It’s that time of year again. Free Comic Book Day! For those of you who don’t know all about it, allow me to spread the joy by letting you in on the FCBD tradition.
Free Comic Book Day occurs on the first Saturday of May each year and participating comic book stores give away free comic books that are specially written for the day. The comic books are written in such a way that any reader can enjoy the story without having to catch up on years, or sometimes decades of backstory, which can be intimidating to people who want to go down the rabbit hole of comic books.
While a few of the free comics each year showcase the popular superheroes that we often think of when we think about comics, many of the free comics showcase the variety present in comic books.
Free Comic Book Day is more than just an opportunity for some free stuff. It’s an event celebrating literacy and creativity. Many comic book writers and artists will set up shop at an event, signing comics or selling their wares while getting to know fans. Retailers and fans will often get into the spirit by throwing a celebration in their shop, having great deals on their non-free comics, or cosplaying as their favorite character.
I wasn’t much of a reader until my dad’s friend gave me a stack of comics for Christmas one year and it changed my life. I love FCBD because it can give many people, especially kids, an opportunity to discover or rediscover their love of reading.
Feel free to visit https://www.freecomicbookday.com/ for more information.
Hope to see you in a comic shop this May!