(ABC 6 News) – Surrounded by superheroes, comics and collectibles stood Justin Voigtschild scanning the wall of comics at NerdinOut in Rochester.

Voigtschild said he’s been reading comics for over 30 years and decided to peruse the selection of free reads at NerdinOut after seeing Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” movie.

The love for comics Voigtschild possesses is part of the reason why he loves to read. He said it helped him with his literacy growing up.

“It was something I was interested in so it definitely helped me develop,” Voigtschild said.

The connection between developing a love for reading through comics is not exclusive to Voigtschild

Kyle Kanters was working the register at NerdinOut and he said he’s also a victim of the comic craze as it helped him with his reading in grade school. Now he’s trying to foster that love among his nieces and nephews.

“What I try to do is to get them reading comics from an early age because that’s how I Iearned how to read,” Kanters said. “It really introduced me to a love of reading and a whole new world of action, suspense and fantasy.”

Rochester public schools reversed a downward trend in 2022 that saw literacy rates dip. Last year reading levels reached 47.7%, which is a 45.4% increase from 2022.

Free Comic Book Day typically happens on the first Saturday in May and is celebrated internationally.