Priceless Comic Book Art Preserved: Exhibit Features Treasures Saved from Palisades Fire at IU

A collection of rare comic book history is now on display at Indiana University, featuring original drafts and prints collected by Chuck Costas, an IU alum. The gallery prominently features original work from Marvel comic book artist Mike Zeck, including pieces from The Punisher, Secret Wars, and Captain America dating back to the mid-1980s.

"As Spiderman said, 'With great power comes great responsibility,'" Costas said. "With all of the power of owning this amazing artwork, the responsibility I had was to give it back and showcase it to other people."

Costas was preparing to ship the collection to IU from Southern California when his home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire. He says he's grateful that only a portion of the collection survived the fire.

"We had about 45 minutes to get everything we wanted out of the house," Costas said. "My entire comic book collection, 99 percent of it, did not survive."

The prints in the gallery only survived because they were already out of the house awaiting their move to Bloomington. However, Costas did not save everything he wanted to.

"There was a Punisher logo which was used to print a cover that did not make it," Costas said. "The worst part is having to go back to the artist and say, 'These are the pieces of yours we lost, and I was the caretaker for them.' It's tough."

He says he's grateful that the pieces in the gallery survived for the public to marvel at.

"I may not have everything, but I have enough to start a new world," Costas said.

The Mike Zeck collection is on display at Indiana University's McCalla Building until February 2026.