Where do you put 60,000 comic books?
In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax took a trip to Leesburg, Virginia, to meet a man who is one of the biggest individual comic book collectors in the United States.
Local legend Gary Lawhorne, known as “Uncle Gary” by many in the community, also goes by the moniker: “The Ric Flair of comic books.”
Lawhorne, a hulking ex-football player who does hundreds of pushups a day, also happens to be a huge comic book nerd — a designation he takes special pride in.
Lawhorne is quite the dichotomy, bringing a WWE-like level of showmanship and personality to a YouTube and podcast network he’s a part of, the Code X Station. In multiple live shows every week, he preaches the comic book gospel, spreading his love of comics history and doing deep dives into some of his favorite characters from different universes.
Lawhorne’s passion for comics is one he’s had since he started collecting as a kid in 1974. Today, he even has his own local line of comic book merchandise, including clothing pins that read “Uncle Gary” in the same font as his favorite comic “Swamp Thing.”
This year, Lawhorne celebrated his 60th birthday, his 50th year collecting and added his 60,000th comic book to his massive (and priceless) comics arsenal.
His basement, which holds these comics, and much more memorabilia, might just be the eighth wonder of the world.
Matt met Lawhorne back in May earlier this year after taking a trip to Comic Logic, the only comics bookstore located in Loudoun County, for a special “Free Comic Book Day” event. Every year on the first Saturday in May, comic shops across the country give away free books to the public. That Saturday of this year also happened to fall on May 4, a.k.a. “Star Wars Day,” so the store (and Gary) went all out.
Comic Logic has its own following and is regionally famous in its own right, with thousands of fans and enthusiasts flocking to the store multiple times a year for special events. Lawhorne is a co-owner of the store, though he said he keeps his personal collection separate from the shop’s inventory.
During Matt’s visit, he uncovered some incredible pieces of comic history in Gary’s collection, from the first ever issue of “X-Men,” to the first issue of “The Flash” that featured the character Barry Allen, to the first ever Marvel issue that featured an appearance by Spider-Man. You’ll never guess how much that book is worth!
Lawhorne’s ultimate mission is to pass the torch of knowledge about comics, what he called “an incredible American art form” down to a younger generation of readers. During Matt’s time with Lawhorne, he got quite the education, taking a journey from the Golden Age of comics (which started in the 1930s) all the way to today’s Modern Age material.
Come along on a video journey with Matt and Gary to a comic lovers’ paradise!
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