Sorry to hear of the passing of Rory Root, an important voice in the world of comic book retailing and the owner of Comic Relief, a darn good shop in the Berkeley area. Cause of death is being given as complications from some surgery he underwent to repair a ruptured hernia. Rory was fifty years old and was one of those sellers who truly loved the product and the people to whom he sold.
Last February, my new book on Jack Kirby was coming out just barely in time for the Wondercon in San Francisco. For a moment there, it looked like none of the dealers would get it in time for it to be sold 'n' signed at the con…but Rory went to considerable trouble and expense to obtain a few crates of 'em, and I was only too glad to sit and inscribe them at his booth. This was not just a matter of potential profits. Rory was a big Kirby fan and he just wanted to have the book at his table. Whatever profit he made off them was probably nullified by the number of copies he gave away to friends. You have to like a guy like that. Actually, I liked Rory even before then. Everyone did.