ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Later this month, Kevin Smith, the acclaimed filmmaker, comedian and comic book writer, will be making an appearance at Comic Envy, a local North Asheville comic book shop, before a performance at the Orange Peel.
Smith will be offering autographs and selfies from noon to 2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23 at Comic Envy, 333 Merrimon Ave. The ticketed event is limited to 100 people.
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When Smith booked his show at the Orange Peel, the comic book enthusiast decided to reach out to local comic shops, too. Allison Jenkins, owner, chief librarian and “comic bounty hunter” of Comic Envy, eagerly accepted.
“It’s probably gonna be the first time he’s been in a store this small in 20 years, frankly,” Jenkins said. “When they called me, I thought it was a joke, really. I was like, ‘Really? You sure? Is that even realistic?'”
In order to provide fans with a calm, orderly opportunity to meet Smith, Jenkins will close her comic shop to the public, requiring pre-purchased tickets to get in.
“It’s his pricing, so, you can get an autograph for $60, a selfie for $40 or a combo for $80,” Jenkins explained. “We’re just selling tickets per person, where you get to choose what you’d like to buy and pre-pay for it, and then you’re reserved a time slot within a half an hour where we’re going to let each line in. We’re gonna try to make it as leisurely as we can, considering how small we are.”
Tickets are cash only and can be purchased before the event at Comic Envy or Diamond Thieves, a tattoo parlor located at 1060 Patton Ave.
“This is about us prioritizing locals,” Jenkins explained.
For those who may only be familiar with Smith through his film work, Jenkins provided several recommendations for Smith comic books.
“Probably his most popular comic run would be his ‘Green Arrow’ run. That has been very well received for some time,” Jenkins said. “Also, he’s done a lot of his, like, within-universe comics, like ‘Quick Stops,’ and ‘Jay & Silent Bob’ and ‘Clerks.’ He did some Spider Man. ‘The Evil that Men Do,’ that’s a Black Cat/Spider-Man story.”
Several of Smith’s comics will be available for purchase at Comic Envy before and during the event.
For more information, visit www.comicenvy.com.
