Q&A with Hans Kosenkranius

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

Hands down my favorite gallery piece is the Avengers #16 cvr. by artists Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky. The reason is 1965 was the year I went full-tilt into collecting Marvel Comics and this issue was hitting the stands about the same time I entered the hobby. This comic holds quite a bit of nostalgia for me.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I'm a retired public school teacher of thirty two years now enjoying this hobby full-time as a business. I own Tri-State Original Art, Inc.

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

I discovered comic art in 1986 while attending grad. school as a fledgling teacher and also working part time in a comic book store in Wilmington, DE. The store's owner had originals as did customers who frequented the establishment. Until this point, I was unaware any original comic book artwork existed. I became interested in finding pgs. from books I'd loved and collected as a kid.

How do you display/store your collection at home?

My art is stored in mylar sleeves and/or Itoya folders inside portfolio cases. I've made high quality lithographs of some of my originals to display on the wall.

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

I'd still like a Calvin and Hobbes daily by Bill Watterson, a ASM pg. by Steve Ditko, and a finished pen and ink drawing by Frank Frazetta.