15 January 2011

Industry Announcements //

Jerry Weist, one of the most knowledgeable and respected members of the collecting community, passed away at the age of 61 on January 7,2011 after a battle with multiple myeloma cancer. He is survived by his wife Dana Hawkes and his two sons Ian, 15 and Eric, 13.

Weist's influence as a historian as well as his work in the world of collecting is seldom acknowledged by those outside the community, but he was a visionary in the field. He understood the importance of comics and comic art to the collector and with his work with Sotheby';s Auction House in the nineties, Weist help establish not only new found respectability for the mediums, but proved that there was real value in the long forgotten work of Jack Kirby, Reed Crandall, Al Williamson and many others who had toiled in the field of comics.

"I knew Jerry for over 30 years and I a very saddened by his passing," said Jennie Odom, a close personal friend. "Jerry was always concerned with the state of the market in collectibles. Honesty, integrity and loyalty where Jerry's strong suit. His concern for sharing information was intense and even in his illness all he could think about was his new article for the price guide. My heart goes out to Dana and her children."

Weist found his inspiration in the work of Forest J. Ackerman, the father of modern fandom. Before his tenth birthday he had found the second copy of Famous Monsters of Filmland. The magazine, which also covered a good deal of science fiction alongside the monsters, was edited by Ackerman and published by James Warren. Weist was amazed at what he found between the covers. Shortly after Weist had published his first fanzines, he than started a Forest J. Ackerman fan club.

Soon after, Weist discovered EC Comics and with the permission of the Publisher, Bill Gaines, as well as the help of two other local collectors, Bob Barrett and Roger Hill, Weist published Squa Tront. The incredible high quality of the fanzine immediately set it miles ahead of anything else in the collecting field. The magazine was instrumental in documenting and exploring the history of EC Publications.

After college, Weist opened two stores, The Million Year Picnic and The Science Fiction and Fantasy Bookstore in Massachusetts. Shortly after those two projects were off the ground, Weist formed Boatner/Norton Publishing along with a partner, Barbara Boatner. Their first publications were price guides for the work of R. Crumb and also Underground Comics.

With the success of these publications behind him, as well as a decade of selling comics and science fiction in his stores, Weist convinced the world's most famous and respected Auction House, Sotheby's, to hold the first major auction devoted to Comics and Comic Art. It was a massive success generating over a million dollars in sales. It was while organizing additional auctions over the next few years that he met his future wife, Sotheby';s Auction Specialist Dana Hawkes.

Using his connections and his incredible knowledge as an artist, Weist wrote The Original Comic Art and Identification Price Guide. The third edition was near the end of completion when Weist passed and is scheduled for publication later this year.

"Jerry was not only a giant in our hobby," said Steve Borock, Consignment Director for Heritage Auction Galleries, "but he was also upbeat and always went out of his way for others. He was on of the most generous people I have ever known. I can't say how many times I found a package in the mail from him with, a book that he wrote inscribed to me, a vintage record, a comic, a bottle of fine wine and, once, even a piece of art he had created! He was one of my best friends, in or out of our hobby. I truly miss him. Jerry's passing is a loss for all of us on so many levels."

"Jerry Weist was first and foremost my loyal friend," said Susan Cicconi of The Restoration Lab. "He really looked out for me and for some 30 years he looked after me. I came into the comic book world in 1980 and didn't know a whole lot about comic books, I just knew about conserving works of art on paper. His support helped me establish my title as the 'queen' of comic book conservation throughout two decades."