Interview with Comic Book Art Dealer Mark Hay

I know what most people were thinking when they read the headline for this story. “There are comic book art dealers?” You bet there are!

Mark Hay runs The Comic Asylum in Richardson, TX. He also is an art dealer that works with some of the biggest comic book artists in the industry. I had a chance to talk to him about his shop and art business when “The Walking Dead” artist Charlie Adlard was in town.

How long has The Comic Asylum been here now?

The comic shop has been around since September of 2004.

What about the art business?

I’ve been doing the art business since 2002. The name of the business is Splash Page Comic Art. I represent over 30 artists in the industry and sell their original artwork for them.

Who are you working with presently?

Obviously Charlie Adlard, who is here this weekend. I also work with Michael Lark, Simon Coleby, Dave Gibbons, Jock, Ben Templesmith, and Cameron Stewart to name a few. There are many well-established artists that I sell art for. I have galleries up on the website that show scans of all their artwork available for sale.

How did you get started as a comic book art dealer?

I lost my source for buying original comic artwork. I came up with the crazy idea to sell my comic book collection and the art that I accumulated in order to become a dealer. I thought other people might be in the same boat and couldn’t find art. I built a website and went to a small local show. I met Tim Bradstreet and talked him into letting me be his art dealer. Tim was an established artist but he didn’t have a dealer. I built it from there.

What does that entail? Do you travel a lot and go to shows?

I do a handful of shows each year in Dallas and across the U.S. I always do San Diego Comic-Con International. I’m doing New York and the Miami, Florida Supercon as well. The vast majority of business is through the website. I ship worldwide to every country you can imagine. I do the shows to keep new customers coming in.

How did you get into comics?

My parents had friends who gave me a duffel bag of 1960s books when I was five. I’ve been a comic fan for 37 years.

What was in that duffle bag that really stood out?

There were early “Detective Comics” and “Batman” books. The years ranged from 1966 through 1967. My parents were real supportive. In the summertime, they’d drive me to comic shops if there was one in town. I just started collecting early and really enjoyed it. I was never a huge novel reader. I had a short attention span so comics were just perfect for me. I’ve been a fan ever since.

Who’s your favorite artist and character?

My favorite character growing up was Spiderman. “The Walking Dead” is my favorite book these days. I’m very lucky to work with a bunch of the best artists in the industry. I like many of the people that I work with. It would be hard for me to pick my favorite artist.

Who’s your favorite classic artist?

I grew up really liking Neal Adams’ “X-Men” run. I’m really into that. I really got into my prime hardcore collecting was in my teens. I was really into Jim Lee, Todd McFarland, Mike Mignola, and Frank Miller. That era probably was my heyday of comics. Neal Adams was someone that I really enjoyed early on.