This place is truly amazing! It's tucked away in a building almost like a super hero's facility in disguised cause unless you look up and actually read the business sign you could very well NOT notice this place even exists. But I guess that's how comic book hero's roll, incognito. I'm not even sure if the younger generation even appreciates comic books like I do, but growing up comics were NOT considered cool, I remember getting made fun of for reading them, those days are long gone because of the movies and now everyone loves them. I've been coming to Atlantis since I was in middle school, I'm well into my early 40's now and hope this place never closes, the owner Joe is always at the shop, willing to help or order something he doesn't have. Truly an amazing place, I hope it sticks around for decades to come. Because comics are part of history and the contents of the comics are basis of many of the blockbusters that we enjoy today, thank you very much for the hospitality! read more

I've been on a hunt for a specific back issue of Dr. Strange so whenever I see a comic book store, I need to swing in. I'm so glad we just happened to park in the large parking lot next to this store. It was a delight. The store is much larger than it appears from the outside. Mainly because there's a whole second half you might not realize is there until you come in. The selection here is wonderful and the lay out newer issues in a very easy to browse way. The back issues are in your traditional long box that you need to flip through, but they're all labeled in a way that makes it easy to narrow down your search. While they did not have the specific issue I was looking for, they happily went online and found an online retailer that had it for a reasonable price. That's great customer service that no other store has ever shown me (including my own local comic book shop where I've been a regular for 10+ years). Even when I told them they didn't have to do that they insisted and had a site for me within a minute or two. I really appreciated that. The two workers were so friendly and helpful. When I mentioned I was from Los Angeles they asked where my local store was & immediately knew it and had nice things to say about the owner. You could tell they really loved what they did and the comic book community as a whole. While I don't know how often I will be in the area, if I am ever even remotely close I will absolutely come by again. This is one of the best shopping experiences I've has at a CBS outside of my area. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Great little shop with awesome customer service - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Store is really clean. Great selection of newer comics. Comic don't come with a bag and board which is a little odd. Second room has some back issues and a few 50 cent bins. Always fun to look through those. Staff was super friendly. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld is the perfect escape. This comic book / board game / collectable shop has it all. I instantly gravitated to Atlantis for their board game selection. They have a number of board games available for purchase, including a sale selection. Once I was inside the store, I couldn't help but explore their large comic book selection. I personally loved how many Avatar books they had onsite. The comic book / cookbook hybrids were also a super fun find. There's street parking available, as well as nearby parking structures. This spot is located in downtown, so it's the perfect walkable outing for visitors. read more

As a shopper here for a decade, Atlantis Fantasyworld ranks as my all time favorite store. When I come back home to Santa Cruz, my trip isn't complete until I walk into Atlantis. I started reading comics when I went to UCSC and needed an academic break. Atlantis is right near the busy downtown and my other old haunts, but I love that it isn't on the main downtown drag. Walking in here feels immediately comforting and chill. Every employee working here seems to love their job- I know this because the staff is relatively unchanged in the ten years I've been shopping here. I hate to mention this, but it's positive: as a lady, I've never been creeped on here or felt uncomfortable in any way at all. Coming in is always a delight, as I find a new series to follow or browse unique used books and games. I loved spending a bit of my yearly teacher book fund for new graphic novels for my classroom. When I moved over the hill, I was thrilled to find that they would set aside my comics for me to pop in every month or so. A few years later, when I was planning an across-the-country move to Ohio, Trisha was happy to tell me about their subscription program. If you're looking for a consistent comic shop, this is it. They have shipped my comics to me every other month for YEARS, in flawless condition. Now, *I'm* doing a horrible job catching up on all them and need to take a pause, which Atlantis had no issues helping me out with. I love that I could (and still can) rely on them to ship my subscriptions out to me without me having to think about it, even across the country. They even cut you a small discount to help with the shipping. Truly, if you've got a need to read (or play or collect), there's no better store in Santa Cruz. I miss a lot of things about the West Coast- Atlantis Fantasyworld is in my top ten. read more

Atlantis Fantasy World is hands down in my "Top 3 comic shops you must visit in the Bay Area" list right alongside: Heroes (in Campbell) and Comics Conspiracy (Sunnyvale). This is a pure comic shop with a great selection of back issues, graphic novels, current comics and a ton of bargain and discounted comics sets, dollar comics and half off graphic novels. I just love walking each aisle making sure I don't miss a single issue I may not have in my collection. The staff is extremely kind and knowledgeable. The owner is awesome, he's got great stories of past celebrity signings in store and u gotta hear his experience when they filmed The Lost Boys at his shop. Definitely a must visit destination for your comic book needs! read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Epic shot! Took it at an angle as I was coming outta my car! - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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This is my all time favorite business in the world. The staff all love what they do. Whether you are a full on comic book nerd or not, you will find something delightful here. The staff are welcoming and so fun to talk to about comics, movies, games, whatever. Say hi to Nate and Tricia for me! This shop is an essential part of the richness of downtown Santa Cruz. I literally do half of my Christmas shopping here. I can't say enough. read more

Amazing selection of comics and nerdy collectibles! My SO and I were lucky to walk in on their spin the wheel sale weekend event :D love the variety here for anime (one piece, naruto) to marvel (Dr strange etc). The staff here are also very friendly and fun! Nice atmosphere and highly recommend! read more

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Great service and a selection of comics. Was an enjoyable find and really was a great experience

Great selection of comics and figures. And historically awesome grounds were to me the greatest movie of the 80s was shot here. The Lost boys. Great staff very friendly. Parking garage walking distance available. Just overall the way a comic book store should be displayed and stocked. read more

Earlier this year I got back into collecting comics and if every place was like them I never would have stopped. Everyone is knowledgeable, friendly, down to earth, and beyond helpful. Thank you to everyone who works there. See y'all next week for the new releases! read more

Ok. Place. 3 stars because i walked in and was followed the whole tine i was there. But the girl tried doing it by pretending to be talking to a customer on the phone who just happened to show interest in something within a section i walked by as i happened to browse the store. I would have prefered the "hurry up and buy" approach much better. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff! For fun (and also because of Shelter-in-Place shopping restrictions at the time) , I had a 50.00 gift certificate and emailed the store with things I like (and don't like) and asked them to put together a "surprise" bundle as I haven't shopped much for comics in the last few years. That day, they called me back with a few clarifications and had the bundle prepared that very day. They did a perfect job of selecting cool stuff (a vintage comic and graphic novels) for me and my tastes. I look forward to visiting in person and asking for suggestions from the staff. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

My favorite comic book store! I don't come here often, but when I do they always have what I'm looking for. The staff are so knowledgeable and wonderful--I remember bonding over a shared love of Dan Mora's art and Nightwing last time I was there. Always a must-stop when I'm in Santa Cruz. read more

I fucking love this comic book store. Been going since I was a kid and I'm almost 30. Two sections. New and old. 10/10. Dog friendly. Love it. read more

They're really reliable for comics just books in general and collectibles. I love this place a lot. I would really recommend going to it. Also, it's just a good place for collectors in general. I would 100% suggest this place and anybody in the area who is in to comics read more

Got priced out today on a signing. They had someone who wrote a movie song in to sign stuff and i had a few dvd covers for them to sign. Totally don't mind making a small donation to get it done - in fact I had literally done the same thing the day before at the boardwalk. But no they informed me I had to buy something specifically from them to get signed or it's $25 per signature per item. Like what??? I paid $20 total for 2 people (both more famous and featured in the movie) to sign 4 things. Now it's $25 for one person for one thing here at this venue instead??? For someone not even as well known? Dude was about to sign stuff for a few bucks and said yeah sure whatever you want. Then a manager or someone stepped in and told me the insane updated price and I said no thanks and left instead. Prob won't be back here any time soon since it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Like I love the dude but he's here because he wrote one specific song and he's not anywhere near a household name. $25 per signature is just silly. Sorry guys but you priced me out. And there wasn't a ton of demand there that day, no line or anything so it's not like he's mega famous and it was gonna be worth it. So they lost me as a customer, my partner as a customer, and my little kid as a customer over their greed. We will go somewhere else which is a shame because I'm a local who grew up here going to this place once in a while. Now we prob won't be back. read more

Love going to an old school comic shop. Seeing physical books, games, etc. let's support Brock and mortar places. Employees are so friendly and will help you find whatever. read more

They had the issues of Chainsaw Man that we were missing! Folks behind the counter knew the amine so we could talk about it. Great store

We really enjoyed our visit here, based on our recent experience watching The Lost Boys. Well set aside your movie fandom or skeptic attitude, this is a truly great comic shop. Very nicely organized, welcoming, friendly staff, lots to explore and a terrific used section which is quite uncommon in my experience. We walked out with a "how to draw manga" book for my son and a new one-off from Neil Gaiman for me. You don't have to care about that movie to want to come to this shop. read more

This was a bucket list stop. Being a fan of The Lost Boys movie I knew this was the #1 stop while visiting Santa Cruz. And it didn't disappoint. I got to meet the owner who spent a good half an hour BSing with my wife and I. He even got the comic down and took a pic with us. AWESOME!!! I bought The Lost Boys comics #1 and #2 both signed by the artist, and the actor who played Michael. I also bought a new DC series #1 called Hero's in Crisis. I like when supers are killed off ...... If you are in the area stop by, it's awesome. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Lost boys Comic!! - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great store with helpful staff. Went through and picked a few comics as well as a poster. Love the brick and mortar experience of browsing all shelves. An experience in itself. They gave my daughter a couple free comics as well. read more

I like how right when I walk in the guy pictured below speaks down to me because I accidentally walked pass the hand sanitizer. There are a million ways to politely ask someone to use the hand sanitizer, but he somehow managed to come off as a real dick. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - This dude is rude as hell. - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

This has been my go-to place for comics for years. A large store that invites you in to dig around and find stuff! From new comics to old.I wanted some reading material to kill some time. Spent more money that I should have, In addition to comics they also sell really cool toys and other stuff. They also have screen used memorobila from the movie Spider-Man and The Lost Boys (The movie was filmed in Santa Cruz) and Atlantis Fantasy world was used as the comic book store that was ran by the frog brothers (in the movie of course) in reality the owner is Joe Ferrara he's super friendly. The knowledge and service by the people here are second to none.Great collection of talented employees that know how to assist you, whatever you want they will do their best to help you find what you're looking for. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Got exactly what I wanted. Deals, deals...DEALS! - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Great service, great selection. What more needs to be said? Best and most authentic comic store in the county.

Stopped in for the first time to bring my son in, who is an avid comic book fan. This store has a very wide selection of comics. In my son's words - it's mesmerizing. There are old, new, classic, vintage - you name it. And something that other reviewers have not mentioned - this place was the store that you saw in the movie 'The Lost Boys'. As a matter of fact, on our visit today, it so happened that there were two people visiting that wanted to get video footage of the store because they are Lost Boys fans. The owner happened to be there and did a brief 'interview ' about the filming and the comic book that was featured in the film. Will definitely visit again. read more

So many comics it needs 2 whole rooms to fill, I'd say these guys have probably the biggest selection of comics graphics and manga I've seen in Santa Cruz. Arguably a must go to if you want somewhere to buy some good reads. Last I checked they added a shelf for manga, so hoping to see they've got even more in stock now read more

For my 1300th review I wanted to highlight this place..... The three high school seniors who "won" an outing with me to Santa Cruz for a fundraiser are comic book kings and super die hard fans so I wanted to save this place and Marianne's Ice Cream for last. The store has been a local joint for 34 years but been in this particular store for around 10. I have always wanted to review this place because I used to come in from time to time in college but never since joining yelp. The owner was super friendly and gave my students a mini tour of the store and showed off his Star Trek memorabilia, talked about his past (he grew up in a part of San Jose near some of my kids), and how he got the store. He was super patient and when they asked where different stuff was he showed them where everything was. I notice this was a trend with all of the customers who entered.. everyone gets the royal treatment, has mini conversations, and ultimately gets the information they want/need. The store is extremely well organized and the kids explored each section in the front after getting the mini tour/asking for specific issues/genres...as well as checked out the sale items. They seriously were in heaven.. and we spent a good 30-45 minutes in here which I did not mind in the slightest...neither did the owner.. he continued to ask questions about my students' comic/graphic novel interests while talking about sports with another customer. The kiddies ended up with two Swamp Thing novels and 4 out of the 5 comics that also allowed the purchaser to some free green lantern rings (as the owner said "either you get the comic free or the ring free which ever way you want to look at it") A few things to worth mentioning that are non comic book 1. Obama Superman shirts for sale 2. "Frodo failed Bush as the Ring" magnet 3. Betty Paige magnets 4. Poison Ivy and other magnets 5. unicorns and other fantasy animal miniatures for purchase They also have some comic books in Spanish (La Guerra de los Clones) HA! And if you look in the back of the store and look up.. you will find yourself looking at deep space through the deck of the Starship Enterprise :-) (nicely done mural). For a "small space" this place is incredible. I highly recommend for folks to check this place out. The owner even gave my kiddies the Fantasy World Comic book.. yes they made their own comic book.. never doing it again (pain in the ass!) but at least it is another accomplishment they can check off. Thank you for putting the icing, sprinkles and cherry on the cake of my students' day in Santa Cruz.. and renewing my interest in comics.. I will be down soon for another look sans students (they gave me recommendations on stuff I would like.. how cute is that!!). read more

OK so some friends and I spent the day in Santa Cruz. We hit the boardwalk and had just watched Lost Boys the night before to prep for the boardwalk experience. 8^) We wanted to hit the comic shop from the film. Sadly the original filming location was destroyed in the 1989 earthquake but the owner has a new location. We showed up about 15 minutes before closing time but the girls working there were friendlier than ever. Most shocking for a comic shop! Friendly AND helpful comic shop workers? "No!" you say, YES indeed. In fact she was so super nice to us, she took the Lost Boys prop Vampire comic down from the wall to show us. The owner wasn't there so she told us a few stories that she said the owner loves to tell, and even gave us a comic that the owner wrote! Nice selection of comics and collectibles but best comic shop staff EVER! read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld - Think of it more as a survival manual. There's our number on the back and pray you never need to call us. - Bookstores Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I wouldn't still deal with my reads if it weren't for Joe Ferrara and his wonderful crew. This place not only has interesting reads, but is an enjoyable conversation whenever I'm there. Been going here for over a decade. Brought my kid here, and he likes it. I recommend it to all. My friends already know, and now you do too read more

We love this shop! Super friendly staff, great selection of graphic novels and comics.

Had MAD tv comics and and a lot of a rare Marvel collections! Sweet little spot read more

yes this place is oozing with fanboy history being it was in the 80's version of Twilight-- The Lost Boys-- where we may have not had team Jacob & Edward, but we had the Coreys!! http://www.kungfuology.com/andybest/andyassets/corey%20haim%20comic%20store.jpg Joe and his minions have done a great job with keeping the balance between a modern and an old school shop feel by dedicating the left-side of AF for trades, currents & toys while on the right side you have batched book deals, backissues and for all you trekkies/kers-- a muthaf*cking Starship Room!!! though they didn't have a mass of bins to go through, i was able to find a bunch of late 80s Flash, Batman and Detectives that were priced fairly for the grade and scored with a pack of Power of the Atom that I have been hunting down for awhile. Joe is super-cool and a real deal historian with regards to comic culture- even knowing the lay of the land with alll bay area shops-- with changes in ownership through the years..I told him how my LCS was Comics Conspiracy and he said he sees a lot of himself in Ryan being they both owned their own shops at around the same age and have an unmatched passion for retail-- sick!! a great shop in a lovely, charming nook just outside of the main shopping district in Santa Cruz that has completely changed (I think for the better as your non-comic friends can spend hours there) in the last 7 years. read more

Atlantis Fantasyworld was THE comic book store that introduced me to the world of independent comics. I went to college in the area, and in my quest for knowledge, I stumbled on this store. Of course, they have your typical superhero fare, manga, and kiddie comics (which are organized as such around the store), but what pique my interest was the darker, flawed, non-hero storylines. And surprisingly, they carried those titles. Little by little, graphic novels from indie publishers started popping up, and I would voraciously pick them up. By no means does he have an exhaustive selection, but it's a good amount for the novice. I'm sure if you ask, they can order it for you. if you spend a certain amount of money, you get an Atlantis dollar; you can either spend on certain items, or wait for their big sales, and they can be double in value! So save those dollars! After ten years, I still have mine! I'd like to thank proprietor Joe for not only introducing me to the world of indie comic books, but for being an overall nice guy! He definitely knows his comics. read more

Stumbled upon while browsing downtown. As a totally unhip mother of a preteen girl who loves animation and comics, i had to bring her home something, and this shop seemed to have it - but i didnt know where to begin. I asked the awesome young women "can you please recommend a graphic novel for a 12 year old girl who hates everything. No superheros" and without hesitation, they pulled TWO incredible looking books. I wish i lived closer! These ladies know therw stuff! read more

Now I know this place has history. Joe is a comic world mainstay. But there is just something about this place I've never liked. I've always felt bad about purchasing from here. Thankfully I stumbled upon Comicopolis way back when. I think one of my problems with this place is the layout. Another is the fact that I always feel like I am trying to be sold comics, rather than being allowed to buy them. Also it's the fact that he mostly hires girls to work there. Kind of creepy a little bit for me. I also don't find everything I'm looking for here. I know it's got history but I'm just not a fan. read more

I love you Atlantis Fantasyworld. Why else would I be traveling from SF to SC to frequently pick up my new books? (Okay, some might say I'm weird but I call it happy and loyal.) read more

I'm bumping my rating up to 5 stars. I've dropped by dozens of times now and this place has CONSISTENTLY fantastic service and selection. It's an easy recommend for any comic fan. Keep up the great work guys! read more

Atlantis has been around forEVER and they really know their stuff. They've got a huge selection of comics, and probably the best selection of toys and collectibles I've seen. They're primarily focused on modern comics and don't have huge racks of back issues from the Golden and Silver age of comics. read more

Large collection! Def check this pace out! I bought almost every single Punisher comic on my visit.