Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic connect, HRL, James Johnson, metropolis, Metropolis Gallery, new york comic con, The Walking Dead, vincent zurzolo

Metropolis Gallery Unveils Stunning Walking Dead Original Art And Comic Exhibit During NYCC

Published Wed, 27 Sep 2017 10:21:31 -0500

by Baltimore Lauren

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Fans of The Walking Dead, or just original art collectors in general, your time has come! Comic Connect has just unveiled their newest consignment, an unmatched collection of The Walking Dead comics and original art. The art and comics will be on display at the Metropolis Gallery starting October 6th — just in time for New York Comic Con!

"We are premiering this Auction preview Gallery Show to coincide with New York Comic Con and slightly ahead of the new season, which starts Oct 22nd," Metropolis co-owner Vincent Zurzolo remarked. He elaborated further on the impressive collection, the likes of which have never been seen before:

"With over 500 pieces of original comic art and 750 comic books this really is the best collection in the world. What makes it so good is the depth and breadth of the collection. The highest graded copy of #1 at a CGC graded 9.9 (out of a scale from 1-10) and straight super-high-grade runs all the way to issue #149 with special limited edition variant covers make it truly impressive. The original art consists of early pages by Tony Moore including 5 pages from #1.

One of the most memorable moments in the comic and TV series is the second page of the first issue wherein Rick wakes up from a coma in his hospital bed not knowing that zombies taken over the world. Page 20 from issue six when Shane gets killed, a stunning moment in the series is another great page in the collection. Also included are many first appearances including fan favorites like Carl, Laurie and Glenn.

There are many great pages featuring protagonists and antagonists alike from the series, including, Rick, Michonne, Negan, The Governor, Ezekiel, Tyreese, Dwight, Eugene, Dale, Carol and Andrea. Jame's was such a voracious collector he even started buying Production Art from the Walking Dead TV Series drawn by the masterful and recently deceased, John Watkiss. Stunning mixed media images of members of the group including Daryl (who was not in the comic book series) in action are simply stunning."

The collection comes from long time fan James Johnson, who is now focusing on other things in his life:

"I've always tried to be a completist when I collect. Kind of an all-or-nothing guy. I have 2 great daughters, one 4 and the other 8. I had become obsessed with hunting down every comic in the highest grade possible and every great interior piece of original comic art and a lot of covers too. Instead of spending hours every night trying to hunt down Walking Dead stuff I wanted to spend more time with my girls. As in past, collections I amassed were typically boxed up and stored away. I didn't wanted to see it happen to all these great comics and art. I felt it was better to give it back and let some other collectors have an opportunity."

As someone who collects Golden Age books, I certainly understand how daunting a task this is. Johnson exclaimed:

"To build a collection like this is not easy. There were times I had to pay extremely aggressive prices to pry a favorite piece loose from a collection. I did a lot of heavy lifting to build the ultimate Walking Dead Collection and now collectors around the world can reap the benefits!"

The Metropolis Gallery is located at 36 West 37th Street, 6th Floor — just 10 minutes on foot from the Javits Center. The exhibit's opening reception will be held Friday, October 6th from 6-9 p.m. and is open to the public. Thereafter, the exhibit is open for viewing Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. until December 1st.