SANTA CRUZ — Despite the rainfall and chilling wind Saturday, hundreds flocked to downtown Santa Cruz for Free Comic Book Day, celebrated this year with the much anticipated holiday for “Star Wars” fans known as May the Fourth.
“I thought the rain would put a little damper on the day,” said Atlantis Fantasyworld owner Joe Ferrara. “I got here at 10 minutes to 10 and nobody was out front. And when we opened the doors, 50 people poured in.”
Outside the entrance of Atlantis Fantasyworld on Cedar Street in Santa Cruz, stormtroopers, “Tie Fighter” pilots and a lone “Jawa” shouting “Utinni!” guard the door and greet the steady flow of patrons as they enter the shop, hoping to pick up one of the thousands of free comics that Ferrara ordered in for the special day.
“We have at least 30 titles and we’re encouraging people to take one of everything,” said Ferrara. “It’s funny because people resist when I say that because they feel guilty taking so much stuff.”
This is the 23rd year of the annual event, which is always held on the first Saturday of May. Every so often, Free Comic Book Day falls on the 4th, aligning “Star Wars” fans and comic book readers, sometimes already aligned, in celebration. Ferrara himself is wearing a button-up shirt featuring ship designs from the “Star Wars” universe over a Free Comic Book Day T-shirt with a design drawn by “Mad” magazine artist Sergio Aragonés.
Ferrara loves Free Comic Book Day especially because it often serves as a gateway for newcomers and those returning to comics, young and old, to look away from their screens and get into reading.
“So many people have told me that comics are what got their kids into reading,” said Ferrara. “Comics are bridging that gap.”
Among the 30 or so free comic books being perpetually restocked by the store’s Inventory Manager Nate Brand are titles such as “Star Wars,” “X-Men,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Asterix,” “Transformers,” and “Pokémon,” which Brand said seemed to be moving the fastest.
“Every kid grabs a Pokemon book,” said Brand, who’s worked at Atlantis Fantasyworld for 14 years. “All the main titles from the two big publishers, Marvel and DC, are the ones that everybody goes for like Spider-Man, X-Men and Avengers.”
Ferrara, who founded Atlantis Fantasyworld 48 years ago, said that the annual comic book giveaway is an all-hands-on-deck situation for Atlantis Fantasyworld and Brand mentioned that he and his colleagues often recruit their friends and regular customers to volunteer at the store.
Inside the shop Saturday, patrons of all ages, families and groups of friends, flow into and out of the store, snagging the multitudes of free titles and perusing the shelves for other books available for purchase such as Santa Cruz-resident Alayna Chinn, who had just bought a “Sandman” graphic novel, among other titles.
“I saw this was happening and decided to come out here and actually buy my first comics,” said Chinn. “I am picking up some free stuff too and I am excited to see all the people here. This kind of connects everyone.”
Claudio Quintana, who often creates his own sci-fi cosplay costumes, was visiting Santa Cruz from San Francisco on Saturday. While walking downtown, his young son caught sight of Atlantis Fantasy World and the “Star Wars” characters posted outside, and they decided to check it out.
“This is very cool,” said Quintana. “Sometimes kids spend too much time looking at screens, so it’s good for them to read comic books.”
UC Santa Cruz student Sumukh Saxena heard about Free Comic Book Day from his friend, one of the staff members at Atlantis Fantasyworld, and came out to support the shop and see what’s new and free.
“The one I am really excited to read is this one about Transformers,” said Saxena. “I am a visual learner and I like to look at the art while I am also reading the story. While there is something intriguing about reading a book and imagining it for yourself, seeing what the creator of the comic wanted to show you is really cool to me as well.”
Even though the store is constantly packed from open to close, Ferrara and the staff look forward to Free Comic Book Day every year.
“You can feel the excitement,” said Ferrara. “It feels like a day at Disneyland. People are just happy to be here.”