ATHOL – For comic book and cosplay fans, Athol Town Hall was the place to be on Saturday.

The attendance for the third annual Comic Book Fest was impressive, with many people arriving early for the 10 a.m. opening and staying until closing time at 3 p.m. Some 30 artists and writers, as well as a couple of popular retailers, were on-hand to answer questions, participate in panel discussions, and sell some of their comics and collectibles.

The cosplay contest drew a lot of people, who joined the competition Saturday afternoon

“I think it’s just really fun, sort of breaking the rules a little bit,” said Lilliana Robichaud, who was dressed for the contest. “Well, maybe not breaking the rules, but just doing something that’s not normal, everyday, boring. It may look weird to some people but it’s fun.”

“People might think it’s weird,” said Lilliana’s friend Mia Reed, “but I don’t really care what people think. I don’t really dress for cosplay; I just dress this way for fun. I like people to see me.”

“I do it because it gives you a chance to show off your love for a certain character,” said Kaleigh Fournier, who was portraying the anime character Hatsune Miku. “If you like a character enough, it’s fun to dress up as them for the fun of it.”

One of the retailers on hand was Nishon Morgan, co-owner of His & Her Comics in Greenfield. Asked how he got into the business, Morgan said, “I saw other people doing it, so I decided to do it. Just like any other business; you see somebody being successful at it, and we thought we’d try it.”

The business seemed to come naturally to Morgan, who said, “I’m 60 years old, I’ve been a collector since before I can remember.” And what comics got him hooked at an early age? “Probably ‘Casper the Friendly Ghost.’”

Morgan was assisted at his table by Kyle McDonald, who works part-time at the store. “My first comic book was G.I. Joe by Larry Hama, which promoted the Mattel brand. I’ve been a collector ever since. But I’ve been reading since I was a kid, like old Sgt. Rock.”

Corrine Barrineau and her husband started Holey Moleys Comics & Collectibles in Northampton.

“It’s something we had talked about doing for a really long time,” Diane said. “(My husband) grew up in a comic shop. He grew up walking to the comic shop after school with his friends and sitting on the radiator reading books he probably never bought – doing all the things that now, as shop owners, we’re like, ‘shame on you.’”

Comic Book Fest began three years ago when Christopher and Diana Tamulevich of Hero Shack Press approached Emily Boughton, the young readers librarian at the Athol Library.

“We went to Emily and said, ‘Hey, we have comic books. Would you like a set to put into your library?’” Diana explained. “They took it a step further and said, ‘Would you guys be interested in doing something like a comic-con.’ And, of course, we thought that would be fantastic.”

Now in its third year, Diana said, “It’s getting bigger. The main focus is really on independent comic book artists. It’s really to say we want the community to take part, but also to give writers and artists a platform to sell their books. It’s a great show.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.