Contributed by collector and Overstreet Advisor Art Cloos
Photos by Alice Cloos
On August 28, 2022, the New Jersey Comic Art Con made its summer appearance and second at its new location at the LaQuinta by Wyndham in Secaucus, NJ. Billed as the tristate area’s premiere event to buy, sell, and trade original comic book art by its promoter Joe Veteri, this was the 27th edition of the show.
The show was moved to the new venue to be closer to Manhattan as the LaQuinta is a short bus or car drive from the Big Apple. Putting aside the signage issues with the roads in that town causing a lot of lost attendees, a great time was had by all once they arrived.
The dealer list included sellers from across the country and many of the show’s regulars were there including Bechara Maalouf, Albert Moy, Will Gabri-El, Hans Kosenkranius, Anthony Snyder, Nathan Rose, Bob Stevenson, Brad Savage, Glen Brunswick, and Rich Donnelley, among others. Auction houses ComicLink and ComicConnect were also at the show. The guest artists included Neon Not Lee, the first guest artists in attendance at one of Veteri’s art cons since 2019.
As with past shows this one was once again a hot topic in the various Facebook groups devoted to collecting original comic art. In the past Veteri, has specifically asked me to say here that if you are an artist with a Marvel or DC pedigree or if you know one or represent an artist, he is filling slots for future shows. As a rule there will only be one to two possible spaces available per show and will likely be filled quickly.
Allie and I got to the show just as it opened, and there was already a considerable number of collectors checking out the vendor displays and going through art portfolios. There had to be almost 40 tables with a wide variety of original comic art. It was much more than what one would find at a traditional comic convention. The 10,000-square-foot space featured dealer tables against the wall with an aisle in the middle. As a result, there was plenty of room to walk around without bumping into someone else. Once again, dealer Anthony Snyder had a significant wall display and tables filled with items that take quite a while to go through. The same is true for Bechara Maalouf, who also had a very significant display of wall art and portfolios.
There was a strong showing of Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age comic art. I saw less Golden Age art this time than in past shows, but with so much art on display there was still plenty to look through. That said, ComicConnect had a beautiful Pep Comics #30 cover as well as an EC Gun Fighter #6 cover for sale. Dealers had portfolios full of original comic covers, pages, and splashes for sale. Commissions, sketches, and paintings were also on display. I’ve noticed that over the last few years Marvel, both in vintage comic sales and original art, has tended to dominate at both comic and art shows. That ratio between Marvel and DC art seemed more even at this edition.
For me, though, the highlight piece was the Showcase #24 cover, which is the third appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern. According to Glen Brunswick, the other two covers from issues 22 and 23 have never appeared for sale.
In past conversations with Veteri, he told me that part of his Comic Art Con’s unique value comes from his outstanding attendees, many of whom bring art to either sell, trade, or share with other collectors. Many deals get done collector to collector. Also the best shows are the ones where people talk about their comics, or their art and this show is one of them. This is also a show where deals are made in the hotel rooms before the show even starts.
We ran into a lot of familiar faces at this show, like longtime friends Frank Giella (son of comic artist Joe Giella) and Ankur Jetley, I talked with collector Brian Ketterer, and met collector Bob McGann. New Jersey Comic Art Con co-creator Dan Gallo was also in attendance. At an earlier show he had talked to Allie about the con, saying that “his baby is all grown up now,” and he was very proud of what the show has become. As we left the show on Saturday we already were looking forward to next year’s editions of the show.
There are no on-site places to eat in the hotel, however, it offers free breakfast. There are eateries within walking distance, including Italian and seafood restaurants. The show was open from 10 AM to 4 PM and the price of admission was $10. Parking was available across the street in a free multilevel garage.
The dates for the 2023 editions of the NJ Comic Art Con have not been announced yet. Veteri can be reached at jveteri@coopmail.net or by calling (973) 768-6649 to arrange to set up at his next show. For more information on dates and attending future shows check his website at www.veteriproductions.com or his Comic Art Con Facebook page.
To see more photos from New Jersey Comic Art Con, jump to our In the Limelight section.
