Mile High Comics – The ‘Mecca Of All Comic Book Stores’
Recently, my son joined me in attending his first in-person comic book auction in Denver, Colorado, at Mile High Comics. We drove down to Denver from Fort Collins, and I was so excited about the road trip. We arrived at the auction in the nick of time.
Auction
Chuck, the founder of Mile High Comics, ran the auction. The entire experience brought me back to when I was a kid and used to attend comic book auctions. It made it even more special that I could share the experience with my son.
At the end of the auction, I went up to Chuck and introduced myself to him. When I informed him about my plan to write an article on Mile High Comics and post it to The Bipolar Battle blog, he shared that his mom had bipolar disorder and had been hospitalized multiple times.
It meant a lot to me he shared that because here is this amazing human being, who I respect and admire, sharing his own experience. You see, I have been a patron of Mile High Comics for decades, and I had never met Chuck before this date.
Chuck used to own smaller stores throughout the Denver metro area. I used to shop at his store in Westminster, which is a suburb of Denver. He eventually sold his shops and opened the “mecca of all comic book shops.”
To finally meet him meant the world to me. I felt quite nervous before walking up to Chuck because, again, I had never met him beforehand, and I have always held him in such high esteem. He quickly eased my anxiousness when he spoke to me.
I also subscribe to the Mile High Comics email list, and I love reading about all of Chuck’s adventures and the projects he is working on. It’s almost like his own blog. He just shares via email instead of a website.
The History Of Mile High Comics
What I love about Mile Comics is not only the comics, toys, and amazing collectibles, but their entire atmosphere of inclusivity. Like me, they like to stomp out the stigma associated with so many social issues. As a mental health advocate combating stigma daily, I appreciate their own advocating efforts.
Now, here’s a little background of Mile High Comics and how it all began.
Chuck was 13 years old in 1969. That was the year he first started selling back-issue comics out of his parent’s Colorado basement. He ran mail-order ads in the magazine, “Rockets Blast Comicollector.”
He opened his first store in Boulder, Colorado, in 1974 with $800 in cash and 10,000 comic books. In three years, Chuck expanded to four stores in the Denver metro area.
In 1991, Chuck opened the first Mile High Comics mega-store in Denver, which measured 11,000 square feet. The company eventually expanded to eight stores.
A little over a decade ago, Chuck made a bold move and sold his single stand-alone shops and invested all the proceeds into the “mecca of all comic book stores.” You can now find Mile High Comics on Jason Street in Denver, Colorado.
Chuck has an enormous sign on his store saying simply, “Mile High Comics.” If you are familiar with Colorado, you can view his sign from I-25 and I-70.
Jason Street Store
Mile High Comics is regarded as America’s largest comics dealer, with over 10 million comics and 300,000 comics trade paperback books and hardback books in stock.
Their store on Jason Street is 65,000 square feet and the largest in the nation. That’s why I keep referring to it as the “mecca of all comic book stores.”
Mile High Comics Online
One thing I love about Mile Comics is their online store. They have an extensive database of comic books spanning decades. You can even decide what condition of comic book you want to purchase for a particular title. Of course, there are always instances where a comic book isn’t in stock, but Chuck keeps his inventory stocked for his comic book lovers.
On their website, you can find all sorts of information about Mile High Comics, current events, and if any sales are going on. As a side note, if you subscribe to Chuck’s newsletter, he usually provides a sales code to take off a certain percentage of your first purchase. I don’t know about you, but since the price of everything is skyrocketing, saving money is always a good thing.
Comic Collecting As A Kid
Ever since I can remember, I have enjoyed collecting and reading comic books. When I was younger, I even remember going to the grocery store and seeing the wire rotating columns that held the different issues of new comics. Hopefully, that doesn’t date me too much (big smile).
In those early comic books, I saw advertisements for Mile High Comics in almost all the Marvel Comics I read. If memory serves me right, there were lists of back-issue comics for sale that you could mail-order. Not only that, but I could just visit one store in the Denver metro area – and that’s what I did.
Every so often, my dad would take me to the Westminster Mile High Comics, and I would load up on new and back-issue comics. I had a running list of my comic book collection so I could complete the runs of stories.
Unfortunately, my parents separated and divorced. My mom, brother, and I moved out to Saint Louis, Missouri, but I took my love of comics with me. My first job was actually working at a local comic book shop in Missouri when I was 13 years old. I helped stock comic books, take inventory, sort their pull and hold, and more.
When I came out to Colorado to visit my dad for the holidays and summer, I always made it a point to visit Mile High Comics.
As I’ve aged, I haven’t been able to purchase comic books like when I was a kid. However, my love for comics and collectibles has not waned. I still have my collection from when I was a kid, stored safely in five long boxes.
I highly recommend, if you make a trip to Denver, Colorado, that you stop by the “mecca of all comic book stores” in the United States—Mile High Comics. Trust me when I say, you won’t be disappointed.
