CAPITOLA — Fan conventions have been in existence since the ’30s, giving fanatics of science fiction, comic books and other forms of popular culture a place to share their enthusiasm and maybe even score some cool merchandise.
They only grew in the ’60s with the Silver Age of Comic Books and cult popularity of “Star Trek,” and with the establishment of San Diego Comic-Con in 1970, they exploded. Now just about every corner of the world has its own pop culture convention to bring people’s shared interests in comic books, video games, anime and science fiction under one roof, and come April 20, it will be Capitola’s turn.
The former site of Sears at the Capitola Mall will be transformed into a haven for all things pop culture when Surf City Comic Con splashes in. From cosplay to collectibles for sale to video game and card tournaments, Surf City Comic Con will provide a 38,000-square-foot space to indulge in a love of all things nerdy.
The event is a collaboration among three of the mall’s tenants: Hadbro Toys and Collectibles, The Game Vault, and Sword and Board Games. Hadbro owner George Tegenkamp said he hosted a similar event a few years back but had a falling out with the other promoter and never did another one. However, he was talking with the owners of the other gaming stores about doing another convention.
“The guys were all about helping me, and now we have way more of a team effort,” he said. “We just want to get all of these nerdisms under one roof.”
Tegenkamp always had an interest in collecting, as he grew up buying unique items at flea markets, and opened up a store on Water Street in 2019 which moved to the mall a year later. The shop has everything a collector would want, including action figures, Funko Pops, comic books, vintage toys from a litany of franchises and more.
In addition to providing a fan convention experience, Tegenkamp wants to showcase local talent.
“We have so many good artists around here,” he said. “A lot of crazy collectors around here too, so I felt it was just a really good fit.”
The convention will feature artwork by Leah Smith of Altered Panels and toy artist Milo Halperin, who also created the flier for the event.
Vendors such as Trick or Treat Studios, The Retro Fix, Retro Attack, Unjustice Toys, Santa Cruz Toy Hunter, Never Static Pictures and more will be exhibiting and selling items such as comics, retro video games, vintage toys, handmade goods, artwork, clothing for cosplay, trading cards — both sports cards and games like “Pokémon” — and more. There will also be food trucks and an appearance by the 501st Legion Golden Gate Garrison, which will be bringing costumed Stormtroopers and other “Star Wars” villains.
Each of the three presenting sponsors will also be doing something special. Hadbro will have display cases for “G.I. Joe,” “Transformers,” “He-Man,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Star Wars” figures, and the other two will be providing tournaments in their respective specialties.
The Game Vault, Hadbro’s next-door neighbor, has locations in Capitola and Watsonville and sells trading cards and retro video games from the likes of Atari, Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation and Xbox.
“We have a little bit of everything collectible-wise but focus on video games,” owner Jack Reese said.
The store will be hosting a “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournament on the Nintendo Switch where players can pit some of the most iconic video gaming characters of all time against each other. There will be both a free-play session and an on-the-spot tournament where people can sign up and compete for prizes.
Reese hopes the event will get people interested in fandoms and collecting.
“There’s really no restrictions to collecting and playing video games, cards, vintage toys, stuff like that,” he said. “It’s something you can do your whole life.”
Sword and Board opened in 2022, and owner Greg Peterson said the store is an opportunity to grow and foster a community of gaming in all forms, whether board games, card games or roleplaying games.
“We’ve been doing our best to just be a fun and safe environment for people to come and play at daily,” he said. “So far, it definitely has been achieved because a lot of people are always here having a great time.”
Sword and Board will have a large play space where people can play card games like “Magic: The Gathering,” “One Piece,” “Yu-Gi-Oh” and “Flesh & Blood” and even take part in a “Warhammer” tournament.
Peterson said the event will be a great way to provide exposure to the store as well as the different kinds of hobbies available.
“There’s a large amount of people who like all of these different nerdy cultures,” he said. “That’s why we wanted to call it Comic Con because that’s become synonymous with nerdy conventions that people can have fun at.”
Tegenkamp said the event will bring all of the fun of something like Comic Con locally.
“We want to show people that we have a lot of talent in Santa Cruz and you don’t have to go over the hill or down to LA to catch a con,” he said. “We’re trying to bring something between San Jose and Monterey.”
Surf City Comic Con is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 20 at the former Sears at Capitola Mall, 1855 41st Ave., Capitola. Tickets are $10 for general admission after 10 a.m., $15 for early bird arrivals between 9 and 10 a.m. and free for kids younger than age 10. Dressing up is highly encouraged. To purchase tickets in advance, go to EventBrite.com.
