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RARE Arthur Adams Collectibles (pictures coming soon)

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This is not your typical checklist. These are the outliers — the shirts that fell apart in the wash, promo items that are not usually preserved, convention exclusives that were difficult to obtain, the strange tie-ins that nobody thought to collect, and the ultra-limited variants that never even hit most shelves. Each item on this list is real, released, and nearly impossible to find today. Consider this your guided tour through the holy grail corner of Arthur Adams collecting… and good luck hunting them down!

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1982 — High Energy

His earliest sequential comic work, published in an indie anthology. Few copies survived in pristine condition; a near-mint issue is a cornerstone piece for early-career collectors.

1985 — The Telegraph Wire #19

The very first published Longshot cover by Arthur Adams and his first interview. Produced in tiny shop newsletter runs and seldom preserved, this issue is both historically significant and exceptionally rare.

1986 — Colossus Shirt

A vintage licensed T-shirt featuring his original artwork. Shirts were worn and discarded — unworn or undamaged examples are extremely scarce and highly collectible.

1986 — New Mutants Print

An early Adams print tied to Marvel’s mutant boom. Signed, numbered and sold mainly at shows — today very few remain on the open market.

1987 — The Westfield Newsletter #63

A subscriber newsletter featuring his Gumby art. Distributed in small numbers and typically thrown away, surviving copies are a rare find.

1991 — New Fantastic Four Shirt

Official Marvel apparel featuring artwork of the fan-favorite “New Fantastic Four” lineup — Wolverine, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Ghost Rider. Not many of these shirts survived in wearable condition, making them highly sought after by both comics and vintage clothing collectors.

1995 — Chef Boyardee X-Men Promo Coin Banks (Set of 2)

These metal coin banks were part of a short-lived Chef Boyardee promotion, featuring X-Men artwork by Arthur Adams. Distributed in limited numbers through grocery tie-ins, most were used as toys and discarded, leaving complete, intact sets nearly impossible to track down today.

1996 — Everway Calendar

A niche RPG calendar featuring one of his fantasy illustrations (which he also colored). Limited distribution and lightweight paper construction means few have survived.

1996 — Man-Bat Statue

A 3-D realization of his Man-Bat design from the mid-90s. Statues can suffer chips and wear; mint examples are increasingly uncommon after decades of display.

1996 — Tips & Tricks Magazine #12

A crossover collectible — gaming magazine collectors and comics fans prize this Adams cover and centerfold. Back issues were not widely archived, so this is quite an uncommon find.

1998 — Monkeyman & O'Brien Zippo Lighter

This official Zippo lighter featured original artwork of his Monkeyman & O’Brien characters, and was produced in very small quantities. Because lighters are both collectible and functional, most were used rather than preserved, making intact examples today exceptionally rare.

1999 — Inmates Prisoners of Society #0

Sold only at conventions and through the publisher’s 1999 website — not via shops. That limited distribution produced a low print run and makes surviving copies treasured.

2002 — An Arthur Adams Sampler

This is the sketchbook that started them all. Even though 500 of these were produced, they are quite difficult to locate and usually expensive if you do find one. Always signed and dated on the first page, they are not numbered.

2007 — Avengers Classic #1 (Dynamic Forces — Signed by Stan Lee)

Arthur Adams cover combined with Stan Lee’s autograph — only 44 copies produced by Dynamic Forces. Authenticated and highly desired by signature collectors.

2008 — Marvel Apes #4 (Retailer Incentive Variant)

A quirky, low-order Marvel Nazi cover featuring Arthur Adams art. Because the event was niche and orders were small, this variant is a ghost among modern Marvel books.

2011 — Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #2 (Black & White Nude Variant)

Part of Dynamite’s risque variant line. The black-and-white nude edition of this Arthur Adams cover was printed in tiny numbers and is highly sought after. The black borders make this one difficult to get a high grade, it's a pop 2 CGC 9.8!

2011 — Young Allies #6 (Retailer Incentive Variant)

Retailer orders were modest for this title, so the Firestar "Good Girl Art" variant cover never reached wide circulation. Today it’s a tougher modern comic book to locate in any condition.

2012 — Godzilla #1 (Dynamic Forces, Silver Ink Signature)

Only 10 copies produced. This edition is signed in silver ink by Duane Swierczynski (writer) and showcases monstrous Godzilla art by Arthur Adams. There was also 50 copies made that were signed and numbered in black ink.

2012 — Gumby's Arthur Adams Specials / Gumby's Spring Specials

Sales were low and on top of that, they didn't have permission to use his name. Most copies were corrected with a sticker on the front and back cover, also black marker on the spine. Finding an uncorrected original is much more difficult.

2013 — Deadpool #8 and #9 (Newsstand Editions)

By 2013, newsstand distribution was nearly extinct. These editions were printed in tiny quantities versus the direct market copies (around 1% of the print run).

2014 — Vampirella #1 (Black & White Variant)

Limited to only 25 copies. This black-and-white collectible featuring vintage artwork is one of the rarest Adams covers ever — a top-tier grail for fans of his early work.

2017 — Logan Movie Poster

Promotional posters for Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine film featuring Arthur Adams artwork were printed in limited amounts only for premieres at two El Paso, Texas theaters — surviving, clean examples are scarce.

2021 — Franken-Gorilla Shirt

A modern apparel rarity. Produced only one time after a short pre-order window and mostly bought by die-hard collectors — truly impossible to find on the secondary market.

2021 — Invincible Red Sonja #1 (Variants)

You probably don't have any of these variant covers, unless you participated in the crowdfunding for it on Indiegogo. Very few collectors have let theirs go (for any price!) 73 copies of the regular cover were made, 120 copies of the virgin cover, & 57 copies of the black & white variant.