The SDICC Tad Too Late Album - The Primary Reason I Visit

    By far the most compelling reason I was drawn to comic books as a kid was the art. 

   No pun intended.

   Seriously. I started drawing when I was a toddler, and not just on the walls. I do not have a clue as to what compelled me to pick up a crayon and start drawing, but it happened and it doomed me to the life I live ever since.

   Well, doomed may be too strong a word.

   Aywhatzit, it was the drawings that grabbed me, not the superheroes or the stories. Those two elements were always secondary to the artists. Neal Adams was the featured guest at the first con I ever attended, and the first piece of art I ever paid money for was a sketch of the Batman from the aforementioned Mr. Adams.

   Cost $15.00, which was a fortune to me at the time. Worth every single penny. 

   There was a lot of original art being sold at the SDICC this year, which I somewhat expected. What I didn't expect was how much the artwork was being sold for.

                               Yeah...that's $245,000...

                                      Gil Elvgren pin-up...$35,000