Invercargill locals are invited to come down the Invercargill Public Library this Saturday (November 14), for an opportunity to dress up and take home up to two free comic books. 

And it’s all for a good cause.

Everyone gets one comic book for attending and then another for either dressing up as their favourite superhero or comic book character or bringing a non-perishable food item along for the Salvation Army Food Bank. 

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Free Comic Book day is organized by Invercargill company Green Light Innovations.

Co-director Leon Hartnett said it’s aimed at the youth of Invercargill, or the youthful at heart, and is the “closest thing Invercargill has to an Armageddon.”

There were more than 1000 comic books to give away and a fun collection of superhero and pop memorabilia on display, so there would be plenty to see and do to keep the inner geek entertained, he said. 

Titles to choose from include: Stranger Things & Minecraft, Mean Girls: Senior Year, Spider-Man/ Venom, Disney Masters: Donald Duck, Blade Runner, Naurto/Samurai 8 and “so many more.”

Mr Harnett said he loved organizing free Comic Book Day because it waa fun day out for everyone, and it encouraged kids to start reading. 

“Comic books are a well-recognized as being a great way to improve literacy in children,” he said. 

“I started reading because of comic books.”

He said the combination of bright pictures and words connected different parts of the brain and kept children engaged when reading. 

The colorful images also made reading more fun when they were beginning their reading journey, he said. 

And it was not all about superheroes. There were plenty of other kinds of stories and characters to enjoy in comic books as well, Mr Harnett said.

About 500 people went to Free Comic book day last year and similar numbers are expected for this year.

The event is run with the support of the Invercargill library and Mee and Henry Law. Comic books are purchased for the event each year from America.

Meanwhile, the local Saturday morning ‘Park Run’ in Queens Park is inviting runners to come dressed as their favourite superhero or bring with them a donation for the Salvation Army, in recognition of Free Comic Book day.

The Park Run starts at 8 am in Queens Park. Free Comic Book day is from 10am-12.30pm at the Invercargill Public Library.