FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

As the title may suggest, Saturday, May 7th, is Free Comic Book Day. Now, technically, this is a national holiday, but we're concerned about local free comics and that, of course, means Local Heroes Comics in good old Ghent. The festivities start at 10 AM and there will be free bagels and coffee from Yorgo's Bageldashery, free pizza from Cogan's as well as door prizes and give aways. It's a family affair so check for me and my comic book-obsessed daughter soaking up the free-ness. We like free.

"But, Jerome," you say, "what if I'm not that into comics?"

To that, I say the time is now. I wasn't too keen on comics myself until recently. My six year-old daughter begged me to go into Local Heroes one day after the Cogan's lunch buffet to see if she could find a Scooby Doo comic (she did, in the extensive "appropriate for all-ages" section of the store)and I just started browsing. What I found was that it's not all super powers and mutants. It turns out there are rows upon rows of comics about every subject you can imagine. These works of art range from issues as mundane as hipsters trying to make it in Williamsburg ("The New York Five") to abstract travel through alternate realities of one's own life (the excellent "Infinite Vacation"). I mean, if Superman is your thing they've got that too, but there are more options than crime fighting.

And if comics aren't your thing what do you have to lose? It's all free, right? Please come on out and explore your local comic book store, have something to eat and maybe buy that sweet-ass Local Heroes Led Zep tee before it's retired. Happy Free Comic Book Day.