Comics to Astonish Columbia Store Celebrating Halloween With Free Comics, Candy on Saturday

With Halloween just around the corner, the Comics to Astonish specialty shop in eastern Columbia will host a ComicFest “spooktacular” on Saturday, October 29, when the store will have free giveaways to interest everyone from youngsters to adults.

In honor of the occasion, the store will give away 19 full-size titles featuring characters ranging from Darth Vader of Star Wars to the Three Stooges, as well as 13 digest-size comics starring animals from Pokemon to Grumpy Cat.

Keegan Conrad, owner of the shop, added that another aspect of the event will also be a treat for customers who visit the store that day. “Free candy! What more do I have to say?” he asked.

“It is really quite simple,” Conrad stated. “Just stop by on Saturday from 12 noon to 8 p.m. and get free comics! No purchase required.”

“We will have tons of Halloween-themed comics for free, including many kids' books! Limit of two free comics per person,” he noted.

The full-size titles will include a sampler of DC Comics' Scooby Apocalypse, which features the talking dog and “those meddling kids.” Not to be outdone, Marvel Comics will feature a horror comic entitled Haunted Mansion.

Other spooky titles include: Black Eyed Kids by Aftershock Comics, Evil Dead from Space Goat Productions, Harrow County by Dark Horse Comics, Wraithborn from Bentez Productions and Zombie Tramp Versus the Doll-Faced Witch Hunter by Action Lab Comics.

Scary comics that take a lighter touch include Afterlife With Archie from Archie Comic Publications, the Three Stooges Halloween Hullabaloo from American Mythology Productions, and My Little Pony: The Haunted Dungeon by IDW Publishing.

In addition, some companies are releasing titles that have little to do with Halloween but spotlight such popular characters as the young DC Super Hero Girls, along with Spidey featuring the early adventures of the web-slinging super-hero and an Unbeatable Squirrel Girl issue in which “You choose the story.” Both of those titles have been produced by Marvel Comics.

Other issues contain featured segments from independent publishers. Those include Action Lab Presents and Adventures of the Aspen Universe.

Among the digest-sized issues that have been produced by Previews Publications are special editions of Archie's Madhouse, Boom Box Halloween, Grumpy Cat, Little Tails, Mickey's Inferno (featuring Disney's best-known mouse), Mummy's Always Right, Pokemon Pocket Comics and Zombie Camp.

“Any and all remaining free comics that we have left over from the weekend will be given away,” Conrad added. “You will be able to take one of each remaining title during store hours.”

But comics aren't the only attraction of the Halloween celebration. A special tournament of the Magic:The Gathering role-playing card game will begin on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

The entry fee is $16.00 with two booster packs added to the prize pool per player. Fifty percent of the packs will go to the top 50 percent of winners. The remainder will go to the top 50 percent of players in costumes, which the store employees will select.

Conrad said that the event is a result of the tremendous success of Free Comic Book Day, which is held on the first Saturday of May and draws people into comics shops around the world.

With that in mind, this event “is the biggest celebration of Halloween-themed comics taking place at participating stores in North America and elsewhere,” noted Dan Manser, director of marketing for Diamond Comic Distributors.

“Your local comic book specialty shop is a great destination for the latest Halloween and horror pop-culture products and merchandise,” Manser added, “from comics and graphic novels to toys and more!”

The comics shop, which is located at 9400 Snowden River Parkway #112 in eastern Columbia, will host the event from 12 noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday. A similar celebration will take place in the Mount Airy store at 1312 South Main Street, Suite #5.

For more information, visit the store's Website at http://www.comicstoastonish.com.