×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more
You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 16 years old before posting.

Forum - View topic
NEWS: Comic Store Pioneer, Manga Supporter Rory Root 1958-2008




Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
BleuVII



Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 672
Location: Tokorozawa, Japan
PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2008 5:21 am Reply with quote
Rest in Peace
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:42 am Reply with quote
I've been to Comic Relief (and their booth at Wondercon) a number of times which is a wonderful store. I think the first time I went to the shop was when Akira was played in Berkeley on that really rainy afternoon back in 1989. Cal Animage meetings were always so late that the shop would be closed after them. I never really new Rory but instantly recognized him when I clicked to the obituary link. This is truly sad news.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
paulnwatts



Joined: 24 Nov 2006
Posts: 1
Location: Dublin, Ireland
PostPosted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:06 am Reply with quote
This is really sad news. I lived in Berkeley from '87 to '94, and was a strong supporter of, and frequent customer at, Comic Relief from the very beginning. I always looked forward to stopping by there every Friday morning on my way into Cal to pick up my weekly fix of titles (lots of 'em, sometimes 20-25 a week), usually hanging out and chatting for a little while along the way.

Because of this, I got to know Rory reasonably well, and apart from being a great guy, his enthusiasm for non-mainstream comics in general, and manga in particular, was unquestionable. I'd been exposed to manga long before moving to Berkeley, but I'd never seen a store that had as much of a selection as Comic Relief did, and I remember being absolutely thrilled when the first wave of Viz releases showed up there: Area 88, Urusei Yatsura, Mai the Psychic Girl, etc. However, I didn't realise until reading this article that, largely because of Rory, CR was one of Viz' first customers.

It's also somewhat of a testament to Rory and Comic Relief that I never bought as many comics again after leaving Berkeley; all the other stores I came across just couldn't compare, either in breadth or depth of the titles they carried. So maybe gratitude is also due for spoiling me for life...

RIP Rory. And Thanks.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group