This Swamp Thing Artwork Is Worth at Least $10,000 Because of the Iconic Character It Introduced

Would you pay a five-figure sum for a single-sheet page of comic book artwork? It seems that some people certainly would and that has been proven by a new set of vintage original art piece up for sale at Heritage Auctions. While comic book collectors are well known for paying huge amounts to get their hands on copies of classic historically important issues from the Golden Age and Silver Age of Marvel and DC, it seems that there is also a lot of interest in owning the original hand-drawn pages of some comics that were responsible for introducing the world to legendary characters. The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 was such a comic book. In 1985, the issue introduced one of DC’s most popular characters, the demonologist John Constantine as drawn by Rick Veitch and John Totleben.

The piece is a single hand-drawn sheet on board which features not only Constantine’s first appearance in his original form – as a result of John Totleben wanting to draw the rock star and actor Sting in a comic book story – but strong depictions of Swamp Thing himself and Abby Cable, making this page a strong piece for anyone who makes a hobby of collecting this kind of artwork. That has become apparent from the lot’s early price of $10,500 ahead of the actual auction in a few days’ time. While comic books can soar up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, there is something about the appeal of holding the original drawings that elevates the price and bidding activity on this kind of auction. Based on average comic books of the time having around 50 pages, even just a $10,000 per page price would pitch a full comic in the region of half a million dollars.

Why Constantine Can Command High Prices

Original art of any kind is something that collectors will pay huge amounts for, regardless of the content. In recent months, original paintings from the 1980s Masters of the Universe toy line and original poster art from movies of the past decades have been gaining a lot of attention at auctions. The page that is currently up for sale with Heritage Auctions is effectively a one of a kind piece that introduces a character that started out as a supporting supernatural enigma before finding his own story in the Hellblazer series in 1988, which itself turned into a 300 issue series that cemented Constantine as a one of DC’s most enduring characters. This is part of the reason why this particular auction has been attracting plenty of attention from early buyers.

The example being sold is a 10 inch by 15 inch image of ink over graphite on DC Bristol board, which has been graded as being in excellent condition for its age with some slight toning and smudging, blue editorial marks, and minor handling wear. That in itself is a strong draw for collectors as it ticks many boxes that commands the highest prices. However, throwing in Constantine into the mix just simply elevates the piece to new heights. As well as his popularity in his own comic books and as part of Justice League Dark stories, the character was brought to life on screen by Keanu Reeves in a movie that finally seems to be getting a sequel after more than three decades, and also appeared in other TV projects like Legends of Tomorrow and The CW’s Arrowverse crossover events.

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