Chuck Rozanski | |
|---|---|
 Rozanski at theBig Apple Convention in Manhattan, May 22, 2011 | |
| Born | (1955-03-11)March 11, 1955 (age 70) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bettie Pages |
| Education | University of Colorado Boulder |
| Alma mater | Widefield High School |
| Occupation(s) | Retailer, columnist |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Organization | Mile High Comics |
| Notable work | "Tales From the Database" |
| Spouse | |
| Children | four daughters |
| Website | www |
Charles M. Rozanski (born March 11, 1955) is a German-American retailer and columnist, known as the President and CEO of theDenver, Colorado-basedMile High Comics Inc., and a former columnist for theComics Buyer's Guide.
Rozanski was born March 11, 1955, inGoldbach, Bavaria,West Germany,[1][2] and later moved to theUnited States with his mother and stepfather, anAmerican Army officer.[1]
As described by Rozanski, his stepfather was abusive, and his mother, originally from the German town ofGoldbach, had mental illness due to trauma caused by her experiences duringWorld War II. The family was poor, and they moved frequently once they relocated to the U.S.[3][4]
Rozanski graduated fromWidefield High School inColorado Springs.[3] He attended theUniversity of Colorado Boulder[3] but dropped out in 1974.[5]
In 1969, when Rozanski was 13, he began working out of his parents' Colorado Springs basement, selling back issues of comic books by running mail-order ads in the magazineRocket's Blast Comicollector. The following year, he began promoting comics as the youngest seller ever to exhibit at the Colorado Springs Antiques Market. In 1971, he founded the Colorado Springs Comics Club.[citation needed]
The following year, he attended his first national comics convention,Multicon inOklahoma City,[4] where he sold $1,800USD in comics in three days. It was at this point that he realized comics retailing could be a career.[citation needed] He opened the first Mile High Comics store inBoulder, Colorado, in 1974[3] with $800 in cash and 10,000 comics. By 1977, he had expanded to four stores in the greater Denver area.[3]
In December of that year, he purchased the Edgar Church Collection, the largest and highest-qualityGolden Age comics collection ever discovered.[6] The cache had been preserved due to the unvarying 60-degree temperature and minimal humidity, and consisted of 16,000 comic books dating from 1937 to 1955, including the firstSuperman comic and the firstMarvel Comic. The purchase of the Church Collection helped Mile High Comics expand its influence nationally, and helped bring a geometric rise to the price of rare comic books, which became a legitimate investment.[7]
In 1986, Rozanski sold a batch of comics from the Church Collection and used the profits to put a down payment on a 22,000 square-foot Mile High Comics warehouse.[2][7][8]
In 1979 Rozanski purchasedRichard Alf Comics'mail order division, with which he gained systems and methods for greatly expanding his mail order sales.[2] To that end, he created Alternate Realities Distributing, Inc., a wholesale distributor run by Rozanski's wife Nanette.[9] The Rozanskis eventually sold Alternate Realities toBud Plant in 1987.[9]
In 1980, Rozanski purchased a double-page ad in mainstreamMarvel comics, listing prices for back issues he had for sale. This ad, which was the first of its kind, was a departure from the general practice of the time for its inclusion of prices, which Rozanski explains was a way to educate non-collectors as to the value of their collections.[citation needed] The success of the ad affirmed that back issues were a valid commodity for the collector's market, and led not only to a boom to Mile High Comics, but to the entire back issue market. Mile High Comics frequently placed ads in Marvel and DC comics in the 1980s, listing back issues of comic books that could be purchased through the mail.
In 1993 Rozanski and Mile High Comics opened the first comics mega-store in Denver, which measured 11,000 square feet.[10] The company eventually expanded to eight stores,[2] although by 2024 it had retracted to a single 45,000-square-foot mega store in northwest Denver.[3]
Rozanski wrote the column "Tales from the Database" for theComics Buyer's Guide[2] from 2001 through 2009.[11]
Rozanski drives all over the U.S. to local comics shops in order to stock Mile High's back issue inventory. He is also a frequent attendee at comic book conventions across the country.[12][2]
Rozanski was one of five people whose journey to and experiences atSan Diego Comic Con were depicted in the 2011Morgan Spurlock documentaryComic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. In the film, Rozanski seeks to sell a copy ofRed Raven #1 for $500,000 in order to pay off his debts. Although he does not sell the comic book, his booth at the convention generates more profit than the previous year's, allowing Mile High Comics to move into a new 65,000 square foot warehouse.[13]
Rozanski is widely recognized as an industry leader, and in 2003 he was awarded the Defender of Liberty Award by theComic Book Legal Defense Fund for his long-standing dedication to the protection of free speech.[14]
Rozanski and his wife, Nanette Furman,[3] were married in Boulder in 1978.[15] They have four daughters: Rowan, Aleta, Tanith, and Elsbeth.[1]
In 2008, partly as a result ofencephalitis, Rozanski discovered his "Two-spirit" identity, and realized that he wasgender-fluid.[3] In 2017, Rozanski came out, publicly adopting thedrag queen personality of Bettie Pages (inspired by thepin-up modelBettie Page).[3] That year, Rozanski shared the news with his Mile High Comics customers as well:
He announced his Bettie Pages persona in a newsletter that went out to his 118,000 subscribers in 2017."I knew that I would lose business," he said, and he was right. About 10,000 customers left his mailing list overnight, some leaving pointed, vitriolic parting shots. “But guess what? In short order, I had 10,000 more join,” he said.[3]
Since then, Rozanski has decorated the Mile High Comics warehouse entrance with rainbow-colored steps, while the corridor leading to the store displays posters honoring theColorado Springs nightclub shooting victims, accompanied by a prominent sign proclaiming "Transgender rights are human rights." Rozanski emphasizes the establishment as a refuge, actively confrontinghomophobia. Despite threats from groups like theProud Boys, Rozanski defiantly hosts inclusive events, including drag shows, embodying resilience against intimidation tactics.[3]
As of 2023, Chuck and Nanette live in Boulder with their oldest daughter, her son-in-law, and theirtransgender grandson.[3]
Blessedly, I did buy our 56th Ave. warehouse/headquarters in 1986, which I sold for $1,600,000 three years ago.
I am in a joyous mood today, as it is the 41st anniversary of when Nanette and I were married on a mountainside above Boulder.
