Aside from its beaches and, perhaps, the Boardwalk itself, no entity is more synonymous with the Wildwoods than the famous Sightseer Tramcars.
The classic yellow & blue-trimmed people movers have been humming up and down the wooden way for close to eight decades, transporting generations of vacationers while enduring as the resort's most beloved and identifiable icon.
"When you see or think of the tramcars, you think about Wildwood. When you hear that timeless 'Watch the Tram Car, Please!' announcement, it's like a summertime anthem. It's undeniable," said Michael Jasorka, independent cartoonist, self-publisher and author/illustrator of a new graphic novel that chronicles the Sightseer's colorful history.
In fact, Flag Me Down: The Story of Wildwood's Tramcar is believed to be the first full-length publication to feature the subject.
This Saturday, August 1, the Wildwood Historical Society will host a special event celebrating the graphic novel's official release. Jasorka, founder of Bombshell Comics, will be on hand to sign copies, along with longtime tramcar ambassador John "Gigi" Gigliotti and "The Voice of the Tramcar" Floss Stingel.
The session will take place at the George F. Boyer Museum (3907 Pacific Avenue) from 12 pm to 3 pm. Patrons will have the opportunity to purchase the book (limit two copies each) with partial proceeds benefiting the historical society.
(Copies can also be pre-ordered at www.Bombshell-Comics.com.)
Flag Me Down is the fourth graphic novel created by Jaskorka under his Bombshell Comics banner, preceded by The Wildwood Days of Doo Wop (2021), a journey back through the Wildwoods' mid-century motel architecture; Mr. Fascination and The Fascination Machines (2021), an adaption of Fascination: A Lifetime Boardwalk Adventure by Randy Senna; and Castle Dracula & Dungeon: Employee Handbook Illustrated (2022), a hand-drawn rendition of the actual 1977 employee handbook for the legendary Boardwalk haunt.
The full-length, 60-page story follows the tramcars' evolution through the visuals of passing engines and coaches, documenting changes through the years while spotlighting the many individuals who contributed to its story. The Boardwalk, a major character in its own right, serves as the fitting, dynamic backdrop.
"Of the four graphic novels, [the tramcar] project has been the biggest challenge so far, simply due to the scope of it, the amount of timeline with 75-plus years of history to cover," Jasorka explained. "To properly represent and then visually connect this history, along with the many changes of the Boardwalk, was a big task. In many ways, I'd say that working on the previous three books helped gear me up for this one.
"But the subject matter was a no-brainer, due to the feedback I had received. I also felt, through my research, that there was a real opportunity to explore a history that was unspoken for. There's a lot of info about the tramcars out there, but so much of it has been untold or even misrepresented to some degree."
For example, take the familiar tale of Sebastian B. Ramagosa bringing the trams to Wildwood during the summer of 1949 (remnants of the New York World's Fair a decade earlier). Jasorka connects that origin to Wildwood's original Casino Arcade and an entrepreneur named Ralph Carll who gave Ramagosa, the future "King of the Boardwalk," his start in the amusement business.
Proper attention is also given to Gilbert Ramagosa, who inherited his father's tramcar operation and built an empire of his own with the acquisition of the Five Mile Beach Transit Company (the last operating trolley system in the country), a bus fleet and over 70 businesses on the Boardwalk alone!
"He controlled a lot of the local transit and was also bringing a lot of people to Wildwood from Philly and all over," explained Jasorka. "Gilbert Ramagosa was such a tycoon and a pioneer, no just with the trams but in building up the Boardwalk and making Wildwood a major destination. Sadly, he would pass away suddenly in his 50's. His wife and three sons were left to carry the weight, and slowly began liquidating their assets."
As the story progresses, we see appearances by various local and national celebrities, including Bobby Rydell, Cozy Morley and Al Alberts, along with tramcar drivers and local officials - a virtual who's who of the Wildwoods covering a 78-year span.
And then we come to one of the "heroes" of the story - future North Wildwood Mayor (and present-day Cape May County Commissioner) Patrick Rosenello.
"This is, in essence, the story of the tramcars' history and the people who are responsible for them still being here," explained Jasorka. "One of them is Patrick Rosenello. He's pretty much the one who saved the trams with the creation of the Boardwalk Special Improvement District (SID), back in 2004. Without his efforts, they very likely would have faded into history 20 years ago."
Flag Me Down: The Story of Wildwood's Tramcar is the culmination of four years of meticulous research and planning, crafted from 140 cited references, over 1,600 reference images, personal interviews, home movie footage and other sources.
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