Change of Scenery Does Not Slow Down Steve's Comic Relief

Past the shelves lined with antique clocks, collectible dolls and other unique Americana that fills Rosebush Antiques at the Langhorne Shopping Square, a battle rages on between wizards and witches, ogres and warriors and countless powerful creatures.

Why haven't the valuable and fragile items throughout the rest of store shattered into millions of pieces? Because the battle is waged through a deck of cards known as Magic: The Gathering (think Dungeons & Dragons, but with cards instead of dice).

Having a geek-friendly headquarters where fans of the popular role-playing game can gather and play peacefully while arguing over who wrote the best Spider-man comics is exactly why so many loyal customers have followed the move of Steve's Comic Relief from its own storefront formally located on Woerner Ave. to its new section inside Rosebush Antiques.

"We've been here about four months, and people are finding us," said Steve Gursky, who opened the original store in 1982. "They keep staggering in, happy that they found us. It was either this or go out of business."

Steve's Comic Relief's 31-year history makes it the longest running independently owned comic book store in the area, surviving the comic book bubble burst in the late '90s and the economic downturn in 2008. A full-time social worker, Gursky stepped away from the comic book business for a while before taking back the reins in 2000.

His longevity helped Gursky build strong relationships with industry artists, attracting talented artists such as Greg LaRocque (The Avengers, The Flash), Ron Frenz (Spider-man, The Mighty Thor) and Brett Breeding (Superman, Batman) down to Bucks County for in-store appearances.

"Everytime one of these guys come in, they create a new store logo for me," said Gursky, pointing out numerous framed sketches and illustrations featuring the store's initials.

Not only does Gursky attract the top artists in comic books, but he has a few up and comers working behind the counter. Savannah Myers, a student at Bucks County Technical School, is making a name for herself, connecting with visiting talents and helping Gursky decorate the walls of the store.

"I've been drawing since I was born," said Myers. "I started reading anime when I was younger and my interests evolved from that."

Myers and Micky Fiedler will lead a free draw-in event this Saturday at Steve's Comic Relief. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., beginning artists are invited to bring in their pencils, crayons and markers and show off their stuff. It's the first time Gursky is holding a draw-in event, and he hopes to make it a new tradition, along with the weekly Magic competitions, frequent mini-conventions and artist appearances.

Next week, Steve's Comic Relief hosts an artist showcase between noon and 4 p.m. Scheduled to appear are Christopher Ivy, Bryan J.L. Glass, Neil D. Volkes, Tom Smith and local artist Alvin Harris.

Steve's Comic Relief is located inside Rosebush Antiques at the Langhorne Shopping Center, 1337 E. Lincoln Highway in Levittown. Hours: Mon.-Tues. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 
Wed.-Fri. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat. 10a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun. 12 p.m.-5 p.m. Call (215) 945-7954 for more information.