POW! BOOM! It's National Comic Book Day

To all of those who believe in Harvey Dent and Gotham City, rejoice.

Sept. 25 is National Comic Book day. This is a day for people of all ages to enjoy, since the first-ever comic book superhero made his first appearance in 1938. While some characters have new looks, and some of their storylines have changed completely, comic enthusiasts can still share their love of their favorite characters, old and new.

On Friday, Neil Gaiman will be at Fall for the Book at George Mason University. Gaiman has written and collaborated on a number of comic books, including The Sandman series. 

Here in Annandale, we have a healthy number of comic book stores, several of which are Korean. Here are the listings and info on how to celebrate locally: 

• Hole in the Wall Books, 905 W. Broad St., Falls Church, specializes in first edition comic books.
• Anime Pavilion, 115 Hillwood Ave., Falls Church, sells comics, anime and manga trading cards, DVDs and action figures.
• Victory Comics, 586 S. Washington St., Falls Church, buys vintage comic books.

Plus, there's The Laughing Ogre over in Fairfax. 

National Comic Book day is also a good precursor for the famous New York Comic Con. This year, it will be held during October 11-14 at the Jacob Javits Center, where heroes and villains will walk the streets of Gotham. Earlier this year, Patch's own Cinema Siren attended Comic Con in San Diego.