For some, love of comic books runs in the blood.
Take Marc Seger. He got into comic books because of his father's collection when he was growing up.
Seger and his son Brian sat on the floor of a banquet room at Omaha's Howard Johnson, shuffling through books, looking for art that catches the eye.
The Segers have a collection of thousands of comic books. On Saturday, they brought home a stack of dozens more.
“I was buying extra comics for my kids before they were born,” Marc Seger said.
A number of families showed up at the hotel for the Omaha Comic Book Convention. Several parents brought their children along to share a hobby they enjoyed as kids.
Russ DeGeorge browsed with his 4-year-old son, Jack. DeGeorge said Jack found his collection and started looking at the comics about a year and a half ago.
“I started collecting them for the kids,” he said. “Degraded comic books, for the most part.”
Rick Milone came with his wife, Candice, and their 11-week-old daughter, Lucia. Rick Milone, a collector, saw the convention advertised online and came to look for some good deals.
“I'm just trying to find something the local stores don't have,” he said.
He says his daughter will probably be a fan herself in a few years. “I'll make her read something,” he said.
Bill Nereson, a comic book dealer from Minneapolis, said he sees a fair number of families at conventions like the one in Omaha, but he'd like to see more.
“I think it's better for the hobby,” he said. “The family that reads comic books will buy more.”
Nereson, who has been a dealer for about 20 years, says the number of families he sees has stayed about the same. But the recent spate of comic book-based movies might drive more interest, he said.
Seger's three older children all read comic books.
Brian, 7, says he likes Justice League of America. Cecelia, 5, loves Dennis the Menace. And Aaron, 3, is a Superman and Bugs Bunny fan. Newborn Elizabeth doesn't have the comic book bug — yet.
“Our newborn will enjoy reading comic books.” Seger said, turning to Brian. “If she doesn't, we'll kick her out, right?”
Contact the writer:
444-1229, elliot.njus@owh.com
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