Dave Kruseski grew up reading comic books, a passion that blossomed into a business. Kruseski owns Heroes Comics & Cards on Westport Avenue in Norwalk.
The store will host the 10th annual Free Comic Book Day, an industrywide event, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be the first time Kruseski has held the event in more than six years.
Although the store owner did not read comics in high school or college, his interest was reignited in the early 1990s. "I read an article that Superman had died," Kruseski said. "I was kind of a little curious."
Kruseski went to a Waldenbooks and found the iconic "The Death of Superman" issue wherein the Man of Steel met his end. From there, his curiosity grew, so he went to a comic book store he found in the phone book to buy the issues leading up to Superman's demise.
When Kruseski entered the store, he was stunned by how many comics had been published and how much the industry had changed since his youth.
Kruseski opened his store, which is now in its second location, in 1995. He decided to have Free Comic Book Day again this year after disagreeing with the way it had been promoted in the past. "It's one thing to tell people who read comics about it," Kruseski said. "But you want people who don't."
Free Comic Book Day is held by most independent comic retailers the first Saturday in May. But due to a Magic the Gathering card tournament in his store that day, Kruseski pushed the event to this Saturday. His 4-year-old son will help him hand out comics during the event, of which he has measured expectations.
"I expect it to have a pretty big turnout," Kruseski said. "But I don't expect it to be huge as far as lines at the door."
Have you ever visited Dave Kruseski's comic shop? What were/are your favorite comic books? Comment below, or on Facebook or Twitter @DailyNorwalk.
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