Q&A with Tom Coker

Which piece in your gallery is your favorite and why?

Like for everyone else, this is very hard to answer. Let's just say I feel very fortunate to have exceptional examples by many of my favorite artists. Admittedly it was a wonderful day when I got my Wally Wood EC Incredible Science Fiction 33 cover. This cover is one of Wood's very greatest works and was at the top of a want list of EC comic art by Wood that I wrote out by hand when I was about 14 years old.

Please tell us a little about yourself.

I work in the oil and gas industry in Guyana. I call Houston home. One of the things I value most about this hobby is all the great OA collector friends I have made over the years. Please drop me a line and keep in touch.

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

I bought my first original art back in the early 80s. First was sketches by artists at shows. My first published page was a Cerebus page bought thru the mail from Dave and Deni at Aardvark Vanaheim studios. Luckily I began to pick up some nice art in the 80s and 90s (Wood, Wrightson, Byrne, Stevens, Darrow, Rude and others), but I didn't make collecting comic art my primary focus until 1999. Wish I had been more serious about it a lot earlier. :)

How do you display/store your collection at home?

Deep inside the Amazon jungle within a magical grotto guarded by jaguars and anacondas.

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

My collection built around a love of art by Wood, Williamson, Frazetta, Wrightson, Adams, Kirby, Miller, Byrne, Bolland, and Dave Stevens, but also admire the art of many others artists. 5 current areas of desire are: 1) Kirby: Surfer, Hulk (JIM 112), & Capt America; 2) Alan Moore: V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Miracleman and Swamp Thing 3) Frank Miller: Sin City, Daredevil & DK pages; 4) Indy's: Nexus, Cerebus, Concrete 5) Wrightson Jenifer pages