Mignola Ebay auction, fraud or legit? (answer: fake)

[Jakob Westman]

Looks way off to me. I could be wrong and I don't mean to offend anyone.
But I'm curious what you guys think.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HELLBOY-ORIGINAL-ART-BALT-COMIC-CON-MIKE-MIGNOLA_W0QQitemZ180293146300QQcmdZViewItem?hash=i tem180293146300&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

/ Jakob

[AbeSapien99]

Seems legit to me. Could just be a rough drawing or something... maybe earlier work of his? I've noticed a faint difference between Mike's early Hellboy and his more modern graphic novels (I mean the early final Hellboy... not some of his conceptual ideas). That auction almost looks like the 'older' style.

But I'm definitely no expert, it's just an opinion. :p

[Ambassador Curt]

It has his name on it.
How can you argue with that?

[siamese goat]

I am willing to say legit. If you check their other auctions there is other originals by different artist as well as autographed items. I also know from experience that if you try to do a piece in your own style it looks like a bad forgery:biggrin: .

[dogboy443]

Looks like a convention sketch so I can't see trying to $300 for it. Also, I wonder why it has the old Dark Horse Legend logo in the upper right hand corner, unless Mike was goofing one day and was doing some loose warm up sketches. The composition just doesn't feel like Mike though.

Christine?

My 2 cents

[Ivar_L]

I'll be pretty surprised if this turns out to be real. Whoever did this surely knows how to draw, but all the strokes have very different flow somehow...

[FrBoukas]

Looks totally bogus.

[Kees_L]

Feels off to me as well: a 'sort of' Legend logo, wrong perspective or wrong form in HB's horns, overall weirdness in the blackened or blank-kept spaces. And what are those dots?
It resembles early ('93) stuff but HB himself certainly does not. It doesn't look like a sketch - rather an illo. Perhaps for a mag? But I feel MM wouldn't set it up like this.
So - in my humble opinion - I'd suspect it of being fake.

[hellboyone]

This is HORRIBLE. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about it is a mess. If this is legit, I'll eat my Hellboy hat.

[Myron L]

I'd have to agree at first glance that the Hellboy is not even what Mike's early stuff looked like...

[morna]

I say no. I can't see Migola doing a composition like that. Vaguely recalls Wake the Devil era HB but - nah

[gdeo]

i say ,NO. also....it looks wrong...even the composition looks weird:confused:

[Nick W]

Yeah, I've got to say fake. Of course, CBM will be able to totally verify, but it just feels wrong.

N

[CBM]

I have to wait until he comes home...til Monday...

[Mikolaj]

Semes fake to me. I can't imagine Mike with his fixation on perspective drawing a thing that's so off.

p.s.
However, the same seller has something that is worth checking out. Most of us consider a grail or at least a rarity - The Drawing on yout Nightmares Hellboy variant:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HELLBOY-VARIANT-COVER-VEGAS-CON-EXCLUSIVE-NIGHTMARES_W0QQitemZ180292351256QQcmdZViewItem?has h=item180292351256&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C 240%3A1318&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

[Neil Hill]

I'm curious what Mike will say of course (like everyone), but I'm gonna have to go with fake also. Mike is a much better artist than this thrown together hodge-podge of stuff would seem to indicate, and so many elements are off- not least of which the top portion of Rasputin's hood. The way it's cocked to the left is just bad design, and I know how focused on design elements Mike is. Also, the way Hellboy's jaw becomes almost a circle shape...Mike wouldn't do that...at least I don't recall that he ever has in quite this way.

Moreover; I think the fact that its remained at $160 is also a good indication that people are on the fence as to its authenticity. I'm gonna sake fake, fake, fake!

[gdeo]

shoot for $160 ...i'll reproduce it!:tongue:

[Roblin]

looks a bit strange for sure... but I would not rule out that it could be a convention sketch...

/R

[Asa]

I would not rule out that it could be a convention sketch...

/R

At Baltimore, that is hard to beleive, when is another question. I thought Last year was the first time he was at Baltimore. I saw the art portfolio both at SanDiego and Baltimore, and I did not see that one. Sketches were rare last year and this year. So that is just odd, but not impossible I guess, If I was seeing it, I would question it for that alone. At 300.00 dollars, that sets of bells also.

[CBM]

It's a fake!

[pimpernel]

Naughty...

[MarisaSmith]

Such bad, bad karma... :-(

[jimm]

nice catch all!

[Myron L]

Thanks, Christine, for the follow-up !!!

[mattmanw54301]

Christine, can you give Mike a message for me? Tell him that Crooked Man was amazing, and that we can't wait for Chapel of Moloch!!!!

[AbeSapien99]

Huh, so it is a fake... Well I must say it's pretty good. Guess I'll go eat a piece of some humble pie. :redface:

[Ambassador Curt]

I've been watching this thread like a soap opera. The fact that it actually turned out fake makes me feel good about my gut. When I first saw the art, I was thinking, that looks odd.

Still a good fake though. I can see it fooling quite a few people.

[gdeo]

ok...ok...i'll reproduce it for $299.99:tongue:

[Roblin]

It's a fake!

What a scam. Well spotted by Jakob!

Should we tell someone over at EBay???

[chiaroscuros]

Adam Hughes artist rep Allison Sohn has to shut down a couple auctions every single month because of fake art... Luckily, Mignola's art is a bit harder to fake... :)

I was actually on the fence with this one. The rotated panel on the page (being non-orthagonal) seemed like the biggest problem to me, and overall, it looked wrong on a bunch of small details. But it was dated 94' and it could have been the paper that covered his table at some booth that got cut out later, so basically Mignola just doodling to kill time.... and would explain the weird angle and composition that didn't fit together in any way. But I could never see Mike selling this, he has too much pride in his creations.

Anyway, glad to hear that it is fake and Christine should alert ebay and have the auction shut down (Allison can give you pointers if you ask).

[CBM]

I've contacted the seller...which I always do first.

[Kees_L]

I've contacted the seller...which I always do first.

CBM, I think that is very big of you. I mean remaining patient and involved and such. If it were my art that got faked I'd mainly get agressive I think, (but proud too :confused:)
Sellers of original art will probably have the odd occassional fake popping up, so they should remain civil and courteous and be willing to handle the matter agreeably. So CBM, I hope they will :smile:.

[AbeSapien99]

I'd be kinda flattered if replications of my art were attempting to be sold. But if they were actually sold and someone made $300 for ripping off my style, then I'd be pretty angry...

[dogboy443]

I also sent the seller a heads up and pointed him to page 2 where CBM states it's a fake. Hopefully the seller with cancel the auction and the bidder obligations.

[chiaroscuros]

The auction's been canceled.

Hurray, win for the good guys!

[Gribbie]

http://i1.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/12/0b/1483_1.JPG

What about this one?

[Todd H]

Aaand CBM covered it so no need for the link :biggrin:

[CBM]

http://i1.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/12/0b/1483_1.JPG

What about this one?
It's real...