By Will Henderson
The eighth annual New York City Comic Con Charity Art Auction raised $46,730, after three-and-a-half hours of heated bidding on 202 pieces of art – from sketches, pin-ups, and unpublished prelims and interior pages to published covers, interior pages, and mixed media pieces.
Add Saturday night’s total to the amount raised in the last seven years, and the event has raised $445,855 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
“They make sure that everyone who needs treatment gets it, and that no family is turned away because of their ability to pay,” said auction organizer – and this year’s auctioneer – Michael Negin, who dedicated this year’s auction in the memory of his niece who died earlier this year.
Throughout the auction, Negin recognized the artists who donate pieces each year, donated even though they weren’t actually tabling at NYCC this year, and in the case of artist Marcio Fiorito, donated two sketches, after his first sketch of X-23 went missing with his luggage. That story ended well, at least for the auction and the winning bidder, as Fiorito’s missing luggage and sketch was found, but only after he had sketched a replacement. He donated both pieces to the auction.
The auction gives collectors and fans a chance to pick up a great piece, often at a smoking deal, and also a chance at taking home a piece that they’d never otherwise have a chance to own. Like the full figure Poison Ivy that Jen Bartel donated, and the page from Deadly Class that Wes Craig donated, and the sketch of Okoye that Bret Blevins donated that later Danai Gurira, the actress who plays Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, signed.
“Bid with your hearts,” Negin said several times during the auction, “because every penny goes to helping a sick child.”
And the more than 115 bidders did just that, with bidding intensifying for several key lots, including Humberto Ramos’ original variant cover for Ironheart issue 1, Mark Brooks’ original cover to X-Men Legacy issue 261, Batman sketches donated by Neal Adams and Tony Daniels, a Jane Foster Thor print with Odinson remarque donated by Olivier Coipel, a Wonder Woman sketch donated by George Perez, and the evening’s biggest prize, a sketch of Miho from Sin City donated by Frank Miller, which went for $2,900.
