Beyond the Printed Page: Four Original Art Highlights

There’s something special about seeing the original artwork behind a familiar illustration. Before the logos, titles, and printed pages, there was an artist deciding how to use color, suggest movement, and capture a moment worth remembering.

Those original decisions take center stage in Hake’s Auctions’ November 2026 Comic/Art Auction, open for bidding on Bidsquare from October 20 through November 11, 2026. The sale brings together original art from the Tim Hildebrandt Estate and comic books from the Troy Potter Collection, with 567 lots to explore. Here are four original artworks that deserve a closer look.

Ken Steacy’s Ultraman #2 Cover: A Hero in Full Color (Lot 64)
If you remember Ultraman for its larger-than-life battles, Ken Steacy’s painted cover for Ultraman #2 delivers exactly that kind of drama. Created for Harvey Comics’ Ultracomics imprint in August 1993, the acrylic painting puts Ultraman Great front and center, lifting a wounded Universal Multipurpose Agency pilot to safety while the wreckage of a Hummer jet burns below.

The contrast is what makes the image so compelling: cool blues on the hero’s figure set against a sky alive with fiery reds and oranges. The scene feels urgent, but the hero seems completely in control.

Based on the 1966 Japanese television series, this American comic adaptation had a brief publishing life, making its original cover art an intriguing piece of the character’s history. Steacy even signed and dated the work on Ultraman’s chest, just below his Color Timer.

Estimate: $2,000 - $4,000

The Brothers Hildebrandt’s The Fire Crystal: Fantasy on a Grand Scale (Lot 9)
Some artwork demands a second look simply because of its size. Measuring more than 34 by 41 inches, The Fire Crystalby twin brothers Greg and Tim Hildebrandt is a dramatic reminder of how much storytelling can happen in a single image.

Painted in 1978, it appeared in Urshurak, the 1979 fantasy novel co-authored by Jerry Nichols and the brothers. The painting depicts women warriors wielding the Fire Crystal amid an explosive battle in a city. Golden light seems to erupt through the scene, drawing the eye from the figures to the surrounding action.

It was one of 16 full-color plates created for the book, alongside more than 80 black-and-white illustrations. It’s the sort of classic fantasy painting that rewards a long look.

    Estimate: $9,000 - $15,000

Tom Morgan’s SilverHawks #4: The Work Behind the Cover (Lot 71)
Original comic art has a charm that a polished printed issue can’t quite reproduce. You can often see the mechanics of how a cover came together, and Tom Morgan’s artwork for SilverHawks #4 is a great example.

Drawn in pencil by Morgan and inked by Mike Witherby, the cover was published in February 1988 by Marvel Comics’ Star Comics imprint. It captures a lively confrontation between Copper Kidd and Mumbo Jumbo from the story “Copper Kidd Beats the Odds.” The exaggerated movement gives the scene plenty of personality.

What makes this lot especially interesting is what remains with the art: an acetate overlay carrying the logo and trade dress, a separate logo color-break sheet, and a small text paste-up. These production details show how the image was prepared for publication. Witherby’s signature at the bottom adds another personal touch.

      Estimate: $3,000 - $7,000

Tim Hildebrandt’s The Flight: A Journey to Another World (Lot 38)
Tim Hildebrandt’s painting for the April 1993 cover of Amazing Stories feels like an invitation to step into a science-fiction adventure. A raygun-carrying spaceman and a woman stand on an alien planet, watching a spacecraft pass overhead. Unfamiliar plants fill the landscape, and pyramid-like structures rise in the distance.

The colors give the scene much of its atmosphere. Pink skies, strange vegetation, and the distant craft make this imagined world feel both welcoming and mysterious. There’s action here, but also a moment of wonder as the characters pause to take in what they’re seeing.

Painted in acrylic on Masonite, the signed work later appeared as Comic Images Collector Card #8 in 1994. It’s a nice example of artwork finding a second audience beyond its original publication.

      Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000

A Chance to Collect the Art Behind the Stories

Whether your interest lies in the sweeping worlds of fantasy painting or the hands-on process of creating comic covers, these works offer something beyond nostalgia. They show the decisions, details, and handiwork behind the finished pages.

Hake’s Auctions’ November 2026 Comic/Art Auction closes November 11, 2026. Explore the full catalog and discover more original artwork and comic book collectibles available for bidding on Bidsquare.com.