The Joy of Free Comic Book Day -

If you don’t know about Free Comic Book Day...you should. Free Comic Book Day (or FCBD) occurs annually on the first Saturday of May. Sponsored by the North American Comic Book Industry, with Diamond Comic Distributors at the forefront, Free Comic Book Day is great because it’s a way to get comic books into the hands of the general populace who might not normally read or purchase comics. Many comic book shops around the United States (and other countries) participate in this holiday by giving out free comic books at their stores. Often, comic book shops make this into a huge event, pairing FCBD with convention-like events, including cosplay contests, vendors, artist signings, and (my favorite part) exclusive sales. This year, I’ll be visiting two comic book stores near my hometown to take part in their festivities.

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Believe it or not, Free Comic Book Day has a little bit of a legacy. FCBD was established as a marketing venture to bring additional business into the comic book industry by jump-starting comic sales after they took a steep dive in the 1990s. Beginning in 2002, Free Comic Book Day (prime) coincided with the theatrical release of the (then new) Spiderman 2. Though not all FCBDs have aligned with a superhero blockbuster movie, many have. (This year is no exception with the release of Avengers: Infinity War last week and Deadpool 2 making its debut later this month). Not coincidentally, the comic book industry has seen a rise in comic sales since the establishment of FCBD.

Free Comic Book Day provides comics for a wide-variety of readers. In just the last few years, I’ve seen everything from traditional superheroes, (The Avengers) to humor (The Tick) to popular interest (Riverdale), to manga (Pokemon) to kid-centric (Spongebob) and beyond. FCBD truly provides something for every audience, which is just another reason why FCBD has been a huge success for sixteen years now.