HAPPY NEW YEAR! + 2022 Preview! + Collector meetup TONIGHT!

Published on December 31, 2021

To all our friends and supporters...HAPPY NEW YEAR! (This is a long one, but hang in until the end...)

I prefer not to pay attention to what's going on outside...but within our hobby, 2021 not only maintained 2020's record-setting pace, but exceeded it. We moved over 3600 pieces, from pages to covers to commissions to sketches, into your collections this year. Including over 60 complete issues and stories. It's a lot of sleepless nights packing/shipping, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

One of our primary goals from the beginning was to move our hobby past nostalgia, and to build appreciation for the incredible talent working today. So that artists can benefit NOW. And so today, our modern art continues to match sales with vintage art (per CAF's dealer market reports); something that has gone from unimaginable, to written off as a fluke, to now becoming accepted as a new reality of the market. This is only possible because of your unprecedented support! THANK YOU for making the vision come true!

And 2022 is shaping up to be even bigger.

Already announced projects include Matías Bergara's STEP BY BLOODY STEP, Ian Bertram's PRECIOUS METAL, Nick Dragotta's GHOST CAGE, and Ryan Stegman's VANISH. I've already seen the art and across the board, these guys are doing absolutely killing it.

Continuing hits are Cliff Chiang's CATWOMAN: LONELY CITY, Bilquis Evely's SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW, Sanford Greene's BITTER ROOT, James Harren's ULTRAMEGA (returning this summer!), Leslie Hung's SNOTGIRL, Stuart Immonen's THE MAGIC ORDER 2, Nic Klein's THOR, Andrew MacLean's HEAD LOPPER, Ryan Ottley's HULK, Riley Rossmo's HARLEY QUINN, Geoff Shaw's CROSSOVER, Ryan Sook's BLUE AND GOLD, and Marcio Takara's WONDER WOMAN.

Still to be announced: Big Marvel/DC and creator-owned projects from Filipe Andrade, Chris Burnham, Aaron Conley, Nick Derington, Langdon Foss, Stephen Green, Mike Huddleston, Daniel Warren Johnson, Jeffrey Alan Love, Chris Mooneyham, Tradd Moore, Nick Pitarra...plus an absolute blockbuster from Paul Pope.

As always, expect some stellar illustrations from Yuko Shimizu and Chris Stevens.

Plus more art from Bryan Lee O'Malley's SCOTT PILGRIM. And oh yes...AKIRA.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all the art as it arrives on our UNBOXING / ART SHOW livestream. We just started this new show in 2021...and it's a hit! We open the art live with the audience and we all get to check it out for the first time. And as you've just read, there's a lot you're going to want to see in 2022!

Everything we do now ties in to our charity efforts more than ever. Our main charity remains my personal one, the Lu Family Fund. 2021 was the first full year of our major initiative, The Second Opinion Project. I can report that we have approved every single application to date, enabling patients to seek critical second opinions in the treatment of their disease. And we already have survivor stories as a result. These are patients who would not be here otherwise. We are confident the Project will result in more. In 2022, we have some major fundraisers that we're planning, including the return of our art auctions. Your tax-deductible contributions are vital and always appreciated. More news to come!

OK, if you've made it this far, here's your reward: For New Year's Eve tonight, we're going to have a virtual meetup via Zoom. Expect some special guests. Maybe a LOT of special guests (hint, hint). If you'd like to join, write me and I'll add you to the invite list. Invite will go out at 7PM PST/10PM EST. Spots are limited...but this will be a night to remember. One last note: Everything that happens in the Zoom stays in the Zoom!

So yeah...2022 is going to be a massive year for original art. We've worked hard to get here...and we're ready. Let's have some fun. Thanks again, everyone, and talk soon!