Buried Under Comics
Remembering Connecticut retailer Brian Kozicki
Brian Kozicki (center) at Buried Under comics
EDITOR’S NOTE: Retailer Brian Kozicki, who owned Buried Under Comics in Manchester, Connecticut, for more than 18 years, passed away Saturday as the result of a heart attack. He was 46. His longtime friend and former co-worker Marc Patten offered this remembrance.
By Marc Patten
We lost a superhero this week, a “Daredevil” with a heart of gold just like his favorite Marvel character. Brian Kozicki, owner of Buried Under Comics, has been my friend for more than 25 years. I laugh and think back to the early days of our odd-couple pairing when we were just a few years out of high school working together at the store under the previous owner Chuck Bruder. Back in 1987 we were both working at Buried Under Books part-time; he had another job and I was a sophomore at the University of Connecticut. In those early days we had a a friendly rivalry: Brian would often show up early on a Saturday to make sure Chuc, put him on the front line at the register, talking and selling to customers. Subsequently, I was forced to stay in the back room, bagging and boarding comics, filing and restocking back issues. He knew this would happen, and used to tease me about it often.