Contra Costa County Library is holding a series of events and giveaways this week to celebrate Free Comic Book Days.

It is the 20th anniversary of the first Free Comic Book Day, an annual promotional effort to attract new readers to comic books. Usually held on the first Saturday in May, the series of events were postponed until August due to COVID-19, library officials said.

People can visit any library branch in the county between Monday and Aug. 21 to receive a free comic book “swag bag” and can also attend a series of events, including an introduction to Charles M. Schulz and his famous comic “Peanuts,” a cosplay panel discussion, and an online superhero storytime program.

People can visit the library’s website to sign up for the free events or to find more information about the history of comic books.

Dan McMenamin is the managing editor at Bay City News, directing daily news coverage of the 12-county greater Bay Area. He has worked for BCN since 2008 and has been managing editor since 2014 after previously serving as BCN’s San Francisco bureau reporter. A UC Davis graduate, he came to BCN after working for a newspaper and nonprofit in the Davis area. He handles staffing, including coaching of our interns, day-to-day coverage decisions and management of the newswire.