Superman Lands At JFK Library

Above, the late, great Al Plastino.

Finally, after 50 years, Al Plastino's artwork for "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" is where it was intended to be, at the John F. Kennedy Library.

Newsday reports:

Last October, a month before his death at age 91, comic book artist Al Plastino of Shirley was upset to learn that drawings he thought had long been at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library were instead in private hands and up for auction. 

Now, the illustrations he drew for the DC Comics story "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy," and which he was fighting to reclaim at the time of his death, are finally where they were intended to be all along. 

Once legal paperwork is complete, the library in Boston will officially own the original artwork. DC Entertainment, which publishes DC Comics as part of Warner Bros. Entertainment, stepped in to buy the black-and-white drawings from the private owner and donated them to the library in December.

To read the full story, go here. 

Al Plastino's JFK Art Shown To Son and Daughter At DC Entertainment

Above, Al Plastino's daughter MaryAnn (second from left) and son Fred (far right) at
DC Entertainment with the Al Plastino JFK artwork. Photo: Al Plastino Facebook page.

Members of the Al Plastino family recently were able to get an up-close look at the original artwork Plastino drew for the 1964 Superman story, "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" at DC Entertainment's offices in New York City.

DC bought the artwork and it will be (it may have already been done) donated to the John F. Kennedy Library.

It is still somewhat a mystery as to how the pages weren't donated 50 years ago and how they ended up in the hands of a private party. A recent post at Al Plastino's Facebook page hints that the pages were stolen years ago.

Plastino's daughter MaryAnn said that DC will make (or made) scans of the artwork the the Plastino family.

I am pleased to see that this story has a happy, but bittersweet ending (due to Al Plastino's death before the pages were acquired by DC Entertainment).

Al Plastino Is Smiling From Heaven: DC Acquired JFK Artwork and Will Donate It To JFK Library

DC Entertainment has announced that they have acquired the original Al Plastino artwork for "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" and will be donating it to the John F. Kennedy Library.

From the DC Comics website:

Al Plastino was one of the most influential and prolific Superman artists of the 1950s and 1960s. His passing last month saddened the entire DCE family. 

One of Plastino's most recognizable pieces was a Superman story he illustrated that featured President John F. Kennedy titled  "Superman’s Mission For President Kennedy." Among Plastino’s final wishes was for the original art for the story to be displayed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, MA. 

As a tribute to honor him and preserve his artistic legacy, DC Entertainment is pleased to confirm that we have acquired the art and will be donating it to the JFK Library, fulfilling Plastino's longtime hope for the story, which he often pointed to as one of his most important artistic contributions.

I am glad to see that this is having a happy ending. Al Plastino is smiling down from heaven.

Kudos to DC Entertainment for doing right!

Al Plastino, R.I.P.

Above, Al Plastino.

One of the few remaining Golden Age and Silver Age comic book artists, Al Plastino, passed away yesterday at age 91 of prostate cancer.

Recently, Plastino has been involved in litigation over artwork he drew for "Superman's Mission for President Kennedy" that was intended to be donated to the John F. Kennedy Library.

Above, a Facebook message to me on the Superman-JFK artwork matter from Al Plastino from a few weeks ago.

Somehow, those pages of art never made it to the Kennedy Library and were to be up for auction last week. When the controversy erupted last month, Heritage Auctions pulled the artwork pending investigation.

While Curt Swan was my favorite Superman artist, Al Plastino was a good illustrator in his own right and I felt his work actually got better as the years went on.

For more, go here.

R.I.P., Al.

Al Plastino Sues Heritage Auctions Over Superman-JFK Artwork

Above, the caption stating that the artwork would be donated to the Kennedy Library
 is missing from the image that was supplied by Heritage Auctions. It was a glue-on
 overlay that was removed. Note the residue from the glue on the panel at right. 

The next step in the ongoing controversy over the original artwork comic book artist Al Plastino drew 50 years ago has been taken.

Plastino filed suit with the New York State Supreme Court in New York County against Heritage Auctions over the artwork (10 pages) of the story, "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy." The suit demands that Heritage name the person putting up the disputed artwork up for auction.

For 50 years, Plastino believed the artwork was donated to the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, but they mysteriously turned up at a New York comic book convention last month.

According to the Dallas News:

Oak Lawn-based Heritage Auctions is holding a comic-art auction in Beverly Hills today. And that sale was scheduled to include 10 pages from Superman No. 170, which includes the story “Superman’s Mission for President Kennedy,” a rather unremarkable public-service announcement in which the Man of Steel encourages the nation’s youth to “close the muscle gap” by enlisting in the president’s Physical Fitness Program. 

But the lot has been pulled over a dispute over who owns — and who should own — the artwork. 

Heritage says it belongs to a private collector who bought it in 1993. But the man who drew it, 91-year-old Al Plastino, says it belongs to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. And he has filed suit to have it returned to its allegedly rightful owner. Plastino, who found out just last month it never made it to Boston, wants Heritage to name names.

Some have speculated that it was Curt Swan's original art that was to be donated, not Plastino's:

Some comic-book scholars speculate that the original artwork to which Weisinger was referring was done by Curt Swan, among the most famous Superman artists, and not Plastino.

The above was referring to then-Superman editor Mort Weisinger. Plastino told me a few weeks ago that Swan only drew a splash page, not a full story and that the Kennedy Library has no record of receiving any Swan artwork either.

Above, the published version.  Note the caption on the panel stating that it would go to the Kennedy Library.

This is looking more like the art was stolen. Why would the caption stating the artwork's planned donation be removed?

To read the full story, go here. 

Mini-Debate On Plastino's Superman-JFK Art Controversy

Yesterday, I had a brief, minor debate with comics writer Mark Waid over the matter of the Al Plastino-JFK original art that turned up at an auction house.

Here's how the conversation went:

I still don't see how anyone can confuse whose "original art" was to go to the Kennedy Library when it was plainly said on the last panel of Plastino's art that it would be donated to the Kennedy Library. I think Waid is indulging in a Clintonesque parsing of words in trying to say it meant the earlier Curt Swan art.  That is a separate issue. Superman editor Mort Weisinger at the time said that the Swan art would go to Jacqueline Kennedy. Then it was decided to have the story published (at LBJ's request) and it was re-drawn by Plastino. Why tell readers on the last panel of the story that the pages would be donated if the intent was to donate another's artist's work? The panel does say "this story." It doesn't make sense.

It would be more meaningful to the Kennedy Library to have possession of actual published work anyway, which is what Plastino's was, not Swan's.

Sorry, Mark. It says "original art", not "original version." Yes, we agree to disagree.

UPDATE:  I forwarded this blog post to Al Plastino and he sent me this reply:

Some Positives In The Al Plastino Artwork Matter

It is good to see that the comic book professional community is getting behind Golden Age/Silver Age Superman artist Al Plastino in his efforts to get to the bottom of how his original artwork ended up in private hands when the pages were supposed to have been donated to the John F. Kennedy Library almost 50 years ago.

Many in the comics industry, including Neal Adams and his daughter, have gotten involved and, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, are seeking a legal remedy to keep the artwork from going on the auction block permanently.

At 91, Plastino doesn't need this kind of drama in his life, but in a way it is good that he knows that comics professionals and fans are standing with him, and he is very appreciative. I sent him a link to an earlier blog post on this matter and I received a thank-you from him (posted at top). I am glad that I was able to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to him for years of enjoyment through his work.

As others have said on this matter, the fight is just beginning!

Legal Steps To Prevent Al Plastino Superman-JFK Art From Going To Auction Initiated

Above, artist Al Plastino with the 'splash page' of the artwork in contention.  Photo: Facebook.

It was good news that Heritage Auctions pulled the Al Plastino original artwork of "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" and will investigate how it ended up in private hands instead of being at the John F. Kennedy Library, where it was intended.

But this is just a temporary withdrawal. However, steps are being taken to keep the artwork from going on the auction block permanently.

According to the New York Post:

But advocates for comic book artists say that since the art was never given to the museum, Plastino remains the rightful owner. Comic book publishers, they claim, only buy the publishing rights to an artist’s work, not the work itself. Publishers generally dispute this, and it’s an issue that’s been debated for decades. 

“He never gave up ownership of the art because DC never purchased it from him or paid sales tax,” asserted Kris Adams Stone, daughter of comic book legend Neal Adams. She added that legal papers are being prepared to halt the auction for good.

To read the full story, go here.

Was Al Plastino's Superman-JFK Artwork Stolen?

Above, the cover of Superman issue no. 170.

It is interesting that this story should hit now, since the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy is coming up next month.

There is a bit of a flap over some original artwork that appeared in the July 1964 issue of Superman (no. 170). The issue contained the story, "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" that was penciled and inked by Al Plastino. In the story, Kennedy enlists Superman's help to get flabby Americans to become physically fit.

As I have this issue in my collection, I remember it well. On the very last panel of the story, it stated that the original artwork would be donated to the John F. Kennedy Library at Harvard University (at the time, that was where the library was planned to be located).

Above, the Plastino art. Note the last panel stating that the original art will be donated to the Kennedy Library.

According to a story at Bleeding Cool.com, the Plastino original artwork is now up for auction at Heritage Auctions. They are looking to get $200,000 for it.  Somehow, the artwork never made it to the Kennedy Library and they have no record of ever receiving it.

Artist Al Plastino is quite upset over this.

He said:

Please help if you can. The art I donated and thought for all these years was being housed at the Kennedy library at Harvard is now being auctioned off on the anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination. And now I am finding out that the art may have never made it to the library. The archivists tell me there are no records of it ever being received. I asked for the art back and they will not give it to me. I asked for the consigner’s name and they will not tell me that either. They tell me I have no rights to my work and that it is too late to get it back.

I don't blame Plastino for being upset about his artwork, intended for the Kennedy Library, ending up in someone else's hands, possibly by theft.

However, the story gets more complicated.

The story was originally scheduled for Superman no. 168, but it was pulled when Kennedy was assassinated. This version was drawn by artist Curt Swan and inked by George Klein. The editor of Superman, Mort Weisinger, published an announcement in the current issue stating that the artwork would be donated to Jacqueline Kennedy.

Above, editor Mort Weisinger's announcement containing a panel of the Swan/Klein artwork.

Later, President Johnson asked National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) to publish it, and it is speculated that the Swan/Klein artwork was donated already, so it had to be re-drawn and Plastino got the assignment. Herein lies the confusion or complication.

It appears that the Swan/Klein artwork may have been donated directly to Mrs. Kennedy and not to the Kennedy Library (I assume there was a foundation set-up to get the library built at the time). But, as it shows on the last panel of the Plastino version, his artwork was intended to be donated to the Kennedy Library. It is possible that both versions were intended to be donated (the Swan/Klein art to Mrs. Kennedy and the Plastino art to the Kennedy Library) by National.

Since it was stated on the last panel of Plastino's version that it was to be donated, how did it end up not going to the Kennedy Library, but eventually to an auction house in 2013? Could the artwork have been stolen? What happened?

Heritage Auctions should pull the artwork from their auction schedule, put it on hold (treat it as possible stolen property) and begin an investigation to see if the artwork was stolen as well as the chain of custody since 1964. That would be right thing to do.

UPDATE: Bleeding Cool reports that Heritage Auctions has withdrawn the auction for the Plastino artwork and will investigate.  For more, go here.