We recently introduced a new regular feature in Scoop: Origin Issue. The subject is a straightforward question, but one with many different answers: Why do you collect?

The subject this time is Gerry Gladston, co-owner of New York’s Midtown Comics.

Why do I collect? Let me count the ways.

Although I have a pretty terrific collection of vintage comics and toys, there always seems to be a number of scarce items and at least a holy grail or two that I don’t yet have (okay, make that quite a few). One of those holy grails is a near-mint copy of Hot Stuff The Little Devil (Harvey Comics, 1957); for some reason, that one continues to elude me despite my best efforts. Nowadays, in addition to various vintage items, I love collecting the comics of my favorite authors, and I have complete sets of Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man, and all of the issues of Ex-Machina thus far. Collected editions are great, but for me the real enjoyment is collecting and reading the separate issues. The thrill may be in the hunt, but it’s also in the reading of these gems, or the displaying of a vintage Batmobile. I collect simply because I’ve loved comics since I was five years old, and it’s thoroughly ingrained in my system.

Gerry Gladston is the co-owner of Midtown Comics in New York City.

If you’d like to share your origin issue, drop us a line with “Origin Issue” in the subject line. We’re looking for a maximum of 200 words addressing why you collect (and it doesn’t have to be comic books).