GoCollect's Josh won the honor of hosting the interview. Here's what he learned about the inner workings of Grant during his visit to our office.
What comic made you want to start collecting? 
"For so many of us, our grandparents or our parents would give us comics as kids to keep us busy, since we had far fewer forms of entertainment than kids do nowadays. Naturally, I would get a lot of Looney Toons, Bugs, Daffy, Donald, those types of comics. But I specifically remember when I was about 5 years old, holding this copy of Amazing Spider-Man #170. At 5, 6 years old, I looked at that comic and came to the realization that I'd had that comic for about three years.
I didn't understand anything about collecting at that point, but I knew that that comic must mean something to me because it wasn't destroyed, and here I am at 5,6 years old. So Amazing Spider-Man #170 is always the comic I think of when I think of my start. That one issue springboarded all the things that were to come."
What's your most prized comic? 
"If there's one comic that means more to me than anything else - it's Incredible Hulk #340. Now, everyone knows Incredible Hulk #340. It seems almost like a generic answer. It's that classic Todd McFarlane Wolverine cover.
I became a McFarlane fan with his run of Amazing Spider-Man, like a lot of people did, so I'd tried to pick up all of McFarlane's run of Hulk, but I couldn't get issue 340. Even at the time (I was in high school at the time, around '89), I couldn't get 340 because it was too expensive, about $30 at the time. So I asked for it for my birthday. It's the only comic my dad ever got me for my birthday.
My dad was a mechanic, and he always remembered 340 because he told me that the 340 was one of the best engines that Chrysler ever built, so he had no problem remembering that it was Hulk #340 that I asked for for my birthday. My dad has passed away now, and if there's one book I could be buried with, it would be my copy of Hulk #340, because of what it meant to me. What it meant for him to get that for me."
In your opinion, what's the most underrated comic?
"Well, the 1986 Howard the Duck movie didn't win all the Oscars, so I'd say anything involving Howard the Duck has to be underrated. I love Howard the Duck (special shoutout to Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew as well.)
Howard has to be one of the most underrated. I love that comic, but that movie coming out when I was 12 years old was kind of the end-all-be-all to me. I think I kind of combine my love of the comic with my love for the movie. In my eyes, it will never get the credit it deserves - the birth of the MCU!"
What advice would you give someone new to collecting?
"Everyone collects for different reasons. Some people collect to turn a profit, and there's nothing wrong with that. In the long term, you have to collect what you love. Everything else is wonderful. Making money off comics is wonderful, but if it doesn't have meaning to you then in the long term, it's meaningless.
You have to have a personal connection. It doesn't matter how preposterous, how silly it may be. The most valuable comics in my collection are things that mean something to me. Collect what you love."
What comic do you not have that you want the most?
"My answers are going to sound very one-tracked, here. I don't have a copy of Fear #19. Fear #19 - the first appearance of Howard the Duck. I have a few copies of Howard #1, some of his Man-Thing appearances, but I don't have a copy of Fear #19."
Heartfelt thanks to Grant for sitting down with us! If you haven't checked out Grant's Comics yet, what are you waiting for?
We wrote it because we think he's a cool dude and we dig his site.
