About the item:
This page is from issue #4 (March, 1989) of DC's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and features story by Michael Fleisher with co-plotting and pencils by comics legend and Eisner Award winner Jan Duursema (Star Wars, Warlord, Airon, Hawkman, X-Men, Hulk, X-Factor, etc.). Though not credited, Duursema confirmed that her husband, Tom Mandrake (Batman, Spectre, Martian Manhunter) inked this page.
The page includes four of the main characters from the series; Timoth Eyesbright, Vajra Valmyjar, Priam Agrivar, and Onyx as their adventuring party encounter a group of one of TSR's most iconic monsters, ogres! Of note, the page is a 'twice-up' page (measures approximately 13 by 19 1/2 inches- so larger than the standard 11 by 17 of most comic pages), is in excellent condition and will be shipped with the utmost care. It is also signed by both Duursema and Mandrake. Please note- this is an actual, original piece of artwork pencilled and inked by Duursema and Mandrake. It is not a copy, print or pre-printed image. It is a one-of-a-kind original!
Please further note that the cover to the comic this page appears in - as well as the colorized page as it ultimately appeared inside the comic - are shown in the scans but are not included in with the listing. They are shown for reference only. The listing is for the original artwork only.
About the TSR's Comics:
The artwork of TSR captured the imaginations of an entire generation of Role Playing Gamers and fantasy art enthusiasts. While crude in the very beginning (D&D first appeared in 1974), by the early 1980’s the artwork improved dramatically, with artists such as Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Jeff Easley, and Brom, among others, creating truly iconic images. The artwork graced the covers of not only books such as the Monster Manual, Players Handbook, and Unearthed Arcana, but modules, boxed sets, and Dragon Magazine as well. The art served as a hook to grab the attention of new players and also provided RPG’ers with a rich visual tapestry as the backdrop to their adventures into the realms of Dungeons and Dragons.
So it only made sense that the game would be adapted into the graphic medium of comic books. Thus in the late 1980’s TSR licensed DC Comics to produce comics based on several of their fantasy gaming settings. In all, DC produced four ongoing series’, launching in 1988 with Dragonlance (August) and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (September). They were later followed by Forgotten Realms (September, 1989) and Spelljammer (September, 1990). The AD&D title lasted the longest, concluding with issue #36 in December of 1991.
Certificate of Authenticity/Provenance:
Excepting pack-pulled autograph trading cards, CGC Signature Series, signed Sideshow prints, and like collectibles, all autographed items Vault Collectibles sells were personally witnessed, by myself, being signed by the writer, artist, or celebrity in question. No third party is involved. Further, art sketches - and most published original art I sell - were obtained directly from the artist themselves.
For buyers desiring this guarantee in written form, this statement guarantees that the above-referenced item is as stated in the listing description. A screen capture of the completed auction page, which includes this statement of provenance, may be saved by the buyer as a digital file or print off in hardcopy form. As this serves as written proof of said guarantee, no physical documentation will be included in the package when the item is mailed.
J. Brian O’Bryant
VaultCollectibles
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