This week’s Catawiki International Original Comic Art Auction, running until Thursday evening (21st October 2021) features several items created for British comics, including art by Ron Embleton and Leslie Otway.
Two beautiful colour originals by Ron Embleton from an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Tinder Box‘ featured in the magazine Once Upon a Time are among this auction’s offerings.
The panels are exquisitely painted with Ron’s powerful style, bringing a mix of mystery and intrigue to the story, as the soldier meets The Crow Witch, who has lowered him down into some secret underground tunnels – and he is beginning to explore.
A page from the 1973 “Robot Archie” story published in Lion, “The Last World”, drawn by Ted Kearon, sees the mechanical marvel elude destruction once again!
Featured in Look and Learn, “Maze Master” ran from Issues 459 through 472, drawn by Bill Lacey. In the strip, the Maze Master has chosen hero Adam Reid to face a series of Life or Death puzzles and questions.
In the instalment offered in this auction, featured in Look and Learn cover dated 19th December 1970, he has gained access to an abandoned pirate radio see fort. There, fellow prisoner Murdo is being spun around a giant vinyl record player and is facing near certain death… Will Adam be able to save him?
A fantastic evil robot is introduced at the bottom centre panel, setting them up for more danger, its design echoing that of Forbidden Planet’s Robbie the Robot.
Bill Lacey is known for his work on another Look and Learn strip, “Eagles over The Western Front”, collected by Bear Alley Books, among many other strips.
(The Illustration Art Gallery, by the way, has several other pages of this strip on offer).
Jose Ortiz is represented in this auction with an illustration for Once Upon a Time for the story “The Genie’s Challenge (1969/1971).
A smashing page from the Princess Tina strip “Belle and Mamie”, drawn by Leslie Otway, is also included in this auction.
There are some terrific European artworks, too, including work by Andrei Arinouchkine, “His Majesty Thomas the Cat” (1990); a recent homage to Modesty Blaise by Giuseppe Candita; and an original painting by José González.
Be aware that selling and buying objects to or from the UK is now affected by changes related to the UK’s departure from the EU. Catawiki highlights items on offer from European sellers on its site, which will incur additional delivery costs. More information here
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.
Categories: Auctions, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds