On September 25th, National Comic Books Day honors the art, creators, and stories of comic books. Comics have been the origin for our most beloved superheroes and fictional stories which have recently exploded into mainstream media with blockbuster movies, TV shows, books, and even theme parks.
Comic culture has been through a variety of “ages” throughout history as it has evolved into the media we know and love today. Comics were often cited as something to be censored and closeted. Now more popular than ever, comics have actually come into the spotlight as a means to promote literacy amongst younger audiences and serve as role models and representation for a wide variety of readers and viewers.
Let’s take a quick journey through the four main comic book ages and characters, share some fascinating comic facts, ideas on how you can celebrate National Comic Books Day, and how Charleston does comics through our local stores and events.
Comic Books Through the Years
IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, NO IT’S — COMIC BOOK FACTS!
- Before Spiderman #122 (The death of Gwen Stacey at the hands of the Green Goblin) was released in 1973, characters’ deaths weren’t often featured in comics. From that moment on, darker storylines became more common.
- The largest comic book market in the world is in Japan. Nearly two billion Japanese comic books (called Manga) are sold every year.
- The Disney character Donald Duck is the fifth most published comic book character, behind Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.
- The Hulk was originally supposed to be gray, but due to a printer malfunction, he acquired a green color.
- In Stan Lee’s youth, one of his first part-time jobs was writing obituaries for a news service.
- Batman is Superman’s employer. Clark Kent works for the Daily Planet, which is owned by Bruce Wayne.
- The world’s largest comic book collection is housed in the Library of Congress. It holds over 100,000 individual issues.
Celebrating Comic Books With a POW!
- Read a comic book.
- Watch a movie or show inspired by your favorite comic superhero, villain, or story.
- Buy a new comic book to add to your collection or explore a new character or story.
- Create your own comic book with templates here, and create your own character.
- Look up facts or research further into the origin story of a character you like.
Charleston Comics, ASSEMBLE!
Where to find comic books around Charleston . . .
- Captain’s Comics, West Ashley
- The Green Dragon, West Ashley
- Park Circle Comics, North Charleston
- The Final Quest, North Charleston
- Soundwave Comics, Summerville
- Raptor Comics & Collectibles, Summerville
Upcoming Charleston Conventions
- Charleston Anime Fest: October 15th, 2023
- Charleston Con: November 19, 2023
- Captain’s Comics Expo: February 23-24th, 2024
- Atomacon: May 4-5th 2024
Comic Books-Related Days
- National Book Lovers Day: August 9th
- Read a Book Day: September 6th
- International Children’s Book Day: April 2nd
- World Book Day: April 23rd
- Free Comic Book Day: May 4th
