$152.50

[Buy TCI #4 with David Choe's first print interview on Ebay right now November 2008 as mentioned on his blog]

For all the jealous naysayers who once said David Choe was just a flash-in-the-pan, more style and controversy than substance, here's yet another glaring indicator of how successful Choe's art career has been since he won the Xeric Grant and released his first (and only) proper graphic novel, Slow Jams back in 1999: a copy of Slow Jams (cover price $4) just sold for $152.50 on Ebay (see the auction here).

While you can find the debut books of most Xeric winners in bargain bins, Slow Jams sold out it's print run and Choe's rabid fan base (most of which exists outside the parameters of comics) now vastly exceeds the copies available, making it one of the hardest comics under ten years old to find. I'm not much of a collector but after seeing this auction I'll have to dig up my lone copy of Slow Jams and slip it it a protective bag. Ditto for my only copy of the vastly more rare Son of Slow Jams which most people don't even know exists.

Back in 2000 in his first extensive print interview in The Comics Interpreter #4 Vol. 1, Choe talked about receiving the Xeric grant.

"I wish I could show you my grant proposal. It was on ripped out, lined notebook paper. I think when they asked me how much funds I'd need (can't exceed $5000) I wrote "I'm gonna need $5000 cuz I know I'm gonna need it." I sent it out in such a hurry to meet the deadline and it was so messy I couldn't believe I won it. Not knowing when to quit, I called up Xeric immediately and asked for more money. They said "no". Initially one of the ladies there even asked me to send in the "finished artwork" thinking that what I had sent her were just sketches (which is what they were I guess).

It's refreshing to know that sometimes talent can speak for itself (no goldleaf binder and asskissy cover letters needed). Sometimes..