Free Comic Book Day celebrated every year on the first Saturday in May. It’s a day where comic book shops all across the world give away comic books to customers both old and new.
Heroic Girls is giving everything you need to know to find a shop, pick out your books and have a great time.
Not All Shops Are Created Equal
Some shops make FCBD into a massive event, with special sales, in-store signings by local comic writers and artists, raffles, food trucks and more. Other stores barely acknowledge the event at all. There are 50 free comic books available on Free Comic Book Day, but how many each shop will carry varies wildly. Some may only carry two or three, while others will carry the entire line-up. Some will have hundreds or thousands on hand while others will have a few dozen.
Use the local comic shop locator to find the shops near you and call around to see what events each is planning for Saturday and what comics they will have on hand.
Free For You, Not For the Shops
The free comics that the shops are handing out are not actually free. Your local comic shop has to pay for them (although at a steeply discounted rate.) So that brings up two unofficial “rules” for being a good customer on FCBD.
- Don’t be greedy — Look over the available comic and only choose the ones that look interesting to you. Don’t grab things you won’t read just because you can. The shops have to pay for those.
- Spend a little money — I know it is “Free” Comic Book Day, but the shops are giving you all this cool stuff, be a good egg and find a little something to buy while you are there. If you’re not sure what to get, ask an employee for a recommendation or check out our recommended reading list.
Be Prepared
Here’s a link to a list of all the potential comics your local shop might carry. The “Gold” comics are the ones that most stores will carry, while the “Silver” will only be stocked by larger shops or shops doing big events. Make a list of the books you want, check with the shop to make sure they will carry them, and bring your list with you to the shop on FCBD.
Be Early
Check with your local comic shop to find out if they expect there to be a line for the books. Some shops have a line of people waiting every year to get the freebies. The shop can tell you when a good time to arrive is. If you might need to wait, bring snacks, reading material or small games to play to pass the time.
Have Fun
Free Comic Book Day is a blast. Wear a mask! Dress in costumes! Take photos! Live Tweet the event! Share your pics videos and thoughts on social media with the hashtags #FCBD. (tag @heroicgirls as well) Then search those hashtags to see what other people are doing to celebrate.