We appreciate your continued support of Rory’s
family, friends, and Comic Relief. Please use the
comment form below as a guest book for your
visit to the site.
If you have a story or memory of Rory you would
like to share please visit the ‘Memories’ page and
post it there.
NOTE:
Please use this space to remember the man and
not speculate or start rumors regarding the shop,
we are open and will remain open - That’s the way
Rory would have wanted it.
-JL-
Godspeed Rory.
It’s the 2nd star from the right and straight on till morning.
But then, you know the way already…
Rory and I became friends when I was trying to get my comics that I publish into stores. When I became a retailer, last year, he made himself my mentor, much to my good fortune. He would call me often and teach me a great deal. He cared and that meant a tremendous amount.
He was kind enough to let me dote on him at conventions and conferences to I could make sure he was ok.
I miss him very much.
You are sorely missed, and will live well in our memories.
Thanks for the sundaes and books, Rory…you’ll be missed.
Rory,
You were the best thing that ever happened to the business of comic books. I’ll miss you forever.
Rory,
Thanks for the greatest store on earth. You will be missed.
May angels speed you to your rest, kind sir.
Our retailing family has last a mentor, an inspiration and, above all, a friend.
Dear Rory, thank you for the great heart and idea farm that y0u were. I loved working with you and I miss you already.
I’m so sorry that I never got to see you again at San diego. I only knew you for a short time but you showed me to step back and see the big picture.
Rory was one of the best men and friends in the comics biz. We went back 30 years, and served in the trenches together at Best of Two Worlds. He was always supportive with time and advice when I began publishing, and was a major advisor to Fogel’s Underground Comix Price Guide. You will live on, my good friend, in the lives you’ve touched and the industry you loved….
This is indeed sad news. I’ve travelled all over the U.S. and gone to a comic shop in every place and the one that I always come back to is Comic Relief. It’s my #1 favorite shop ever and Rory was a part of that. He was friendly and actually remembered my name and was helpful. He will be sadly missed and was a strong force for a great thing.
I barely knew Rory, but he always seemed like a good guy when I’d talk to him.
Worst. News. Ever…
I worked for Rory back in the early days of Comic Relief, back in the ’90’s. I thought he was a good person and was always impressed with his knowledge.
This is a very sad day for all who knew him.
I am very sad for his passing and my condolences go to his family and close friends. Comic Relief really is the first comic shop that has made me feel at home, welcomed, and a part of a large comic loving community. Although I never actually talked to you Rory, I have seen you several times in the store and I could tell right away that you were someone who truly cared about his customers and the experience they shared in your store. You will be missed.
Rory and I went back to before Comic Relief, when he worked at a now-defunct comics store in Berkeley. Comic Relief was his effort to “get it right”, which of course he did.
I feel like a huge piece of my life has been suddenly ripped away. His health was never the greatest, but this is still a huge shock.
Fortunately, like his comrade Bill Liebowitz before him in Los Angeles, his store will be his legacy. Every time I’ll walk by on my way to work or come in to browse, I’ll remember him.
I’ve been a Berkeley resident for 29 years, and though my comics buying has fallen off in recent years, for so much of that time Comic Relief was a *huge* part of my life, and Rory himself was always so friendly and generous with his time and recommendations., and made it my favorite store, by far, to buy my comics at.
Very, very sad news. Seeing all the tributes to him make me realize that he was as important to the comics community as I always sensed he must have been.
Rest in peace, Rory, and my condolences and best wishes to all his friends, co-workers, and family.
Our sincere condolences to Rory’s friends & family.
Missing Link staff & members
I met Rory when I was a wee fanboy back in the 80’s. Rory always had a positive word to say, a helping hand to give, and he was always smiling when we chatted about the good, bad, and ugly of the field…………….Another blow to our already fragile industry of wisdom of comics. You will be missed my friend but never forgotten. I look forward to the time we chat again.
While visiting Berkeley on business in 1997 I discovered the most amazing comic store I’d ever visited, Comic Relief. I discovered a new, indy comic that let to a lasting friendship with the creator. If Rory hadn’t given this small press book a chance, my life would not be rich with the friendships I have made upon finding it.
A few years later I volunteered to help Comic Relief set up at San Diego. Rory always had the time to give a kind word and just be an amazingly generous individual. I met up with him every year since just to say hello. It was one of the things to which I looked forward each year at ComiCon.
I am fortunate to have known a great man. I will miss you always, Rory.
Even before I knew him or had visited the legendary COMIC RELIEF, I had heard that this guy Rory Root was pushing my books. Sure, it was his job, as he owned a comic shop, but he was the first retailer I knew of, early on, that was actively aware of my work and vocal to his customers about it. When I finally met Rory I understood his passion for comics and plain storytelling. And I understood that this industry, and this artform, is really about people, good people, and the family that we all are because of this shared interest. Rory made it easier for a shy new comics guy to feel at home, and it’s going to be hard not seeing him pull the strings at conventions or offer advice and encouragement at the shop. I wish every retailer, fan, and creator could have a fraction of the passion Rory had for comics. It’d make things so much more fun.
I made Rory’s acquaintance far too many years ago to count. He was one of the people I clicked with through the years of working the San Diego Comic Con. There were nights spent hanging out together in the bars of various hotels in the early days, then later the sharing of giant slice pizza during set up.
I have always looked forward to hanging around his booth to see the new delights he would bring to share with attendees. His enthusiasm for the genre was infectious. His willingness to stock publications not seen at the other booths in order to spread the word, so to speak, was greatly appreciated and welcome.
I am going to miss you greatly, my friend. I already do.
I’m only a few years older than Rory, but the same in spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed talking “Kirby” with him during these past decades. I especially enjoyed chatting with him recently at Moscone’s WonderCon. He will be sorely missed and is irreplaceble. My three sons thought he was a real character! God Bless you Rory… see you later…
Rory was my friend. I can only hope I was the same in return. I want to say more but I can not properly express my grief in words. All I can say is he was my friend and I will miss him.
I wish Todd and the rest of the Comic Relief staff the best during this time of mourning.
I’m a sporadic customer at Comic Relief but whenever I visited, Rory was a welcoming person. He took time to say hello, chat a bit and whenever I needed them, recommend good reads to me. Not once did he fail. Him and his great store have introduced me to a whole lot of books and countless genres that instill and perpetuate the love of the medium. Publishers, writers, artists as well as patrons love him and hold him in high esteem. It wouldn’t be so if it weren’t for the way he is. Honest, helpful, insightful, his willingness and determination to help bring the artform to new heights and bring the books to the masses so that others can see that the culture isn’t just for kids, but for all ages and types of people. I’m sure there are countless things to say about this man. I’ll leave room for the others… But I’ll miss saying hello to you and talking shop… Hopefully, there are comic shops in heaven and we’ll cross paths once again. God Bless you. Rest in peace Rory.
Rory was a huge inspiration to me. He created so many opportunities for my comics and taught me to have confidence in them. He gave me endless good advice and was always supportive. He was so passionate and eager to help. Without saying it, he made me feel like my comics were important, like they were the future.
Thank you for everything. I will miss you very much and will forever associate you with the art form we loved so much.
Rory and I met in the very early 80’s and dated for a short time. He was the sweetest of guys, and he shared a lot of personal occurances that happened with his family, and former girl friend. I have since married, had two kids, and my entire family has met Rory, and see what a wonderful Comic Wizard he was. God, I can’t believe he’s gone away, it’s just too hard to believe. I always made a point of saying “Hi” to him at conventions, and now, I won’t have that chance again. Not fair, but I know he’s running that giant Comic Book Store in the sky. Godspeed Rory, you will be missed, and most certainly, never, ever replaced.
I just wish I had one more chance to thank Rory for all of the advice and friendship he has given me over the years. I know that my store would not exist if Comic Relief was not there to be one of the stores that inspired it. I hope you and Bill are running a hell of a comic store in the afterlife.
I am very sad for his passing and my condolences and priers go to his family and close friends.
When I move to California from the Old Europe I had the chance to land in Berkeley. I meet Rory at Comic Relief, the only comic shop that has made me feel at home, with its large collection of Comic books. Thanks Rory for the time we spent together in the plane from Comic Con or in your store sharing comics. Thanks to introduce me to comics such as Bone from Jeff Smith, the talented Scot Morse and may others… Without you I will still think that comics in the US equal Super Heroes :).
I will be missed a lot.
My wife, Sophie, and I send you our love as well as your family.
Frederic
MY GOOD BROTHER DAN FOGEL AN I WILL MISS YOU MY BROTHER
Rory, thanks for turning our son onto “Bone.” He loves the series, and has us read them to him over and over. We told him of your passing and he was very sad. You will most definitely be missed but we will remember you every time we seen you in Barrelhaven.
With love,
The Troxells
Santa Cruz, CA
Rory’s been my friend since he was 17. From before his business! I will miss him. The world is poorer today.
If there is Justice in the world there will be a “Rory Root Meet & Greet” where everyone gets together and pretends Rory just introduced us to each other.
Adios mi amigo. Le veré pronto bastante. Blessed Be.
Rory had vison, and passion to spare. The result is the best comic book store I’ve ever been in or even heard of. Comic Relief is the embodiment of everything Rory loved and believed in, and I hope it will continue to be a testament to his dedication and enthusiasm for as long as the written word (inside the speech balloon) is printed on the page. I send my condolences to his friends and family, and my love to Todd, Sean, Uel and Jim.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without Rory.
It was Rory’s shop and its giant and diverse selection that fed my four-color habit.
It was Rory’s support of indy titles that helped me decide to take the plunge and self-publish my first comic.
It was Rory recommending that book to a first-time visitor to Comic Relief that gave me my “number one fan,” who, subsequently, became a great friend.
It was Rory who let me do signings at the store that were always fun (and always ended with him generously buying more books… for which I, of course, always took trade).
It was Rory who I could always count on to be a friendly face at conventions both big and small. Always there with a smile and a glad word.
It was Rory who was my friend.
I’m going to miss him.
I’ll always treasure our talks Rory. You are and will be missed.
Rory was kind, understated, and smart. He promoted the underdog publishers. the zinesters, the ideas, the gay comics, weird comics, and the Not Comics at All had homes at Comic Relief, and not hidden away in the back but front and center.
His immense knowledge was not a self important one, as he often took time to discuss comics to untrained aunts and uncles who happened to wander in.
As Indy publishers, there’s nothing like seeing your publication on the shelf at Comic Relief.
Rory was the first retailer ever to ask for more copies of Gush, a weird self published poetry thing i made, and when my girlfriend Annie and I started Hi-Fructose, Rory’s advice was beyond encouraging. Seeing the first issue on the shelves at CR made it all worth it, made it all “real” somehow.
I’ll miss my long talks with you Rory.
This is a huge loss for so many people.
goodbye my friend.
I loved chatting with Rory every week almost as much as I love eating pussy!
I’ll miss ya big guy!
Sorry to hear of this news. I would frequent Comic Relief as often as I could since I was a teenager in the early 90’s. This was not an easy task since I lived in Vacaville, home of the Game Warden Comics(closed after 25 years, 1980-2005). I worked at the Game Warden as a kid until I became a co-owner at age 17. During that time my mentor William “Bonzo” Glass, original founder of the Game Warden, first introduced me to Rory and Comic Relief. Everytime I would make a trip to the bay area I would stop by the store. I would strive to make the Game Warden a touch of the magic that was Comic Relief. If I wanted to know what was new and hot in the alternative comics world, I would check out Rory’s place. Whenever I would meet someone who was thinking of opening a comic store I would recommend them checking out Comic Relief to see what a real comic store was about. It was always full of such wonders. Rory was the knowledge of comics. He always had an answer for your comicbook needs. He gave the store a touch of home, you felt relaxed to mingle with the employees and patrons. From his coffee mug to his pampered kitty, it felt like home. Rory will be missed everytime I drive by Comic Relief and don’t see him sitting out front enjoying his cup o’ joe and a smoke. Rory will be missed everytime we attend Wonder-Con, the Alternative Press Expo and San Diego Comic-Con International and he is not there. Rory will be missed for his grinning smile.
I already missed Rory when I moved out of the area, and I hate knowing I won’t see him again. I first met him when I was an intern at Viz, where he’d drive across the Bay Bridge to pick up stock. I thought that was some dedication and started crossing the bridge myself to shop at Comic Relief. Once there we’d talk TV, the UK, manga (of course!) and how great it was that librarians were starting to stock graphic novels. Later when I lived in Berkeley (okay, Albany!) I’d see him on the street and we’d talk on the spot. And, of course, at tradeshows he’d introduce me to EVERYBODY.
Thanks Rory, and keep up the good work wherever you’ve gone.
I love you, Rory, and I’ll miss you. It breaks my heart that we lost you.
Rory’s passing has hit me hard—even though his health problems were always a ticking bomb, I never expected it to go off.
He had an insatiable desire for good conversation, good books, good food and good deals. Rory was a good man.
I’ve been sharing stories and photos on my blog at flyingcolorscomics.com.
I offer my deepest sympathies to his family and to the Comic Relief family…while also offering my profound thanks for being able to call Rory my friend.
After reading about Rory on Hi-Fructose.com it is clear that the world has lost a great man!
Wishing his family and friends the best…
I’ve already posted this elsewhere, but I thought it made sense to put it here:
I worked for Rory off-and-on for 14 years, starting as an 18-year-old kid. I can honestly say that much of my life would have turned out very different, had I not crossed paths with him back then. It was at Comic Relief that I learned the ins and outs of the comics business, and Rory certainly had a hand in my education. Hell, it was Rory who first paid me to draw something, come to think of it.
As Jim points out above, he could drive the staff nuts sometimes — and lord knows he and I had it out once or twice — but so much of that tension came, at its heart, from Rory’s desire to make the store the best it could be. By all accounts, he succeeded brilliantly in that regard.
I finally stopped working my ‘day job’ at Comic Relief a few years back, going full-time into drawing comics, but the store will always feel like home. I spent the evening there tonight, as a gesture of respect, I suppose.
No one there was shocked at what had happened — we all knew it was coming — but the mood was a decidedly muted version of the the usually-jovial atmosphere of the store.
Rory’s influence in comics will be felt for many years to come, and I know Comic Relief will continue to be what Rory built there — a great comic book store, rarely rivaled and never equaled.
you only meet a guy like rory root once in a lifetime. what a gem of a guy, what a character. i’m not a very sentimental person but the whole damn thing makes me weepy
I met Rory in ‘86 when I worked at a long-gone comic shop called “Best of Two Worlds” in Berkeley, where—along with a core group of co-workers who became friends—the seed for what was to become “Comic Relief” was planted. I was honored to be asked to join the staff at Comic Relief soon after it opened in the late 80’s…and honored to count Rory as a friend.
A sweet bear of a guy, so fair and compassionate. I was the sole gay person on staff, and Rory always made me feel completely at ease and supported…and he turned me on to many gay writers and artists. I learned a lot from him.
What Lawrence Ferlinghetti was to paperback books and Beat literature, Rory was to the world of comics.
I’m simply heartbroken to hear of his passing…I hadn’t seen him since the big Comic Relief 20-Year anniversary last year, when staff members, customers, artists, and friends from the past 20 years celebrated the wonderful community Rory helped nurture. I wish I’d had the chance to see him again. He will be sorely missed.
When I got the news that Rory I died I felt heartsick. I was in the shop just yesterday and had no idea.
I spent many happy moments (hours, actually) standing in front of the shop talking with Rory about comics. He was one of my very favorite people in the comics world, and I will always treasure the time I spent with him. It was not only his knowledge of comics, but his compassionate nature, his sense of fun, and his conviction, even if not stated in so many words, that the worlds of comics publishing and retailing should have sense of justice.
I am sad. I am grieving. I will miss him greatly.
–Rev. Randy Smith
I met Rory sometime in the eighties. He was *ahem* leaving Best of Two Worlds just as I was coming in. He didn’t know me well enough to warn me then, but we got to know each other well enough after that to team up and open Comic Relief together in 1987. I was proud to be a co-owner and Rory’s partner for many years in the late eighties and early nineties. Together we grew Comic Relief into the best comic store in the country.
Much has been said here about Rory’s ability to match people up to a comic they want to read, but I think the real genius Rory had in business was his ability to attract and keep exceptional people to work for him. Comic Relief has, for over 20 years, had a staff that has been phenomenal, and even though I left the comic industry in 1994, I still count many of the ex and current employees among my closest friends.
Lord knows I did not always get along with Rory. He could be stubborn and I don’t believe he ever made it anywhere without being late. (I find it ironic that I went from being Rory’s partner to working in a job where time and lateness are actually measured in seconds). Though we disagreed on business terms, Rory never wanted that to get in the way of our personal relationship. He was very warm hearted and always wanted to remain friends.
After I got out of the business it was easier for me to be friendly with Rory and I did enjoy his company when I saw him at the store or at mutual friend’s parties.
I feel terrible about his passing. He had been in ill health for as long as I have known him, and I think the thing that bothered me the most about him was his refusal to take care of himself. Now that he is gone I feel awful that I didn’t see him more and let him live his own life.
I don’t know what else to write. I will miss Rory a lot. Rest in Peace my friend.
I am in complete shock.
I had been a faithful customer of Comic Relief since I moved to the Bay Area in 1996, until 2003 when I moved to New York. At the beginning of this month, I moved back to the Bay Area and reintroduced myself to Rory, who still remembered me very well. I had no idea it would be the last and only time I would see him again.
Rory is perhaps the nicest guy I’ve ever met. He took the time to get to know his customers, and loved sharing his enthusiasm, without ever being pushy. His policy was that if you didn’t like something, you could always return it.
Rory, you are greatly missed.
Two days later, I’m still stunned.
I keep thinking of more things that won’t ever happen again, like Rory calling at 11 at night to ask my wife for veterinary advice, or to tell me about a new recipe he’d just invented, or to tell me he’d just remembered something he hadn’t been able to bring up from that prodigious memory the last time we’d been talking.
I knew Rory as an employer fairly late in our relationship. Before that, I knew him as a customer of a couple of distribution firms I worked for (Bud Plant and Capital City), and even as sort of a competitor–he was working for Bob Beerbohm, a Capital City subdistributor (though not in any distribution related job) for a while when I was with Bud. I saw a lot of his faces. And they were all pretty much the same; he was the same outgoing, friendly, generous, sweet-spirited guy all the time–and to everyone, as far as I could ever tell.
Aside from his traits as an employer, he could be demanding just as a friend. But he gave freely and happily as a friend too, and if he strayed over the line at times, which he did, I think it was because he would have felt comfortable being asked for whatever he was asking of others if the circumstances had warranted it.
If he trusted you as an employee or a business associate, the trust seems to have been, as far as I could see, total. When someone he knew ripped him off in some way, he was, I think, less angry than he was hurt–a remarkable innocence in a man so experienced at what is at times a cutthroat business.
Often, I think our disagreements were because his mouth was running several sentences behind his brain, and I just didn’t get what he meant. I’m not used to thinking that people I deal with are smarter than I am, but I have to say that Rory was.
I’ve been angry at him more times than I can count. Sometimes I was even right. More often, I suspect he was. I don’t care.
He was larger than life, in every way that sentence can be read. If he had excesses as a friend and employer, they were almost always in the interest of making the store a better place. I believe he had a Platonic Comic Bookstore in his mind, and whatever he did was in the service of bringing it into existence.
We’ve lost a dear friend and an outstanding advocate. As always, the good die young. I intend the celebrate the legacy of a man with whom I passionately agreed with, often argued with, but ultimately, always respected. I’m richer for my knowing you and you’ll always have my thanks. God bless old friend.
I’ve just posted an obit on my own blog: (http://www.spicejar.org/asiplease/archives/000686.html). Rory was a good friend for twenty years, and I am going to miss him.