After 31 years as a fixture in the Long Island community of Wantagh, New York, owner and operator Alan Paperin has sold The Comic Depot. It’s not as if the new owners are strangers to the business, though.

New owners Thomas Hancock and Michael Gold are both former employees at the store. In fact, they met and became friends there.

“I’ve seen almost everything this industry has to offer. All the ups and down. From the Death of Superman to the birth of Magic The Gathering and Pokémon,” Paperin said. He will still be at the store to see that the transition goes well and that for pull list customers there will be no interruption.

The Comic Book Depot has hosted Gemstone’s J.C. Vaughn – in addition to guests such as Billy Tucci, Sean Chen, Jim Shooter, and many others – numerous times on Free Comic Book Day, and we wish Paperin, his wife Dawn, and their family, as well as new owners Hancock and Gold, all the best on this momentous change.