A collection of limited edition artworks featuring iconic Marvel comic book covers, hand-signed by industry legend Stan Lee, are available at Castle Galleries, Chester.
In its seventh release in collaboration with Choice Fine Art, Marvel’s fine art publisher, Washington Green has published six new images to join its bestselling ‘Superheroes’ portfolio.
The new collection features a selection of iconic Marvel comic book covers dating from the 1960s through to the 1980s. It includes much-loved characters The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Invincible Iron Man, Wolverine and Captain America, a character that has now been part of the Marvel story for 75 years.
Each piece of artwork is individually hand-signed by Stan Lee, 93, who is credited with introducing complex characters with both light and dark qualities to the industry, in a difference from the archetypal American superhero. This type of characterisation had rarely been seen in comics before, contributing to Marvel’s widespread success as one of the most popular brands in the world today.
As Marvel’s Chairman Emeritus, Lee is recognised as leading the expansion of Marvel comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation during an era now referred to as The Marvel Revolution.
With comic archive Comichron estimating the comics and graphic novel market crossed the billion-dollar threshold in 2015 to reach $1.03bn – a 10% increase over sales in 2014 – demand for collector’s items and comic paraphernalia continues to grow.
Frances Woodhouse, Gallery Manager for Chester’s Castle Galleries – Washington Green’s nationwide network of high-street galleries – explains why its new ‘Superheroes’ collection is set to be a best seller: “With comic book sales increasing year on year, it’s no surprise that there is a growing appetite for our ‘Superheroes’ collection, which has proved our most popular series ever.
“Marvel has had a huge impact on popular culture – I think we can all relate to its very human characters in some way. This collection will appeal to both art collectors and superhero fans alike – it also features one of the most popular Captain America comic book covers as a homage to the character’s 75th birthday this year.”
The new Marvel ‘Superheroes’ collection will be available to buy from Castle Galleries, Chester, 18 St. Michael’s Row, The Grosvenor Shopping Centre, CH1 1EF from 10am on Friday 12th August 2016. The six signed limited edition prints are individually hand-signed by Stan Lee and are produced in a giclée (£695) and boxed canvas (£750 unframed, £995 framed) format.
For further information please see: www.castlegalleries.com.
The artworks on show at Castle Galleries are:
Wolverine #1
Published: 1982
Writer: Chris Claremont
Cover Artist: Frank Miller
He’s the best there is at what he does. But what he does isn’t very nice. See Wolverine do lots of not-nice things, like bear-fighting in the Canadian Rockies and sword-fighting with one of his greatest foes.
Marvel Super-Heroes Featuring The Incredible Hulk #82 – Marvel’s TV Sensation
Published: 1979
Writer: Roy Thomas
Cover Artist: Herb Trimpe
Bruce and The Hulk are finally separated, but can one live without the other? Can the monster live without the man?
The Amazing Spider-Man #65 – Escape Impossible!
Published: 1968
Writer: Stan Lee
Cover Artist: John Romita
Having passed out in the street following his fight with the Vulture, Spider-Man is taken into police custody, but George Stacy ensures that Spider-Man’s mask is not removed. Gwen looks for Peter, but can’t find him and assumes the worst...
Captain America #193 – Madbomb
Published: 1976
Writer: Jack Kirby
Cover Artist: John Romita
A group called the Elite develop a device called the Madbomb that causes people to go crazy and fight each other. After getting hit by a mini-version of the bomb, Captain America and the Falcon are recruited to find the Elite’s base and defuse the bomb before it goes off on the day of the celebration of the US’s bi-centennial.
The Amazing Spider-Man #40 – Spidey Saves The Day
Published: 1996
Writer: Stan Lee
Cover Artist: John Romita
Spider-Man battles the Green Goblin; while battling, an explosion erases the last several years of Norman Osborn’s memory, reverting him to his pre-Green Goblin state.
The Invincible Iron Man #1 – Big Premiere Issue
Published: 1968
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artist: Gene Colan, Mike Esposito
The issue begins with Iron Man/Tony Stark having just escaped a deathtrap by the Maggia in time to save Jasper Sitwell from Whiplash, when he is hit by AIM’s Vortex Suction Beam and pulled through the hull of the ship they were on, causing it to sink when AIM disengages their submarine. Next, Iron Man is taken to AIM’s base...
