Participating stores• Comic Hound: 6743 Ringgold Road, Suite B, East Ridge, 423-892-8881• Epikos Comics, Cards & Games: 9408 Apison Pike, Suite 9, Ooltewah, 423-531-4184• Dicehead Games & Comics: 200 Paul Huff Parkway, No. 12, Cleveland, Tenn., 423-473-7125• Fantasy Factor No. 1: 257 N. Hamilton St., Dalton, Ga., 706-259-3315• The Battlegrounds Games: 2708 Airport Road, Dalton, Ga., 706-259-9704
"Scooby-Doo: Team-Up Featuring Batman and Robin #1"Five area specialty shops will conjure up 19 kinds of fun and fright during Halloween ComicFest, an international celebration of comic books set for Saturday, Oct. 25.
Now in its third year, ComicFest is the second biggest comic book giveaway of the year, behind Free Comic Book Day in May. Taking part is easy: All it requires is visiting a participating store and picking out favorites from any of the 12 full-size or seven mini comics produced for this special event.
The all-ages plots center on a range of characters - from vampire babies to "My Little Pony," "Afterlife With Archie" to "Resident Evil."
Chattanooga-area stores include Comic Hound in East Ridge, Epikos Comics, Cards & Games in Ooltewah, Dicehead Games & Comics in Cleveland and Fantasy Factor No. 1 and The Battlegrounds Games both in Dalton.
ComicFest is held the Saturday before Halloween. This year, retailers also are offering mini-comics in packs of 20 for purchase to pass out to trick-or-treaters. Organizers say comic books provide "an entertaining story for kids that also lasts longer than candy."
Available titles
(May vary by store)
• Full-size comics: "Afterlife With Archie #1," "Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight," "Max Brooks' Extinction Parade #1," "Grimm Fairy Tales Halloween Special," "Hero Cats/Princeless," "Marvel Comics #1," "Michael Turner's Fathom: The Adventures of Ernie," "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic," "Rachel Rising #1," "Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire," "Scooby-Doo: Team Up With Batman #1," "Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars #1"
• Mini comics: "Angry Birds Comics," "Betty & Veronica," "Boom! Studios Halloween Fright Fest," "LBX: Little Battlers Experience," "Mermin," "Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse," "Vamplets: The Undead Pet Society"
Source: halloweencomicfest.com