Chuck Costas was born in 1971 in Manila, Philippines. While he spent the majority of his childhood in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland, he also spent a year, 1977, in Indonesia. While there, through a gift from his parents, he discovered the world of comic books. Discovering both the mainstays of Marvel and DC and the independent press, Costas quickly became a serious collector, later branching out into the one-of-a-kind world of original comic book art. Scoop talked with him about his collection, the marketplace, and what keeps him interested.

Scoop: When did you begin to collect comics?
Chuck Costas:When I was in Indonesia, my parents bought me the entire library of Tintin books to read. I didn't really consider them to be comic books. I considered them books that were illustrated. I learned to read at an early age because of them. Also, in 1977, since we were overseas, we didn't get a chance to see Star Wars first hand so my parents bought me a copy of the Star Wars Treasury Edition #1. That was my first exposure to Star Wars. I was a little confused though because I didn't have the second volume to complete the story.

Scoop:What was the first comic book you remember buying?
CC: Batman Family #3, February, 1976.

Scoop:What were the circumstances (where, when, etc)?
CC: My parents probably bought it for my sister and I at the local grocery store. I remember my sister and I both reading it. She liked Batgirl and Robin and I liked the dinosaur in the story. We read it so much, the cover fell off. I have no idea whatever happened to that copy.

Scoop: How long from the time you first bought a comic book until you considered yourself a collector?
CC: I formally started my “collecting” in December 1981. I took my birthday money and went down to the local grocery store looking for something new to collect. Up until that point, I hadn't really read comics on a regular basis. I was really into Dungeons & Dragons at the time and was looking for D&D-type comics. On the newsstand, I found Warlord, Arak, and Conan. I was most intrigued by Conan so I bought the latest issue - #131 (February 1982). I took it home, it, and decided I was going to try and collect every issue I could. From Conan, I branched out to other titles, mainly Marvel stuff.

Scoop:What were your early favorites?
CC: Conan, Uncanny X-Men, Contest of Champions, G.I. Joe, Secret Wars, Marvel Team-Up, Amazing Spider-Man - pretty much all the Marvel titles. I would buy copies of pretty much anything to try it out. I remember not liking Bill Sienkiewicz's New Mutants run at the time - it was a little too out there for me. I also wasn't a big fan of Miller's Dark Knight when it came out. I had to re-read it a few times years later to really appreciate it.

Scoop:How did your collecting develop from that point?
CC: During the independent craze of the mid '80s, I realized a few things: There were other comics out there than the Marvel books I was reading, and you could make a little money if you invested the right way. I had a knack for picking the books that were going to be “hot.” I remember buying multiple copies of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2, Realm #1, Shuriken #1, Red Fox #1 & 2, Trollords #1, and Fish Police #2. I used to set up at local shows and make my “spending money” by selling books on the weekends.
Fads don't last forever. The black & white explosion of that time imploded pretty quickly. Along with my comic collecting, I learned to draw a little bit. I actually drew the cover artwork for the third issue of a comic called the Saga of Elfface back in 1986. It didn't make it to issue #4.

Scoop: Did you have other collecting habits, too? If so, what?
CC: When I was a kid, I collected trading cards, coins, and even those little football helmets you'd buy for a quarter out of a vending machine. I guess there's always been a collector in me. I've been with comics the longest though.

I tried stepping into collecting animation cels, but was burned pretty badly by a scam artist who was selling customized reproductions as originals. I got called in by the Department of Justice to testify against him. I think he ended up going to jail, but as you can imagine, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I also branched out a bit to collect movie props. The problem with those however is proving their authenticity. In some ways it's better to buy reproductions because at least you know what you're getting.

I have a funny story about one of my props. I had purchased one of Robin's belts from the third Batman film. It was made out of latex and the person I got it from warned me that latex doesn't usually last longer than 10 years (although I wasn't sure what that meant). Well, almost 10 years to the day, I looked in my display case and noticed that Robin's belt was beginning to melt! Within a few weeks, the molecules had completely de-stabilized and the belt was turned to liquid. Again, another horrific story that's kept me straying too far away from comics.

Scoop: What got you interested in your various other areas of collecting?
CC: I think it was the desire to branch out and expand. Many times, I've reached a point where I felt like I was pretty satisfied with the comics I had so I started looking for something new that would take me new directions. Based on the bad experiences I had with the animation cels and movie props, I learned that it's not always wise to stray from what you know.

Scoop: How did your family react to collecting?
CC: Aside from the time my mother threw my Star Wars and Basketball cards in the trash, my parents have been supportive of my collecting. They always allowed me to store my long boxes of comics around the house, would stop at comic shops on family trips around the country, and would take me to the local conventions. I thank them for loaning me the money to purchase the entire interior artwork to Punisher #2 when I met Mike Zeck back in 1986. I think I borrowed $375 (which took me the entire summer of cutting lawns to pay back) to buy it, but I'm so glad they leant the money to me. It probably changed my whole collecting career.

Scoop: Did any of your family members collect comics or other items?
CC: No, strangely enough I was the only real collector in the family. That's probably good or else we would have had a whole house full of crap!

Scoop: Did you drift away from collecting at any point (as some collectors do), or did you stick with them as you grew up? (And either way, why?)
CC: I went through a period in the late 80's and am going through one now where you realize that the collecting has become so overwhelming that you're missing out on other things in life. Back in the late '80s, I probably had 60 or so pieces of original artwork. I stopped buying artwork back then because I thought that I would never be able to appreciate all the artwork I already had. My goal at the time was to frame and display all the art I had so I could enjoy it. Well, I picked up art collecting again in the late '90s and thousands of pieces later, I'm realizing the same thing. Nowadays, I think twice before adding another piece to my collection. I see a lot of other “older” art collectors doing the same thing.

Scoop: Compare what excited you about comic books early on to what excites you about them now. Is it the same thing?
CC: I can't say I've “read” many comic books that have been published in the last 15 years. I lost interest when everyone started drawing like Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane and the stories became secondary to the art. When I read comics, I primarily dig out an old Marvel Essentials and brush up on the storylines from the '60s and '70s.

When I evaluate comics these days, I primarily look at the images that are being created without the context of the story. Although I have a fondness for the artists that were primarily working in the '60s, '70s, and '80s, I believe there is some great art being produced for comics today. I love the work that is being done by Alex Ross, David Michael Beck, and Frank Cho (a fellow University of Maryland alumni).

Scoop: Do you collect any specific area of comics?
CC: With collecting, I find that there is always a progression. I used to dive deeply into collecting one thing or another, but it would change every couple years. First, it was the “hot” independent books (Albedo, Cerebus, Turtles, etc.), then it was key Silver Age books, then it was pre-hero Golden Age comics (New Fun, More Fun, and DC ashcans), then it was price variants. I credit myself as being one of the pioneers to document many of the price variants before Overstreet recognized them. I was one of the advisors for the Comic Book Marketplace articles that were written on about the price variants in the '90s. I had a lot of fun “discovering” those books back then, but never realized that they would get as popular (or expensive) as they are today.

Scoop: What are the prizes of your collection?
CC: In comic books: the Stephen Browne Action Funnies ashcan - This ashcan was published prior to Action Comics #1, the cover featured the artwork that would later appear on Action Comics #3. I remember reading an article about this ashcan in a 1985 issue of the Comics Buyer's Guide and I remember thinking that this would be the ultimate comic to own. Years later, I had the opportunity to buy it and I did.

I also am proud of my collection of key independent books. I have authenticated copies of Gobbledygook #1 & 2 and multiple higher grade copies of TMNT #1, Cerebus #1, and Albedo #2.

Original Art: I've got a lot of pieces to be proud of in my collection. I'm especially proud to own the complete artwork to the first two issues of the Punisher Limited Series by Mike Zeck, a Punisher page from Amazing Spider-Man #129, Ditko's Aunt May and Uncle Ben prototype story from Strange Tales #97, a Boris Vallejo Savage Sword of Conan cover painting, and pages from X-Men #2, #94, and Giant Size X-Men #1.

One thing that has sentimental value in my collection is the complete original artwork to G.I. Joe #21 (Image Comics) by Mike Zeck & John Beatty. Mike was kind enough to draw me into the book. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be drawn into a book. There was a contest in the late '70s - early '80s through Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles where you could win a chance to be drawn into a comic. You had to submit a design for a character you created. Well, I never entered that contest, but thanks to Mike and John, I still got my cameo in a comic.

Scoop: What are you collecting at the moment?
CC: I'm still collecting original comic book art. I probably have the largest collections of '80s G.I. Joe art, early Transformers art, early Punisher art, Mike Zeck art, Joe Jusko Marvel Masterpieces I paintings, Mike Vosburg Tales from the Crypt TV show art, and Ben Edlund Tick art. I also have a substantial amount of early X-Men art. I like Golden Age Timely - Atlas and DC superhero art and appreciate quality examples from artists like Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, Barry Smith, John Byrne, Bernie Wrightson, Boris Vallejo, Alex Ross, etc.

Scoop: Do you have any stories about the one that got away?
CC: Back in 1986 when I first met Mike Zeck, he had the original art to all five covers to the Punisher mini-series and the interior pages to issues #2-4. I bought the interior to issue #2, but couldn't afford to buy the rest. Ever since then, I've been searching to reunite those five covers and get as many pages as I can from issues #3 & 4. If anyone out there has any of these - please track me down!

Scoop: Do you have any specific comics that you sold that you wish you had kept? CC: I've owned many rare golden age books including most of the early New Fun, More Fun, DC ashcans, and a Marvel Mystery annual, etc. I've sold/traded most of those off and have had no real regrets. Even with the scarce comics, you can usually always find another copy to replace the one you sold if you want to.

The one thing I do regret selling was the original art to the splash page to X-Men #99. I sold it a few years back for $1,000. Just recently, I completed a trade and reacquired it. Needless to say, I had to pay dearly for my mistake in selling it. Now, at least it is back where it belongs (in my collection).

Scoop: What do you find the most rewarding about comics and collecting in general?
CC: I think about the historical significance of the collection I'm putting together. I believe many of the comic characters around today will still be around 100 or 200 years from now. When those people want to look back on the origins of a character like the Punisher or G.I. Joe, it'll be pieces in my collection that they're going to want to see.

I'd like to be able to put on a museum show featuring some of the art in my collection some day. A couple years ago, I leant a few Punisher original art pieces to the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco to be displayed at their “Lights, Camera, Action!” display. That was neat to see.

Scoop: What are your favorite non-comic book items from your collection?
CC: I love the artwork of Patrick Nagel. I've been lucky to add a few original Nagel paintings to my collection. For those that are not familiar with his stuff, he was the artist that drew the cover to Duran Duran's Rio album. I truly believe that as time goes by, Nagel will be remembered as one of the key artists that defined the '80s.

I do have a few authentic movie props that I really like. I bought a few items from the latest Punisher movie including the Punisher's shirt and pants, his bullet proof vest, and his army chest. From the Batman Returns movie, I have a huge painted “Cobblepot for Mayor” banner that still has tomato seeds on it from when the crowd was throwing tomatoes at the Penguin.

Scoop: Have there been any surprises in the comic book marketplace in the past year worth noting?
CC: Within the last year, there has been increasing interest in the prices for original art. There was an article in Playboy that highlighted the value and collectibility of comic book original art. Nowadays, in Scoop and the Comics Buyer's Guide, key sales are highlighted regularly. In the past, you didn't see much of this.

I think many collectors may be afraid to “jump” into the art market because they hear about “crazy” prices. Personally, I have seen some key Mike Zeck covers have selling/trading for $20,000+ range. That is a scary thought, but keep in mind that there are plenty of bargains on eBay everyday. I've seen eBay become more of a clearing house for art - allowing collectors to pick up some great pieces at relatively low prices compared to a few years ago. You can get some great pieces for $100 that you'd be proud to hang on your wall.

I think the interest in prices for original art will lead to the demand for a more accurate comic book original art price guide. This may stimulate the market somewhat as people will have a clearer idea on what they should expect to pay for a given piece. Given that each piece is “unique,” this may be difficult, but I believe this could be done. Maybe this is something that Overstreet would like to take on. If so, let me know, I'd be up for the challenge!