Duf Franco likes to dress up in his Superman costume. He likes comic books, graphic novels and gaming events. All of this has served the owner of Earth 383 well for the past eight years. That’s how long the comic book and gaming shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive has been open and they’re celebrating that fact Saturday.

Franco created Earth 383 eight years ago with the help of his friends Will Irsick and the late George Anderson. Since that time the downtown Elizabeth City shop has been the place to go for everything comic, graphic novel and gaming related.

“Some people like to think of it as a clubhouse,” Franco said in a past interview.

Inside Earth 383 there are shelves of comics and graphic novels and there are tables for role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering; and there are chairs, and people

sitting in those chairs, content with being there, sharing their passion for these things with one another.

Saturday, Franco and his regulars hope to share their passion for these things with the entire community.

The day of festivities he has planned include a costume contest, door prizes, Magic the Gathering tournament, Yu-Gi-Oh tournament, HERO CLIX event, board game demos, some music and a cookout — they’ll move things inside if it rains.

Franco says that besides all of that, he’ll have sales throughout the shop. Aside from the sales, the event is free and open to the public.

During past events, Franco and his regulars at the shop have enjoyed great live music and creative costumes. Everyone there seems to have a pretty good time.

“I would ask any of you to help spread by word of mouth to anybody you know with kids, young and old, to come out and see a few superheroes, play in a few games, pick up a good comic,” says Franco.

He encourages anybody to come dressed as his or her favorite superhero or sci-fi fantasy character.

Franco has said that Earth 383 is a safe environment where parents are comfortable dropping off their kids and fellow enthusiasts help run the shop. Franco is big on reading and says be believes comics and graphic novels are a great way to kids into the written word. He’s involved with the local library’s teen reading group and says his own love of comics and such have led him to embrace the classic novel form as well.

Earth 383 is located at 212 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Elizabeth City. The celebration is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 252-331-7686.