Shadow 1 MECHANICAL COVER ART Mike Kaluta 1973 w) Code Stamp PUBLISHED KEY DC #1

$

2,400

SHADOW #1 Original Mechanical Production Art, The ACTUAL PIECE USED THE CREATE THE COVER TO SHADOW #1 FROM 1973!  A genuine classic cover to the FIRST DC VERSION OF THE SHADOW.  The publisher's registration info is on the reverse, as is the editorial 'okay' from 1973.  It also has the approval stamp, from the Comics Code Authority.  The background portion is greytone, it's on the board, while all the other elements are painted on, or glued or printed on the overlay, this is the historical piece where all the elements came together, creating the epic cover!  Awesome cover, by Michael W. Kaluta.  On this unique version, his signature is on the left, but on the published comic book, they moved it over under the code seal.  (Note his signature is printed on it, not signed by hand.)  All the white of the background area is painted on by hand.  The artwork is comprised of two layers, the bottom is the gritty sepia background with the haunting gaze of the looming mysterious figure, while the intricate detailed city and railroad imagery is on the clear acetate overlay, (the top layer has the upper masthead area affixed with the logo and price on the original stat.)  The overall size is a striking 9.5" x 13".

CLASSIC COVER BY THE RENOWNED KALUTA.

This is a rare DC art piece by one of the most respected artists of the past half-century!

This showpiece includes cool imagery of one of the cult classic characters, the Shadow!  Production Piece Utilized By D.C. Comics in 1973, NOT something used in the last couple decades for some compilation or archives or essentials or TPB or graphic novel or other such reprinting.  These old mechanical art pieces were few and far between in the Adler load, as most of the Adler trove was paper cover production art in the form of cover proofs and color guides, so this is an extremely rare offering of any black & white production material from the Adler pedigree. Since such material is among the more desirable, you may want to jump at this museum piece. 

Fan recognition and the desirability of rare vintage DC items have grown over the years, thanks in part to the ever-growing fame of DC heroes such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Arrow.  This time period is one of the most revered: The LATE SILVER-AGE TO EARLY BRONZE-AGE of Comics, which many long-term fans can remember well...  It doesn't get much more "Blue Chip" than this!  

Items like this only surface ONCE. The lucky buyer will be the only one to have this rare production art to this beloved issue. So don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

This is a must-have part of DC history for any fan of vintage comic-books and/or unique superhero ephemera, or of original production art to Bronze-age DC comics, or just the serious Shadow fan who likes having true rarities but cannot afford to shell out five-figure$ for the original Kaluta pencil art of the era!

NOTE: We also have other production art from this renowned pedigree, running on ebay now!

Many of you have read about this significant find in C.B.M. and/or C.B.G.
(Comic Book Marketplace #85 and Comics Buyer's Guide #'s 1399, 1402, 1414, etc.)
We are secure packagers and prompt shippers so expect to be pleased.

PROVENANCE:  Jack Adler worked through all the major periods of the comics: Golden-Age, Silver-Age, and Bronze-Age.  He even colored the plates for the very first golden-age comic, the landmark introduction of Superman, in Action Comics #1, when he was but a youth back in 1938. He continued his freelance work, including work for the comics and the fashion industry, and eventually became DC Comics' premiere colorist, on staff from the early '50's through the mid '80's, and was head of the art department for much of his tenure, doing much of the hiring and training.  He graduated from high school at the age of fifteen, and quickly got a degree in fine art.  He became proficient at sculpting, pencilling, inking, painting, and photography. He pioneered the washtone/graytone effect which became so popular on the DC "Big Five" war titles. Plus, he inked many '50's, '60's, and '70's comic covers as well. Moreover, he also developed the "3-D" process used on the Batman 3-D and Superman 3-D comics in 1953; --so we're talking about a major contributor to DC history!  During the summer of 2004, the living legend himself, Jack Adler, (thought by some to have passed away years prior), at the urgings of his kind family, made his very first public appearance, at the San Diego Comic-Con.  He was honored Thursday afternoon at the ever-popular convention with the Inkpot Award For Excellence for Outstanding Achievement In Comic Art, and a rousing standing ovation from the many onlookers at the panel of Golden-Age and Silver-Age Greats. On Friday at the Comic Con, there was a one-on-one panel, with just Mark Evanier and Jack Adler, titled "Spotlight On Jack Adler", and many questions were answered for the large crowd of audience member, who were kept entertained by the charismatic and respected living legend.  It is amazing how many great names were hired on by him.  I also found out that he invented the 3-D image technology popularly used in Viewmasters, but was unable to get the deserved patent, as the film itself had been patented, (but not in a similar 3D format, so he got burned, as viewmaster was able to capitalize freely.)  Plus, the method that made integrating photo cover and line-drawn cover art easily into a single cover image was also pioneered by this influential innovator.  (The technology was supposed to be kept a secret, but was leaked immediately by a DC exec.)   Julius Shwartz had told him "don't tell me about it, just do it", and when it worked, it worked, and was immediately utilized, as the articulate and charming Adler related.  As an accomplished photographer, he created covers using photographs he had taken of his own grandchildren, producing his own copies of Shazam #2 and #6, which were displayed on an overhead projector to the glee of many enthralled listeners.  The picture of Captain Marvel, sitting reading to the innocent youths, was actually of Jack Adler reading to his grandkids.  (These same grandkids were present at the panel, and turned out to be pleasant, gracious, and kind adults.)  Moreover, he highly touted the art skills of good friends Neal Adams and Joe Kubert, (relating entertaining stories, of course.)  He helped Kubert set up his now legendary School Of Comic Book Art. Once the school was set up, he was supposed to head the school, but had to back out, as he couldn't bring himself to move to New Jersey. You could write a book on the contributions Mr. Adler has made to the medium many of us know and love.  He passed away at the age of 93 in September of 2011.

 Back in the "good ole days", DC normally burned or discarded such production art once the comic went to print.  Mr. Adler painfully remembers himself and fellow DC artist Jerry Serpi cutting up thousands of pages of original comic line art and production art.  He said it broke his heart to destroy all that beautiful artwork;  But back then, nobody foresaw the future value of such exclusive pieces of comic-book history.  Fortunately, during the period of 1967 to 1974, this award-winning artist pulled aside many prime examples, representing each step of the comic-making process. Nevertheless, there's an extremely small amount of items that were saved, considering the volume that was produced in those days. It is estimated that out of 840,000 pieces created for the production process over that time period, only about 4,000 or so survived, thanks to Jack Adler; ~A miniscule pecentage of less than one half of one percent.

This is the actual COVER MECHANICAL ART for this popular #1 hero comic. Sometimes called a "Paste-Up Cover", this is where they brought the line-drawn art together with the logo and cover copy and the photographic background, creating the revered comic cover straight from this masterpiece.  The original pencil art was not present in the Adler load, unfortunately, and I do not know if it still exists; Thankfully, this amazing piece was retained, serving as both an artistic showpiece and a historical document.

Back in the late eighties, in Texas, Mr. Adler and his grandson sold almost his entire collection, comprised of the DC Archives of comic production art, in one fell swoop. Then, years later, it changed hands again, with the vast bulk of the load still untouched... Eventually, after lengthy negotiations, a longtime friend and I were able to acquire the whole load, except for the horror, from the Southern California art collector who possessed this landmark find since 1997. The horror genre took me an additional three and a half years of wrangling, but they too are finding their way into the hands of the true fans, who can preserve and cherish them the right way.  After Mr. Adler passed away in 2011, I was invited to view and bid on his remaining art pieces, featuring many special items including this one that he'd never been willing to sell and had lovingly kept in his own collection all those decades in his home in Queens, New York.  I took some pictures inside and outside of his long-term home, and have included one with the pictures above so you can see his old house, where such amazing historic artwork was kept for all those years.  For additional information regarding this popular pedigree, check out the lengthy color article on the Adler Collection in the September 2001 issue of Comic Book Marketplace (which is still available in our ebay store!) Additional art can also be found by checking the Key Comics ebay store (user ID: keycomics). Buy aggressively, as such items are one-of-a-kind, and DC production pieces from forty-plus years ago are notoriously rare.

A Certificate Of Authenticity is included, forever guaranteeing the provenance of each piece from this major historic discovery.  These items are larger than comic size; since they were part of the editorial process they can include tack-holes, indentations from a paper clip, staple-holes, chips, pencil notations, creases, tape, and/or edge wear. (This one has some mild general signs of aging but is otherwise in excellent shape!)   

As Usual: LOW ASKING PRICE AND NO RESERVE!

KEY COMICS was previously a long-term CBG, Combo, Comic Book Marketplace, CVM, Wizard, & Overstreet advertiser and CBM Market Report Contributor, and is also a long-term CGC Member Dealer that has specialized in Mail-Order Comics for over a quarter-century;
Buy with confidence.

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For more samples from our diverse inventory, including superb CGC-Graded Comics, plus more DC COMIC ART from the historic Jack Adler Collection that is listed in assorted categories, please see our store. Good Luck and Happy Collecting!  Buy It Now -- Once it's gone, it's gone...