A Life In Comics

Since 1991, Kyle Puttkammer has sold comics, card games, and collectibles to customers in the Gwinnett County, Georgia area. A life-long fan, Kyle first built himself up as a successful comic book retailer, and then made the jump to comic book creator with his own character called Galaxy Man.

Originally from Wisconsin, Kyle comes from a family of small business owners, and learned about being an entrepreneur at an early age. So becoming a businessman of some sort would likely have been a part of Kyle’s destiny no matter what. But at age 10, he watched the movie Star Wars for the first time, and afterwards there was no going back. The young Kyle soon devoured all the Star Wars books and comics he could get his hands on, and when he ran out, he started writing down his own ideas for the Star Wars characters. Thus was born a love for story-telling that would guide the rest of Kyle’s life.

At age 21, Kyle relocated to Georgia for college classes and to be closer to his sister. By this point, Kyle’s interest in comics had cooled a bit. But then a job at a local Quik Trip put him near a magazine rack full of the latest publications from Marvel and D.C. The close proximity quickly re-ignited his passion, and Kyle decided to become part of the comic book business.

Starting with a small budget and $300 worth of comics, he set up shop every Saturday and Sunday at Britt’s flea market in downtown Lawrenceville. And slowly, bit by bit, the business started to grow. Until finally in 1992, Kyle opened his first permanent store called “Comics and Music,” which was later renamed “Galactic Quest.” It was a tiny place that Kyle jokingly referred to as “The greatest comic store on the face of the earth.” Keeping the store going wasn’t easy, especially after being robbed multiple times and losing valuable merchandise. But Kyle pressed on, and the effort would pay off.

Later that year, there was a sudden boom in the comic industry. Sales were up, more fans sought out comic book stores across the U.S., and Kyle was able to move to a bigger and better location. With the extra floor space Kyle could now hold gaming tournaments in the store, as well as host art groups for both kids and adults. All these programs were successful, and Galactic Quest continues to offer them to this day.

After a while, Kyle decided that his store could use an original character as a mascot. So he asked the many artists who frequented Galactic Quest to work up sketches for a character called “Kidd Quest.” Kyle took those drawings to a professional comic book artist named Humberto Ramos, who distilled the different ideas into a character that would later become Galaxy Man.

In 2006, with the aide of writer Patrick Gallagher and artist Allen Belk, Kyle published the first Galaxy Man comic. The story deals with Galaxy Man and Cosmic Girl, a father-daughter superhero team. Together they struggle to find Galaxy Man’s missing wife, fight crime in the fictional Stellar City, and defeat super-villains like the evil Dr. Ross Rex (a paleontologist with the ability to reanimate dinosaur bones).

Today, Kyle runs two comic-book stores in Buford and Lawrenceville with his wife Cynthia. They have two daughters, Anna and Andrea, who are being homeschooled in the stores while their parents work. It’s safe to say that their family life revolves around the weekly appearances of Batman, Spiderman, and other larger-than-life characters.

While talking with Kyle, one can’t help but notice how energetic and upbeat he is. He’s managed to turn his childhood hobby into his adult profession, and it appears to have kept Kyle preserved at a young age. That 10-year old kid who was obsessed with Star Wars did pretty well for himself, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop any time soon.


Check out his store

Check out Galaxyman


- Nate