Captain America, Morbius, Cyclops and Wonder Woman stalked the concourse of Beltway Plaza on Saturday, May 7, while passersby snapped selfies along with their colorfully clad heroes, and children and adults drew their adventures in comic book panels.
The SPACE Free Art For All, Greenbelt’s arts outreach nonprofit located in Beltway Plaza, hosted a Free Comic Book Day event with art activities and cosplayers – hobbyists who recreate themselves as superheroes. Free Comic Book Day is an international event of comic book publishers and comic book stores, held every year on the first Saturday in May. Free comics are most often given away inside comic book stores, but The SPACE, along with co-sponsor Hellspawned CosPlay, held this event in the center of Beltway Plaza.
There were markers, pencils and paper pre-printed with comic book panels set up on long tables; participants were to create their own comic books. Free comic books were lined up on other tables. Some comic enthusiasts arrived in costume.
Superhero Support Volunteers Causeplayers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to work with organizations and institutions in Maryland to raise visibility and morale, explained Brian Korzec, founder and commanding officer, and Jo Flores, Wonder Woman and treasurer. Korzec and Flores had just come from dropping a bundle of free comics at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore that morning.
As Captain America and Wonder Woman posed for photos, Cyclops pressed the flesh and posed in his trademark visor. Demetrius Holt, aka Hellspawned Cosplay, has built up a large following on Instagram and TikTok, and is raising money on Kickstarter to produce animated public service announcements for Black children.
Shaymar Higgs, founder and director of The SPACE and Greenbelt’s 2021 Outstanding Citizen, expressed gratitude that so many people and organizations had come together to make this event happen.
Free Comic Book Day, first held in 2002, is operated by a panel representing all parts of the comic book industry, from retailers to publishers, suppliers and distributors, according to the group’s website at freecomicbookday.com. Each year, publishers apply to provide comic books at cost to retailers, who in turn give them away for free. The annual event aspires to draw business to independent booksellers and to promote literacy, especially among reluctant readers.
