Comics to Astonish Marking Halloween With Free Comics on Saturday

The Comics to Astonish store in eastern Columbia is celebrating Halloween a few days early by giving away 28 different titles on Saturday, October 26.

Before the spooky holiday arrives next Thursday, the specialty shop will mark the occasion by distributing 19 full-size comics and nine digests featuring ghosts, goblins and ghouls that are designed to appeal to everyone, from youngsters to adults.

While no “tricks” are involved, according to owner Keegan Conrad, anyone who comes to the store on that day will enjoy “treats” featuring special issues on everything from Star Wars to Sonic the Hedgehog.

Joining the fun is “really quite simple,” Conrad stated. “Just stop by on Saturday from 12 noon to 8 p.m. and get free comics!” No purchase is required, but there is a limit of two free titles per person.

Several of the smaller digests focus on popular characters ranging from Pokemon to Underdog. The tales of adventure and fun in these bundles provide a healthy alternative to the usual handouts of candy and other sugary items.

Also aimed at younger readers is a mini-comic featuring such DC Super Hero Girls as Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Bumblebee and Zatanna, who are continually late to class because of their crime-fighting and are “sentenced” to attend an after-school club.

The same company is producing a title that features such young characters as a boy nicknamed "Swamp Kid" by his classmates because he has algae for hair, and a teenage Black Canary, both from the DC Zoom line of graphic novels for middle-grade readers.

Older readers can join the action by checking out an issue of DCeased, in which a mysterious techno-virus catches the super-heroes completely unprepared when 600 million people are turned into violent, monstrous engines of destruction.

Meanwhile, Marvel Comics is contributing several titles for teenagers. The Star Wars issue focuses on intergalactic bounty hunter Boba Fett, another features Miles Morales, the Spider-Man from another dimension, and Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze has a devil of a time taking on the evil Mephisto.

In addition, Tony Stark begins the road to Iron Man 2020 with a cutting-edge story focusing on the future of technology and adventure.

Another comics character who is celebrating the scary holiday is Archie Andrews, who joins teenage witch Sabrina for two adventures in a digest-sized issue of magic and mischief.

Teenage fans of manga comics will have a trio of special issues to enjoy. Vertical Comics is providing a taste of the well-known Bakemonogatari series, and the Viz company will have a title called Drifting Classroom, which describes what happens when a Japanese elementary school is transported into hostile worlds besieged by terrifying creatures.

Gamers will also want to catch a compilation of three role-playing manga tales from Kodansha Comics, such as Fate/Grand Order, Playstation’s Tales of Berseria (which won’t be released until November) and the adventure of Granblue Fantasy.

Also for older readers, Mad Cave Studios is presenting a Halloween special in which the Battlecats embark on “a spooky quest,” and Aftershock Comics produces Dark Red, which focuses on a vampire nicknamed “Chip” who works the last shift at a gas station.

And if that isn’t strange enough, Devil’s Due has prepared a comic entitled House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen, where a group of kids is attacked by icy creatures sporting jagged grins and twisted limbs instead of cute button eyes and corncob pipes.

IDW Publishing joins the fray with that company’s first title featuring Sonic the Hedgehog as the popular character races around the world to shut down the robotic Badnik forces.

There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here! This digest-sized version of this title features the animated hero from American Mythology Productions making sure that the villainous Simon Bar Sinister doesn’t ruin the holiday.

Rounding out the digests are a Blastasaurus Halloween Special, Just Beyond by horror writer R. L. Stine and an issue of Usagi Yojimbo that features the rabbit samurai from IDW.

Also keeping in the holiday “spirit” are Keenspot Entertainment, which has created a Halloween Special for the Junior High Horrors series, and Benitez Productions, which is reprinting the first chapter of the Lady Mechanika: Day of the Dead Special.

For more information on the event, you can contact the store at 9400 Snowden River Parkway, #112, by calling (410) 381-2732 or check out the shop's website at http://www.comicstoastonish.com/.