Comic book giveaway draws eyes | www.jconline.com | Journal and Courier
Comic book giveaway draws eyes | www.jconline.com | Journal and Courier
Comic book giveaway draws eyesBy CURT SLYDER • cslyder@jconline.com • May 3, 2009
Purdue University students Margaret Chen and Caitlan Cook were strolling along State Street next to Von’s Records in West Lafayette Saturday when something caught their eye.
A sign offering free comic books enticed numerous people inside the shop. “We saw the sign for free comic books,” Cook said. “I love comics. I grew up with the X-Men on TV and things like that.”
They went inside, each grabbing three comics before heading out.
Von’s and other area comic book dealers gave away free books Saturday as participating dealers around the country marked the annual Free Comic Book Day.
“I think that’s fantastic,” Cook said. “You get a lot of kids who may not like reading novels. But they can come in and find a story and get things they like.”
“It’s an event to try to get people into the store, reading comics, get them interested,” said Paul Shelton, manager for comic books at Von’s. The comic book publishers choose the issues that are free, he said.
The event, held the first Saturday in May for the past several years, has become quite popular. “People were here almost right when we started at 9 a.m.,” Shelton said.
Mikel Kjell of Lafayette made sure to be at Von’s. He tries to take advantage of the day every year, he said.
Kjell also was at the downtown branch of the Tippecanoe County Public Library earlier in the day for a presentation by graphic novelist Nate Powell.
Powell is the author of “Swallow Me Whole,” a graphic novel about two teens with psychological problems. The book has been nominated for several awards.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about his book on forums and Web sites,” Kjell said.
Powell said he’s a big fan of Free Comic Book Day.
“It’s gone past comic book stores,” he said. “It’s become more of a cultural event.”
Originally envisioned as a way to get people attracted to comics, “I think it’s really exciting that it has transcended its original capitalistic purpose,” Powell said. “It’s become about comics as a culture and an art form and a medium.”
Powell thinks that even in the era of video games and the Internet, comics still have a strong voice. “There are things that comics can do, can communicate, that other media cannot,” he said.
“Hopefully, in the United States we’ve gotten close to a point where we no longer have to vie for the existence of comics as an art form,” Powell said. “But we can move on to embracing the narrative and formal strengths of comics as opposed to other mediums.”
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Holy freebie, Batman! Store gives away comics | PoughkeepsieJournal.com
Holy freebie, Batman! Store gives away comics | PoughkeepsieJournal.com | Poughkeepsie Journal
Holy freebie, Batman! Store gives away comicsBy John W. Barry • Poughkeepsie Journal • May 3, 2009
PLEASANT VALLEY – The skeleton on the motorcycle, with skull in flames, was terrifying.
Even more disconcerting were the rabbits in the spacesuits, with sinister smiles. But they probably couldn’t harm anyone, hanging on the wall as they were.
Looking over it all, though, and providing a sense of security, was Superman. Lightening the atmosphere even further were Homer and Marge Simpson, as well as Archie and Jughead.
Colorful characters are plastered all over the walls of Alterniverse, a shop on Route 44 in Salt Point that sells comic books and gaming gear, like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
But things were a bit more festive than usual at Alterniverse Saturday. Shop owner Anthony Just welcomed customers to Free Comic Book Day, a national, annual event that celebrates an American literary tradition that dates to the 1840s.
Alterniverse, like comic book shops across the country, gave away free comic books – about 200 in just a few hours Saturday – and celebrated a genre of literature that can boast a wide range of characters, from Captain America to Richie Rich.
“There are a lot of aspects to this hobby,” said Just, who noted the majority of his customers are male, between the ages of 13-35. “There is collecting; enjoying the story; artwork.”
Comic books can also fuel huge earnings for Hollywood.
According to the Associated Press, the film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which is based on a comic book and stars Hugh Jackman, earned $35 million on its opening day Friday.
At Alterniverse Saturday, 6-year-old Connor Moseman of Millbrook received a free piece of art from local comic book artist Mark Holmes.
“All kids love comic books,” said Connor’s father, Jeff Moseman. “I wanted him to meet a local artist.”
Holmes, of Millbrook, said comic books helped him learn to read as a child. But, he said, they were also a lot of fun.
“It’s an escape,” he said. “It’s bigger than life.”
Certainly, “Ghost Rider,” whose protagonist has the flames and the skull and the motorcycle, is bigger than life. And don’t forget, “Killer Bunnies and the Journey to Jupiter.”
Reach John W. Barry at jobarry@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4822.
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Fosters.com – Comic book convention reaches new heights in Rochester
Fosters.com – Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME
Comic book convention reaches new heights in Rochester
By JOEY CRESTA
jcresta@fosters.com
Sunday, May 3, 2009
PictureTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird signs prints Saturday to benefit Jake Black, a writer who worked on the comic book series who is battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Laird was in Rochester at the Knights of Columbus Hall for a comic convention. John Huff/Staff photographer
* Order a print of this photoROCHESTER — The third annual Free Comic Book Day celebrated in the Lilac City was bigger than ever this year, featuring an appearance by a creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a mix of other science fiction personalities.
Meagan Windham, 15, of Dover was one of the many who came to the downtown to meet Peter Laird, one of TMNT’s creators. She said it was “wicked cool” to get her green Ninja Turtles T-shirt signed by Laird, adding that she was so nervous her grandmother had to give her the courage to ask for the autograph.
“He was wicked nice,” she said, adding that she would not have come to the city Saturday if Laird hadn’t been there.
Artists associated with TMNT, including Jim Lawson, also attended the convention.
Today is the 25th anniversary of TMNT’s premiere. Windham said her older cousins got her interested in the “heroes in a half-shell.”
Overall, more than 40 artists and comic book aficionados set up shop at the Knights of Columbus Hall for the event, said organizer and Jetpack Comics owner Ralph DiBernardo.
The gathering gave local artists a chance to show off their wares. Ryan Higgins of South Berwick, Maine, who recently found studio space in Dover, displayed his self-published children’s book, “Twaddleton’s Cheese.”
He said he chose children’s picture books as his medium because he felt his art style fit the genre and he likes going to local schools and reading to children.
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John Huff/Staff photographer A line forms outside Jetpack Comics in Rochester Saturday as people wait to get a free comic book. Jetpack was one of 15 area businesses participating in a comic convention.
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The convention gave him a chance to reach a new audience, he said.Shannon “Gypsy Rose” McCracken-Barber and her husband Al of Farmington set up a booth displaying ornate horns made of synthetic rubber, among other accessories and jewelry.
She said the horns are used primarily for cosplay, an activity popular among comic book conventioneers that involves dressing up as a comic book or science fiction character.
She said the event was good for the city because it brought in people looking to spend money at a time when a lot of people are reducing impulse purchases.
“A lot of geeks,” she said — adding that “geek” was a term to be proud of, not derogatory — “kind of see this stuff as a necessity.”
Fifteen local businesses were involved in the Free Comic Book Day portion of the event. The Governor’s Inn also hosted men and women dressed in Star Wars gear, complete with a life-size Jabba the Hutt. Darth Vader, flanked by a storm trooper, also patrolled the city streets Saturday, but seemed to elicit less fear than he did in the movies as children flocked to pose for pictures with the Dark Lord.
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John Huff/Staff photographer Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan Meagan Windham, 15, gets her shirt signed Saturday by Jim Lawson, one of the artists who illustrates the comic book series. Lawson was in Rochester at the Knights of Columbus Hall for a comic convention.
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The event officially ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. But DiBernardo by noon already was calling it the most successful comic book convention he’s organized.He said he heard from numerous people how they “couldn’t believe all the people walking around downtown.”
He said he hoped the event would bring return customers to the downtown area after visitors discovered specialty shops they may not have known about.
He said he’s already begun thinking about next year, when he hopes the convention will become even bigger. The only obstacle is finances; he said Saturday cost more than $5,000 to put together.
But the cost was worth it, he said, and he hopes the positive turnout will result in getting a budget from Rochester Main Street for the event next year.
“At this point, my biggest fear is running out of comics,” he said.
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