had on McCloud’s work. But even when the book began to tackle more “serious” or “real world” themes, McCloud always infused Zot! with a lightness of tone at a time when post-Frank Miller “grim and gritty” was becoming the order of the day. I wish there had been more books like it. I’d be remiss if I didn’t discuss the provenance of this cover. For decades this piece resided in the collection of the late Jon Berk, who passed away in 2023. Berk was a comic and original art collector and historian at the highest level and although his collecting passion was centered on the Golden and Silver Ages he didn’t confine himself to those eras. His CAF page memorializes his wide-ranging interests and also includes art from the Bronze and Copper ages of comics—like this cover! Thanks, Jon — RIP. Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Simon Ma 
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
That is a splendid heartfelt write-up. I, too, was a devoted Zot! reader back in the day and agree it was a refreshing antidote to the trend in comics at the time. My memory has faded about the details in the series but I remember the tagline of the house ad – "Looking to meet new people?" – and the climactic on-air fight scene. That cover is a doozy – more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Simon Ma wrote:
That is a splendid heartfelt write-up. I, too, was a devoted Zot! reader back in the day and agree it was a refreshing antidote to the trend in comics at the time. My memory has faded about the details in the series but I remember the tagline of the house ad – "Looking to meet new people?" – and the climactic on-air fight scene. That cover is a doozy – more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Thank you, Simon. Always appreciate your comments. "Looking to meet new people" was indeed the tagline of the house ad and it got me to read the book!
Simon Ma
Member Since 2013
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Mark V wrote:
Thank you, Simon. Always appreciate your comments. "Looking to meet new people" was indeed the tagline of the house ad and it got me to read the book!
Wow, I have not seen that house ad for at least a quarter of a century. Brings back some memories. Glad that it had its intended effect on you. My thanks for the link and your reply!
Yo Kuri
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Beautiful cover, with a great backstory and a nice tribute to Jon.
Comic Art Channel
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Splendid! Made it's way to the perfect collection. Big congrats!
R Berman
Member Since 2018
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Controlled chaos. There's a lot going on, but it's not difficult to understand, even in black and white.
Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Looks like McCloud applied what he talked about with comics as a visual language with certain rules even though he's effectively communicating through chaos on the cover.
Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
I KNEW you were going to win this one at all costs, Mark! I'm so happy you got it. Congratulations, man! Great to own it on its own merits, but even greater when it comes with such great provenance. I LOVE that you had left Jon Berk a comment on it in his gallery in 2021 when you first began collecting original art, and now to have it in your collection just a few short years later is really meaningful. Very happy for you!
Mark V
Member Since 2021
2 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Ruben DaCollector wrote:
I KNEW you were going to win this one at all costs, Mark! I'm so happy you got it. Congratulations, man! Great to own it on its own merits, but even greater when it comes with such great provenance. I LOVE that you had left Jon Berk a comment on it in his gallery in 2021 when you first began collecting original art, and now to have it in your collection just a few short years later is really meaningful. Very happy for you!
Thanks, Ruben. Appreciate it. I know that getting a piece of art that you covet in someone else's collection is rare but, in this case, it feels like it was meant to be.
FBS Stroun
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
One of the pieces on CAF I stared at, googly eyed, the most. Possibly the crown jewel of your collection. Can't congratulate you enough.
George H
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
I'm not familiar with the book but love the art. Congrats on adding a pieces that's so meaningful to you.
Reba Jacobs
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 4/16/2024
Congrats Mark, great write-up proving it went to the perfect home.
Felix Lu
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 4/17/2024
'80s indie gold. LOVE this. Congrats...as much as I wish I had seen this, I agree with Reba. It's in the right home.
F M
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 4/17/2024
Bravo! Very well done. such a GREAT example from this GREAT series.
Doug L
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 4/17/2024
I love Zot! It's free and feature of !!!! captures the chaotic action within the book. Great cover page!
Matt Kennedy
Member Since 2014
1 - Posted on 4/17/2024
Well now we know who won that Comic Connect auction! This might be the single best Scott McCloud piece I've ever seen. Congrats!
Ian Saint
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 4/18/2024
Wow!!! This is such an awesome cover! I love the monkey's expression.
Bill J
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 4/22/2024
How cool! I really wasn't familiar with Scott McCloud's work in comics, only his books on comic art theory. I'm delighted to see this example of his work on Zot! What a fun, action-packed comic book cover! I love how much detail he packed into this one cover. Nicely drawn and beautifully inked. Thanks for sharing!
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 4/23/2024
The 80's were a magical time for indies. This cover brings back so many fond memories. I very much enjoyed the description of your personal journey with this piece. Congratulations on being able to add it to your collection.
Jason Hussa
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 10/16/2024
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!
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 10/16/2024
Jason Hussa wrote:
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!
Appreciate the thoughtful comment as per usual, Jason. You nailed everything I love about this piece.
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