All C's Collectibles is the only comic shop in Aurora, Colorado. As a result, they've found themselves front and centre in the press coverage of the horrific shooting at the town's cinema. A number of the victims were their customers. One of their staff was in the cinema that night and lost a friend in the shooting. Horror piled on horror with the media spotlight thrown in just to make a terrible situation infinitely worse.
It would be all too easy to crumple in a situation like that and just let it break over you. Except that's not what the staff at All C's have done. Instead they've launched Aurora Rise, a silent auction and fundraiser to help victims of the shooting and their families.
The event they've assembled is already bigger than just the auction, with comic pros Matt Fraction (Whose Hawkeye series launched recently) and Steve Niles (creator of 30 Days of Night ) both confirmed to be attending and signing books. The comics industry has also pulled together to help, with Dark Horse and Image, in particular their Skybound and Top Cow imprints, contributing products to the auction.
Various comic websites have helped pick up and spread the word. The event, still a couple of weeks out, looks set to be a huge success. Follow @aurorarise to find out more or go to the event's Facebook page.
Tragedy touches us all, we don't get a choice in that. Where we do get the choice is in whether it spurs us to do something or breaks us. The staff of All C's haven't just refused to be broken, they're going out and helping other people, helping put their town back together using pop culture and fun and community, that elusive quality everyone talks about in fandom but that we almost never see. We see it here, now and I can't think of a single thing more admirable.
I know most if not all of you won't be able to participate but please so if you can, show your support by tweeting to @aurorarise and commenting on their Facebook page. They deserve every success. Let's help them get it.
Visit the official Aurora Rise Facebook page .
Alasdair Stuart
