Q&A with levi jacob

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

This is a tough question. If it wasn't a favorite I wouldn't own it. I am very sentimental about the art I have. The Galactus page from the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #4 by Byrne and Rubinstein is a great example. When the book came out and I saw the page, I knew I had to have the original. So to actually meet Byrne shortly after at a NYC con where he had it for sale, makes it one of my favorites. Even at that time, I could actually afford the piece with the birthday money I had saved up. There are many other stories like this, now I am thinking I should pick another. See my Mazzucchelli Batman story.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am married with kids, so don't really collect too much OA now. My son shares his birthday and name with the King. I have also enjoyed meeting many fellow collectors through CAF.

How long have you been collecting comic art and what prompted you to start?

I started collecting in the early 80s. My dad went all in with me collecting comic books and eventually OA. I was very fortunate that my dad enjoyed the hobby with me. I started collecting comic books and eventually started collecting OA. There were many opportunities back then to collect OA at reasonable prices. Even then I had a discerning eye and would only pick up what really moved me, same for my dad.

How do you display/store your collection at home?

Some are framed on the walls and the rest are in portfolios.

What are your top five most wanted original pages or commissions?

I am really satisfied with what I have. It is a well rounded collection of my favorite examples from my time heavily collecting. I'll answer this with that in mind. 1. Avengers Vol 1 #92 Cover 2. A nice Kirby. I had numerous opportunities to pick up pieces from Jack. I just didn't appreciate his art back then. I do now. 3. A nice Teen Titans page by George Perez and Romeo Tanghal. I remember Tanghal showed up at a NYC con back when the books first came out. He had all this great TT OA. It was just before I understood what OA was and before I started collecting it. 4. Something from Sean Murphy that is based on or from Batman: White Knight. A newer book I really enjoy. 5. A page from Killing Joke or something from Jim Lee. Its a toss up, since I am happy with the non KJ pieces I have from Bolland and have nothing from Lee.