Stand-up comedy has grown in popularity and availability throughout the East Coast, in no small part due to the efforts of a group of comedians who collectively are known as the Justice League of Comedy.

The group, which utilizes the talents of a large number of regional comedians, regularly produces shows in a number of venues throughout the region, including Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and will be appearing at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, at Dugan's Pub in Pinehurst.

Performing that night will be Carolina Beach comic John McQueen, Justice League of Comedy founder Kyle Davis and nationally touring headliner King Rich. General admission tickets are $10.

"We've been fortunate," says founder and headlining comic King Rich, "to even expand our reach and produce shows farther away from home ... in (New) Jersey and New York City. These days, everybody needs a laugh, and we're just trying to be the heroes that fill that need."

In addition to performing shows and logging a large number of miles on the road, the Justice League of Comedy (or JLC) has also recently released their first DVD special, available online at their website (justiceleagueofcomedy.com) as well as numerous locally owned stores and venues in the Carolinas.

John McQueen started his stand-up career in Washington, D.C., and the tough audiences in our nation's capital taught him to be fearless while on stage. He has performed throughout the East Coast as an original member of Comedy by the Beach and the Crackers of Comedy Tour. He was the runner-up in the 2009 Port City's Top Comic contest and has appeared at the Laughing for Life 2010 benefit comedy concert and the Cape Fear Comedy Festival.

Kyle Davis is a Wilmington native and founding member of the Justice League of Comedy who has been a finalist in both the 2009 Port City's Top Comic contest and in the 2008 World Series of Comedy. He has performed at DSI Comedy Theater, New York Comedy Club, Laugh Lounge (New York City), the Piano's 1st Annual Comedy Fest (Bloomfield, N.J.), DirtySexyComedy (Spring, Texas) and has opened for national headliners Gary Conrad, M.G. Gaskin, King Rich and Jarrod Harris.

King Rich is a nationally touring comedian who has appeared on HBO, Court TV and in the upcoming feature film "Playing Doctor." He has played colleges and clubs throughout the East Coast, including Gotham, EastVille, Laugh Lounge and New York Comedy Club (New York City), Comedy Cabana (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), the Charleston Comedy Festival, LeMoyne College (Syracuse N.Y.) and various military installations, most recently Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville.

Dugan's is located at 2 Market Square, Pinehurst.

For more information about the Justice League of Comedy, or this particular event, visit justiceleagueofcomedy.com.