Celebrations for international Free Comic Book Day will be held at Invercargill City Library this Saturday, where 1000 comics are waiting to be given away.  

The event is now in its 7th year at the library and attracts Southland comic book enthusiasts both young an old. 

Leon Hartnett, Director of Greenlight Innovations, a volunteer group who run the event, says Free Comic Book Day has been run internationally for about 20 years, resulting in over 6 million comic books being given away across the globe. 

“The day was created to promote literacy, and interest in comic books. It also encourages creativity; it gives people a change to let out their inner geek.”

The 2021 Free Comic Book Day event. Photo: Greenlight Innovations/Supplied

“We have such a breadth of different people coming. Everything from little kids to one year we’ve had a 70-year-old woman come in and ask what comic book she should read.”

Hartnett says comic books are not just about superheroes and can cover everything from natural disasters to the perils of being a teenage girl.

“It’s not just superheroes and people wearing their underpants on the outside, it’s a huge breadth of material. There is something for everyone.” 

He says previous events have attracted around 500 people, with the library having reported its busiest day ever during one year’s celebrations. 

While previous years have also included interactive displays and cosplayers, due to Covid this year’s celebrations will include the comic book giveaway only.  

Attendees will receive one free comic on arrival and can score a second if they come in costume or bring a donation for the Salvation Army food bank. 

Hartnett says in previous years the event has gathered 120kg of non-perishable food to be donated. 

Hartnett says organisers are grateful to sponsors Mee & Henry Law, who have supported the event for the last seven years.

“They’ve sponsored us for the whole seven years in paying for the comics. It doesn’t cost much to print a comic book, but it does cost to get them to Southland, so we are very lucky to have their support,” he says. 

The Free Comic Book Day event will be held at Invercargill City Library from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, 21 May.