It has been one week since the local comics community suddenly lost one of its own unexpectedly with the passing of The Comic Depot owner Darren Carrara.

As I mentioned in my post on Wednesday, my few interactions with Darren were related to events he was doing at the Comic Depot. The times I talked with him I really enjoyed it and I wish that I had made more of an effort to get to know him, especially after reading the thoughts below of those who called him a friend. I will say that the times I was in the Comic Depot, he was always interacting with his customers, which in my experiences in other shops I have visited when traveling, can be a rare occurance.

I was still shocked when I saw the news of his unexpected passing on my Facebook feed last Saturday evening.

Since I didn’t know Darren that well I wanted to give those that did a forum to talk about who Darren was and what he meant to our local comics community









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Photos from Comic Depot Facebook page . Used with permission.

Ron Marz

Ron Marz’s website

I write for a living. I’ve done so for my entire adult life. But I’m at a loss for words now. The sudden, shocking loss of my friend Darren has left me searching for my voice, searching for some kind of sense in a senseless, cruel reality. My mind still has not accepted that Darren is gone. Maybe it never will. I’m forever saying that comics people are the best people. Darren was the best of comics people. I never met anyone who didn’t like him. The comics community in Albany area is vibrant and close-knit, encompassing creators and cosplayers, retailers and readers. One of the central hubs of that community is Darren’s beautiful store, Comic Depot, on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Comic Depot is what it is because of Darren, because of his love of comics, because of his kindness and generosity. We’re still not sure what happens to Comic Depot in the long term, but everyone’s hoping it continues, both as Darren’s legacy, and as a source of security for his beloved son and daughter. I feel like I’ve lost a brother. We ate together, we drank together, we played golf together. Not that long ago, we shared a golf cart for a round at a local course. Darren’s tee shot strayed right and ended up on the downslope of a slight hill, just off the gravel road that led to the barn where the course kept its tractors and mowers. We pulled up the cart, Darren got out and lined up his shot toward the green. Then he paused and looked at me where I sat in the cart. He said, “You might not wanna be there, man. I’m not sure where this is going.” I said, “You don’t think you can miss the cart? I trust you.” Darren said, “But I don’t trust me. Just … go behind a tree or something.” So I got out of the cart, and stood next to a nearby tree. Darren swung his club and the ball jumped straight at the golf cart. The ball banged off the cart, ricocheting down the hill, across the gravel road, and into the tractor barn, right in front of a groundskeeper who stood perfectly still except for turning his head slowly to watch the ball as it rolled past him. In the barn, the ball clanged off a tractor, then a door, and finally into the bathroom, where it stopped next to the toilet. It was a Rube Goldberg shot like no other I’ve ever witnessed. It couldn’t have been repeated in a hundred tries, in a thousand tries. Darren and I both fell on the ground, laughing until we cried. I’ve cried a lot more than I’ve laughed since I got the terrible news of Darren’s passing. In time, I know that memories like our golf outings, and dozens of others, will inspire far more smiles than tears. But right now, it’s tough. I miss my friend.

Paul Harding

Harding Studios

Darren always put people first. He showed that in his family life, business life, and with his friends. Somehow he made time to help so many people and to make them feel comfortable in his little comic shop. I’ll truly miss spending time with him whether it be golfing, talking about the comics world, or just sharing a meal. He leaves a legacy of utter kindness and warmth.

Steve Orlando:

The Steve Orlando

I moved to Albany six years ago, knowing almost no one, and certainly no other creators, retailers, or comic readers – certainly not the community. One of the first people to welcome me to that community was Darren Carrara. He gave me a chance to be part of the group, to aggregate our love and shared interests. And that’s how every meeting with him was – energized, welcoming, and excited. Looking to build people up, help them, and make sure they’re all part of something. Constantly working – for his business, for his family. And making things better by his presence. I wouldn’t be part of things here, wouldn’t have the life I do here, without him. I’ll miss him every day.

Mark Mckenna

Mark McKenna Art

Heart-breaking! Anytime you lose somebody that you know, like, admired and looked forward to seeing its a huge hurt for you. Throw in that he was almost 20 years younger then myself and its surreal. We, as a society, tend to bellyache about much more trivial things in life. Then something like this happens and his family and friend circle realize how crushing and unfair life can be and puts a huge perspective on life as well. If I had anything to say about the loss of my friend Darren, its that I got to hug him 5 days prior to his passing and I hope he knew it was a genuine, caring hug.

Nikkol Jelenic

Nikkol Jelenic Art

I worry will never know a greater, kinder & more selfless person as Darren. I feel so honored to know him on the deep & intimate level that I was fortunate to have been blessed. I’ll miss the horrible humor we shared, the funniness at comic cons… & most of all, his smiling face & voice. He’s an amazing friend & father to his awesome kids. We are all lucky to have crossed his path & should keep his memory in our hearts. Miss & love you forever, my friend.

Richard Clark

Zippy Studio

Darren Carrara impacted the world with his good humor, graciousness, tireless support and boundless enthusiasm in such an immensely positive way. The influence of his all-too-brief life will continue to radiate outward for decades to come and make the world a much better place for him having lived in it. Always putting other people first, both professionally and personally, showed so many how to live life with kindness, generosity, and warmth.

Alan David Doane

Trouble With Comics

I first met Darren just a week or two after he opened the first Comic Depot location on Route 9N in Greenfield Center. Anyone only familiar with the amazing store that is his legacy on Broadway in Saratoga Springs would be amazed at how far his vision took him and how much the store improved, but right from the beginning, Darren brought enthusiasm, energy, fairness and decency to his business, traits not always found in abundance in the comics industry as a whole. For years, Comic Depot was the place my wife and I came every week to pick up my comics, and our kids, then in their early teens, often found comics or toys that suited their tastes too. As my daughter Kira matured and developed a love for Manga, Darren coincidentally widened his stock to include these fascinating Japanese comics, so she became almost as passionate about our regular visits as I did. In that first retail location, in the Stewart’s plaza, was a wholesome family outing made manifest. Most Saturdays we would pick up some comics (Darren had something for everyone, not just Kira and I but my wife Lora and our son Aaron could always find good reading material too), then head down to Fiero’s Pizza on the other end of the plaza for the best pizza in the county, and then we’d usually top it off with ice cream at Stewart’s. If we needed gas for the ride back home to Glens Falls, we could get that right there too. We found it amusing at first, how much fun our family could have in that one plaza, but it soon became a family tradition, and it meant a lot to all of us to spend a few weekend hours together, the four of us, enjoying comics and pizza and ice cream. It never would have happened if not for Darren, and his unlikely inspiration to put that store where he did. As the years passed and we got to know each other better, I even worked with Darren occasionally. I was a radio broadcaster who specialized in commercial copywriting, and with my friend and colleague Colleen Bailey we created an annual Free Comic Book Day promotion in which I secured graphic novels from publicists at the major publishers for the participating comic shops to give away, and the shops purchased advertising (that I was very proud to have written, promoting both literacy and our best area comic book stores) and had the opportunity, if they wished to spend a little extra, to have a live broadcast originate from their shop. Darren was the only one who bought the full package, and I did the broadcast myself one sunny Saturday in May, and he was extremely pleased with the result. I was happy to help him promote a store I believed in so much, that had brought real value and quality to the community that it had been missing. I even profiled his shop on my website, Trouble With Comics ( http://troublewithcomics.com/post/2528147033/retailer-profile-comic-depot-saratoga-springs ). As the years passed, my interest in comics waned a bit, and the kids grew up and moved on to other hobbies, and I ended my subscription at Comic Depot, which my wife and I always just called “Darren’s.” Even after I dropped my weekly subscriptions, I would still find time to stop in once a month or so and see what was new and say hi to Darren. “What do you want to do today?” my wife might ask me on a Saturday morning. “You mind if we stop in at Darren’s?” I would reply. She never did mind. He always made us feel like family. I have been putting off saying this, but it needs to be said, even if everyone else says it too: I can’t believe he’s gone. In a year that has been largely about heartbreak, loss and chaos on both the national and local levels, knowing I will never see Darren again is just about the worst of it. He was over a decade younger than me, he had two children he loved so much, and he was taken from us before even half of the life he had coming to him had been lived. “It’s not right,” people often say when they lose a loved one. Darren’s loss is not right. There’s no other way to put it. It’s a small comfort, but I know Darren knew how much joy he brought to people. You could see it in his beaming grin, at the shop or at the many comic book conventions he always made it a habit to support and appear at. I’ve read comics since 1972, and been a part of the regional comic book community for 36 years. 15 years ago I had no idea who Darren Carrara was. Now, I can’t even fathom him not being at every comic book show, much less that I’ll never see him behind the counter of the outstanding comic book store he created. I can’t imagine stopping in tomorrow or the next day, because honestly the pain and sense of loss is still too raw and terrible and I don’t think I could do it without breaking down, just as I have been unable to finish writing this remembrance without tears streaming down my face. But maybe next week, or the week after. Sooner or later I will have pulled it together enough to walk through those doors, and it will seem strange to not see him there, but I’ll browse the shop and more than likely I will find something to buy and bring home and enjoy. And I know that the day will very likely begin with me saying to Lora, “Do you want to stop by Darren’s today?”

Chris Martinez (C-Mart/The Brotherhood of Evil Geeks Podcast)

Brotherhood of Evil Geeks

I was incredibly shocked when I heard the news of Darren’s passing. We had a passing acquaintance with one another, enough to give a quick “Hey man!” when we saw each other, but I definitely wasn’t as close with him as some of the other people on this post. One thing I do know for sure is that since the news broke, our local comic community has been hurting because of the loss of such a great guy. I’m hoping that there’s at least at little bit of comfort for his loved ones in knowing that he will be missed by so many people. No one is hurting more than them right now and while nothing will ever be able to replace Darren in their lives, I hope that the show of support can help mitigate some of the devastation they’re feeling. Every interaction I’ve ever had with Darren ended with me walking away thinking “He really is a nice guy, I wish I knew him better.” Unfortunately, I won’t ever have that chance to get to know him and I will regret that for a very long time. Over the past few days, the outpouring of love and pain on Facebook has been something of a reminder that maybe I should be friendlier to everyone, not only in the comic community, but in life in general, because it’s all too easy to pass by someone and not realize what a truly remarkable individual they are. If anything positive can come of this, I hope it’s that he inspired this same feeling, not just in myself, but in others in the comic community as well.

Wayne Snyder

I met Darren Carrara a few years ago on the advice of fellow store owner John Belskis , John is the owner of Excellent Adventures in Balston Spa. He suggested that I might like Darren’s place Comic Depot as he had lots of back issues and was hosting an event that legendary Inker Mark McKenna was the guest of honor and promoting his new project Pacific Rim. So I took a chance and went up to the store in Wilton Mall. I introduced myself to Darren and asked him a few questions about some back issues and he couldn’t have been more friendly and unassuming for a shop owner in a busy mall. He took the time to talk to me and make me feel at home in a new environment. I already knew Mark from meeting him at a show in New York and Boston. Darren Walked me right up to Mark introduced me to him like I was a regular customer and started a conversation about some artwork that Mark had. We stood there and spoke like old friends and in no time a few hours had passed and it felt like only a few minutes. Darren and I went on to become friends and he was always that guy. He was unassuming and friendly the kind of guy who was your friend not for what you could do for him but what he could do for you. Throughout the duration of our friendship, you could count on Darren for a smile or a joke or even some words of comfort in your time of need. He never asked for anything in return for that. He will surely be missed in the comic community and the community at large as he was always ready with a helping hand. Darren’s light and passion will be missed by many. I will certainly miss him at the cons where he was always pulling a joke or making us laugh. Darren was a one of a kind person that leaves an impression on you when you’re not even thinking about it. Thanks Darren for being my friend.

Jeff Oliver

Times Union Comics Multiverse Blog contributor

I am just sad. What horrible news. I was hardly a regular of Comic Depo. Sure, I would swing in every few months when the urge hit me for some toys or back issues, and I would always see Darren at the Albany Con. The last time I saw him was at the Mohegan Sun Casino for this summer’s Terricon. I was pleasantly surprised to see a local store at a con in Connecticut. We talked for a while like you do at a con. We discussed what a great place the casino was and how Albany was getting as big. We laughed about how much fun he had at the casino the night before. Nothing earth shattering, just comics. Loss is hard no matter when it happens, but when it comes out of the blue, it just blows you away. Extending my deepest sympathy to Darren’s family and friends. I didn’t have a close personal relationship with Darren. He was just a truly nice, decent guy who was always kind and welcoming, who brought a little bit of joy into my life without even knowing it. I am really going to miss him. It is going to be sad not seeing him again.

—

A huge thanks to everyone who contributed such kind words about Darren, I know that it was not easy to do so with the loss of their friend still being a shock.

Services will be held this evening:

Next year the Upstate NY Collectors Show will be a fundraiser for Darren’s family:

We here at the Comics Multiverse send condolences to family and friends of Darren