Heroes in a Grave Yard

UPDATE 11/20/2023:

As you will see from my original description, I was told by the dealer I purchased this from that it was a prelim for a trading card.

I never could find that trading card... and now I know why! I happened to meet the artist, Ray Lago. He was delighted to see this art which he hadn't laid eyes on in a good many years. He told me it was indeed a prelim, but NOT for a trading card. Instead it was the COVER to one of the "Best of..." books he was working on for Marvel in the 90's The orders were reportedly low, so sadly the book was never published.

Ray was nice enough to send me an image of his prelim painting for the cover! (which I've added today, so check it out. It's gorgeous!)

Now, here's my original write-up of the art when I bought it...


I'm happy to add art from Ray Lago! I've always enjoyed his art very much, particularly the All-Winners and Invaders covers he produced some years ago.

I also love and collect trading cards, so this one is a particularly great fit for me.

What you're seeing are two prelims, one pencil... one wash, for trading cards.

Present in this atmospheric and moody scene are Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Silver Surfer, Daredevil, Iceman, and who I believe to be Gamora (though I was told it was the Black Widow... I don't think so.)

The pencils came first, then some alterations in the staging were done for the wonderful wash prelim.

Not having seen this card produced myself, I consulted a well-known expert in Marvel Trading Cards. He was not able to find it either. Therefor I believe it to be non-published. However, if you've seen this scene in a Marvel Trading Card... PLEASE let me know!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.