A number of pieces of comics art created by the late Marvel legend John Buscema, and owned by his family, have been stolen, according to Buscema's daughter. Dianne Buscema-Gerogianis, who released photos of a few of the pieces, and asked fans to keep their eyes open for the pieces. She says that the family have already alterted authorities, and that the police investigation limits what she is comfortable saying in public, but thanked fans for their support, and for keeping their eyes and ears open. The pieces range from what appears to be a commission featuring Marvel's Mephisto to original art from Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating Superman.
Buscema-Gerogianis did not provide much in the way of specific details about the theft. It sounds, based on her phrasing, like the art was specifically targeted, and not taken as part of a break-in or otherwise more random crime.
"I am reaching out to you all as 45 pieces of Dad's original artwork was stolen from our family this morning," Buscema-Gerogianis said on Facebook. "I cannot go into detail as the police and authorities have been notified. I am asking to please contact me if you hear or see anything for sale. I cannot post photos of everything that has been taken, but I am posting some."
Comic book artists like Joe Jusko, Josef Rubenstein, and Walter Simonson have lent their hand to helping the family spread the word on social media -- something particularly helpful since Buscema-Gerogianis is not a celebrity, and so has a small social media footprint that might not reach a lot of eyes without assistance from the industry.
Art theft in comics is somewhat more common than it is in the wider art world. One major deterrent in terms of stealing rare art is the prospect of getting caught when you try to sell it...but since comics generate such a high volume of original content, and much of it was never returned to the artists properly in the first place, it's more difficult to get a precise bead on what specific items are stolen goods.
Buscema, who passed away in 2002, was a legend at Marvel, who helped fuel the publisher through the '60s and '70s. He worked on virtually every comic at Marvel over the course of his years with the company, but is arguably best known for his hundreds of issues of Conan the Barbarian and his lengthy runs on The Avengers and Silver Surfer.
You can see a gallery of the missing art below.
