In a way, Steve Kwasowsky is the hero of his own life.
When a longtime favourite comic book shop closed down, Kwasowsky rose from the ashes and built up his own empire – and BAM, Steve’s Comics was born.
Kwasowsky used to frequent a comic book shop on 12th Street in the city’s West End, but when it closed after the owner passed away, Kwasowsky struggled to find a replacement shop.
But he couldn’t.
So he decided to try his hand at the comic business. The 38-year-old Sapperton resident eyed a spot on East Columbia Street, near the 7-Eleven store.
“There was a retail spot just down the road from me. Literally three minutes from my back door,” he says.
Eventually, he decided to scoop it up.
Today, Kwasowsky runs the store with his mom, Sally Hawkins. He continues to work his day job for ABC Recycling but says business is holding steady.
He opened a year ago and has become a stop for those who love to buy – and talk about – comics.
Spiderman has always been Kwasowsky’s favourite character ever since he was a kid. He started collecting comics when he was about 12.
“I met a friend and he already had a box of comics, and then it just took off,” recalls Kwasowsky, who grew up in Ottawa.
While he seems to fit the classic mould of a comic book fan, Kwasowsky says it isn’t just males who read them.
“You have no idea, everyone. It’s such a huge genre. There’re so many different fields. I mean it’s not just the superheroes. There’s drama, or there’s crime, or there’s supernatural, or there’s sci-fi, or there’s horror,” he says.
The Superior Spider-Man is one of the store’s most-popular comics. The story chronicles the saga of Peter Parker. He is killed off by longtime nemesis Otto Octavius, who takes over Peter Parker’s body. But Kwasowsky predicts the real Parker will return.
“He’s too iconic,” Kwasowsky says.
As for the comic business, Kwasowsky says his bread-and-butter is mail-order subscriptions – where Kwasowsky orders the titles and puts them aside for customers to pick up.
As for whether the comic book industry will be defeated – as so much of print already has – by the Internet, Kwasowsky doesn’t see technology taking too big a bite out of the business.
“You don’t collect digital downloads,” he says. “You collect comics. A lot of collectors, they’re so tactile. They want to hold it.”
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