Tomorrow, May 4, is Free Comic Book Day. If you’re reading this site, more than likely you are already a patron of a local comic store, and therefore get to enjoy some free swag without convincing this weekend. However, don’t you wish more of your friends were down with comics? Well, here is the perfect day to expose them to a whole bevy of amazing free books, show them the way to their local shop, and have them catch a little bit of that comics fever.
We’ve polled our crack staff, and asked them to tell you why various people in your life should check out Free Comic Book Day 2013. And to find a store near you, check out the Free Comic Book Day Store Locator. Tell ’em Multiversity sent ya!
The Parent
The first Saturday in May, more than any other day of the year, is a good day to share comics with kids. Sure, kid-friendly books come out every week, but there are more of them on FCBD. Younger kids? There’re are books for younger kids (“Sesame Street” from Ape Entertainment), older kids (“Avatar/Star Wars” flip book from Dark Horse), and in-between (“Peanuts” or “Mega Man”). Plus, most shops have games, prizes, and people in costume to entertain the young ones. Especially if it’s your child’s (or your nephew’s, niece’s, or friend’s kid’s) first trip to a LCS, this will be much more inviting than the other days when it’s populated by older men being nerdy. – Drew Bradley
The All-Ages Fan
One of the things that people often forget about these days is that comics really are for everyone. Sure, there are some really adult themed books, but there are a lot of books that work for nearly anyone. Just this FCBD, you have books like Archaia’s “Mouse Guard” and “Rust” flipbook, the “Top Shelf Kids Club” book (Owly!), the “DC Nation” sampler and others for the younger kids. You even have books like “Atomic Robo” which is more adult oriented, but I bet if you plop that book in a kid’s hand (or read it to them) they will be entertained because mad scientist dinosaurs and robots are awesome to people of all-ages.
Just like Pixar’s best, comics can hit people of any size, shape or age. Use Free Comic Book Day to find something for both you, your parents and your kids. I know I did just that last year, as people were floored by the Archaia storybook I shared with them. – David Harper
The Collector
While Free Comic Book Day is primarily geared towards bringing new and lapsed readers into stores, there’s plenty offered to entice a hardened Wednesday warrior as well. Over the past few years publishers have certainly stepped up their offerings, moving from reprinted issues to original content. For instance, this year’s offerings include a prelude to Marvel’s “Infinity” event, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Jim Cheung. Also, Image is offering a “Walking Dead” special featuring a never before seen Tyrese story. Publishers have also started used FCBD to tease or debut new series, such as “The Sixth Gun” or “Umbrella Academy.” This year Oni will be offering the first issue of “The Strangers,” a new book from Monkeybrain’s Chris Roberson, while DC Comics gives readers a first look at Scott Snyder and Jim Lee’s “Superman Unchained.” Several of the books released on FCBD are exclusive stories that may never be reprinted elsewhere, which in some cases leads to some serious collectibility. For instance, after the announcement of the upcoming “Sixth Gun” TV pilot, the FCBD debut sells for upwards of $50 a pop, not a bad return on your $0 investment. On top of the one of a kind content offered on FCBD, most retailers roll out extensive discounts on trades, hardcovers, and back issues, making it easier to catch up on a series you’ve fallen behind on, or to check out a book you’ve been dying to try. Face it tiger, Free Comic Book Day is the jackpot. – Zach Wilkerson
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The Miser
Have you been outside in the past year? Things are expensive, son! The dollar menu is suddenly the “value” menu, refills ain’t free no more, and penny candy is rarer than someone old enough to remember buying penny candy.
But you know what is free? Free Comic Book Day comics. Totally free. Get yourself to the store, walk away with a dozen or so free comics.
Plus, many stores are having great sales that day. My local shop does 50% off all trades and hardcovers. That’s a sweet deal!
If you agree that the rent is too damn high, and fondly remember the days of $0.99 gas, then going to Free Comic Book Day is like a waltz down memory lane.
Now get off my lawn! – Brian Salvatore
The Reluctant Reader
These days, comics are everywhere — and I mean everywhere. We’ve got TV shows, movies, so much more merchandise (I can’t believe they sell superhero t-shirts in JC Penny now); everywhere you look, there’s probably something that came out of a comic book. So for a modern person to say that they don’t like comics is a bit surprising to me, because we’ve seen that people like things based on comic book properties. Certainly if you like what happened because of comics, you may like the source material, right? After all, if the movie was good, the book is almost always better.
That’s why for this Free Comic Book Day, I’d recommend the “Walking Dead” short collection from Image, “Infinity” from Marvel and “Superman Unchained” [Note: Actually just a sneak preview of “Superman Unchained” and the reprinted first chapter of “Superman: Last Son of Krypton – Ed.] from DC, because these are specifically designed for people who don’t regularly read comics. With The Avengers being one of the biggest films of all time and The Walking Dead being one of the most popular shows on TV, it’s impossible to not see the appeal of these two issues as jumping on points to the comic world for those audiences (“Infinity” starring that purple smiley guy at the end of Avengers and “Walking Dead” featuring all your favorite characters). Not only that, but with the upcoming Man Of Steel film starring the first and most important comic book character of all time, maybe you’ll find something appealing in reading a book that stars ol’ whatshisface, written and illustrated by two of DC’s biggest talents?
It’s literally the easy choice. If you’ve ever wondered what dipping your toe in the sequential art waters might be like, this is very much for you. – Matthew Meylikhov
The Proud Fan
You’re there every Wednesday – as soon as the owner is turning the “Closed” sign over to “Open”, if you possibly can. You survey the week’s releases and make your choices carefully. Oh shoot. Looks like you’re buying way more than you intended to. Oh well. You love comics! And you love supporting the comic market, because it’s given so much back to you over the years.
The Proud Fan shows up on Free Comic Book Day, because they love to see comic books doing good business. They love the electricity in the air as the young and old file in and out of the shop with handfuls of comics, free or otherwise. Any other day, you may see a small smattering of regulars at your LCS, but today, they pack the shop. There’s people coming in costume, people introducing their kids to the hobby, there’s nothing but chatter about your favorite hobby, and it makes you feel like you’re a part of something special.
The Proud Fan should grab whatever free comics they can get their hands on and give them out to those that didn’t make it to a shop that day. They should also pick up a couple of trades to support the LCS. It’s those shops that make Free Comic Book Day happen. – Vince Ostrowski
