Comics To Astonish Celebrating Movies, TV Shows On Free Comic Book Day

Now that the warmer weather is finally here, Comics to Astonish, a specialty store in east Columbia, is joining thousands of other comic shops around the world to commemorate the annual Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 6.

As part of the event, which is held each year on the first Saturday of May, customers can get “sneak peeks” from titles based on new and classic movies and television series, including Marvel’s sequel to the wildly successful Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is already being shown in theaters, and DC Comics’ film on the Amazon warrior Wonder Woman, which is set to open on June 2.

Keegan Conrad, owner of the shop at 9400 Snowden River Parkway #112, said that more than 3,500 free comics will be given away to customers who visit the store between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

"Comics to Astonish has been helping promote Free Comic Book Day since its first year in 2002, and to date, we’ve given out more than 60,000 free comics to readers of all ages in Howard and Carroll counties,” Conrad noted. “It’s a great way to introduce new readers young and old to the wonderful world of comic books.”

“At the Columbia store,” he added, “we will have Star Wars Storm Troopers from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and Minnie Mouse from 3 p.m. to 5 o’clock.”

One of the most interesting special editions will come from Dark Horse Comics and will be based on James Cameron’s blockbuster film Avatar.

Along with movie-related titles, several special comics are based on television series, including Riverdale, is a spinoff of Archie titles and airs on the CW Network. In addition, the company will provide a new issue related to Archie’s girl friends, Betty & Veronica.

Another current TV series that’s popular with fans is Doctor Who, and Titan Comics is marking the show’s success with “a spin through the past, present and future” of the most recent versions of the last Time Lord from Gallifrey and his brand-new companion, Bill, in her first comics appearance.

Boasting 10 million viewers, the family comedy series Fresh Off the Boat (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC) comes to the world of comics via BOOM! Studios and tells the story of a Taiwanese-American family living in Orlando in the 1990s and comically explores themes of immigration, assimilation and identity.

Meanwhile, IDW Publishing is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation with a glimpse of the upcoming mini-series taking place in the “Mirror, Mirror” universe as seen in the original Trek.

Younger readers will find several comics to their liking, such as DC Super Hero Girls, a special issue of Spongebob SquarePants from United Plankton Pictures, a new version of Barbie, the doll that has enamored female children for decades, and an “all-ages” issue from Dark Horse featuring Buffy, the Vampire Slayer during her high school days.

There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here in a new issue based on the classic animated series by American Mythology Productions, while Chapterhouse Comics provides adventures from the early days of Canada’s own super-hero, Captain Canuck.

In addition, Fantagraphic Books, publisher of the World's Greatest Cartoonists, has pulled out the stops for this year's celebration by commissioning all-new, exclusive work from “comics heavyweights.”

As always, some of the comics producers are using the event to promote their own titles. Marvel is producing a special look at the “Secret Empire” series in which you see a side of Captain America you definitely haven’t seen before.

Another free comic will feature X-O Manowar, an ancient warrior who wears futuristic armor while battling villains and other enemies. And it wouldn’t be Free Comic Book Day without a compilation of 2000 AD adventures of Judge Dredd, Judge Anderson and Judge Death.

Since the store has quickly run out of copies of free titles in the past, Conrad said the shop will limit the number of copies to four per person until 5:00 p.m., when anyone can take as many of the issues as he or she wants.

As usual, an important aspect of this year’s commemoration will be the donation of 1,500 copies of comics to the libraries in Howard County at no cost to them, an increase of 500 from the number distributed in previous years, Conrad stated.

Another special feature of this year’s Free Comic Book Day is the fact that this it will also be celebrated at the other Comics to Astonish store, which is located at 1312 South Main Street, Suite 5, in Mount Airy, as well as parts of Howard and Carroll counties.

For more information on the stores, their big sales and their online offers being held in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day, call (410) 381-2732 in Columbia or (301) 829-1017 in Mount Airy, or visit http://www.comicstoastonish.com. If you want further details on the annual event itself, go to http://www.freecomicbookday.com.