Chuck Rozanski

Charles M. Rozanski (born March 11, 1955) is a German-American retailer and columnist, known as the president and CEO of the Denver, Colorado-based Mile High Comics Inc., and a former columnist for the Comics Buyer's Guide.

Early life Rozanski was born March 11, 1955, in Goldbach, Bavaria, West Germany, and later moved to the United States with his mother and stepfather, an American Army officer.

Rozanski graduated from Widefield High School in Colorado Springs.

Career Mile High Comics 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 magazine Rocket'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.

The following year, he attended his first national comics convention, Multicon in Oklahoma City, 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 first Superman comic and the first Marvel 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.

In 1979 Rozanski purchased Richard Alf Comics' mail order division, with which he gained systems and methods for greatly expanding his mail order sales. The Rozanskis eventually sold Alternate Realities to Bud Plant in 1987. The company eventually expanded to eight stores,

Appearances 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.

Awards and recognition Rozanski is widely recognized as an industry leader, and in 2003 he was awarded the Defender of Liberty Award by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for his long-standing dedication to the protection of free speech.

Personal life Rozanski and his wife, Nanette Furman, They have four daughters: Rowan, Aleta, Tanith, and Elsbeth.

In 2008, partly as a result of encephalitis, Rozanski discovered his "Two-spirit" identity, and realized that he was gender-fluid. In 2017, Rozanski came out, publicly adopting the drag queen personality of Bettie Pages (inspired by the pin-up model Bettie Page). That year, Rozanski shared the news with his Mile High Comics customers as well:

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 the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting victims, accompanied by a prominent sign proclaiming "Transgender rights are human rights." Rozanski emphasizes the establishment as a refuge, actively confronting homophobia. Despite threats from groups like the Proud Boys, Rozanski defiantly hosts inclusive events, including drag shows, embodying resilience against intimidation tactics.

As of 2023, Chuck and Nanette live in Boulder with their oldest daughter, her son-in-law, and their transgender grandson.