4943

Frank Frazetta - Original Comic Strip Art for Li'l Abner Sunday dated 1-8-56 (United Features Sy

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Comics Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Frank Frazetta - Original Comic Strip Art for Li'l Abner Sunday dated 1-8-56 (United Features Sy
Frank Frazetta - Original Comic Strip Art for Li'l Abner Sunday dated 1-8-56 (United Features Syndicate,1956). From 1954 to 1962, Frank Frazetta toiled as a "ghost" artist on Al Capp's immortal comic strip "Li'l Abner." The production of the series was a genuine "team" undertaking, and all the artists, including Frazetta, deliberately drew in the Al Capp style that defined the strip's look for decades. Frazetta injected a little of his personal style into a few of the early dailies, such as the Marlin Brando parody storyline. Capp immediately told him to pull back and return to the "house style." Frazetta was reduced to penciling and drawing in the Bigfoot, heavy-handed mode that was at odds with his normal fine line approach. The "Li'l Abner" Marilyn Monroe page is a unique exception. Frazetta wanted to do a tribute to Marilyn, who is his all-time favorite female movie star. Al Capp granted him permission to do the page without help. The result is the only published "Li'l Abner" page that is completely penciled, inked, and lettered by Frazetta himself, with no assistance from the other studio artists. Frazetta himself has confirmed that this piece, the first Sunday strip for the year 1956, featuring the unmistakable likeness of MM in all twelve panels, is 100% his work. This is the only piece of original "Abner" art that Frazetta kept for his own collection. The linework is wonderful and the renditions of Marilyn capture her sexy presence in that distinctive way that made Frazetta world-famous. Never before offered for public sale, this is a unique and important item for Frazetta collectors everywhere. Measuring a large 29" x 20", this piece is in excellent condition and bears Capp's signature in the last panel. It should be noted that there has been a certain amount of professional conservation performed on this piece. Originally glued to a piece of masonite, the art was removed from the board and cleaned. No pieces were added, and none of Frazetta's brushwork was affected. This page is a genuine piece of history and worthy to occupy a place in any major collection. Important notice: Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.