Day in the Life: Characters inspire store's owner
Sitting atop his stool, Ed Ford holds forth like a wizened wizard - complete with whitened hair - at the Korner Comics comic book store on Main Street.
Tucked away in a blink-and-you-miss-it single-story building, Ford's comic store is very much his secret lair, his secret base for all things comics-related.
The store's sedate outside is diametrically opposed to the storm within. The walls and floors are covered with comic books, collectible action figures, videos, DVDs, graphic novels, posters and toys and games based on comic books.
Ford, who has been selling comics for 15 years, said he's fairly certain he's the only comic book dealer left between Fayetteville and Charlotte - a sign of both his tenacity and the economics of a troubled industry.
"I've been fighting and scratching for a long time," said Ford, who has had to turn to eBay as a means for daily survival.
Not unlike the multitude of heroes he has grown to love, Ford is determined to fight the good fight, to the last breath.
"I have a real love for all these characters, all these stories," Ford said.