Location: HOLY GRAIL Title: Avengers Annual #7 Artist:Jim Starlin (All)
Media Type: Pen and Ink Art Type: Cover For Sale Status: NFS Views: 5773 Likes on CAF:1314 Favorited on CAF:8 Comments:67 Added to Site: 7/2/2012
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Description
It's been a week and I'm still stunned by the art ... I've been thinking it over and over, what I will say in my CAF description when the day comes I post my all time Sacred Holy Grail, the one page I've been hoping for all my collector's life !!!!
Usually, when art arrives by the mail or when I bring it back personnally, I put it up in display and begin to chant, dance and laugh like a madman ... today I'm still wondering what happened exactly ?? Have I ended my quest ??? This cover is for me the ultimate collectible, I wouldn't trade it for both AF #15 published and unpublished cover art would these be offered by some kind of demonic fool and I'm wondering if I'm not the demonic fool one ???? So I realize today 80% of my art collection isn't even close to the perfection of this cover which is more than just comic art...
Key comic art, awarded comic book, the Thanos saga part one, Avengers' best roll call, Warlock's saga conclusion, Captain Marvel's best battle before the last, Starlin's best cosmic cover, Starlin's classic pile up action packed Sci Fi raging wars from outer space, The Yin and the Yang, the tunes, the cosmic balance, black and white, good and evil...
You gotta have a look at the second picture showing the art without it's overlay !!!! When you look at the art with and without the vellum you might see what I'm talking about !!!
Thanos' head had to blend in the deep colors of the sky and Starlin used a vellum which hopefully is still in great conditions allowing the art to display fully like it had been printed in 1977 !!! It looks like an old parchment, the glue has turned yellow and makesThanos appear a lot more than the colored published cover, it seems very fragile and the whole thing gives the piece a very deep and strong 3D effect !!! I believe it wouldn't have been the same in plain inks ! we can see a bit of glue has dropped off on Thanos' jaw...now I'll preserve the rest !
I want to thank God, I mean John S for helping me always and this time especially !!! I hope I can make it even one day for I owe you my friend what I have most precious in life appart from wife and son and family !!!
Thanks also to all of you always there for the great and kind comments ( Mike, Andrew, Frank, Cesar, Sean and Steve..)
To those who can be both very friendly and respectul despite collections which dwarf most of CAF galleries ( Maria, Ron, Scott, Artemis, Robert, Rob, Michael... )
To all the Starlin collectors and lovers, all very kind and friendly CAF members ( Kirk, Len, Sean, PR, Hairi, David, Malvin, Rich, Weng ... )
Thanks to my french collectors supporting friends ( Guillaume, Carlos, Julien and Arnaud )
To my UK friends ( Nick, Michele, Gary, Imran, George, Gary(2), John : )
To Eric J Kraus, Josh Gray and Yoram Matzin my great friends from across the Ocean !!!
To my CAF friends in Germany, Austria, Australia, Italiy and Spain !!!
Thanks to Bechara for the deal of my life even if we didn't speak directly...
Thanks to all my dealers !!! ( Mike, Steve and Pete, Brian, Mitch, Anthony, Steve and Rich, Will, Albert... )
Special thanks to Jim Woodall who kept this page in its pristine condition, we failed this deal before but let the past be the past !!!
Thanks also to those who were not so kind, you gave me the strenght to be where I am today : )
It's odd to think I commissionned this cover recreation by some inker and never got it despite the money paid upfront ... I thought at the time I would never be able to get my Grail cover art and today it's the opposite which actually happened all to my infinite pleasure !!!!!
I know now that nothing will ever top that page in my eyes so it's the beginning of a new part of my life, a metamorphosis !!!
I'm so happy and so proud, this is it !!! My all time sacred Holy Grail, the pinnacle of Starlin art, the Bronze Age's best, been craving for it since my thirteens, after 25 years of collecting Starlin art I finally have the one page that will cure me of the pain of not being able to buy it all !!!! The Avengers Annual #7 !!!!!
Epic cover! You can almost hear Thor shouting " Let's Get ready to RRUUMMBBLLEEE!!" The only thing missing was the Fonz jumping a cosmic space shark in the background! Two thumbs up! AAAAYYYYYYY!!! Congrads on this true gem!
I still remember picking this book up from the newstands, and being blown away !!!!! A huge congratulations Romain on aquiring your grail piece, it is a stunning work of art by the graet JIM STARLIN.
This is a staggeringly awesome cover, for a story well remembered from my own childhood as towering head and shoulders above almost anything else around... a true labor of love and inspiration from Starlin, combining show-stopping writing and art.
Most of all, though, huge congrats on attaining your grail! I'm jubilant just reading your CAF description, and it's not even my art! It's true that every time a comic art collector acquires a long sought grail, you hear a bell, and an angel gets his wings.
A Grail amongst Grails, Romain! Many of us who collect, quest for years without success in achieving our ultimate goal to attain our Grail. Congratulations on acquiring your dream piece, bravo!
Of course this is a Starlin masterpiece...but really love your quote "I finally have the one page that will cure me of the pain of not being able to buy it all" - that is a great definition of the troublesome "grail" term.
While I have no actual connections to this piece (before my time) I will say, huge congrats on getting your grail. I can only imagine how giddy you are and how happy and excited. Its always nice to see someone achieve something they are passionate about. Sincere congrats and make sure to put up a picture of a framed version, if you decide to get it framed. Hats off to you for doing something that most of us havent managed yet; getting your grail =) Life can be so good
Calling this piece a grail is like saying water is wet. Because it means so much to you personally, I think your calling it "the ultimate collectible" is so much more accurate. A truly great, great, piece that is matched by a wonderful story to let us all know that the piece is exactly where it belongs. Congratulations to you! May you enjoy this for a lifetime! And thank you for sharing that profound joy with all of us!
I am so happy for you and I know what this means to add this Starlin gem to your incredible collection. I cannot wait to see it in person. Huge congrats my dear friend!!!
Unquestionably Starlin at his brilliant height - both art and writing-wise, his visuals and pacing were just a complete revelation, a breath of fresh air. A truly marvellous and iconic cover - beautifully executed and epic in design!
You have some absolutely incredible work in your collection, but this fella is The Daddy!
This is an awesome story - a collector in hunt of his grail. Sure, it evades him at first, but the thrill of the hunt is still with him as he continues his pursuit all the more determined, until he achieves victory. Congrats, Romain. Not sure how you'll possibly top this one, but it will be lots of fun trying :)
Cover apparently has a typo. Should read, guest stars awesomeness and amazingness with special appearances by the fantastic and incredible. More seriously, congratulations on acquiring your (and many other peoples') most highly sought collectible. This is truly an amazing cover from a historic issue. Congratulations my friend!
There are a handful of covers that, when I see them, automatically return me to my youth and the joy I felt upon first seeing them. This is one of them. A true grail. Congratulations.
Romain, a superb Avengers cover! This historic cover complements your incredible collection! Hey, Thanos will be featured in the next Avengers movie so it must feel extra sweet to have this gem on your wall!
For me this is the best cover of all time period. Cover to the best comic of all time. It is THE grail of Grails for me as well. I could not be more jealous or happy for you. It is truly spectacular.! Congratulations my friend. Wow, all I have left to say is wow....
Congratulations~! It's nice to have a piece of comic history, especially when the piece is so significant to you personally. As much as I am blown away by the art, I am even more happy when a page finds it's way "home" to a collector that has such a personal connection to the art. It is the reason that so many of us are in this hobby ... but very few of us are able to own that specific piece that hearkens back to the ignition point of our own personal comic history. There are a very select few pieces of art that would do the same for me and I would be equally excited if/when the day ever comes that I am able to call that page mine. Sincerest congratulations on a monumentus (see what I did there?) acquisition!!!!!!
WOW! You must still be beaming over landing such a important cover! Now you'll spend the rest of your collecting life trying to land the second best piece in your collection...because I doubt you could ever top this! CONGRATS!
I spotted a recent reprint of this at my local comic shop a week ago - (I forget if it's an actual reprint comic or a trade) - and couldn't help but smile.
I don't recall ever leaving a comment on a piece of art that had been posted but for this cover I must. This would be my holy grail to have as you well know. I am soooo jealous!!
