It’s the last Saturday in April, so you know what that means! Free Comic Book Day, one of the greatest days of the year, is next weekend.
Free Comic Book Day historically occurs on the first Saturday in May, just in time for the first comic-book-related summer blockbuster of the year (this time it’s Thor). On FCBD you can visit any participating comic book retailer to pick up a bunch of totally free comics put out for Free Comic Book Day by a wide range of mainstream and independent comic publishers.
This year, all participating stores will have Spider-Man, The Last Airbender, Star Wars, Archie, Darkwing Duck, Chip & Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Green Lantern, Mouse Guard, and The Dark Crystal comics on offer. Some stores will additionally carry Atomic Robo, Simpsons, Captain America, Thor, Inspector Gadget, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Tick, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold comics. …and what appears to be a comic book about the “misadventures” of Adam West. Most of these books will have been written with the new reader in mind (i.e., precisely calibrated to get you hooked on a series or publisher).
The reason for the difference in selection is that some stores will not be able to afford to give away that many comics for free. But they’re free! I hear you ask. Well, yes, they’re free for us, the public. But the stores pay, in order to get the comics in the first place from retailers, and whether or not they can afford to offer any of the titles above at all depends on their finances. So, when you go to Free Comic Book Day, pick up a graphic novel, poster, or something else from the store, like Marvel’s Strange Tales II or Batwoman: Elegy. Support your local comic store, or they won’t be around forever. And besides! They just gave you a bunch of free stuff.
For the full list (of which I have merely posted highlights here) check the FCBD website. To find a participating store near you, go here and put in your zipcode.
