Ed,

Thanks so much for your gracious words - good to hear from you.  Yep, no two ways about it - I got lucky here (and I'm not deluding myself otherwise) - nor am I deluding myself that I'll be quite so lucky again when bidding opens on that splendid 'Vampi/Sonja' piece you posted not long ago, which is headed for Comic Link Auctions...

That's an absolute cracker!

How the hell did I miss out on this one?!

Ben's charcoal work is indeed sublime - many congratulations (tinged with ill-disguised envy) on this pick-up.

THAT...is simply stunning!  Many congratulations.

I cannot beLIEVE that this piece evaded me!

How on earth did you secure this, Adrian?? I'm hugely envious - an absolutely superb pick-up.

Absolutely stunning piece! I'm hugely envious: many congrats on this pick-up...Ben at his finest.

Jason, thanks so much for your comments; absolutely loved your take on this as a Recruitment image for the Six!  This is, as you say, very much a goblin of folklore - and the scan really doesn't do justice to the original, not by a long way - but this interpretation suits Ben's style perfectly. The man never fails to deliver!

Rhandy, I'd never thought of it in those terms, but - yes, you're absolutely right! 

I'll give it a go, come October...

Thanks, David - the Devil Is In The Detail, as they say...

Thanks, Tony - you've summed it up perfectly!

Isn't it, though?!

One of the many elements that made this one so utterly irresistible!  Many thanks for your kind words.

Marcus, thank you for your customarily eloquent and measured appraisal of this piece - much appreciated.

Thanks, Brent - I thought you'd approve!

Thanks so much, Brent - yes, she's quite something, is she not? I've a few more recent acquisitions of Ben's yet to put up here on CAF, so watch this space...

Thanks again, Duke.  Yes, I absolutely adore Mike's stuff, but it seems rare that any pieces become available these days (I'm guessing too that he perhaps no longer produces work in this standalone, portrait style?).  This one was actually an eBay pick-up, would you believe..?!

Thanks for your kind words, Duke...but, as I say, as much as I love this prelim (and was absolutely thrilled to get it), owning it is scant consolation now I realise that the finished cover art was actually still out there and available to buy!  
I'm delighted, however, that it's now in your ever-impressive collection.

And to think how pleased with myself I was when I managed to buy, from John, just the prelim to this piece...I cannot begin to describe how envious I am of you owning this: absolute masterpiece! Many congratulations!!

Duke,

Thanks for your kind words. I'm not familiar with the evolution of Travis C's work, but I'm intrigued by your observation here; I'll try and look into this (and your thoughts on JB's possible 'fluence) in more detail... thanks for bringing it to my attention!

Ed,

Thanks for your kind words - yes, an oldie-but-goodie, this one.

You should never feel you've 'overpaid' for anything that brings you enjoyment - and this applies particularly to Ben's stuff, I feel!  His original pieces are hard to come by, especially on eBay, and this one is an absolute cracker - so, many congratulations to you for snapping it up (before I did!). Money's there to be spent, Christian - 'You can't take it with you', as the saying goes...

Malcolm, many thanks for your kind words.  Yes, it seems to be a comic of a fairly obscure/limited print run - I had to buy a copy directly from the 'Unknown Comics' website (whom I have to say have a very impressive selection of similarly Limited Edition publications).  The difference between the face of the woman in this pencil piece of Jay's and that which featured in the final version was such that it prompted me to contact Jay directly, through a DM to his Instagram page, seeking clarification/assurance.  He swiftly responded with both, bless him!

A somewhat risqué piece thus, but I'm still indescribably chuffed to have it!

Duke,

Thank you so much for your kind words; always very encouraging to receive feedback from folk like yourself who've clearly been here on CAF a deal longer than I. You've an extraordinary and enviable collection of pieces yourself, by the way - if I can achieve something even approaching that one day, I'll be happy!

it's been a while since I posted any of Ben's stuff; I tend to allow it to accumulate and then put it up, on CAF, en masse. Glad to hear you like it - and I fully agree with you about the graceful simplicity of the charcoal Vampi pieces (I get the impression that charcoal was a bit of an experimental departure for Ben...but if so, it's another medium he clearly mastered with customary, infuriating ease!

David,

So, looking back through the email exchange I had with Liliana in the run-up to my 'commission', it seems that the proposed options/prices for John to work his magic on the blank cover were £100.00 for a pencil sketch and, for a full-colour, mixed media piece...(are you sitting down!?)...£500.00!

Yes, I know it sounds a lot, but it's actually eminently reasonable, given the outlandish prices that many (to my mind far less polished) pieces fetch, even here on the CAF site.

I don't regret it for a second; the man's a veritable legend in this sphere.

Best,

Bruce

David,

Many thanks for your kind comment. To be honest, if I hadn't seen a copy of this newly-published book here on CAF (also featuring one of John's unique painted covers), I'd never even have known it existed! I emailed John''s wife Liliana (who's also very much his Business Manager and archivist) to enquire as to its availability and she in turn contacted the (Italian) publisher to try and obtain a copy or few. Long story short, she emailed me when she'd got hold of some of the blank-covered 'White' editions, asked me what I'd like John to paint on the cover (with a price range dependant upon whether it was to be a pencil sketch or the pricier, full-colour piece - I opted for the latter, needless to say) and some weeks later, it turned up, splendidly and securely packaged by Liliana, in all its glory.

if you're interested, I can only suggest that you perhaps drop Liliana an email via the 'Contact' section of John's Bolton Studio website - it may be that she has come copies of the book left, although I know it was a fairly limited print run. Hope this helps, Dave.

Another stunner!

How many more of Ben's 'hidden gems' have you got lurking, Rhandy?!

Great stuff - thanks, Brian (and indeed Alex)...wonder who's got the other DCeased original covers in this series?!

Stunning piece, Brian - Ben at his very best here, I reckon!

Many congratulations on this acquisition.

Where did you pick this one up, may I ask...and what size is it?

Absolutely bloody brilliant!

I am, in short,  massively envious; of all the pieces Ben had available at this year's NICE Con, this is the one I perhaps most coveted...

Thanks, Davide.

I have to confess that I wasn't familiar with Joe's work until I stumbled across this piece, for sale here on CAF; I've seen a fair few of his pieces since - they're fetching increasing sums (which, given the amount of intricate work that clearly goes into them, is perhaps not surprising).  But yes, I still feel this is one of his finest - excellent depiction of light and shadow...

Many thanks for the feedback - you have a quite stunning collection of Hulk pieces, so you clearly know your stuff!

Many thanks, Christian.

I've some way to go yet before my meagre collection anywhere near matches yours...but it's a start!

Many thanks, Davide. 

As I say, by no means the coloured, A3 piece I would dearly LIKE to have bought from Ben that day, but a great consolation piece nonetheless.

Many thanks, Davide.

You have a quite staggering collection, I see (I was particularly taken with many of your 'Vampirella' collection); this must have taken you years to amass?!

Hi, Peter.

Yeah, I did point this out to John; I think he felt he could take that chance...felt it was a pretty safe bet!

You have a superb collection (which I've just been perusing), by the way - some cracking 'Black Dragon' pages! Many congratulations on that..

B

Again, many thanks, Bob.  Your encouraging feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks, Tony.  This CAF thing is utterly new to me, so your feedback is greatly appreciated.

You have a quite stunning collection yourself, there: I've a VERY long way to go to catch up with you guys!

Many thanks, Earl.  You've an enviable collection yourself (I'm a great fan of John Bolton, a number of whose pieces I see you have there...I'll be posting a couple of his in the next day or so, which might interest you?).

Many thanks, Bob.

As I've said elsewhere, as a complete newcomer to CAF, it's heartening to get positive responses from seasoned, veteran CAFers like yourself!

Many thanks, Alex.  As I say, it's good to know that there are others who share my obsession with Ben's art..!

Thanks, Earl - much appreciated.  I'm totally new to this CAF website, so it's heartening to get positive and encouraging feedback so soon!