Spare Times for Jan. 17-23 Second annual Black Comic Book Festival (Friday and Saturday) Commentary will be as abundant as illustrations when scholars, artists and collectors gather for this free symposium at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Lenox Avenue, at 135th Street, Hamilton Heights. One of the earliest black superheroes to appear in mainstream comics is thought to be the Black Panther, who made his debut in Marvel's Fantastic Four in 1966. At last year's festival, a costumed Black Panther and Superman mingled with Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the center's director. The festival begins on Friday with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed at 7 by a conversation that will include Jonathan Gayles, an associate dean at Georgia State University, whose documentary, "White Scripts and Black Supermen: Black Masculinities in Comic Books," was shown at last year's event. On Saturday there will be more discussions, screenings and an exhibition. Young artists can also create their own comic books during a workshop on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Hours: Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Registration is encouraged and can be made at schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com; (212) 491-2200. Anne Mancuso Brooklyn Historical Society: Anti-Slavery Exhibition and a Discussion on American Muslims (Thursday) At 7 p.m., the history of Islam in the United States and the lives of American Muslims will be discussed by a panel including Terna Tilley-Gyado, a writer and storyteller, and the authors Sylviane Diouf ("Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas"), Moustafa Bayoumi ("How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America") and Ousmane Oumar Kane ("The Homeland Is the Arena: Religion, Transnationalism and the Integration of Senegalese Immigrants in America"). The discussion is free but reservations are requested and can be made at brooklynhistory.org. Brooklynites instrumental in the abolition of slavery are the focus of "Brooklyn Abolitionists/In Pursuit of Freedom," an interactive exhibition of manuscripts, paintings and maps. Special events are planned in conjunction with the display, including a series of talks in February. Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., 128 Pierrepont Street, near Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights, (718) 222-4111; suggested admission: $10, $6 for students 12 and older and those 62+, free for children under 12. The City Reliquary: "Keep Your Eye Upon the Donut" (through Feb. 28) To doughnut or not to donut, that may be a puzzle to be solved at this exhibit. Explore historical moments of this delectable hollow treat and its journey from Brooklyn and Manhattan shops to the world stage. Metropolitan Museum of Art: "Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C. F. Martin" (through Dec. 7) More than 20 guitars made by the 19th-century German-born craftsman Christian Frederick Martin are included in this display of 35 vintage instruments drawn from the museum's permanent collection as well as the Martin Guitar Museum in Nazareth, Pa., and private collections. Among the Martin guitars on view: a 1939 model made by the company he founded, C. F. Martin & Co, that was played by Eric Clapton. Special events are planned in conjunction with the exhibition, including a performance in February by Rosanne Cash, who will play songs of her father's - Johnny Cash - on Martin guitars that he owned and played. Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., (212) 535-7710, metmuseum.org; suggested admission: $25, $17 for 65+, $12 for student, free for members and children under 12. Morgan Library & Museum: "Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul" (through Jan. 26) This exhibition, drawn from collections at the New York Public Library and the Morgan, comprises poems, short stories and letters and includes early editions of Poe's work as well as his last published book. Tuesdays through Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Martin Luther King's Birthday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., 225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, (212) 685-0008, Ext. 560, themorgan.org; 18, $12 for those 13 to 16, students and those 65+; free for members and children 12 and younger and for everyone on Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. Museum of the City of New York: "Unfinished Work: Views of Superstorm Sandy from the Ground Up" (through March 2) When Hurricane Sandy pounded the area last year, amateur and professional photographers took to the streets to document the storm's devastation and the recovery efforts that followed. Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays till 8 p.m.; open Martin Luther King's Birthday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria, Queens, (718) 784-0077, movingimage.us; $12; $9 for students and 65+; $6 for ages 3 to 12; free for under 3. New-York Historical Society: Conversations on Film, Politics and Literature (Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday) The World War I and Its Legacy in Film series continues with a screening on Friday at 7 p.m. of the 1943 film "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and starring Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The film will be introduced by the film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who has long been associated with Martin Scorsese. Tickets, which are included with admission, will be distributed beginning at 6 p.m., first come first serve. Museum admission is pay as you wish on Fridays after 6 p.m. On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., the rich literary history of Greenwich Village will be the topic of a talk by John Strausbaugh, author of "The Village: 400 Years of Beats and Bohemians, Radicals and Rogues, a History of Greenwich Village." The triumphs and low points of the Kennedy administration will be discussed on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. by a panel including Ira Stoll, editor of FutureOfCapitalism.com and author of "JFK, Conservative"; David Greenberg, an associate professor of history and media studies at Rutgers University; and, as moderator, David Nasaw, a scholar and author of "The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy." 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, (212) 873-3400, nyhistory.org; discussion: $30, $18 for members. Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Martin Luther King's Birthday. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, New York Public Library, (917) 275-6975, nypl.org/events/exhibitions/why-we-fight; free. Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Mondays from 5 to 8 p.m.; Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Martin Luther King's Birthday. 15 West 16th Street, (212) 294-8330, yumuseum.org; $8, $6 for students, free for children under 5, museum members and students, faculty and administration members of Yeshiva University, free on Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m., and Friday. New York Botanical Garden: "Tropical Paradise" (opens on Saturday) Permanent residents of the garden that thrive in warm weather, like the African bush lily and the Caribbean passion flower, will be on center stage for a five-week display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The exhibition, running through Feb. 23, will also offer special activities for visitors seeking an escape from the winter chill, among them scavenger hunts, photography shows and interactive demonstrations. Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; also open on Martin Luther King's Birthday. Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road, the Bronx, (718) 817-8777, nybg.org; $20, $18 for students and 65+, $10 for children 2 to 12, free for those under 2. Brooklyn Israel Film Festival (Thursday) "Life in Stills," a 2011 documentary by Tamar Tal, will open this three-day festival at the Kane Street Synagogue, 236 Kane Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The film follows a nonagenarian and her grandson who fight to keep open the photo shop that she and her late husband founded decades before. The evening begins with a reception at 7:15 p.m., followed by the screening at 8. Ms. Tal will take part in a post-screening interview and question-and-answer session via Skype. (718) 875-1550, kanestreet.org/iff; $12, $30 for the series. Brooklyn Tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Monday) This free event will feature an address by the writer and activist Angela Davis and music by the jazz singer José James and the BCCC Singers of the Brooklyn Christian Cultural Center. At 10:30 a.m., Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue, at Ashland Place, Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100, bam.org; free tickets will be distributed starting at 8 a.m., first come first serve. "Dreams for NYC" (Sunday) This annual tribute to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. features musical performances and a discussion about the future of New York City through the "lens of Dr. King's moral compass." This year's event, sponsored by WNYC and presented at the Apollo Theater, will feature the author and filmmaker Nelson George; Gadadhara Pandit Dasa, author of "Urban Monk: Exploring Karma, Consciousness, and the Divine"; the Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel of the New York Theological Seminary; the guitarist Vernon Reid; and the Gospel for Teens Choir. Brian Lehrer of WNYC and the novelist Farai Chideya are the hosts. At 3 p.m., Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, Harlem, (800) 745-3000, apollotheater.org; free, but reservations are required. Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal (through Feb. 23) This 12th annual show, featuring a 34-foot-long Lionel model train layout, is on display at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store near the Station Master's Office. Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; mta.info/mta/museum; free. J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions (through next Friday) Top-ranked squash players will compete in this annual contest taking place in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal. The first round matches are Friday through Monday at noon; men's quarterfinals and women's rounds on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.; quarterfinals on Wednesday at 1 p.m.; semifinals on Thursday at 5 p.m.; and finals next Friday at 6 p.m. Park Avenue and 42nd Street, (718) 569-0594, tocsquash.com; $8 to $400. This Friday's competitions are sold out. Martin Luther King's Birthday Celebration (Sunday) This free commemoration, initiated by the New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence, includes words of inspiration at two houses of worship and a musical performance at another. It begins with two inspirational programs: the first, at 2 p.m., is at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York, 1711 Third Avenue, at 97th Street; the second, at 3 p.m., is at the Sutton Place Synagogue, 225 East 51st Street. The last stop is St. Bartholomew's Church, Park Avenue and 51st Street, where several choirs will take part in a service beginning at 4 p.m. Visitors can attend one or all of the events. Free bus rides to the Sutton Place Synagogue from the Islamic Center are available, though availability is limited, through the Center for Nonviolence, but reservations are necessary and can be made by calling (718) 589-7858, Ext. New York Jewish Film Festival (Saturday and Tuesday) This 23rd annual festival, sponsored by the Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, continues with screenings and special programming. Events include a program on Saturday at 11:45 p.m. devoted to the work of the graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass, with a screening of his 1974 film, "Phase IV," and "Ambling Alp," a short music video by the filmmakers Kirby McClure and Julia Grigorian that was inspired by Bass's film. On Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. there will be a screening of Yael Bartana's ..."And Europe Will Be Stunned," a film about the restoration of Jewish life to Poland. It will be introduced and discussed by the critic J. Hoberman, the co-author, with the scholar Jeffrey Shandler, of "Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting." Wordless! (Saturday) Cartoons meet jazz in this multimedia presentation of the early history of graphic novels, featuring the cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the jazz musician and composer Phillip Johnston. At 7:30 p.m., Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue, at Ashland Place, Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100, bam.org; $30. Discussion with Ishmael Beah and Dinaw Mengestu (Monday) Ishmael Beah, whose best-selling 2007 memoir, "A Long Way Gone," told of his time as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone, will talk about his new novel, "Radiance of Tomorrow," released this month. The Ethiopian-American novelist Dinaw Mengestu ("The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears") will also take part in the discussion. His new book, "All Our Names," is scheduled to be published in March. At 7:30 p.m., Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street, at South Portland Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, (718) 246-0200, greenlightbookstore.com; free. Selected Shorts: Alice Munro Celebration (Wednesday) Stories by the Canadian author Alice Munro, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year, will be read by the actors Holly Hunter and Amy Ryan at a special edition of this series, which will feature an appearance by Ms. Munro via a video call. During that appearance, Ms. Munro will talk with her fellow Canadian author Margaret Atwood, who will be onstage, along with Charles McGrath, a contributing writer for The New York Times, and Adam Gopnik, a staff writer for The New Yorker. They will also discuss the importance of Ms. Munro's works. At 7:30 p.m., Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, at 95th Street, (212) 864-5400, symphonyspace.org; sold out, but returned tickets may be available for purchase through the box office, beginning Wednesday at 1 p.m. Flatiron District Walking Tour (Sunday) This free tour of the Flatiron district meets at 11 a.m. on the southwest corner of Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street and Broadway, in front of the William Seward statue. Sponsored by the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership; flatironbid.org/tour.php. Food Tours of Lower Manhattan (Friday through Thursday) Food history and sampling are the major points of these tours led by the Enthusiastic Gourmet, a.k.a. Susan Rosenbaum. A "Melting Pot Food Tour," focusing on the Lower East Side, Chinatown and Little Italy, will take place Friday, Saturday and Thursday at 10 a.m., meeting at the Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street. Tours covering Chinatown are planned on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at 10 a.m., meeting at the Mulberry Meat Market, 89 Mulberry Street. Each tour is $55, which includes food. Reservations can be made at (800) 838-3006 or enthusiasticgourmet.com. Harlem Tours in Celebration of Martin Luther King's Birthday (Saturday through Monday) The cultural and historical importance of the area will be the focus of these tours, which also celebrate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birth date is Jan. 15, 1929. On Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., NYC Discovery Tours will lead walkers past the Apollo Theater; sites associated with Joe Louis and the composer W. C. Handy; and the place where an attempt was made on Dr. King's life in 1958. It costs $20, and the meeting place will be given with reservations: (212) 465-3331. Also on Saturday, the Municipal Art Society is sponsoring an 11 a.m. tour covering the architecture and social and cultural history of the area. It costs $20, $15 for members, and the meeting place will be given with reservations: (212) 935-2075, mas.org. Harlem Heritage Tours is also hosting a multimedia tour on Friday at 1 p.m., a gospel tour on Sunday at 9:20 a.m. and a walking tour on Monday at 1 p.m. Prices range from $25 to $39. The meeting places and other information can be obtained by calling (212) 280-7888 or visiting harlemheritage.com. On Monday, an annual tour of Harlem's history and culture, offered by Big Onion Walking Tours, will meet at 1 p.m. on the northwest corner of Lenox Avenue and 135th Street, (888) 606-9255, bigonion.com; $20, $15 for students and 65+.