The Value of a Good Name

I spent some time with Joe Kubert at his studio last week. It’s always good to see Joe, a mutant of incredible health (b’li eyin hora), the Randy Coulture of comics—or perhaps Randy is the Joe Kubert of MMA. Joe was signing comics for an upcoming auction that will be used to support the annual Dave & Paty Cockrum Scholarship that Paty and I give at his school each year. He’s also been signing comics at the occasional comics conventions for free. But that’s about to change. And it’s not about the money, as anyone who knows Joe will attest to.

“I need to help raise the bar for other creators,” said Joe, an active participant in the Hero Initiative. “What I do impacts others.”

Joe is right, of course, and he is about to become the second highest paid signer in the business. Stan Lee, the highest, is now getting $50-90/signature, with proceeds donated to the new Stan Lee Literacy Foundation. Gene Colan, who I have represented for a year now, has upped his price to $20/signature. There’s no reason for comics industry elders to take less than their fair share of books that are set to be graded, slabbed and put on the market for much higher prices than their unsigned/ungraded counterparts. This is where the market has gone and rightly so; the elders and founders and pioneers of comics have made a fraction of what their creations continue to bring as rare, prized collectibles.

I will be the CGC "witness" at the first CGC signing for Joe Kubert. I am also coordinating signings for Rich Buckler and Gene Colan.

For more information on the Joe Kubert signing contact Chris Seminara at cseminara@akibia.com