WHATEVER Comics shop in Canterbury was forced to open half-an-hour earlier than usual on Saturday, to satisfy the hoards of comic book fans queuing down the street in anticipation of Free Comic Book Day.
The event, hosted by the Canterbury shop on the first Saturday in May every year, is designed to introduce new people to the exciting worlds of the comic book and graphic novel, and to give existing readers a chance to sample some new titles. This year there were more than 50 different titles on offer, including The Walking Dead, the graphic novel that inspired the TV series, Star Wars, Spongebob Squarepants, The Smurfs, Teenage Mutant Turtles, Buck Rogers, and old favourites Superman, Batman, The Hulk and Judge Dredd.
In previous years the event has proved so popular the comics have always run out by lunchtime, so this year extra supplies were brought in and were limited to two or three per person. Visitors to the store were encouraged to come along dressed as their favourite comic book hero or villain, and were rewarded with extra comics and goodies.
On hand to dish out the comics were Whatever Comics' owners Manny and Debe Armario, their son Leon, and local actress Karol Steele and her dog Ted, dressed as Batwoman and Superdog. The day saw many colourful costumed characters walk through the door, including Spiderman, Captain America, Batman, The Joker, Supergirl, Ninjas and ballerinas, and one young teenage girl came dressed as all her favourite comic books.
Manny, who has been running the shop for 25 years, said: "I have never seen crowds like it for Free Comic Book Day. Debe and I had to fight our way into the shop. I was really pleased to see so many of the youngsters making an effort to dress up in fancy dress."