Got cash?
I think it’s fair to say that one of the holy grails for DC collectors — and collectors of great comics art — is the ’80s DC Style Guide art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.
I still hold out hope that DC will release it as a book at some point but until then I’ll make do with the copious examples across the internet.
Then again, if your pockets are especially deep, you can bid on the original art for two pages that are up for sale at Heritage Auctions — a Batman page and a Hawkman page, each inked by Dick Giordano.
Dig this:
As I write this, the Batman page is at $552 and Hawkman is at $360. Both auctions end in mid-January.
Plus, if you want to see these in color, check out the pages posted on Facebook by the Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez Fans page:
Heritage has auctioned off other Style Guide pages over the last year or so. Here’s a selection of 11 of them — making for a complete 13! — with sale prices, including the buyer’s premium:
$7,200 — Dick Giordano inks
$8,400 — Giordano inks
$10,200 — Giordano inks
$3,600 — Giordano inks
$3,600 — Giordano inks
$6,600
$18,000 — Giordano inks
$7,200
$17,400 — Giordano inks
$2,340 — Giordano inks
$9,600 — Giordano inks
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MORE
— 13 GROOVY ILLUSTRATIONS: Dig JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ’s BATMAN ’66 Style Guide Art. Click here.
— 13 GREAT ILLUSTRATIONS: A JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ Birthday Salute — 2021 Edition. Click here.
December 29, 2022
Look at how clean that artwork is! I don’t think I see a single correction. Why, oh why, will DC not release that Style Guide as an omnibus (or better yet, as an Absolute Edition)? No other artist in the history of the company has been more closely (and exclusively) aligned with the DC brand than JLGL. This needs to be published for posterity.
December 29, 2022
I love his work! Interesting how the Batmobile is a different design in the colorized version.
December 29, 2022
DC could and should publish this style guide for mass consumption–they’d make a mint!
I know I would buy one (or two)…
December 29, 2022
It’s just not fair that DC won’t release Mr. Garcia-Lopez’s entire style guide he did for them. They’re sitting on an absolute goldmine of awesomeness.
December 29, 2022
I love his work. I think he is one of the greatest but unsung artists of the late 20th century. Thank you for sharing these.
December 30, 2022
Fantastic stuff here. Back when DC and comics in general were bright and fun.
December 30, 2022
Add me to the chorus of folks who will never understand why DC just doesn’t release a book with ALL their style guide art JLGL (PBHN) has done over the past 4 decades. It’s practically criminal at this point.