Free Comic Book Day: A POV Wrap-Up
Free Comic Book Day has come and passed this year, and yet there are still people who do not know about this spectacular day. For those who do not know, let me catch you up to speed. Free Comic Book Day (which from here on out will be known as FCBD) is always the first Saturday of May that the entire comic book industry gives back to its fans with special titles of comics. Many comic stores will also place sales on this day such as ½ off back issues, BOGO deals, etc. In short, for the comic fans it’s Christmas.
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This year’s FCBD was quite special in part to falling on May 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. It was a glorious mixture of Comics and Sci-Fi magically having a baby for the world to enjoy. Here in the Kansas City area, Elite Comics embraced this magic baby of a day by having a huge store sale, free Star Wars patches, artists, and who could forget the Star Wars themed cake. And let’s face it, it is not a party without cake. They also had an area where you can take pictures with Iron Man, Supergirl, Dr. Doom, and Halo soldiers. Elite did have something special up their sleeves with a sneak peek at a movie project that they are involved in — The Runaway Sun. The store was packed, and the customers all seemed to be having a great time. I did notice that pizza slices were floating all around me, which I had to resist, though tempting it was. FCBD at Elite was so big that they even rented the empty store next door and placed a cartoonist, action figures that were for sale, comics, and a photo op area. Although Elite Comics was my last stop, it was an overall wonderful experience.
Our first stop was Vintage Stock-Liberty, MO store. The store had just opened and not many people were in the store yet. There were plenty of the FCBD comics up for grabs; however my heart melted seeing a family with both a son and daughter looking for comics as family. As a person who holds education near and dear to me, this is the most beautiful thing you can witness. This is what FCBD is about! This day is not only about getting free comics as a comic fan, it’s about getting the youth to read; and, to get kids to read at an early age. It’s about appreciating the art of writing, the art of penciling, coloring, and most importantly storytelling. Every comic store that I went to there was a family looking at for comics together, and that is what Free Comic book Day is about in my eyes.
Next was BBop North store, in MO. I got in the small line forming at the door (the store was not open yet) and was standing behind a mother and her son. This family had taken the son’s friend with them to BBop-North as well. The mere fact that this day has become such an event, enough to where ten year olds would have sleepovers the night before to look at comic books together is just a splendid notion. Yet again this is proof me that comics can bring people closer together. My next stop was Vintage Stock-Zona Rosa. When we arrived it was about an hour and a half since the store opened and already they were wiped cleaned. The only free comic they had left was Marvel’s Infinity title. I was stopped by a friend, and asked to help lower her stack of thirty-something comics, it took a good ten to fifteen minutes, and a total of four people, but we were able to lower it to about twenty comics, which to all of us meant success.
After Vintage Stock-Zona Rosa, I went to Limited Figures, which had a wonderful spend of snacks and sugary goodness, all made by the owner’s lovely wife. It was a family affair at this store. Jeff (the owner) was manning the store, his wife was setting up the food, and his kids were walking about and playing games. Everyone was friendly and talking to each other. It seems like a small gathering rather than the big event other stores made this day out to be. Now, this does not mean that having a BIG or SMALL event is bad; it just shows the different environments that each store has to offer for their customers. I then went to Clint’s Comics in downtown Kansas City. They were also having a big event much like Elite comics, and also had cake (or so I was told); sadly I was not able to stay for cake. Again everyone seemed to be having a great time, as one should have when it is FCBD. Clint’s also had artist, and writers in the store. Following Clint’s was Pop Culture Comix in KS, and they had a much similar setup: artist, writers, sales, etc. By the time I headed to Pop Culture Comix, it seemed like the crowds had somewhat died down, which is saying a lot because the store was still packed.
The only letdown I had was trying to find a copy 2000 A.D., which seemed to be a myth to most of comic stores we went to; however I did see someone with a copy walking around at Vintage Stock-Zona Rosa. I was fortunate enough to have a friend that wanted to come on this FCBD adventure with me. It was his first FCBD, and it was safe to say that he was in awe. I’m probably safe when saying that it will not be his last FCBD. He had so much fun, and it was great seeing people in their cosplay, friends picking out comic books for each other, and seeing families picking out their nightly reading materials. If you have yet to experience Free Comic Book Day, go to your nearby comic book store next year, whether you’re new to comics or are a comic lover, it’s just a good ol’ wholesome fun.
[USA Today had this story on this year’s Free Comic Book day]
Well this is Elle Le, signing out.
