Book Palace are running a Comic Artworks Auction featuring a wide range of art from its vaults over on Catawiki, that includes 2000AD originals, Axa, Doctor Who, Modesty Blaise and other strip pages – and cover art, too.
Curated by Filippo Piras, artists whose work features include Arthur Adams (“Monkeyman and O’Brien”), Manuel Benet (“Judge Dredd”), Neville Colvin (“Modesty Blaise”), Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (“Gen 13”), Carlos Ezquerra (“Strontium Dog”), Don Lawrence (“Olac the Gladiator”), Moebius (Trading Card Art), Mike Noble (“Popeye”), Enric Badia Romero (“Modesty Blaise), and more – 40 originals in total.
A stunning page of Judge Dredd artwork by Manuel Benet, first published in Judge Dredd Megazine No. 43 published in 1983. The lot includes the artwork and cover acetate with word balloons, and publisher mark up
The final page of the first part of ‘The Doc Quince Case’, written by Alan Grant, drawn by Carlos Ezquerra and lettered by Steve Potter. Published in 2000AD Prog 190 cover dated 13th December 1980
Original Modesty Blaise strip (No. 5436) drawn by Neville Colvin for the story ‘A Few Flowers for The Colonel’
Modesty Blaise #2265, part of the first complete story Romero was responsible for drawing, “Willie the Djinn”. In fact, Peter O’Donnell actually wrote this story around Romero’s particular talents for drawing beautiful women
A huge illustration board drawn by comics legend Don Lawrence, illustrator of Trigan Empire, Storm, Maroc the Mighty, Karl the Viking and of course, Olac the Gladiator. First published in Tiger & Hurricane, cover dated 18th June 1966, in this episode Olac is in London (Londinium) searching for his brother, who has been taken as a slave by the Legion. The city is ruled by a vicious tyrant called Sergius, who commands the legion. Olac and his friend Dextrius are fleeing in a chariot escaping danger… but walking into yet more danger! After publication in Britain, these boards were re-lettered with Dutch word balloons to be published in the Netherlands as Don Lawrence had gained great fame as an illustrator and his works were republished.
Moebius created a set of Trading Cards in 1993, during his time in the United States with publisher Comic Images. The set of cards included 90 base cards including the checklist card, six foil cards all depicting crystals which were numbered C1-C6, and also an extremely rare promo ‘coming soon’ card. Moebius initially drew characters from his universes in pen on white drawing paper which were larger than the cards. These drawings were then copied smaller as a print, the same size as the finished cards, hand coloured, and then Moebius redrew the blacks on top of the coloured images. This can be noticed when you gently feel the surface of the thin paper and the pen indents can be felt. Moebius was a master of working small, and this beautiful colour piece depicting the Knight Tornoc, who spent a night in the White Citadel, is no exception. This is the colour art for card #51 in the series.
An original Doctor Who art page drawn by Mike Collins and inked by David Roach for ‘Doctor Who: Supernature” (Part 3 Page 5) featuring the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). The story ran in Doctor Who Magazine Issues 421 – 423 and was the first to feature the Eleventh Doctor in the magazine. It also marked the first appearance of Amy Pond, and is heavy on the action!
The opening Title Page of the Axa story “The Desired”, the title slightly damaged, perhaps removed when the strip was reprinted in another language
Two “Trigan Empire” pages for the story “The Brain Scientist” by Gerry Wood painted for Look and Learn, cover dated 22nd July 1978. In the story, a race of aliens is attempting to raise the intelligence of the others by giving them brain transplants. Marshal Hipzon has fooled everyone in order to steal the fastest Trigan craft there is… and he succeeds.
A unique original Watercolour painting by Pino Dell’Orco, the cover of Air Ace Picture Library No. 52, “Ghost Plane”, published by Fleetway Publications in May 1961. The painting depicts a scene from World War Two showing a British Hurricane fighter and the ghostly appearance of a World War One biplane. The art was used again on War Picture Library No. 1088
• Comic Artworks Auction (From the Vaults of the Book Palace) runs until Saturday 31st January 2026 | Check out the full catalogue here
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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