Holy Smokes, Batman—It's National Comic Book Day 2012!

To all of those who believe in Harvey Dent and Gotham City, rejoice.

Sept. 25 is National Comic Book day. This is a day for people of all ages to enjoy, since the first-ever comic book superhero made his first appearance in 1938. While some characters have new looks, and some of their storylines have changed completely, comic enthusiasts can still share their love of their favorite characters, old and new.

This geeky holiday is a great time for comic fans to honor their superhero, heroine or villain’s best stories. Locally, the Woonsocket Harris Public Library has a collection of more than 2,000 graphic novels available for check-out, according to Teen Section Librarian Ed Fuqua. Most of those are in the Japanese Manga genre, he said. There are also a number of donated traditional comic books available at the library for people to read on-site, which can't be checked out, he said.

If you're interested in buying, you may have to travel outside the city a few miles:

• Friendly Neighborhood Comics 191 Mechanic St., Bellingham, MA (508) 966-2275
• Rubber Chicken Comics 15 N. Main St # A4, Bellingham, MA (508) 966-2210
• T J Collectibles, 160 Main St, Milford, MA, (508) 473-5874. 

National Comic Book day is also a good precursor for the famous New York Comic Con. This year, it will be held during Oct. 11-14 at the Jacob Javits Center, where heroes and villains will walk the streets of Gotham.

SO, TELL US: Who is your favorite comic book character? Also, upload photos of your personal comic book collection.