DIY Vintage Comic Book Wall Art

Check out how I made this DIY Vintage Comic Book Wall Art for my guest room decor. My guest room is frequented by my 12-year-old step son. Let me tell you, he LOVES Spider-Man.

My fiancé is a comic book collector, with his prized comics being first appearances. Obviously, I couldn't afford an authentic first appearance of spider-man, seeing that it sells for $1.1 MILLION!!!! I decided instead it would be super easy to make a faux comic featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy issue #15.

This project is great for decorating a young guys bedroom or for an adult comic book enthusiast's "man-cave." Heck! What am I saying? This technique could be applied to so many vintage collectibles. Just find an image that suits your target audience.

Amazing Fantasy #15: First Appearance of Spider-Man (image courtesy of Pencil Ink blog)

Supplies

• Picture Frame
• 15 pages of blank computer paper
• Paper cutter or ruler and exacto blade
• Comic Book Cover Art image

I used an Ikea RIBBA frame, which I actually found in a box in my closet. It used to house a Japanese block print from an old calendar that I had hung up at the old apartment. It never got re-hung up, so I decided to repurpose the frame. I like how this frame is matte black and boxy like a shadow box. Perfect for framing our faux comic book.

Steps

Gather Your Materials and Find Your Image:

I did a Google Image Search for "first appearance of spider-man cover art" and found this image at Pencil Ink Blog. What is great about this image is it isn't the pristine original artwork, but rather a photo of an actual comic. Notice the creases along the spine? I love it!

Print Out Your Cover to Size:

A typical comic book is 6-5/8 inches by 10-1/4 inches with 32 pages. The pages are typically thinner than computer paper, so I did not use the full 32 pages but rather 15 pages. I used some old, grayish paper that I found in a closet while looking for more computer paper. I think my mom gave it to me for resume paper, but I never really liked how gray it is.

I used Microsoft Publisher to make my image the correct dimensions, then printed it out on a color printer. You may need to print it several times, resizing the image between prints, before you get the correct size.

Cut Your Pages:

I stacked up all my pages and used an exacto knife and ruler to trim them using the image as my guide. You could also use a paper-cutter, although I liked how the knife gives the edges an unclean look. When cutting the cover art, make sure to leave some excess on the left hand side to create a faux spine.

Fold the "Spine" Over the Stack of Pages:

I folded the "spine" over the stack of pages so that the cover actually wraps around the "spine." I then taped the back of the cover to the last page in my book. Here is how the back looks:

The "spine" is wrapped around the pages and taped to the last page.

Here is how it looks with its blank pages:

Blank pages in my comic book.

Frame Your Vintage "Comic Book"

The image has a matte finish due to being printed out on computer paper. After you put it behind the glass in the frame, it has a much more glossy look. I used the white matte background that came with the frame. I think the white background helps give it more depth, allowing shadows to form around the "comic book."

Results

I had originally planned on aging the pages of the "comic book" by using coffee or tea. However, I didn't end up doing this and you really can't see the pages while framed. The pages really just give it some depth while framed.

I just love how it turned out:

Resources

Here are some additional vintage comic book cover art that would make excellent wall art:

Action Comics #1: First Appearance of Superman. This comic has set the record for price paid for a comic at $1.5 Million! (image courtesy of wiki)

Detective Comics #27: First Appearance of Batman (image courtesy of dc.wikia.com)

The X-Men #1 (image courtesy of SciFiPulse.net)

What do you think of my DIY Vintage Comic Book Wall Art?

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