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Max Fleischer Studios - Out of the Inkwell Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 12-1-34 (King Feat

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Comics Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:50,000.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Max Fleischer Studios - Out of the Inkwell Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 12-1-34 (King Feat
<B>Max Fleischer Studios - Out of the Inkwell Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 12-1-34 (King Features, 1934).</B></I> It's not a well-known fact, but Max Fleischer's first animated star Koko the Clown was featured in his own newspaper comic strip. Koko was a star long before Mickey Mouse, and his early cartoons were filled with innovative techniques, like Rotoscoping (invented by the Fleischer Brothers for the Koko cartoons; it involved filming live-action movement, and then tracing it for animation). Here's a rare example, done completely in pantomime, starring Fleischer's happy-go-lucky clown who just happens to live inside a bottle of ink! An amusing chase follows, as a mouse, a cat, a dog, and finally Koko run in place, creating an early "scale" gag that would be repeated many times to come. There were only four of these <I>Inkwell</B></I> strips ever produced and this (the second one) is the only original known to survive. The strip is in two pieces that have been taped from behind to form one 18" x 25.25" art board, with an image area of 14.5" x 22". A water stain has darkened the final three panels, but the image is still sharp; overall, the page is in Very Good condition. <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> 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. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. 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.