The newly-formed NIU Comic Book Club is hosting a Halloween costume contest during their regular meeting time 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at New Game in Town, 811 W. Lincoln Highway.

The contest is one in a series of events the club and comic book store are co-sponsoring, said Bear Wolf, New Game in Town owner.

“It’s awesome,” Wolf said. “We love those guys. We hosted a premiere night for the [Green] Arrow TV show, have their stuff from bake sales here at the shop,” Wolf said.

Earlier this month, the club hosted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizza party at Pizza Villa, 824 W. Lincoln Highway, that featured the specialty toppings favored by the beloved sewer dwellers.

“We were trying to think of creative events we could do to get people interested,” said club president Jeffrey Jett. “It’s not often a club hosts this kind of event. We figured it’d be fun to recreate the pizzas made in the TV series. Anchovies, whipped cream, chocolate chips, all of that.”

Jett said the club’s origin began in the classroom.

“Mainly it came down to myself and my peers, Paul Durdan and Max Cherwin, sitting in class one day, talking about how there was no comic book club on campus,” Jett explained. Durdan serves as the treasurer and Cherwin the vice president of the Comic Book Club.

The trio sought an advisor and found communications associate professor David Henningsen.

“We felt he would be a great fit,” Jett said. “He has comic book memorabilia all over his office.”

By last January, they had approached the office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development, formed the club constitution, asked Wolf about a meeting space and went before the Student Association Senate to be recognized as an official club by April. The club now boasts a consistent membership of 15 to 25 people.

The Comic Book Club has a sponsorship with New Game in Town, who provides advertising as well as a meeting place, and with Graham Cracker Comics, 901 Lucinda Ave., who donates free comics to be used as giveaways.

“They’re very helpful in that regard because they want to promote the club as best they can,” Jett said.

The club has its own traveling library of comics and graphic novels that members can borrow. Jett said the most popular title at the moment is The Walking Dead series.

“Another popular one, and we’re having people fight over it every week, is Daredevil by Mark Waid,” Jett said.

In addition to the Halloween party, the Comic Book Club plans to have a comic trivia night and a competitive bowling event against English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta, as well as some movie screenings.

Membership is open to everyone, and more information can be found on the NIU Comic Book Club Facebook page at on.fb.me/VxosUp.