Robot Archie, Conan the Barbarian art on offer in latest Catawiki International Original Comics Art Auction

By John Freeman on June 25, 2022

There’s not a huge amount of British comic art in this week’s Catawiki International Original Comics Art Auction, but it’s worth checking out if you’re an Axa or Robot Archie fan – and there’s some superb cover art on offer, from a variety of creators.

An original page of the the “Robot Archie” story, “The Lost World”, illustrated by Ted Kearon. First published in Lion in 1973, Robot Archie has another dig at the Steel Commando as he beats up a giant reptile. Quite a few pages from this story have sold on Catawiki recently, for between €90 to €150, depending on the page content, and this one’s a cracker!

Robot Archie - The Lost World, art by Ted Kearon (Lion, 1973)

An original strip “Axa” strip by Enric Badia Romero (No. 2205), first published in 1985 and offered by the artist himself.

There’s plenty of manga art on offer in this week’s auction, including this dramatic page from “Zero Battle” (Zerosen), published in 1967, art by Hiroshi Kaizuka.

“Zero Battle” (Zerosen), published in 1967, art by Hiroshi Kaizuka

A superb SF cover book by Fernando Fernández, which seems to also have been used as the cover of a role playing game book, but I can’t find further details. Bidding is already at over €200.

A Conan the Barbarian cover by Gil Formosa, for Marvel France.

Original art by José González – commissioned in the 1980s, no other information provided – and a Bobbsey Twins book cover by the same artist, too.

Bobbsey Twins book cover art by José González

• Check out all the lots in this week’s Catawiki International Original Comics Art Auction here – bidding closes on Thursday 30th June 2022 at 7.00pm

Potential Additional International Auction Costs

This advice box was last updated on Friday 6th May 2022

The UK’s departure from the European Union means there may be additional import duties on sales.

Prior to Brexit, the effective rate of UK tax on imports of art was 5%, which is lower than most other European countries. An owner could previously import an artwork to the UK from outside the EU and was then free to transport it to other EU countries, where the import tax rates may be higher, without incurring any further import-related tax charges. If the owner then wished to bring the artwork back to the UK, there would also have been no further tax charge.

The Guardian previously reported that online orders up to £135 are now supposed to have the UK’s prevailing VAT rate added at the point of sale by the EU retailer, which has to have registered with HM Revenue & Customs.

While buying from European sellers carries the sting of larger costs, the auction house Catawiki does now endeavour to provide an estimate of those in its lot descriptions.

Unfortunately, many smaller EU-based retailers have decided that the paperwork of collecting UK VAT is not worth the hassle and as a result will no longer supply UK consumers. It has also meant that some British sellers will no longer export to Europe.

This apolitical guide outlines what you should be aware of when buying or selling art internationally but is a work in progress

• Don’t forget Catawiki runs several regular auctions, including a dedicated US Comics auction, too – check out all the current lots on offer here

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “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.