Q&A with Jim Warden

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

The Batman and Swamp Thing illustration which John Byrne gave me for my 50th birthday is my personal favorite. It was a total surprise and there is a pretty cool story that goes along with it. For more details, you can watch the Comic Art LIVE interview that Bill Cox and his crew kindly conducted with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKXfrrSZLC0

Please tell us a little about yourself.

Married to my wife Lynn for 33 years; we have two children, Michelle and Matt who have both graduated college. I've been an employee of the U.S. Census Bureau for 35 years and am looking forward to retiring very soon!

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

I've been collecting comic art for over 40 years. I used to sell comic books at local comic shows in the Washington, DC area in the 1980's. At these shows, I met several artists and started collecting sketches and buying original pages. At one of these shows, I met Mike Zeck, we became friends, and I started collecting his art and also selling pieces for him. Mike introduced me to John Byrne, and John also let me sell his artwork, which I've been doing for nearly 35 years!

How do you display/store your collection at home?

My wife is pretty tolerant of my comic art addiction and we've got over 200 pieces framed up in our house; nearly every room has something comic art related on the walls. I also have a bunch of pieces in flat files and portfolios.

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

If money were no object, I'd love to have: 1. Neal Adams Batman or Detective Comics cover 2. Wrightson Swamp Thing page with a really nice shot of Swamp Thing 3. Something that Wally Wood penciled and inked in the 1950's 4. An EC splash with the Old Witch by Ingles 5. A very specific Walt Kelly Pogo daily