Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery – Panels and Pages… Art and Artists… Creators and Conventions… Musings and Memories…

Joe Kubert — Open Fire!

November 10, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Our Army At War #124, November 1962

A gorgeous, emotional war page from the master, Joe Kubert. Want to know how good DC’s war comics could be? This is a pretty good place to start.

And as good as it looks here, it’s even better when you’re looking at the large original. You’ll have to trust me on that.

I picked it up at SDCC this past summer, although “picked it up” makes the whole thing sound much easier than it was.

The original seller—a well-known vintage comics dealer who doesn’t specialize in original art—had already flipped it. This despite my telling him I would beat any realistic offer. Had I not been sitting in the right place at the right time, I would have missed it entirely. Getting it home still took some doing, including having to buy a rather expensive package of pages to get the one I really wanted.

No sour grapes. I got the page, and I love it. Besides, I was already leaning toward buying the others. (For the names of the guilty and the helpful, you’ll have to ask me in person.)

Having this one in hand also reminded me of one of my favorite sights at the old IDW offices in Point Loma. I may have told this story before, but Dirk Wood, our illustrious VP of Marketing, used proof pages from our DC war comics Artist’s Edition to wallpaper his office. And I mean wallpaper.

Kubert, Heath, Toth, Kirby… wall to wall.

War comics might seem like an odd choice for office decor, but wow, was it beautiful. Most of us hung a few pieces on the wall. Dirk went all in.

Happy Veterans Day. To all who served, thank you.

Bob Montana — Happy Halloween, From Archie & The Gang

October 28, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Archie Sunday Strip, October 30, 1949

The earliest Archie Sunday I’ve ever owned. Also the best.

The whole gang shows up in the opening panel, and everyone gets a turn in the spooky silliness. Bob Montana clearly had some fun with this one.

I stumbled across this early Sunday at SDCC this year and bought it on impulse. Or, to be more accurate, overpaid on impulse.

But you can’t overpay for quality, can you?

Can you?

Happy Halloween!

Wallace Wood — EC For Me, See?

October 22, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Tales From The Crypt #25, August 1951

Wallace Wood and film noir. A favorite artist and a favorite fiction genre for me. I’m in, of course.

Okay, so this page is actually from Tales from the Crypt, EC’s best-known horror title. But the look and feel are pure film noir, so I’m counting it. Crime and horror overlap pretty frequently—especially in EC comics, now that I think of it. A rotting corpse—or a witch—might show up along the way, but the atmosphere is still straight out of a noir film.

But I digress.

Funny thing is, despite how much I like this page, I’ve owned it—and parted with it—once before.

Some paste-ups had me convinced that portions of the art were photostats rather than original drawings. Then I learned that Wood sometimes combined original art from different boards onto a single page, whether to incorporate shading from Craftint paper or to rework the storytelling or a “camera angle.”

Unfortunately, I learned that after I’d let it go.

Anyway, that’s probably more in-the-weeds information than you need. All you really need to know is that I really dig this page, and I paid dearly to own it a second time.

That last part I’d just as soon forget myself.

New York Comic Con, 2026 (Part 4 of 4)

October 21, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York City, October 8-11, 2026

Time for one last New York Comic Con update before we roll into the next convention season.

This fall marks 55 years since my first comic book—or any kind of pop culture—convention. So if I look tired… well, I have good reason.

Happy to see so many old friends, but I wish I’d learn to get a few more photos with them before we all wander off in different directions.

Well, it’s good to have goals.

And why, you ask, is Jamie Moy (Albert Moy’s spouse) pointing to my zipped jacket pocket? I’m glad you asked. Because, for once, I had my wallet secured—something she’s been relentlessly reminding me about for a few years.

That zipper isn’t easy to open. But if I were really smart, I’d put the wallet in, sew the pocket shut, and save a lot of money.

New York Comic Con, 2026 (Part 3)

October 20, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York City, October 8-11, 2026

A "realistic" Jurassic Park Dinosaur visits New York Comic Con, 2026. Photo by Greg Goldstein.

I’d call this a “realistic” dinosaur, but how would I actually know without a time machine?

Its tail hit me in the head a few times, so that’s realistic enough for me.

It looks like Blue from Jurassic World, although its name tag says “Rocky.” Maybe Blue is his stage name.

I never did figure out why its handler was dressed as if he’d wandered out of The Matrix. Maybe it relates to the most recent Jurassic World film, which I skipped. Come to think of it, it could relate to one of the previous films. Those weren’t just terrible; they weren’t memorable.

Or maybe the guy just likes The Matrix and has a pet Velociraptor.

But, as always, I digress.

One of the best things about this encounter was how many people barely gave the dinosaur a second glance. Then again, this was a comic book convention. In New York.

You’d be surprised how little attention a dinosaur attracts.

Or maybe you wouldn’t.

New York Comic Con, 2026 (Part 2)

October 16, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York City, October 8-11, 2026

New York Comic Con, 2026. Cosplay photo by Greg Goldstein

New York Comic Con, 2026 (Part 1)

October 15, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

New York City, October 8-11, 2026

Twenty years of New York Comic Con?! I should get a survivor’s merit badge. (Well, in fairness, I did miss two of them.)

Still, NYCC has the best cosplay of any show I attend. Take away the maddening crowds, and I might even have some fun.

Cosplay photo by Greg Goldstein, New York Comic Con, 2026.

Barry Windsor-Smith — Strange Brew

October 7, 2026 Greg Goldstein Original Art and The Artists

Marvel Premiere #3, July 1972

Doctor Strange by Barry-Windsor Smith. Original art from the colection of Greg Goldstein

Barry Windsor-Smith drawing Doctor Strange. I wish we’d gotten more of that.

This page is from Marvel Premiere #3, the launch of Doc’s new bronze-age solo series and the only issue of the run fully penciled by Smith. He also plotted the story, with Stan Lee handling the script.

And what a story. Doctor Strange vs. Doctor Strange. It gave Smith plenty to work with, and this terrific page is one of the results. I could explain what’s happening, but that would spoil some of the fun. It’s worth reading.

Trust me on this.

Smith helped usher in a new wave of young, “hipper” artists taking on Doc. Windsor-Smith. Starlin. Brunner. Different approaches, but all well suited to a character whose adventures could go pretty much anywhere. The stories and art got even trippier—which, considering where Ditko and Colan had already taken him, is saying something.

Marvel had been easing Doc back into circulation, first as a founding member of the Defenders and then with a major guest-starring role in Amazing Spider-Man. Now he had a series again. Well, technically, he took over Marvel Premiere for nearly two years before getting his own title back. Close enough.

One fully penciled issue. I’m glad we got it. Like I said, wish we’d gotten a few more.

It’s October, so we’re celebrating Halloween all month with some appropriately spooky selections from the collection. No costume required. (Although it helps.)