Gordon Lee Passes, Aged 54

[Rich Johnston]

Photo: Gordon Lee with Melinda Gebbie

Gordon Lee, much loved owner and manager of comic store Legends Comics in Georgia, passed away earlier today, after suffering a series of strokes.

Popular retailer, Lee has a few brushes with the law during his time as a comic store owner since the nineteen eighties and made headlines as a result.

In 1993 he was convicted of "distributing obscene materials" after selling porn comics Final Tabu and Debbie Does Dallas to adult customers, though his sentence was suspended and he paid just $250, appeals denied by the Georgia courts.

He was also arrested in 2004 after his store gave a copy of Alternative Comics #2 away to a minor during Free Comic Book Day, which featured a small panel with a naked Picasso. The CBLDF funded his defense, most charges were dropped and a series of delays were made to the trial, and the identity of the minor amended, and a mistrial claimed for, in 2008 the case was dismissed without trial.

As a result of these charges, other Georgia retailers stated that they would be less likely to carry controversial comics, such as Lost Girls. But as the photo above shows, Lee wasn't one of them.

His third brush with the law was on the other side of the fence, chasing down two shoplifters, jumping on the hood of their car, and being thrown off. The two women and their male driver were charged.

It is understood that Lee recently made arrangements to sell the store's stock to cover funeral costs.

[hammerstein]

Strikes? c'mon guys..

[Mart]

Sad news, my condolences to his family, friends and customers.

[KingShanJack]

Hell of a nice guy. I went to his shop during my teen years over 25 years ago. He was always nice to his customers and a great conversationalist.

[Jamal Igle]

Really nice guy, my condolences to his family and friends.

[Adam]

I'm stunned. Gordon Lee's place in Rome was my source for comics throughout my college years.

[Eric Sean]

54 is too damn young. Sad news.

[_OM_]

...I'd heard Gordon's health had taken a turn for the worst earlier last year, but wasn't aware he'd suffered a series of strokes. Seems like if it isn't diabetes that's killing all us comic book enthusiasts off, it's strokes or some sort of cardiovascular condition/deterioration. Same thing happens to us space historians as well, although cancer caused by exposure to certain hypergolics has had it's share of kills, alas.

...Still, as others have, and will no doubt follow with, I offer my own condolences to Gordon's family on their loss. As someone who supported Gordon, both from the customer and the retailer side of the fence, in his sufferance at the hands of the local excuse for "law enforcement", his steadfastness in defending the sanctity of the First Amendment was something no less than inspirational, and should anyone ever decide to write the definitive "Scott McCloud Version" of understanding what the whole LCS business is/was all about, Gordon's trials, tribulations and victories deserve a chapter all to himself.

Rest easy, Gordon. And thanks!

[FitzTheRuke]

Sorry to hear this. I've read about his cases, and if he wasn't the most unlucky comic retailer in the world, I don't know who is.

[Blade X]

My condolences to his family and friends. RIP.