Collecting comic books and memories
This article originally appeared in Taconic Press newspapers, including the Harlem Valley Times and The Register Herald, on June 7, 2007.
By Darryl Gangloff
I’ve always loved comic books. When I was younger, my father brought home copies of various titles filled with colorful and powerful superheroes that could fly, walk on walls, lift entire buildings or run really fast. Well, nobody ever said all superpowers were created equal.
Imagine my surprise when my father, Darryl Gangloff Sr., decided to open his own comic book store. Complete access to almost every comic book published is every comic fan’s dream come true.
The Comic Corner opened on July 1,1994, in Lakeville, Conn., when I was 11.The store was small, but packed with more comics, trading cards, T-shirts and games than should have physically been able to fit the confines of the building. The shop was co-owned by my mother, Carolyn. The three of us were the entire staff, which meant I could be found "working" in the store in the afternoons, on weekends and over the summer. Of course, work as a young fifth-grader usually entailed reading every comic book on the shelves and playing the occasional video game in the back room.
I’ll always remember the life-size Spider-Man balloon that we placed outside our store every morning. It added something colorful and fun to the town, and I was proud to draw attention to the shop.
My comic collection at home continued to grow and grow. Copies of Spider-Man and X-Men were constantly piling up and toppling over until I put them in plastic bags and organized them into white cardboard comic book boxes. The boxes eventually began to overtake all the space I had in my room, but I didn’t mind.
The comic industry was at its height of popularity in the ’90s. Large events, such as the "Death of Superman" storyline, pushed comics into mainstream status. When Superman died in 1993 (and was ultimately brought back to life), major news outlets covered the details. At the Comic Corner, we sold collector’s editions of Superman #75, the issue where the superhero gave his life to defend his home city of Metropolis. The comic was sealed in a black bag and contained a memorial armband to remember the hero.
These large-scale comic events excited me when I was in middle school, and they still do now.The death of Superman proved to the world that comic books could tell as compelling a story as a movie or novel. After all, a comic book is simply a form of storytelling that utilizes both artistic images and words to convey its message. Comics are more than just superheroes in capes and tights (even though that’s admittedly what I focused on when I was younger).
Our store moves to Pawling
After three years in Lakeville, my father decided to close the store and move to a bigger location in Pawling. On March 15, 1997, the Comic Corner opened its doors in the Kalyto Plaza next to the Pawling A.G. Market, where he also worked. Compared to our Connecticut location, the Pawling store was a mansion. The new shop was easily three times the size of our old store, yet we still somehow managed to fill every possible space with toys, statues and comics.
This shop became my home away from home. By this point, I was 14 and began to take on a little more responsibility. I waited on customers, stocked shelves and helped my father order the vast amount of comics we received every month. I could also still be found playing the occasional video game in the back room.
My father always greeted everyone with a smile and wanted everyone in the area to have complete access to favorite hobbies. He kept track of every customer’s favorite comic titles and set up card game tournaments, such as Magic: the Gathering and Pokemon, so children in the community would have something to do on the weekends. Of course, I needed things to do on the weekend, as well, so I would often invite my friends to the Comic Corner to play games or watch movies. I was even able to hold my own personal card game tournaments at the store from time to time. Being the owner’s son had its perks.
My comic collection continued to grow throughout that time. I’m not sure how I even found space in my room to sleep during those years, because it was filled with comic boxes.
In 2002, my father became the owner of the Pawling A.G. Market and changed its name to Darryl’s Market. As you can imagine, I was a fan of the name. He moved the Comic Corner into the grocery store so both of his businesses would be under one roof. Both the market and comic store ultimately closed in August 2003. When I started college in 2001, my time at the Comic Corner lessened, but I still tried to help out when I could.
I grew up in that store, and while I admittedly didn’t always want to go there as a teenager on a sunny summer day, I’m glad I had the opportunity. I’ll always be proud that my father and mother made the Comic Corner a part of the Lakeville and Pawling communities for all those years. And I’ll always have my storage locker full of comic books to remind me of the store. My room just couldn’t handle them anymore.
By Darryl Gangloff
I’ve always loved comic books. When I was younger, my father brought home copies of various titles filled with colorful and powerful superheroes that could fly, walk on walls, lift entire buildings or run really fast. Well, nobody ever said all superpowers were created equal.
Imagine my surprise when my father, Darryl Gangloff Sr., decided to open his own comic book store. Complete access to almost every comic book published is every comic fan’s dream come true.
The Comic Corner opened on July 1,1994, in Lakeville, Conn., when I was 11.The store was small, but packed with more comics, trading cards, T-shirts and games than should have physically been able to fit the confines of the building. The shop was co-owned by my mother, Carolyn. The three of us were the entire staff, which meant I could be found "working" in the store in the afternoons, on weekends and over the summer. Of course, work as a young fifth-grader usually entailed reading every comic book on the shelves and playing the occasional video game in the back room.
I’ll always remember the life-size Spider-Man balloon that we placed outside our store every morning. It added something colorful and fun to the town, and I was proud to draw attention to the shop.
My comic collection at home continued to grow and grow. Copies of Spider-Man and X-Men were constantly piling up and toppling over until I put them in plastic bags and organized them into white cardboard comic book boxes. The boxes eventually began to overtake all the space I had in my room, but I didn’t mind.
The comic industry was at its height of popularity in the ’90s. Large events, such as the "Death of Superman" storyline, pushed comics into mainstream status. When Superman died in 1993 (and was ultimately brought back to life), major news outlets covered the details. At the Comic Corner, we sold collector’s editions of Superman #75, the issue where the superhero gave his life to defend his home city of Metropolis. The comic was sealed in a black bag and contained a memorial armband to remember the hero.
These large-scale comic events excited me when I was in middle school, and they still do now.The death of Superman proved to the world that comic books could tell as compelling a story as a movie or novel. After all, a comic book is simply a form of storytelling that utilizes both artistic images and words to convey its message. Comics are more than just superheroes in capes and tights (even though that’s admittedly what I focused on when I was younger).
Our store moves to Pawling
After three years in Lakeville, my father decided to close the store and move to a bigger location in Pawling. On March 15, 1997, the Comic Corner opened its doors in the Kalyto Plaza next to the Pawling A.G. Market, where he also worked. Compared to our Connecticut location, the Pawling store was a mansion. The new shop was easily three times the size of our old store, yet we still somehow managed to fill every possible space with toys, statues and comics.
This shop became my home away from home. By this point, I was 14 and began to take on a little more responsibility. I waited on customers, stocked shelves and helped my father order the vast amount of comics we received every month. I could also still be found playing the occasional video game in the back room.
My father always greeted everyone with a smile and wanted everyone in the area to have complete access to favorite hobbies. He kept track of every customer’s favorite comic titles and set up card game tournaments, such as Magic: the Gathering and Pokemon, so children in the community would have something to do on the weekends. Of course, I needed things to do on the weekend, as well, so I would often invite my friends to the Comic Corner to play games or watch movies. I was even able to hold my own personal card game tournaments at the store from time to time. Being the owner’s son had its perks.
My comic collection continued to grow throughout that time. I’m not sure how I even found space in my room to sleep during those years, because it was filled with comic boxes.
In 2002, my father became the owner of the Pawling A.G. Market and changed its name to Darryl’s Market. As you can imagine, I was a fan of the name. He moved the Comic Corner into the grocery store so both of his businesses would be under one roof. Both the market and comic store ultimately closed in August 2003. When I started college in 2001, my time at the Comic Corner lessened, but I still tried to help out when I could.
I grew up in that store, and while I admittedly didn’t always want to go there as a teenager on a sunny summer day, I’m glad I had the opportunity. I’ll always be proud that my father and mother made the Comic Corner a part of the Lakeville and Pawling communities for all those years. And I’ll always have my storage locker full of comic books to remind me of the store. My room just couldn’t handle them anymore.