Hake’s Auction #243 is off to a strong start, led by a plethora of pop culture and Americana collectibles in 1,449 lots. The original art section is loaded with around 150 great pieces from comic books, comic strips, animation, and more.

The West Coast Avengers #33 cover by Al Milgrom with inks by Mike Machlan shows Wonder Man battling a troop of advanced ape warriors with Moon Knight, Tigra, Hawkeye, and Mockingbird defeated in the foreground. Giant-Size Super-Heroes Featuring Spider-Man #1 page 22 by Gil Kane with inks by Mike Esposito features a conflict between Spidey and Man-Wolf. The five-panel page from Gerry Conway’s “Man-Wolf at Midnight!” story features Spider-Man in every panel and Man-Wolf is in four of the five.

The Captain America #215 page 23 by George Tuska has five panels telling the origin of the German Captain America and Bucky clones and retelling the Silver Age origin of the real Captain America. The Marvel Comics Presents #114 cover by Steve Lightle depicts a slightly burned Wolverine with a rifle in hand and claws extended as he yells from atop a pile of bodies.

The Marvels #4 page 26 by Alex Ross boasts his iconic realistic style on a three-panel page dominated by Sub-Mariner’s Atlantean landing force advancing on New York City. The Captain America Comics #7 splash page recreation by Joe Simon recreates art he published with Jack Kirby of Red Skull looming over Captain America and Bucky.

Hake’s is offering multiple pieces by Ken Kelly, including the record art for Stormburner’s Shadow Rising album of a muscular hero hefting a battleaxe on a longship as a dragon bursts through the sail behind him. The painting for Burt Cole’s The Quick first edition dust jacket sees a Shaman armed and standing amid the ruins of a post-apocalyptic landscape. The Kelly listings also include a painting for a proposed fantasy book and the “Escape – The King” barbarian original illustration.

The selection of comic strip art includes several Amazing Spider-Man daily strips by John Romita Sr. The three-panel strips from 1980 hail from the Gary and Dawn Guzzo collection.

There’s plenty of original art outside of comic books and strips. The Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck 1948 Rexall Magazine Christmas cover art by Hank Porter is a charming image of the characters enjoying holiday festivities. The Marooned on Mars book cover painting by Paul Orban has a great sci-fi scene of a rocket ship about to launch into space. The Transformers: Action Masters Inferno art shows the character ready for battle and appeared on the action figure’s blister card.

Hake’s Auction #243 is open for bidding now through Tuesday and Wednesday, March 25-26, 2025, at hakes.com.