I'm sure folk will have seen the MACH1 art from prog 4 that's currently up for sale on evilbay...worth a look if you haven't seen it just to see a page of art inscribed with the letters "JNP13".
For those not in the know this stands for 'Juvenile New Publication 13' - the pre-launch designation/codename for 2000AD.
All details & images are on the blog https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/mach-1-original-art-from-prog-4.html (https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/mach-1-original-art-from-prog-4.html)
Hadn't seen these so thanks for the heads up.
I wonder why so many of these early pages are coming up at the moment?
Oh and also there's a fascinating page by the same seller (where are they getting this stuff from!). A Dan Dare page, well a couple actually, from the 1979 Annual.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384403915121?hash=item5980424171:g:M-EAAOSwmbdhQiqb (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384403915121?hash=item5980424171:g:M-EAAOSwmbdhQiqb)
What I find absolutely intriguing there is that the red colour is actually applied to the art itself. I always assumed (why I don't know) that on the pages like this - and there's a few in the early annuals - the red tones were added in some process after the art was in. But apparently not.
Looking at some of their other items say they are original artwork but are production pages prints of the original artwork cut to fit the page like this Flesh front cover for prog 14 selling for over £1,000 you can see clearly where it has been cut and replaced with tape/glue marks where the speech bubbles should be
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384406087663?hash=item59806367ef:g:shAAAOSwjH1hTY7l
I#m wonderng if this is the work of Doug Church, who Pat often sites as bein responsible for trying to make the layouts more dynamic? That in itself would make those pages historically important.
less than an hour to go on this - bids are currently at £510 - where will it end up? I'm gonna guess £750
boom! sells for £1,287
more early MACH1 art up for sale* currently, this time from prog 3 (art by Belardinelli) - ends tonight
https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/mach1-art-from-prog-3-up-for-sale-ends.html (https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/mach1-art-from-prog-3-up-for-sale-ends.html)
*I'm not the seller - and am unlikely to be the purchaser :(
auction over - original piece now updated with prices realised (£1200 for that page form prog 3)
2 more early MACH1 pages (from prog 16) up for auction - all details https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/more-very-early-mach1-pages-up-for.html (https://boysadventurecomics.blogspot.com/2021/10/more-very-early-mach1-pages-up-for.html)