The subject this time is Filip Sablik, Publisher of Top Cow Productions, who has an interesting take on why he collected before he got to his present position.

I must confess, I don't really collect comics anymore. After about a dozen moves and having to downsize my living space a few years back, I decided to give away and sell off my single issue comic collection (at the time about a dozen short boxes). I kept two boxes.

The first is a box of my own published work and the second was a full run of George Pérez comics from the late 1970s through the 1990s. Pérez was one of my largest artistic influences and the first time I felt compelled to get everything a creator had done.

It took most of my middle and high school years to assemble so I've never been able to part with it.

My prime comic collecting days were in the ealry and mid-1990s. I had full runs of Next Men and Kabuki and long runs of Uncanny X-Men, Flash, and Justice League. My most embarrassing collection was a full run of Silver Sable & the Wild Pack.

Over the years I've collected graphic novels, hard covers, and trades (limited to 4 Ikea shelves in my offices), DVDs (which stopped with the advent of Netflix), original comic art, and toys. These days I mostly collect memories.

For me it all started with Uncanny X-Men #268.

Filip Sablik, in addition to being Publisher for Top Cow Productions, is a writer and artist.

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).