Free comic books: Local stores line up kid-friendly events that feature lots of free reading

Free Comic Book Day, a day when, as you may guess, comic book stores around the world pass out comic books for free, is this Saturday.

The events are definitely kid friendly. Some of the shops will have meet and greets with characters and visits with local artists.

Comic books are great options for young readers with colorful pages featuring popular characters like My Little Pony, Scooby Doo and superheroes. My kids have enjoyed the Lumberjanes series and are huge fans of graphic novels. And though some think comics are easy reads, that's not really the case, said Ken Pleasant, owner of Capitol Comics II in Raleigh.

"We’e been in business for 31 to 32 years," he said. "I’ve had numerous parents come in after their kids take their SAT and say, 'My kid did great on the reading part, and I owe it to comic books.'"

"It's good if you just can get your kids reading, period, as far as I'm concerned," he said.

Pleasant said his store will have lots of comics to hand out for free to visitors on Saturday. Here are more details about Capitol Comics II and other Free Comic Book Day events in the Triangle:

Enterprise Comics, which is located at the Raleigh Flea Market at the NC State Fairgrounds, also is participating on Saturday and will be handing out free comics. The shop is located along what is known as Restaurant Row during the fair next door to the 1853 Grill.