Holiday Musings #1
With a few weeks respite from work, I though it high time that I actually do something on this here Blog of mine. So, what subject should I cast my keyboard to this time. After much deliberation, I couldn’t think of anything special. Instead, I’m going to try something out. I’ve often wondered what would happen if I just typed, not thinking about anything in particular, just putting down what comes into my head when it comes to Bart Sears. So here goes nothing.
When I think of Bart Sears, I have very mixed emotions. It is mostly fondness that I feel, but there is a fair portion of concern and regret mixed in. As far as the fondness goes, I reminisce about my visits to Bart’s home, the acceptance into his life and the joy of watching him go about his work. I also think of the Ominous Press days, when I had vivid dreams of meeting Bart, and him showering me with OP material. I think of the times when we were out to dinner, talking about OP characters, some known to everybody, some to just a few. We would create scenes involving characters, acting out the roles ourselves, working though character plots and trying to put all of the pieces of puzzle together. Sometimes we would just talk about life, what we wanted, what we liked, how we could have done better. Those were moments that mattered; our friendship was formed there. And while we don’t talk as often as either of us would like, and only via email, there is that bond there, formed from friendship and similar interests.
Despite our similar interests though, Bart and I are very different. Bart once told me that he was never really a fan of anything, sure, he has his likes, but he felt he never had it in him to really be a fan. I, on the other hand, probably go too far in my fanaticism. Bart also has said that he doesn’t really like to draw. He can see that he has talent, but almost grudgingly accepts it and uses it. I can draw too, pretty well when I’m drawing what I want to draw, but I see that talent as a reason to relax, that surely with that talent, things will come my way, resting on my laurels, essentially.
But I think it is our love of the same story style that really ties us together, we both love a plot that has massive, core-shaking twists dropped in along the way. Bart is in expert at this, to the point where I still shudder when I think about the twist in one of his unpublished stories. Bart also came up with a twist in a characters origin the last time I was staying with him that had me almost hyperventilating with excitement and awe. I write a lot too, but I bow to his superiority humbly, willingly and thankfully.
I have regrets when I think of Bart, for what might (and probably should) have been. The guy can draw comic art the best in the world in my opinion. He is widely adaptable; he has a knowledge of anatomy second to none, can draw everything believably and has a cool core style. He is the greatest writer I have ever read (and I’ve read a lot, having worked in bookstores for 10 years), he can write incredibly stories that ooze originality and spark. He is also adaptable with his stories, having written stories on a wide variety of sub-genres within the science-fiction/fantasy realm, any stories of which deserve their place alongside the greats such as Tolkien, Kay, Jordan, Gemmell and Goodkind.
Bart is also proficient in his knowledge of the film industry, his first love. He is a filmmaker at heart, which shows in both his art and stories. He has a visual style that is both accessible and attractive.
So, my regret is somewhat diluted with a thankfulness for what he has given us. I regret that we have, as yet, not been able to go to the cinemas to see Bart Sears’ latest epic. I regret that I can’t go to the local bookshop and buy Bart Sears’ hot new novel. But I am thankful that he has provided us with over 200 fantastic comics to both read and look at, not to mention all of the other comic related paraphernalia. Would I prefer to have a backlog of Bart Sears movies, or Bart Sears novels, rather than all of the comic work he has done? I don’t know. I guess, ideally, I would like to see him maintain all three fields. To have a new movie out every couple of years, a book every other year, and the odd comic graphic novel too. That seems fair doesn’t it?
I would dearly love to see a Bart Sears movie, and I know he would dearly love to make one, but I think I’d rather see him do graphic novels and novels with illustrations. A lot of the regret I feel when I think of Bart comes from the OP days and what ultimately lead to its closure. Knowing what I know of what was to happen, it saddens me that these further tales may never go past the written form. I love OP, I think it is Bart’s single greatest achievement professionally to date, and I really can’t see it being surpassed by anything other than more OP. It was his world, his characters, and his art. Everything else pales in comparison, because they are tainted by somebody else’s hand. No disrespect to the other artists or writers or anybody else he has worked with. But as the motto says, ‘Bart Sears is Ominous Press.’
I must admit that I feel concern for Bart often too. Let’s face it, the plum jobs in comicdom aren’t exactly banging down his front door, though I’ll never understand why. Sure, he’ll be the first to admit that he has burned a few bridges in his career, but jeez, given the right project and the right amount of lead in time, he could smoke any other artist, without a shadow of a doubt. So, yep, I worry. The way things are going, Bart won’t be in comics for much longer, due to a need to put food on the table, which is just a goddamn shame. And an absolute travesty if you ask me. Sure, Bart has made some mistakes, but he’s a bankable commodity, given the right opportunity.
It is very difficult to envision where Bart will be in five years time, its tough to see just one year from now. I sincerely hope he is still in comics, but I believe it will take something drastic for that to happen, which I’m holding out for. Bart is currently at Dark Horse Comics, which has its redeeming titles that Bart would be great on, none more so than Conan, who Bart is still yet to have a solid go at. But I don’t think his future lies at DH, or Marvel or DC for that matter. I think Bart is treading water at the moment, and probably will do so for the rest of the year. I think two things might happen at the end of the year.
1) Some comic company will come along and throw Bart a rope, or
2) Bart will decide he’s had enough of comics and get out of the metaphoric pool.
I wish I could do more for the guy, I really do. I’ve often dreamt of winning the lottery, setting up a comic and book company just for Bart to publish his OP stuff, and fund the odd movie. That is my dream. You see companies like that come and go, Crossgen instantly comes to mind, but they never really work out. I think a lot of that has to do with the talent on board, and what they produce. There have been scores of companies pop up with comics that are just deplorably bad, with terrible art being the most evident, but that is something you definitely wouldn’t have to worry about with Bart. So I think that the return of OP is not impossible, and not necessarily a bad move, given enough funding. Bart really just needs a good six months to a year to get a good head start, financially secure and all of that, to come up with a package he is happy with. What form it would take, I don’t know. I’d like to see Bart work on just graphic novels, to not bother with a cliffhanger every 22 pages, and get a good story flow going. Can you imagine picking up a 120-odd page graphic novel with Arkon at the helm? That would be incredible. Even a quarterly 32 page comic would suffice for me.
Oh, to dream, to dream… I’ll keep buying those lottery tickets, just in case, though.
In the meantime, I’ll be content to pick up anything that Bart does, hoping for the day when Bart rises to the high ranks of comic artists again, I know he’s got it in him.
And the winning lottery numbers are….
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The Relentless Pursuit
The Relentless Pursuit
A Bart Sears Collector's Tale
Its frustrating being a big Bart Sears fan. Its even more frustrating being a Bart Sears collector. Sad but true. And this is why.
I’ve been collecting Bart’s huge body of work for over 15 years now. I have a gigantic collection of his various publications, by far the biggest in the world. But I’m still a long way from completing the collection and I doubt I ever will actually reach the point where I can say that I have everything that Bart has ever done. Which doesn’t particularly bother me, though there have been times when it has.
I’ve spent many a day on a wild goose chase, hoping against hope to discover some as yet unknown piece of Bart Sears magic. Most days I come away empty-handed. But there are those blissful, though albeit rare, occasions when I do manage to catch the goose, be it some cover I was completely unaware existed, or a trading card to go nicely with the collection.
And that is the thing about collecting Bart Sears work, and I suppose collecting in general; the thrill of the chase is half of the pleasure.
It all started in late 1991 for me. I had been living in Hong Kong with my family for a year and was desperately deprived of an even half decent comic store. I’d been satiating my addiction with whatever comic I could get my sensitive and lovely little hands on, be it Doom Patrol, Judge Dredd, or even, to my eternal shame, Marvel Comics Presents.
But a chance encounter after being back in Australia for a matter of days changed my life from then on. I had been a fan of several artists prior to this, mostly Erik Larsen and Dale Keown. But when I picked up a comic grab bag with Justice League Europe #’s 2 & 3 in it, I knew I had found my man.
I remember instantly being amazed at the anatomy this Bart Sears guy could render, far beyond anything I’d seen before. Needless to say I bought the grab bag and it was the greatest couple of dollars I ever spent……….or was it?
I started my voyage by collecting Bart’s Justice League Europe work, most of which I picked up for about $2 a pop at a local comic shop. That led to the Faith miniseries in Legends of the Dark Knight, then Justice League America and Eclipso. From there, I discovered his Turok and X-O and a few other odds and ends. Eventually I picked up a copy of Wizard magazine and came upon his Drawing Power tutorials held therein. Then came Ominous Press. I still remember that fateful day when I walked into that same local comic shop as the one where I picked up those JLE issues, but that story is for another article.
By the time Ominous Press and ‘It Begins’ were unleashed on an unsuspecting, and unprepared, public, I was a huge fan of Bart Sears. But the problem was, I’d pretty much exhausted all of the comic shops in Melbourne of their Bart Sears resources. I was almost entirely relying on Wizard and other trade magazines for any scrap of information concerning Bart; these, of course, being the days before the internet and email.
I endured this situation for several years, picking up what I could and amassing a sizeable collection. I spent a lot of time going to collector’s fairs and markets during this time, and managed to procure some fantastic things along the way, the most notable being the almost complete run of Wizard magazines featuring Bart’s tutorials for a $1 an issue. I also managed to obtain a car around about this time, and this opened up a much larger area for me to frequent.
Finally, the Internet became more popular and easily accessible, much to my joy. Here, for the first time, was a veritable goldmine of information for me to put to use in my collecting trips. But the Internet was as much a curse as it was a gift. Often I would come home from a hard days Sears hunting, happy that I’d found the piece I’d set out to find, only to discover yet another item I needed.
Then I discovered eBay, and boy did the money flow. In the years of 1999 and 2000, my collection of Bart Sears artwork seemed to multiply tenfold. Not only was eBay a great place to buy relatively hard to find items, it was also a great place for finding out information on any particular subject.
It was in about 2000 when I started buying Bart Sears original art. Though I bought only a few items to begin with, I really started going nuts in 2003 and 2004.
Today, I mostly just pick up the new pieces Bart does. I’ve reached a point where the things I still need are either incredibly rare, or I don’t even know of their existence at this stage. But I do have the joy of picking up something new every now and then. For instance, just last year, I managed to finally get my hands on Bart’s interview in Comic Book Collector #24, thanks to my good pal, Darrin Wiltshire. I also managed to procure another Bart Sears Conan T-shirt in the last few weeks.
So, can I pass on any pearls of wisdom on the subject of collecting Bart Sears art to any would-be hunters? Well, gather around children and let me teach you a few things.
1. First of all, always look at your local comic shop before buying something on the Internet, it’s quicker and quite often cheaper.
2. Only buy over the Internet if you can’t find the piece anywhere else close, or if you live in a cave, far away from humanity.
3. Always wear protection! If you’re going out Sears hunting, make sure you come prepared for any eventuality. That means having plenty of sleeves and backing boards ready, and always take more than you envision you’ll need. Have a card folder or even just sleeves and a box. But most importantly, have a bag that won’t damage your newly acquired Bart Sears paraphernalia. If that means taking a few pieces of cardboard to keep your comics flat, so be it. Believe me, there is nothing worse than coming home to find that not only are your new comics bent, but your bottle of apple juice has decided to spill on them too!
4. Discover the wonders of a laminating machine. There are plenty of Bart Sears posters out there, and you’ll obviously want to keep them in good condition. I’ve been laminating Bart Sears things for 10 years now, with no sign of fading or warping.
5. If there’s a new Bart Sears comic out that you think is the best thing since sliced bread, buy two copies. One for reading, one to keep in good condition. But make sure you label which one is which.
6. Bart has done a lot of covers in his time, without doing the interiors, and if you were to hang on to the rest of the comic, it would take up a great deal of space. Long ago I made the decision to remove the covers and get them laminated, a move I definitely recommend. Of course, there will be the odd one where you want to keep the comic as well, maybe something by Andy Smith with a cover by Bart Sears. I suggest buying two copies.
7. Storage is always a problem. For comics, I use a bookshelf, for laminated covers and pin-ups I use a solid folder with plastic sleeves. For cards I use a Pro-Gard binder, which is better than a ring file folder in my opinion.
8. Original art is expensive, but if there were a case where the saying ‘quality, not quantity’ applied, this would be it. Don’t be tempted to buy up every piece of Bart Sears original art that comes around. Pick pieces that really appeal to you. And don’t always go for the splash pages! They may be pretty, but they’re invariably more expensive. And let’s not forget, Bart is a master storyteller too, some of my most treasured original art pieces are just ordinary story pages.
9. Buy the full comics first! Bart has done some spectacular covers in his time, but you’re much better off getting the comics he’s done interiors on first, it’s all about value for money.
And last but not least. Enjoy yourself!
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t seen that comic grab bag all those years ago. One thing’s for sure, I’d be a whole lot wealthier. I’d probably have more friends, and my house would be a lot tidier.
But do I regret picking up that grab bag? Not for a heartbeat! Sure, I have nothing in the way of savings and I almost have a whole room dedicated to Bart, much to my wife’s chagrin. But there are far more positives than negatives; being able to consider Bart a friend is top of the list, even higher than being his #1 fan.
When I look back at all the time and money spent on Bart and his work, I see a collection of the coolest artwork by the coolest artist I have ever come across. And that’s when I know that I don’t need to obsessively track down every single piece of art Bart has ever done. I used to look at my collection of Bart’s work and only see the things that were missing, even though I was immensely proud of what I had. But with time and maturity comes a certain amount of perspective. I used to fight ferociously for peoples acknowledgment that I was Bart’s biggest fan. But that isn’t why I collect Bart’s work at all, and I see that now. I collect Bart’s work because he is my favourite artist, and I like looking at his stuff. Sure, I have responsibilities as Bart’s #1 fan, which includes me buying everything new that comes out by him, but I know that there is a trap that is very easy to fall into when you start collecting something you like. I fell for it, hard. I spent so much time running around looking for new Bart Sears work, that I almost forgot why I even wanted the stuff. It had become a case of simply needing to possess the things, to covet.
Now, when I pull out something from my collection, I look at it with a fresh perspective. I am no longer the rabid collector I once was; it may have taken me a very long time to get to this point, and the journey was a lot of fun upon reflection, but I’m glad I’ve reached the point where I can sit back, relax and enjoy Bart’s work as an appreciator and admirer.
A Bart Sears Collector's Tale
Its frustrating being a big Bart Sears fan. Its even more frustrating being a Bart Sears collector. Sad but true. And this is why.
I’ve been collecting Bart’s huge body of work for over 15 years now. I have a gigantic collection of his various publications, by far the biggest in the world. But I’m still a long way from completing the collection and I doubt I ever will actually reach the point where I can say that I have everything that Bart has ever done. Which doesn’t particularly bother me, though there have been times when it has.
I’ve spent many a day on a wild goose chase, hoping against hope to discover some as yet unknown piece of Bart Sears magic. Most days I come away empty-handed. But there are those blissful, though albeit rare, occasions when I do manage to catch the goose, be it some cover I was completely unaware existed, or a trading card to go nicely with the collection.
And that is the thing about collecting Bart Sears work, and I suppose collecting in general; the thrill of the chase is half of the pleasure.
It all started in late 1991 for me. I had been living in Hong Kong with my family for a year and was desperately deprived of an even half decent comic store. I’d been satiating my addiction with whatever comic I could get my sensitive and lovely little hands on, be it Doom Patrol, Judge Dredd, or even, to my eternal shame, Marvel Comics Presents.
But a chance encounter after being back in Australia for a matter of days changed my life from then on. I had been a fan of several artists prior to this, mostly Erik Larsen and Dale Keown. But when I picked up a comic grab bag with Justice League Europe #’s 2 & 3 in it, I knew I had found my man.
I remember instantly being amazed at the anatomy this Bart Sears guy could render, far beyond anything I’d seen before. Needless to say I bought the grab bag and it was the greatest couple of dollars I ever spent……….or was it?
I started my voyage by collecting Bart’s Justice League Europe work, most of which I picked up for about $2 a pop at a local comic shop. That led to the Faith miniseries in Legends of the Dark Knight, then Justice League America and Eclipso. From there, I discovered his Turok and X-O and a few other odds and ends. Eventually I picked up a copy of Wizard magazine and came upon his Drawing Power tutorials held therein. Then came Ominous Press. I still remember that fateful day when I walked into that same local comic shop as the one where I picked up those JLE issues, but that story is for another article.
By the time Ominous Press and ‘It Begins’ were unleashed on an unsuspecting, and unprepared, public, I was a huge fan of Bart Sears. But the problem was, I’d pretty much exhausted all of the comic shops in Melbourne of their Bart Sears resources. I was almost entirely relying on Wizard and other trade magazines for any scrap of information concerning Bart; these, of course, being the days before the internet and email.
I endured this situation for several years, picking up what I could and amassing a sizeable collection. I spent a lot of time going to collector’s fairs and markets during this time, and managed to procure some fantastic things along the way, the most notable being the almost complete run of Wizard magazines featuring Bart’s tutorials for a $1 an issue. I also managed to obtain a car around about this time, and this opened up a much larger area for me to frequent.
Finally, the Internet became more popular and easily accessible, much to my joy. Here, for the first time, was a veritable goldmine of information for me to put to use in my collecting trips. But the Internet was as much a curse as it was a gift. Often I would come home from a hard days Sears hunting, happy that I’d found the piece I’d set out to find, only to discover yet another item I needed.
Then I discovered eBay, and boy did the money flow. In the years of 1999 and 2000, my collection of Bart Sears artwork seemed to multiply tenfold. Not only was eBay a great place to buy relatively hard to find items, it was also a great place for finding out information on any particular subject.
It was in about 2000 when I started buying Bart Sears original art. Though I bought only a few items to begin with, I really started going nuts in 2003 and 2004.
Today, I mostly just pick up the new pieces Bart does. I’ve reached a point where the things I still need are either incredibly rare, or I don’t even know of their existence at this stage. But I do have the joy of picking up something new every now and then. For instance, just last year, I managed to finally get my hands on Bart’s interview in Comic Book Collector #24, thanks to my good pal, Darrin Wiltshire. I also managed to procure another Bart Sears Conan T-shirt in the last few weeks.
So, can I pass on any pearls of wisdom on the subject of collecting Bart Sears art to any would-be hunters? Well, gather around children and let me teach you a few things.
1. First of all, always look at your local comic shop before buying something on the Internet, it’s quicker and quite often cheaper.
2. Only buy over the Internet if you can’t find the piece anywhere else close, or if you live in a cave, far away from humanity.
3. Always wear protection! If you’re going out Sears hunting, make sure you come prepared for any eventuality. That means having plenty of sleeves and backing boards ready, and always take more than you envision you’ll need. Have a card folder or even just sleeves and a box. But most importantly, have a bag that won’t damage your newly acquired Bart Sears paraphernalia. If that means taking a few pieces of cardboard to keep your comics flat, so be it. Believe me, there is nothing worse than coming home to find that not only are your new comics bent, but your bottle of apple juice has decided to spill on them too!
4. Discover the wonders of a laminating machine. There are plenty of Bart Sears posters out there, and you’ll obviously want to keep them in good condition. I’ve been laminating Bart Sears things for 10 years now, with no sign of fading or warping.
5. If there’s a new Bart Sears comic out that you think is the best thing since sliced bread, buy two copies. One for reading, one to keep in good condition. But make sure you label which one is which.
6. Bart has done a lot of covers in his time, without doing the interiors, and if you were to hang on to the rest of the comic, it would take up a great deal of space. Long ago I made the decision to remove the covers and get them laminated, a move I definitely recommend. Of course, there will be the odd one where you want to keep the comic as well, maybe something by Andy Smith with a cover by Bart Sears. I suggest buying two copies.
7. Storage is always a problem. For comics, I use a bookshelf, for laminated covers and pin-ups I use a solid folder with plastic sleeves. For cards I use a Pro-Gard binder, which is better than a ring file folder in my opinion.
8. Original art is expensive, but if there were a case where the saying ‘quality, not quantity’ applied, this would be it. Don’t be tempted to buy up every piece of Bart Sears original art that comes around. Pick pieces that really appeal to you. And don’t always go for the splash pages! They may be pretty, but they’re invariably more expensive. And let’s not forget, Bart is a master storyteller too, some of my most treasured original art pieces are just ordinary story pages.
9. Buy the full comics first! Bart has done some spectacular covers in his time, but you’re much better off getting the comics he’s done interiors on first, it’s all about value for money.
And last but not least. Enjoy yourself!
I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t seen that comic grab bag all those years ago. One thing’s for sure, I’d be a whole lot wealthier. I’d probably have more friends, and my house would be a lot tidier.
But do I regret picking up that grab bag? Not for a heartbeat! Sure, I have nothing in the way of savings and I almost have a whole room dedicated to Bart, much to my wife’s chagrin. But there are far more positives than negatives; being able to consider Bart a friend is top of the list, even higher than being his #1 fan.
When I look back at all the time and money spent on Bart and his work, I see a collection of the coolest artwork by the coolest artist I have ever come across. And that’s when I know that I don’t need to obsessively track down every single piece of art Bart has ever done. I used to look at my collection of Bart’s work and only see the things that were missing, even though I was immensely proud of what I had. But with time and maturity comes a certain amount of perspective. I used to fight ferociously for peoples acknowledgment that I was Bart’s biggest fan. But that isn’t why I collect Bart’s work at all, and I see that now. I collect Bart’s work because he is my favourite artist, and I like looking at his stuff. Sure, I have responsibilities as Bart’s #1 fan, which includes me buying everything new that comes out by him, but I know that there is a trap that is very easy to fall into when you start collecting something you like. I fell for it, hard. I spent so much time running around looking for new Bart Sears work, that I almost forgot why I even wanted the stuff. It had become a case of simply needing to possess the things, to covet.
Now, when I pull out something from my collection, I look at it with a fresh perspective. I am no longer the rabid collector I once was; it may have taken me a very long time to get to this point, and the journey was a lot of fun upon reflection, but I’m glad I’ve reached the point where I can sit back, relax and enjoy Bart’s work as an appreciator and admirer.
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