Q&A with Dan Gallo

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

Amazing Spider-Man 252 splash. I have owned it for 17 years, (which is the longest of everything I have), and have, at least so far, resisted numerous opportunities to sell it. ASM 252 was my favorite comic growing up and I remember having to pay $5 to get a copy after all the newsstands had sold out Historically probably the most significant Spidey storyline in the past 40 years, (since ASM 121 & 122), as it it a bridge from Secret Wars to Venom to ASM 300, (my second favorite book), so to have the title splash from such an important issue is truly special.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I am full time comic book dealer specializing in CGC graded books plus I dabble in original art as well. I only dabble because I only buy what I really really like and I really don't like much, (at least not enough to purchase), so I don't have a lot and often I find it difficult to part with stuff. But everything goes sooner or later...

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

I used to own two comic book stores in the 1990s and even though I liquidated everything and had moved on I found myself wondering through a show around 2000, flipped through an art binder and bought five pieces of art totally on a whim. I was pretty active buying and selling for the next 10 years but I got back into books which took most of my focus. Now, after 6 years or so of having OA on the back burner I am trying to ramp it up again.

How do you display/store your collection at home?

I have seven pieces framed and hanging with the rest on the floor leaning up against the wall. When I sit and watch TV I can look to my left and see just about everything!

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

Nothing specific really. I wouldn't mind owning another page from ASM 252 and since McFarlane is my favorite I am always on the lookout for nice ASM pages from the second half or his run.