So long to Dorian.
So yes, it’s true, pal Dorian has left the building. He’s no longer selling funnybooks for a living (though I think I’ve managed to cajole him into being our “manga consultant,” since I barely know my shojo from my josei), and we’re going to miss him around here. He was a good worker, and more importantly, he was a good friend.
“Is a good friend,” I mean. He’s not dead…yet. And yes, he’s still going to be doing his site, so don’t worry! (Though he and I did toy around with the idea of creating a fake “feud” between the two of us, but, eh, I’m old and don’t have the energy for it.)
And saying “so long” to Dorian put me in a nostalgic mood, thinking back to the other employees we’ve had at our funnybook establishment:
NATHAN: This is the original Nathan, not the newly-arrived Pope Nathan…my primary memory of him is that he seemed to know everything about the Warhammer line of tabletop wargames (this was back in the day when we still sold gaming products…we sold off that part of the business a couple years back). Also, he seemed to have a lot of lady friends who brought him food on a regular basis.
JOSH: Now, after Josh left employment with us, I knew about his standing-in-line-for-Star-Wars shenanigans, but imagine my surprise when I found out he was on Amazing Race 4 with his pop. Holy cow. But as for an actual store memory of him…God help me, I know you’re reading this, Josh, and I’m very, very sorry, but my most vivid memory of you from the shop is Greg picking you up and lifting you over his head. Again, I’m sorry. Oh, that, and your Wolverine tattoo. (You can visit Josh’s site at Weezerandgeezer.com.)
GREG: Yes, the same Greg that hoisted Josh into the air and spun him around like a propeller. That Greg. He was also a stand-up comedian, an actor, and a bouncer at a local bar…that last one coming in handy late one night. Greg was in charge of our games department, and occasionally had late night Magic: The Gathering gaming sessions with several customers. During one such session, someone tried to break into the computer store next door, shattering the front window. Little did the burglar know that the largest man in Ventura County happened to be working late at the nearby comic shop. Hearing that noise, Greg charged out, tackled the guy, and kept him pinned until the police arrived. Yes, we had our very own superhero working for us. Cool, huh? (You can see what Greg’s up to at Merrymisfits.com.)
SEAN: So one day, Sean and I were talking about something or the other, and Sean’s response to something I said was “man, you’re so bad!” My immediate reply was “I’m so bad, I should be in detention,” which blew Sean’s mind, since of all the people he expected to be quoting Anthrax lyrics at him, I was at the bottom of that list, given my usual boring, vanilla demeanor. Also, Sean is responsible for introducing us to the circle game, for which he will pay dearly, oh yes. (Visit his occasionally-updated webpage at Flesh-head’s Treehouse.)
COREY: Corey was our back-room gnome, working a day or two a week to try to keep the storage area in order. We’re good friends, so naturally we give each other an enormous amount of grief. I think my favorite bit was when he was up in the front of the store asking me about something, and someone riding by on a bike shouted something incredibly vulgar, along the lines of “C*********G B***H!” Right after, I said to Corey “hey, I think your mom’s here.”
Don’t worry, he gives as good as he gets. Oh, yeah. (You can see what Corey is up to at Captain Corey.)
RACHEL: Rae was (and still is) a charming, intelligent, and charismatic young woman, and was liked by all our customers. In fact, one or two customers may have liked her just a little too much, necessitating a series of secret code phrases between the two of us in case I needed to get her out of an uncomfortable situation. Okay, we only needed to do that once or twice, and she was amused by it, so it’s no big deal.
She also had a pet snake named (if I recall correctly) Jezebel. Neat.
ROB: Ah, yes, Rob. My old high school buddy. He hasn’t worked here in years, but customers still ask how he’s doing. In a strange turn of events, after leaving the store, he moved out of town, then out of state, and now he’s married and lives just down the block from our shop. Go figure.
My favorite memory of Rob from the store was when he had to go on the roof to adjust the store sign. While he was up there, a customer of ours came in and asked me “hey, why is Rob pantsless on the roof?” Now, knowing this particular customer, he probably was joking, but it says something about how people see Rob (even someone who knew him as well as I did) that the possibility did exist that he was on the roof with no pants.
Rob was also the instigator of the local mini-comics concern Full Frontal Harvey (discussed here), and was in a handful of bands (including local legends, Phooey). He currently has a small pet dog named Jon Benet. Yeah, I know.
(EDIT) KID CHRIS: Can’t believe I almost forgot about him. Well, you can look through my entries over the last year or so and get your fill of Kid Chris stories. He did pop in on Saturday to say hello, and tell us what classes he’s taking (“History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “Theoretical Geography”). Go visit his site, which he may update again someday.
AARON: Actually, we just hired him. He’s the “Fake Dorian,” even though those are some big gay shoes he’s gonna have to fill. Yeah, that’s right, Dorian made his job so much his own that “being gay” is now one of the requirements. Hope he likes showtunes.
All joking aside, we are going to miss Dorian around the shop, though I know we’ll still see him around…he’s still gotta get his new funnybooks, after all. So, Dorian, good luck to you, and you know I wish you well. “Vaya con pollos,” my friend.
