If you have $5

Zap! Pow! Head over to the Library of Congress for the International Comic Arts Festival. These aren’t your Calvin and Hobbes-type comic books – these graphic novelists from all over the world will be displaying their work and speaking about the industry and the art of the comic. The event is free and runs from Thursday until Saturday.

If you have $10

VH1 loves the 80s, and so do you. Another fan of the 80s? The Black Cat, which is hosting a Depeche Mode dance party on Friday. The cost of entrance is $8, and the party starts at 9:30. Leg warmers and/or side ponytails are not required for admission.

If you have $20

Also on Friday, singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson returns to the District with a set at the 9:30 Club. Nathanson is best-known for a song that isn’t his – “Laid,” a cover of James, which made it onto the “American Pie” soundtrack. But those who go to the show can expect to hear more of Nathanson’s easy-going folk rock. Tickets are $15, and the show starts at 6 p.m.