Retailer Rory Root

This last week, retailer Rory Root passed away. I never knew the man, but it seems that his impact on the comic book community was huge. He was the owner of Comic Relief, located in Berkeley, California. What was amazing was to see the outpouring of so many creators, collectors, and fans that knew the man. Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Beau Smith, Tom Spurgeon, and so many more. The amount of blogs, memories, and eulogies about Rory and what he gave to the comic book community is mind boggling. Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter has a nice eulogy and a collective memory of all of the sites that have done something about Rory Root. Those in the Berkeley area are encouraged to go to the store and purchase some material to help out as the store is still planning on continuing. This was one of those situations where you wished you were able to meet the individual and are sad that you never got the chance to. He will definitely be missed.