Fans of comic books and associated hobbies will have their day this Sunday as the first-ever Duncan Comic Book Expo takes place at the Cowichan Exhibition Grounds.
Comic collectors in the Cowichan Valley often have to journey out of town in order to find what they are looking for, said Katrina Espetveidt, one of the organizers, and a former employee of the late, lamented Collector's Choice comic book store.
"People were sad when it shut down," Espetveidt said. "There's a huge fan base here, and they all go to Victoria and Nanaimo to get comics. We have a group of friends that go all over the Island, and we wanted to bring that to Duncan."
A local comic book club started up about a year ago, and members are hoping to reach out to more of the community with this opportunity to discuss, sell, buy and learn about comics. "We want to start small and grow into something bigger," Espetveidt said.
Among the exhibitors at this weekend's expo are comic book dealers from Victoria, Nanaimo and Parksville, as well as local businesses. 4Cats Arts Studio will be on hand with tutorials about manga and watercolour drawing. There will be demonstrations of T-shirt silk-screening and a button press.
With Halloween just around the corner, visitors to the expo are encouraged to wear costumes, and prizes will be awarded. There will be free comics and goodie bags for kids in costume.