Celebrate Free Comic Book Day at Westlake Porter Public Library

Comic book and graphic novel fans of all ages are invited to celebrate Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 3, at Westlake Porter Public Library. Visitors can pick up to four free comic books courtesy of Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop, and enjoy several activities throughout the day. They can learn to draw their own comic book and meet and pose for selfies with popular comic book character figures.

Local creator Mel Maurer loans his character creations to the library annually for a month every spring for patrons to admire and enjoy. For the past ten years Mr. Maurer has been building this collection of numerous characters out of different types of materials. He encourages patrons to take selfies with his characters. This year’s addition to his collection is Big Bird.

Aspiring comic book artists can learn how to create their own comic books during a drop-in session from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Library staff will be on hand with templates and practical advice. No registration necessary.

As a lead-in to Free Comic Book Day, library staff will offer a presentation on Preservation and Celebration of Vintage Comics on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Adults and teens Grade 9 and up will learn how to restore comics so they can be enjoyed for years to come. In addition, Teens and Tweens will learn about the art of storytelling through comic books at Operation Comic Book: How to Make a Comic, on Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m. To register for either program, visit westlakelibrary.org/events.

Free Comic Book Day is an annual nationwide event advocating reading and appreciation of the comic book and graphic novel genre.