I Am Legend (27/54) - Murray Tinkelman's original Berkley paperback cover illustration (1979)

I acquired the original art to my first I Am Legend cover in 1995. I had the opportunity to purchase one of the early Corgi UK paintings a few years later, and deeply regret not taking advantage of it. After I discovered that I had missed out on the Stanley Meltzoff painting auction, I created a want list on the Heritage auction site, should any other original I Am Legend covers come up for sale. And much to my surprise, in 2017, one did!

In 1979, artist Murray Tinkelman (1933-2016) created a series of eight Matheson covers for Berkley books, including I Am Legend. Tinkelman had an interesting, cross-hatch style, which had famously been used on many genre paperbacks including a series of H.P. Lovecraft collections.

Determined to acquire my second original I Am Legend cover, I calculated just how much I could bid, when factoring in the not-insignificant 25% buyer's premium and shipping costs. There were actually three of Tinkelman's Matheson covers in the auction, including The Shores of Space and A Stir of Echoes. I didn't expect either of those to have the same demand as Legend, but since Legend was the second of the three lots, I knew I'd at least have an idea going in if I had a shot at it. If someone were to bid more on The Shores of Space than I was prepared to pay for Legend, it would have been pretty clear I would be coming away empty-handed. So when Shores sold for a mere $550 (before BP), I at least knew I had a chance. (And while I wouldn't have minded having three Tinkelman Matheson's at that price, I couldn't risk expending any of my limited budget on a 'nice-to-have' piece until I had secured my 'must-have' piece.

Before the auction had started, I had already placed my high bid. For the first few seconds, it looked like it might top out at a similar price as Shores. But my thoughts of winning the auction at a fraction of my budget were short-lived, as the price slowly crept up, going back and forth between my proxy bid and another bidder. I resigned myself to the possibility that it was going to go to someone with deeper pockets than I, and tried to appreciate that I had at least maintained the high bid for a while. And then an amazing thing happened. The increases stopped. And frankly, they stopped when I was still 25% shy of my limit. When the auctioneer declared my bid the winning bid, I was ecstatic. 

Even though I won the Legend piece for less than I was prepared to pay, I decided not to bid on the Stir of Echoes cover (which also sold for $550 before BP). I figured it was best to let that go to someone else, and be thankful I won the piece I was most interested in. 

As is often the case, the printed reproduction doesn't do the original art justice. You can see how big the original is compared to the paperback below.

Tinkelman's signature and date were either scrubbed from the art on the book cover, which is not uncommon, or added after Berkley had returned it. 

It's worth noting that just two years later, in 2019, Tinkelman's Shores of Space painting sold at auction for $2100 (before BP). I think it's safe to assume the Legend painting has appreciated in value at least as much (nearly 4x) if not more than what I paid for it. Of course, I have no plans of ever selling it. 

Be sure to check back next week for another item from the I Am Legend Archive!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (26/54) - Super7 ReAction Figures (2016-2021)

When Super7 debuted their Universal Monsters ReAction line in 2016, I had no idea just how many variations of said figure I would come to collect! I debated whether or not to include these in a single post, or highlight each individually. As you'll see, I decided on the former, which I hope I don't come to regret in the future!

The Creature was originally released in Series 2 in a standard coloring scheme...

...as well as a glow-in-the-dark variant chase figure.

An alternative glow variation was released as a New York ComicCon exclusive...

...which frankly is a less-impressive glowing figure.

A gray 'Silver Screen' variant was also released on a foil-enhanced cardback, again as a New York ComicCon exclusive.

A few years later, a San Diego ComicCon exclusive was offered with a more garish color scheme on a nice, die-cut figural cardback.

Knowing where there was a market to exploit, Super7 didn't stop there! In 2020 they released a boxed version to mimic the Penn-Plax Aquarium decoration, not unlike what we showcased previously.

And lest you think they finished there, in 2021 they dropped a 'Silver Screen' black and white variant. 

They've definitely gotten their money's worth out of those molds! Believe it or not, there are even more variations of this Creature than those shown above (several I could thankfully live without!)

Be here next week for more from my Creature collection!

Godzilla (25/54) - Tsutomu Kitagawa original Godzilla illustration (2016)

In 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting two Godzilla actors at Monsterpalooza in Burbank: (left) Tsutomu Kitagawa [Godzilla 1999-2004] and (right) Ken Satsuma [Godzilla 1984-1995].

In 2016, at the same Alien Con where I picked up Christine Chapin's Chibi illustrations, I was able to purchase one of Tsutomu Kitagawa's original Godzilla illustrations for my collection.

'

Check back next week for another item from my Godzilla collection!

Happy 70th Birthday I Am Legend (26/54) - Stanley Meltzoff Gold Medal cover painting art print on canvas (2014)

Welcome to the bonus I Am Legend post. 

In 2014, I learned that the original Stanley Metzoff cover painting had sold at auction six months earlier. As disappointing as it can be, sometimes it's actually best to find out you missed out on an auction after the fact. While I would have been prepared to pay a pretty penny to add that holy grail to my collection, I definitely couldn't have bested the $37,500 it sold for.

But if you can't have the original, a 15" x 20" one-off reproduction on canvas is a nice (and affordable) consolation. 

The detail in the original painting is awesome — far better than one can appreciate by looking at the reproduction on the book itself. Thankfully, Heritage Auctions (ha.com) posts high resolution images of the items they auction for potential bidders to review. 

Come back next Monday for the next regularly scheduled post from the I Am Legend archive!

I Am Legend (25/54) - First Canadian printing (1957)

Perhaps you'e thinking, didn't we just see this post? Well, it does appear to be deja vu all over again — but it truly is different. At least partially. 

You see, when Gold Medal released their 2nd printing of I Am Legend in 1957, they simultaneously released the first Canadian edition. Easily overlooked, there are a couple of identifying marks you can use to tell the two apart.

First, the price. The Canadian printing has a 35¢ price, compared to 25¢ in the US.

Additionally, the back cover notes the country of origin with the line "Lithographed in Canada" just above the quote adjacent to Matheson's photo. The US edition does not specify where it was printed.

The copyright page also denotes "Printed in Canada" and you'll also note that it doesn't reference two printings as the US version does — as this is the first Canadian printing (despite the SECOND BIG PRINTING! notation on the cover).

This edition was one of many discoveries that I wasn't aware of in advance, but through the accumulation of multiple copies, after which the variation stood out. Unless you are holding the two copies side-by side, few would even notice the minor difference between them. But once you know to look for them, they can't be missed.

Be here next week for another item from my I Am Legend archive!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (25/54) - Super7 Creature From The Black Lagoon Universal Monsters Glowing Bubble wand (2022)

Super7 has done a ton for Creature fandom — including these Soap bubbles with wand designed to resemble Super Soakies bubble bath containers from the 1960s. They've offered a full line of Universal monsters in various decos, and I was finally suckered in by the (of course) Creature glow variant.

I was tempted to free him from his shrink-wrapped prison until I saw what they were currently selling for! Once again — the Creature dominates the secondary market, with this glow version topping the list. Thankfully, for anyone interested, Super7 still has the standard version in stock, as well as a 'Silver Screen' black and white variant, and a bright orange Halloween variant. 

 Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Godzilla (24/54) - Godzilla Fest exclusive Bandai Burning Godzilla vinyl figure (2021)

Somehow this 2021 Godzilla Fest Exclusive slipped past my radar until earlier this year (when I picked up the blue Godzilla -1.0 theater exclusive). As previously stated, I'm a sucker for interesting color variants, and this being one of my favorite Godzilla styles (1995), I had to pick it up.

Again, my fondness for interesting color variations, as well as my love for all of the various burning/meltdown Godzilla offerings from Godzilla vs Destoroyah made this a must-have for the collection. 

 Be here next week for another item from my Godzilla collection!