Greg Goldstein's Comic Art Gallery

Author: Greg Goldstein

Greg Goldstein is a veteran publishing and media executive; most recently, he was the Chief Operating Officer, President and Publisher of IDW Publishing, managing all aspects of the company’s book and games business from 2008 to 2019. Throughout his career, Greg has developed creative and profitable publishing programs for dozens of the world’s best-known entertainment brands including Star Wars, Transformers, Star Trek, James Bond, TMNT, Spider-Man, Batman and Godzilla. In 2013, Greg led IDW’s acquisition of Top Shelf, an independent publisher best known for Congressman John Lewis’ March trilogy, which has become the most lauded non-fiction graphic novel series in the history of the medium. In 2011, Greg won an Eisner award for his editing on the first-ever collection of Bob Montana’s Archie newspaper comic strips. (Published under IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint.) Prior to joining IDW, Greg was VP of Entertainment and Gaming for Upper Deck, responsible for the company’s blockbuster slate of games, including Yu-Gi-Oh, World of Warcraft and The VS Superhero system. During his tenure, he created Marvel Ultimate Battles, the first-ever trading card game that focused exclusively on Marvel’s popular mass media characters. As VP of Brand Development for Activision from 2000-2002, Greg established strategic partnerships with the largest Hollywood studios, and worked closely with Marvel Entertainment to successfully develop Spider-man into one of the biggest blockbuster licensed videogame brands in interactive history. Greg’s career has also included a successful stint at Topps, where he helped launch and manage Topps Comics in the mid 1990s. Additionally, Greg serves as an adviser for to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBDLF). He is also a frequent guest lecturer at San Diego Sate University and has presented at dozens of panels and conferences throughout the US. He is also a well-known collector of original comic book art and rues the day he sold his collection the first time around in the late 1990s.

Matt Wagner — Legacy Of The Hornet

Original Art and The Artists

Green Hornet Year One #7, December 2010

I had a nice selection of Matt Wagner Green Hornet covers to choose from when Matt offered them for sale. I picked this one because it featured the Hornet, Kato AND Black Beauty. (The automobile’s name for those not familiar with The Hornet’s world.)

This comic series deals with the original iteration of the Green Hornet, so the car is a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr, not a 1966 Chrysler Imperial as featured in the TV series that I adored as a kid.

But it still works for me.

The Golden Age Green Hornet and the Silver Age Hornet — a comic book version of the short-lived TV series that only lasted three issues.
Possibly my favorite Hornet illustration of all time: Jim Steranko’s painted cover for the 1989 comics version for Now Comics.

Peter Kuper — Underground Heatwave

Original Art and The Artists

The Dib, July 2022

Peter Kuper original cartoon art paying homage to Robert Crumb. From the collection of Greg Goldstein.

Peter Kuper creates a pitch perfect homage to Robert Crumb’s “Stoned Agin,” with his “Stunned Agin”, a commentary on increasingly intense heatwaves — as opposed to drug (over) use.

Kuper’s brilliant cartooning appears in the New Yorker, The New York Times, Charlie Hebdo and countless other publications. He has illustrated Mad’s “Spy vs. Spy” strip for more than 20 years. Other notable works include “Sticks and Stones,” “The System,” and his adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”

“Stoned” is among Crumb’s most famous cartoons; it was a ridiculously ubiquitous poster in the 70s, and continues to be in print today, at such “alternative outlets” as Wal-mart.com. The times, they have a-changed. (Or, if as I suspect, he’s not getting his fair share of royalties, maybe they haven’t changed all that much.)

The Original art for Crumb’s cartoon from 1971.
Original posters : Two-color version and blacklight edition.
Modern posters : full-color version and blacklight edition.

SDCC — With A Little Help From My Friends

Original Art and The Artists

San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-28, 2024

Marc Silvestri Photo by Greg Goldstein
Marc Silvestri
Mike McKone & Lena Leal-Floyd
Joe Quesada Photo by Greg Goldstein
Joe Quesada
Art Adams
Bill Schanes & Tim Lenaghan
Norm!
Klaus Janson
Jo Duffy
Stan Sakai
David Finch
David Armstrong — Holding an Aaron Lopresti commission he won in a bet
Becky Foote with Tron
Ira Friedman
Andrew Labrada
Peter Kuper
Dave Johnson & Jimmy Palmiotti
Eric Powell & Billy Tucci
Frédéric Manzano, Steve Morger, Greg Goldstein
Greg Goldstein & Joe Jusko
IDW Reunion Tour!

SDCC — Old School (Part 1)

Original Art and The Artists

San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-28, 2024

Somehow, another year SDCC has already come and gone, and again, I ask the simple question: How does it go by so quickly?

I can’t answer that, but I can say this: For better or worse, the convention is pretty much back to it’s pre-pandemic magnitude.

Minus, of course, the carpeting. Please, on behalf of feet (and backs) everywhere — bring back the carpeting.

Gahan Wilson — Face It, One Of The Best

Original Art and The Artists

Playboy, January 1963

Gahan Wilson Original Cartoon art, from the collection of Greg Goldstein

To say I was obsessed with Gahan Wilson’s amazing cartoons in the early 70s would definitely qualify as an understatement. The art and the gag almost always spoke to me.

I wouldn’t say I’m “obsessed” today… but I still love them and find them as entertaining as much as I ever did.

I’m delighted to finally own of his classic color Playboy cartoons.

San Diego Comic-Con — my 30th, at least — begins tomorrow, and who knows, maybe I’ll find another one.

Fun fact: A slight edit made to the final published caption vs Wilson’s submission.

Wilson’s cartoons appeared in various Playboy collections throughout the 60s – 80s, and then ultimately in a complete collection (inexplicably now out of print) published by Fantagraphics in 2010.

Jack Davis — Knockout

Original Art and The Artists

Playboy Magazine, November 1960

Can you think of another artist whose work appeared in Mad, Time, TV Guide and Playboy at the height of their circulation in the 60s and 70s? Not to mention seminal work as a visual storyteller at EC Comics?

Nope, me either.

“Jack Davis was quite possibly the most ubiquitous American humor illustrator of all time. Davis was a master cartoonist, caricaturist, and illustrator, and his funny, fast-paced, manic, beautifully rendered work has graced the covers of countless comic books, magazines, and record albums and has also appeared on movie posters, bubble gum cards, and advertisements. A virtual mind-boggling one-man industry, Davis has been called “the fastest cartoonist alive” and “the master of the crowd scene.” It’s astonishing to realize that this quiet Southern gentleman was usually finished with assignments for the day and out on the golf course by 2:30 p.m.”

– Drew Friedman from his Fantagraphics book, Heroes of the Comics.

Seth — A Good Page, If You Don’t Weaken

Original Art and The Artists

Palooka-Ville #5, May 1994, It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, 1996

It’s a mystery:

I have no idea why artist Seth (Gregory Gallant) is not held in higher regard by comic art fans.

Maybe it is because his art style is more classical New Yorker than traditional “alternative” art.

Whatever the reason, his originals sell for little compared to contemporaries like Daniel Clowes and Charles Burns.

Which of course has upside for collectors who want to acquire a beautiful original from his magnum opus, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, for a reasonable price.

Fun fact: When Seth’s biographical story was originally serialized in the comics Palooka-Ville, it appeared in black and white with gray tones added in the production process. When It was collected into the complete graphic novel, it was transformed into a duotone story with blue tones replacing the gray. (See below.)

Eric Powell — Goon 1, Jaws 0

Original Art and The Artists

The Goon #13, July 2005

Jaws is one of my favorite films. 

Probably top 5 if I really think about it.

In fact, anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a tradition of watching the film every year around the July 4 Holiday. (The film takes place in “real” time from about June 28-July 7.)

And of course, as discussed previously, I’m a big fan of Eric Powell and The Goon.

So, a page featuring the Goon vs. “Jaws”?  A no-brainer. (Ok, just a regular ‘ol aggressive shark, but still…)

My friends who are also super fans of both Jaws and Powell’s art — a bigger group than you might imagine — are also impressed.

Be careful at the beach, everyone. Last thing we need is a panic on the Fourth of July.

“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”