Comic book fans ready for a free Saturday

Greg Woodard remembers the day he discovered Batman comics as a child. Since then he’s been a Batman guy.It’s a story he loves to share and hopes to pass on his passion to others this Saturday on the annual National Free Comic Book Day.Woodard owns Soundwave Music & Movies at 2139 B North Main Street in the Summerville area of Berkeley County.“There’s nothing better than seeing a kid’s face light up when they get their first comic. That’s what I did with Batman when I was a kid.”Soundwave will give out about 3,478 free comics that day. Each customer can pick out three comics that day; that’s twice as many as last year.The event is sponsored and supported by Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse and Image Comics. The day celebrates the unique American art form of storytelling that is comic books.There are 52 different titles for this year’s Free Comic Book Day, making it the biggest one yet. The store opens at 9 a.m. and will feature sales on regular items.Three local artists will make an appearance: painter Albert Capitan, web comic author Christine Brunson and “Proton Factories.”“A comic store is like a community hub,” Woodard said. “We try to be interactive with customers.”At 6 p.m. there will be a “Star Wars” themed costume contest and winners will be announced around 7 p.m. because Saturday also marks “Star Wars Day,” with the tagline “May the 4th be with you.”On of Saturday’s special releases is a “Walking Dead” comic that will have exclusive new material. DC Comics is releasing “Superman Unchained,” which ties into the new Superman movie coming out in June.“It’s a good way to showcase our industry. It’s a good entry point for new readers or lapsed readers,” he said. “Companies use these to get people excited about upcoming events. Some of the releases become collectible.“There’s always going to be this demand for our product. There’s nothing like holding a comic in your hand . . .the flow, the feel of the paper. There’s no such thing as a bad comic. The one most valuable to me is worth $3.”Woodard remembers the day his schoolmate lent him a copy of an “X-Men” comic and the story was a cliffhanger. The story was so good Woodard went out and bought the next issue, 170, with his own money.He said it’s his favorite comic. It cost about 60 cents at the time.“Most comics are a boys club,” he said. “Our store is for everybody.”

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