Staff

Melissa embarks on the very long task of starting the Magic The Gathering portion of our web-site. The Goal is to  eventually every single MTG card up for research and sale. With over 20,000 MTG cards this will take at least a year to complete. Hire Valeri Johnson to assist Melissa with getting all the cards up.

Ted Antonakos starts helping at the store 3 days a week to give Wabe a hand in running day to day duties at the store. Wabe is promoted to Store Manager.

In August teaming with Marvel Comics we produce our very own Comics To Astonish Inc Variant cover for The Amazing Spider-Man issue #666 with art by designed by Keegan Conrad, drawn by Chris Vance and edited together by Martin Oltmann’s. 

Willliam “Billy” Kumpf is hired in September to become our MTG Magic The Gathering guy to help us with running tournaments and organizing all our MTG cards.

Todd Domer is hired to work Friday nights so we can expand our FNM events until 1 am each week.

After doing 3-5 major comic cons a years for the last 10 years I decide to truly become a National Show Dealer and do as many shows as I can. I did shows in Portland Oregon, Seattle Washington, Chicago Illinois, St. Louis Missouri,  Orlando Florida, Miami Florida, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, New Orleans Louisiana, Charlotte North Carolina, Baltimore, Maryland, Washington DC to name a few.

August, my brother Michael who has worked at the store since it opened decides to take a break since we have full coverage and stops working for Comics To Astonish after 20 years.  He is still availabel for emergancy fill in. 

December, Billy Kumpf leaves for greener pastures working for a medical corporation. 

Ray Nee comes on to replace Billy and run our Magic The Gathering events at the store. Ray takes us to a new level as our attendance at these events more than doubles. 

In March Kurt Barr returns to us. He just really loves comics!

In April my long time friend Rann Johnston who worked with me way back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s decides he is tired of working in the food industry and approaches and asks me to start a 2nd store.  After doing research we decide on Mt. Airy, Maryland which is 30 minutes from our Columbia Maryland store and 20 minutes from the city of Frederick, Maryland. 

June, after months of looking we finally find a store front across from the Jimmie Cone and right next to the Food Lion. We take over the space on July 1st and target August 11th as an opening date. We also bring Ted Antonakos on full time to help with the massive amount of MTG cards that need sorting and to help out at the new store.

August 27th after many delays due to issues at Diamond Comics and their system upgrade which delayed us getting product,  we finally open the doors in Mount Airy. Shortly after opening we hire Cameron Hensel to run the FNM events and in September Kevin Schoettkerke is hired.

January Wabe Berry is promoted to General Manage both locations. Kurt Barr is promoted to Manage the Columbia location. We also get a 2nd Ebay store up and running to sell the tons of magazines and comic runs we have collected over the years. 

February Ray Nee steps back from running out FNM and Shawn Cruz & Shane Colliatie who have assisted Ray in the past take over the FNM events.  Kelsey Brodkin leaves to pursue her career.

June after a year getting Mt. Airy off the ground Rann Johnston decides his true calling is the food industry and leaves to become a Manager at Boston Market. We decided not to fill the manager position at Mt. Airy as Wabe & Kurt will help build the customer base there by each spending a few days a week there. 

August we celebrate our first year with the doors open in Mt. Airy. Tons of work but worth it!

September Todd Domer who just had a 2nd child and leaves us but his friend and long time customer Justin Fontaine takes over his job. We try something new with Magic the Gathering and run our first off site MTG tournament with Boy Scout Venture Crew 007 with help from troupe organizer Becky Alder. 

 January I hire Brian Rupp and we lose Ted Antonakos after 6 years of service.

February I hire Jessee Leese who is an expert on Magic The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons and also knows comics.

March I hire Andrew Sandor to help with the Mount Airy location.

July sees the hiring of Ashley Violanti, Allison Malone, Eric Saulsbury and our 1st 2 interns in Josh Branker(see below) & Kurt Holtz.   

September continues the year of high turnover as Brian Rupp & Ashley Violanti leave us but we do brin on Josh Branker as a paid employee. I have know Josh since the day he was born and around the age of 5 years old he started asking “Mr. Keegan can I work for you?” I told him “Josh when you are 15 years old you can have a job”. So here it is 15
years later and a promise kept!

November Allison Malone leaves us and we bring on Evelyn Lewis to work both Columbia & Mt. Airy. 

December we hire Carter Polley to work the Mount Airy location.  Also Martin Oltmanns after 10 years of service moves into a emergancy fill in role as he has cllimbed the ladder of success with the Howard County Pool system and now runs all the pools!!! Justin Fontaine also has his last day as our Friday Night guy.