AURORA | For 25 years, All C’s Collectibles has been a hub for Aurora’s comic book scene.
Superhero fans in need of a Batman or Superman fix have flocked to the shop on South Abilene Street near East Mississippi Avenue, stocking up on comics, action figures, trading cards and seemingly every other collectible imaginable.
That connection to the world of superheroes — as well as the shop’s close proximity to the Century 16 Aurora theater — meant last summer’s mass shooting during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” hit especially close to home for All C’s. And, some of the store’s loyal customers were in the theater that night.
That closeness to one of the most horrific crimes in recent memory left Jason Farnsworth, the shop’s manager, itching to help in the aftermath.
“It’s not like we’ve just been here for a few years,” he said. “When something like this happens in your backyard, you step up and do something.”
Farnsworth organized a weekend fundraiser for the victims in mid-August, but soon after realized there was more the shop could do to help.
Last month, Farnsworth and other community members and victims of the shooting launched Aurora Rise, a charity aimed at helping victims of the massacre.
The group plans to be present at several comic book conventions, including the Denver Comic Con and to partner with comic book creators and artists to make a commemorative sketchbook. Proceeds will benefit the theater shooting victims.
The nonprofit will help victims with day-to-day needs like child care expenses, gas cards or gift cards for weekly groceries and other small expenses, Farnsworth said.
Farnsworth said that focus on the day-to-day needs of the victims serves a few purposes. First, it means Aurora Rise will know the money is getting directly to the people who need it — no middle man to bog the process down.
Second, Farnsworth said, it means the small charity will be around for a while, instead of blowing all of its cash on one big payout.
“We don’t have a ton to give, but we will help them out as much as we possibly can,” he said.
Farnsworth said in the days after the shooting, comic book shops and publishers from all over the country reached out to help in any way they could.
“We literally had truckloads of stuff coming in here,” he said.
Those donations have helped raise money for the charity, with a silent auction last year and other future events.
The donations from around the country and the world showed how tightly knit the comic book community is, Farnsworth said.
Helping out since the theater shootings has also been nice because many of the store’s loyal customers were in the theater during the shooting.
Among those loyal customers was 27-year-old Alex Sullivan, who was one of 12 people killed that night.
Farnsworth said Sullivan had been coming to the shop since he was a kid, and having that connection to the tragedy made him want to help even more.
Tom Sullivan, Alex’s dad, will be part of Aurora Rise and serve on its board, Farnsworth said.
“I have quickly learned that the tragedy that happened on July 20, 2012 is continuing every day for the individuals that walked out of the theater,” Sullivan said in a statement announcing the group’s formation. “Aurora Rise’s goal isn’t to relieve victims of all their medical bills but to make your day a little bit brighter.”