quote:Originally posted by Rick Veitch: Panel to Panel will be including an exclusive tipped-in bookplate signed by Rick Veitch, along with collaborators Alan Moore and Stephen R. Bissette.
This may sound silly, but what exactly is a bookplate (tipped-in or otherwise)? I don't really know what it means.
Posts: 5221 | From: Newfoundland, Canada | Registered: Mar 2002
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Paul, It's a little printed sheet, usually with an illustration and/or a quote that is hand glued (tipped in) to the book. Sometimes they are placed on the inside front cover, although for esthetic reasons the SHINY BEASTS plate is on the last page.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Hey, Rick, just a followup to the old page one:
KULTZ never had legal problems; no idea what this post is referring to. In fact, it was later reprinted in FILM THREAT magazine (in that venerable zines' second incarnation, pre-Larry Flynt newsstand edition).
Great to see the reviews on both books, and SHINY BEASTS indeed looks great. Can't wait to get more copies myself! Keep me posted...
Posts: 750 | From: wilmington, VT USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Just saw on the Diamond Vendor site that their pallet of SHINY BEASTS has arrived at the warehouse. Orders are already being processed!
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I bought Shiny Beasts yesterday at my comics store. Wow it's nice to see some of those pieces again. I read a number of them when they were new even though I was just a kid and my Dad picked up Epic. Several years later, I was re-reading them and noticed that Rick's name seemed to be on some of the ones I remembered most fondly, and was amazed at the variety of work he did, just as I made the connection with the guy who used to do Swamp Thing. I've been a Veitch fanboy ever since.
"I think ChrisW is the funniest man in entertainment still alive..." -- the perceptive Tom Spurgeon Posts: 8573 | From: Lincoln, Nebraska USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Mollygal, Thanks for that link. It's the real thing but it's also a piece I donated to the Museum of Cartoon Art back in the mid-1980's. I'm not sure how it has made its way onto the art market in 2007.
I've gotten in touch with the guy running the auction to let him know the circumstances from my end and see if we can trace its provenance.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Funny, now that you mention it, I think I saw the HEARTBURST cover on display at The Museum of Cartoon Art when it was in Boca Raton, Florida. It was either in '98 or '99. It closed two or three years later. Maybe that can help establish a timeline (I just hope memory is not serving me incorrectly).
I don't recall hearing about the museum selling any of its pieces when it closed. But if it did, I would assume in the case of a donation, the museum would either return the art to the creator or ask permission before selling it. Likewise, if it was stolen I'd think they'd notify the creator as well.
I thought it seemed odd to see the cover on eBay, as I've never heard of our affable administrator (Mr. Veitch) selling any of his creator owned stuff. I hope the seller cooperates before accepting the money from the winning bidder and shipping it off to France (where the winning bidder lives).
I wish you success in tracking down the explanation, and hope it is all on the level.
Posts: 30 | From: NY | Registered: Mar 2003
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I spoke with the guy running the auction and it turns out the Museum IS selling off parts of its collection! This is news to me (and kind of disheartening news too, since I definitely didn't donate the cover for the purpose of fundraising).
I also donated a page from Miracleman #9. Wonder if that is now on the market as well?
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Whoa, that's disappointing. Maybe even a little strange. I'm a member of both the comicart-l discussion list and the Comic Art Fans website, and I have never heard of the museum (now called The National Cartoon Museum, www.cartoon.org ) selling part of its collection. I would think a Comic Art Museum, trying to raise capital through fundraising efforts, would announce sales to the community of comic art collectors. Doing so would attract top market value, and perhaps even exceed it as it would be for a good cause. Since the HEARTBURST cover went for a little over $500, I have to assume the seller aquired it for much less, which suggests the museum sold it far below market value. Why would they do that?
Maybe I'm jumping the gun. I know The Society of Illustrators ( www.societyillustrators.org ) has occasional fundraiser auctions that do not always attract top market value as they are only posted on their website and not advertised anywhere. List members do discuss their auctions on comicart-l however, whereas, as far as I know, a (fire)sale at the National Cartoon Museum has never been mentioned. A real shame.
Oops, just realized I've gone way off-topic. Sorry 'bout that.
Posts: 30 | From: NY | Registered: Mar 2003
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I've been in touch with Mort and he's crying the blues about losing millions and needing to sell artwork to pay creditors.
I honestly wouldn't mind him selling the stuff if he's under the gun. It's just that dumping it en masse to dealers, who in turn dump it on ebay, hurts both the museum and the artists. It also hurts any future museum that might hope for donations from artists.
To put it in perspective, I recently had a black and white cover sell for $1600 at the Helen Day Gallery in Stowe, Vermont. To have a fullly painted cover go for $500 on ebay is terrible.
If they need to sell the stuff, they should do it right to maximize the money they make and not undermine the market for the artists' work. Taking the easy way of dumping it to dealers is a lose/lose situation.
If anyone sees the page from MIRACLEMAN#9 out there, please let me know immediately.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Shiny Beasts Rick Veitch, Alan Moore and S.R. Bisette. King Hell (Diamond, dist.), $16.95 paper (86p) ISBN 978-0-9624864-9-4
Veitch has led one of the more idiosyncratic careers in comics in the past 30 years. Both small publisher and mainstream writer (most recently of the brilliant war comic, Army at Love), Veitch's obsessions and anxieties manifest themselves in multiple formats, though always with a surreal, dark tinge. This new collection compiles his earliest work for anthologies including Heavy Metal and Epic, complemented by a fun, discursive little memoir. Here are stories of futuristic humans slaughtering wildlife, of alien disease epidemics and final frontier affairs. Veitch, then as now, has a keen moral conscience, and rarely does a story go by without some kind of lesson to be learned, particularly regarding what he sees as the craven behavior of human beings. These stories are prime examples of late 1970s/early 1980s dark science fiction, and Veitch's artwork is as good as it's ever been. Period-style airbrush-work elevates these tales above their pulp sources to pop psychedelia, as characters and aliens take visionary trips through what appears to be Veitch's own interior spaces. While the material itself may be dated, the presentation is not, and Shiny Beasts presents a fairly compelling portrait of a young artist. (June)
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Sounds like Mr. Walker might be dealing under the table to avoid those creditors. Unfortunately, there is a black market for stolen art, and the same market probably deals with pseudo-legitimate museum pick-ups, to keep them out of the public eye. I'm sure the creepy dealers he's selling to probably have creepy clients waiting in line for the art.
Hopefully, if he needs to raise money again, he'll do it publically.
Posts: 30 | From: NY | Registered: Mar 2003
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I don't have a clue to the twists and turns of the art market, but I wouldn't label what's going on here as underhanded. Shortsighted maybe.
I've spoken with the dealer who ended up with the HEARTBURST piece and he seems to be a straight-ahead guy. And Mort, of course, is caught between a rock and a hard place.
I'd just like to convince Mort that he can help the museum and the artists by getting a good person in there to sell the stuff intelligently.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I agree with you, and also apologise for speaking the way I did about Mr. Walker. I certainly have no evidence to back up what I said, and he has certainly done an awful lot to promote comic art in this country. I'm sure he was only doing his best in a dire situation. I hope he takes your advice for the next round of sales.
And now, to heck with this topic, more SHINY BEASTS:
There were two or three stories in there I'd never read before. My fave may be the first one, "Shiny Beast." The coloring throughout the book is great. I also like the foldout for the "Shipmates" story. The essay in the back is a treat, especially the section on the creation of "Welcome to the Machine" from Sgt. Rock. That's a story I really liked when I picked up some back issues, but I don't think I realized you wrote it (it was uncredited I think). Also, I didn't know "Love Doesn't Last Forever" was to be the first of a series of stories. Lots of goodies in there.
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Shiny Beasts Invasion Lowdown by Bart Croonenborghs, posted June 28, 2007
When you buy a Rick Veitch comic, you never just buy a single story. You buy a history, a time capsule, a zeitgeist. A specific moment in time that is remembered, analyzed and distilled into a pure form of entertainment. With ‘Shiny Beasts’ you don’t just get the stories; you get the energy, emotions and a behind the scenes look of an iconoclastic artist who is one of the best in this tiny industry and how he started out.
Contained in this TPB are short stories of the eighties fantasy variety that first appeared in Epic Illustrated, that legendary foray of Marvel Comics into creator-owned and adult territory. The stories range from 1978 to 1983 (with two exceptions). Rick Veitch obviously enjoys working in the genre, free from the constraints of capes and copyrighted box office heroes. The glorious days of the early psychedelic seventies were passed and the world was gearing up to be invaded by cyberpunk, there was a resurgence of hard sci fi and fantasy ventured into unexpected territories. In this climate, where the Sony walkman and the ghetto blaster were let loose upon the world, Marvel Comics took a chance on adult stories and the climate was just right for mad Rick Veitch and his sarcastic look upon the world.
Tucked away behind an eerie mesmerizing cover that manages to be eighties sci fi and contemporary at the same time, we get collaborations with Alan Moore, John Totleben and Steven R. Bissette, representing for many their first forays into the trenches of big time comics publishing. Each story works in the same vein: setting up the premise, delve into the complications raised by given premise to slide into a given solution, close the story with a twist that lets you see the ending in a new light. Basic short story 101 but the difference here is that it is always coupled with good characters and beautiful art. Not too concerned about social etiquette or political correctness, Veitch tells his stories in an earnest way that is full of life and creativity - which is half the reading enjoyment already. Not all stories succeed in the twist-fase and a few are just a simple letdown - Solar Plexus for instance - and the black humor of Bratpack is not yet fully present but there are a few jewels in there. ‘Landmass’ is a nice take on capitalism while the Alan Moore-penned ‘Love doesn’t last forever’ is a nice character study on love and obsession. Together with ‘Ghosts in the machine’ they are the finest and drive their point home the best.
The painted art and storytelling bears the mark of early Veitch but it’s a proud patch to wear. It’s intricately detailed and the bright colors leaping off the page are a joy to the eyes and bring the stories to life in a very succulent way. This is not in some small measure due to the printing job. It’s a quality paper with a cardboard cover that gives the colors the chance to be bright and explosive, just as they intended to be. No doubt that the original printing in the Epic Magazine was much worse and muddy. The colors help the visual storytelling, being most apparent in ‘Shiny Beast’ and ‘Solar Plexus’ which takes place in the heart of the sun.
Many effects and bright splashes look like they were done with the computer but I’m afraid not, true believer, this is all done before the digital age. ‘Ghosts in the machine’ takes place in a VR-environment with battle droids and, according to the text piece in the back, was made to come as close as possible to the visuals of a computer without using a computer (because they weren’t handy yet to the general public). Just looking at this short piece should convince you of the energy and effort that was put into these comics by their creators. For a tutorial on this - which involves photography reversal, zipatone and computer grids done with a pen - check the text piece at the back
Although this is very clearly a Veitch-comic with humanity drawn as sly wrinkled creatures, incapable of beauty, it is obvious that this is early work. Sequences don’t flow like they do in his more recent work like ‘Can’t get no’ or ‘Army@love’. Panels are sometimes overly detailed and there’s a tendency to go out of the way of standard panel arrangements and breaking borders for the sake of showmanship. Luckily, the craftsmanship is so high in these stories that the masterful skill Veitch will develop is already showing and therefore these comics are still a joy to watch and read.
This is intended to be the second in a tetralogy reprinting his earlier work. The first was ‘Abraxas and the earthman’ which I also highly recommend and the last will be his Marvel graphic novel ‘Heartburst’.
Take a tour inside the warped mind of Rick Veitch and read his first forays into adult comics. 'Shiny Beasts' is an eighties sci fi black box that will give you a trippy kickback to an earlier time in the medium and a glimpse into the beginnings of a celebrated creator.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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The Beat has picked up the story of the HEARTBURST art. Other blogs, like Dirk's and Joanna's are linking via Heidi.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I wanted to let you know that I ended up buying my copy of Shiny Beasts via Amazon and I am very happy with it. I am looking forward to the reissue of Heartburst, which I will buy dispite owning a copy the original graphic novel.
Any idea of when Heartburst will be reissued?
Posts: 9 | Registered: Nov 2006
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Duck I'm hoping to solicit HEARTBURST AND OTHER ROMANCES in Feb Previews for April ship.
-------------------- HEARTBURST and other Pleasures Another mesmerizing collection of stories by Rick Veitch including the original MIRROR OF LOVE (with Alan Moore and S.R. Bissette)! From KING HELL PRESS. In stores NOW. Posts: 3526 | From: Vermont, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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