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[page 12]

The original Shuster Studio artwork for page 12 of "The K-Metal from Krypton" recently went up for auction at ComicLink Auctions and Exchange.

Here is the item listing page.

The opening bid was one dollar, and the auction closed at $28,000

Bid history: here.

According to comic book historian Bob Hughes, the artwork for page 12 was done by Wayne Boring and Don Komisarow: "These guys did a lot of the newspaper dailies around this time.  Komisarow loved textured backgrounds.  Look at the tires, the bricks, the shading, the shadows, the creases in the suits.  Best page in the story so far."

Our reconstruction was done working from a partial photocopy, so as far as I know, this auction is the first time the full original page has ever been seen by the public.


Correcton: This is not the first time that the complete page 12 has been seen by the public; it was on previously on display at the San Diego Comic Con.

[Superman #400 painting]

This is another one that's been in the queue for a while.

I've added Bob Rivard's Superman #400 painting



to the Superman #400 section, such that the issue now opens and closes with a painting.

[narration text]

Summary of recent K-Metal updates:

Corrected the narration text in the first panel of page 2.

Toned down the "Hidden Gold" painting in the sixth panel of page 5.  This fix had been done in 2005, but for some reason was not currently live on the site.

Restored Bonus Pin-Up #1 (Lois & Clark homage) and #2 (Lois in the clouds)

Colored and completed the third Pin-Up (Superman in the clouds) which had been in the pipeline since 2006, using legacy period software and techniques. (I felt like Paul McCartney, finally finishing up the third Beatles reunion track!)

The line work for all three of these pin-ups was done by Angel Criado, and I hope that taken together they give some idea of the pure fun we were having working on this project.

I also made some K-Metal Reckoning T-Shirts and Mugs available at Cafe Press because I wanted to get a T-Shirt of my own.

Maybe two.

"Skyjump"

"Strange creatures from Mars"

[now online]

I hate to criticize such an obviously worthwhile project that all involved seem (deservedly) passionate about, but the newly-drawn,  color-ized version of that panel eliminates all of the charm and storytelling power of the original.

The most colorful aspect of the panel is now the painting.  Its microscopic detail is glaringly at odds with the simplicity of the forground figures.  The people who are having the discussion and carrying the story forward are eclipsed by this giant painting, which is described adequately enough in the original word balloon (charming and effective in its own right).

Again, this is a great project, presenting a free, readable, complete version of this "lost" story from the Golden Age of Superman, but I won't be raving about the "improved" Shuster studio art based on this sample.

Call me Mr. Crusty Curmudgeon :cry:

Thank you TELLE and I couldn't agree more.  The toned-down version is now online and live on the site:


https://k-metal.com/secret-of-the-k-metal/page-5/

Here are some more goodies I stumbled across in the archives:


(reference pencils by Angel)

[Alter Ego 26]

That is amazing, what did the script for it look like? [We see a meteor approaching earth...?]

Pretty much.  The description reads, "Shows huge meteor nearing Earth" (click/touch to zoom)



This is from Mark Waid's K-Metal article in Alter Ego 26 - the top shows Jerry Siegel's mimeograph, the bottom is Mark Waid's retyped version.

This article is what started the restoration project.

That is amazing, what did the script for it look like? [We see a meteor approaching earth...?]

It also amazes me sometimes that people drew things with this kind of perspective before the existence of space probes.

Alright! I was thinking about something yesterday (the Lois "Black Like Me" issue) and realized that I had written a Supermanica article on it like 20 years ago.

[full-size version]

Up until today, this wallpaper has only been available in the 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768 sizes.

I recently had all the material from the crashed K-Metal drive - including the artwork masters - recovered;  so here is the  full-size version of this classic wallpaper in  ultra hi-def 2681x2011

This brand new wallpaper size incorporates the original, full size artwork as created by Angel and Sarge in all its gorgeous sharp  and crisp detail; and also maintains the 4:3 aspect ratio of the 2007 versions.