Comic book collector and retailing pioneer, and founding father of the Chicago Comic-Con, Joe Sarno, died on March 18th after a prolonged illness. Sarno was a mentor to many Chicago-area comic book and pop-culture fans, and helped found the Fantasy Collectors of Chicago - a small club of local enthusiasts who met monthly in Sarno's basement to swap comics, watch TV shows and movie serials, and discuss science fiction, comic books, and pop-culture.
In 1971, Joe Sarno's basement became one of the first direct markets under the banner of The Fantasy Shop. In 1973, Sarno relocated and renamed his store The Nostalgia Shop, which became the first store anywhere to sell sports cards to the general public, and was also one of the first to produce its own newsletter which also contained a fantasy trading-card set. By 1980, Sarno's business had grown to include two locations, and the name was officially changed to Comic Kingdom. Comic Kingdom continued selling comic books, RPG, toys, ball cards, and pop-culture collectibles until 2003, when the soft market and Sarno's failing health forced him to close-up shop and move his operations online.
Chicago had a very active sci-fi and pop-culture community in the '60s and '70s, having hosted the World Science Fiction Convention three times by 1962, as well as being home to no fewer than four area "nostalgia" conventions. In 1976, Sarno took over the Chicago Comic-Con, which he oversaw for several years. It has since been sold to Wizard, but Sarno was a permanent fixture at the annual convention until his last appearance in 2009.
Joe Sarno was 71 and is survived by his wife, three children, and hundreds of comics fans, collectors, and creators whose lives he touched. Our condolences go out to all. A special tribute to Joe Sarno will be held at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on April 17th at 12:15pm.
© C Harris Lynn, 2010
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
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