Free Comics Blast Off Saturday With a New Style of Promotion [NEW PHOTOs]

It’s Free Comic Book day on Saturday—traditionally the first Saturday in May, and coincidentally (lately) the same time a big blockbuster comic-book style movie hits the theaters. 

This year, of course, it’s The Avengers, expecting to blast off into the stratosphere as far as box office records.

But, in North Hollywood, a local dad is trying a new style of comic book promotions, linking up with , the and all the places that comic book fans will be gathering this weekend. 

“We’re going to try something that hasn’t been done before,” said Jud Meyers, whose daughter attends . “Rather than have a brick-and-mortar building where people come to browse comic books, we’re going to go to where the comic book fans are congregating, and try to reach them that way.” 

Meyers was one of the founders of Earth-2 Comics, which has shops in Sherman Oaks and Northridge, and is now CEO of Blastoff Comics which is selling collectible comics online via the website BlastoffComics.com.

His company will be doing comic book-related events at or near every Knitting Factory venue across the country in order to tap into the youth markets that go to concerts and clubs sponsored by the company. The Federal Bar is connected with , as is Meyers’ longtime friend, .

From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, around the corner from the Laemmle at the , 11114 Magnolia Blvd., there will be food and drink from The Federal, lots of free giveaways, raffles, an art show, music and special sales.

Blastoff will be sponsoring costumed characters before every show of The Avengers starting at the first screening that happened at midnight Thursday and throughout the weekend. (Jud said he was going to start at the noon Friday screening to hand out comics, but he couldn't wait and was going to the midnight showing.)

“It’s a way to drive people into the movie, and I hope they will come to my website and see how cool it is,” Meyers said. On the site now is the history of the Avengers comics and some vintage offerings and consignment sales from well-known collectors.

The Avengers is part of the Silver Age of comics in the 1960s and Captain America was revived to join them from the Golden Age of comics.

Meyers started the unique idea with Scott Tipton, a comic historian and writer of The Star Trek Vault and other books.

Meyers worked behind the scenes in the comic industry at Titan Publishing in London and then worked at Avalanche of Wonder in New York. He launched Krypton Collectibles in Los Angeles in 1997 and started Earth-2 in Sherman Oaks in 2003. In 2009, he formed a partnership and bought Golden Apple Comics in Northridge and turned it into another Earth-2.

Many vintage comics will be on display Saturday, and every month a portion of the proceeds go to a charity—this month, to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society..

 * Also, the Studio City is planning their special giveaways on Saturday, too.