Well, Free Comic Book Day finally arrived! Many comic book stores across the country were open twenty-four hours Saturday in celebration of the event that brings comic book fans, old and new, of all ages together and helps keep the industry and local businesses alive. Did you get your free comics?
WITA: Like I said I would, I ventured over to Joy’s Japanimation, my favorite local comic book store, for Free Comic Book Day this year. Joy’s is located about ten minutes away from where I live in Pennsylvania, and the rain and humidity Saturday morning didn’t stop me from snagging my comics.
The maximum number of free comics the store allowed per customer was six, and I got there early enough that I was able to get the ones I wanted. Broken Trinity Prelude, World of Aspen, Salem: Queen of Thorns, Iron Man & Hulk & Spider-Man (this is more meant for kids, I think, so I wouldn’t recommend it), DC Universe 0, and X-men. Many of those are sort of “previews,” which is to be expected, but I really want to read Batman R.I.P. now (see the DC Universe 0 free comic). The artwork is gorgeous; Batman looks dark, menacing—simply put, breathtaking.
Another great thing about FCBD is the sales. While new comics weren’t on sale, all other comics were 50% off; really old back issues were only 50 and even 25 cents. Which is great, because I love old comics, too. Not to mention reading over “radical” old school ads—Batman Secret Code Bike Alarm? Are you serious?—is amusing and the letters in the back of the issues are entertaining enough and surprisingly well-written. I dug up and bought Batman #496, X-men Vol. 1 #13 (“Hazardous Territory” which has classic X-men artwork), The Batman Chronicles #1, Batman #444, X-men Vol. 1 #85, Wolverine Vol. 1 #104 (I actually hate how my beloved Wolvie is drawn, so I don’t even know why I picked it up), Iron Man Vol. 3 #70 (“Vegas Bleeds Neon” Part 1 of 3), and Starman #13. Plus, Batman #672 and the brand new, four-part Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1. All that for ten bucks—not bad.
I had a great time, even though there wasn’t much going on and I didn’t have a camera. But check out VirtualGirl’s and VampireKitten’s stories below for some awesome pictures and cosplay! And don’t forget to share some of your FCBD stories with us in the comments!
VirtualGirl: Despite being located in Minnesota - where the Mall of America is one of our only noteworthy attractions - I always luck out when it comes to comic related events. The Minnesota Comic Book Association knows how to put on a good show and how to keep fans happy. Perhaps the Minnesotan appreciation for comics stems from the same reason we are second on the list for most individuals who indulge in video games regularly - long winters. Anyone who lives up North knows that once it hits -20, going outside sounds much less appealing than playing a game or reading a comic.
The weather on Saturday was perfect for Free Comic Book Day, something I was much appreciative for since I was dressed as Marvel’s Elektra for the majority of the event. I started out my day at 7:00am, to ensure that I had proper time to get ready and get to the event early so I could find a parking spot. One of the largest FCBD celebrations in the state was at my local comic shop, The Source Comics and Games. The Source has been voted the best comic book shop in the nation in the past - and for good reason. They rolled out all the stops for the event, ordering cake, decorating the store, bringing in artists and encouraging cosplayers to come in as an added bonus for kids.
I met up with my cosplaying crew - a DC group that I have recently become part of with the addition of my Zatanna costume - at 9:45 in the morning. Already at that point the parking lot was packed and I had to walk a bit in my red leotard to get to the store. The guys at The Source were great, having a back room ready for us to change or use the bathroom without waiting in line. Several of the cosplayers were already there at that point and the rest joined us throughout the day. Present were: Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Adam West Batman, Robin, The Flash, Spiderman, The Ghost Busters, a couple of Jedi and the rest of the Star Wars crew towards the end of the day.
I grabbed my free comics and started to work the crowd almost immediately. After a minor mishap (where I dropped my read head piece in an open toilet and had to let it dry for a half an hour) I was outside on the street corner waving posters and trying to get people to stop by our comic shop. Despite it being a bit windy, it was a ton of fun. Lots of honking horns, lots of smiles or confused looks and lots of camera phone pictures. Superman was nice enough to run across the street several times to help individuals across the crosswalk. We posed for pictures, waved at cars and succeeded in getting a few people who did not know about the event to stop by.
As far as my costume went, most adults knew who Elektra was right away. One person called me Catwoman, but I won’t hold it against them if they have limited knowledge of female comic characters. Still, it was pretty funny. For the most part, children did not know who I was, but they left the event saying goodbye to me by name. If they had no idea who some of us were when they came in, they did when they left. Those of us in costumes spent the day bouncing back and forth between the street corner and inside the comic shop, taking photos most of the day. I got quite a few hugs, both from little kids and grown men, which I found pretty funny. PrincessTwilight - one of our community members and a guest editor for GEN - made an appearance to score some free comics as well. Even though I see her at least once a week, it was fun to see some familiar faces.
We stuck around at The Source for six hours, when around 4:00pm I finally had to give up and change. Not only had I not eaten anything but a slice of cake, I refused to drink anything all day to avoid having to go to the bathroom…it took 25 minutes to get back in costume the time I did. My feet were also killing me at that point in time. I did not have time to finish my Elektra costume 100% before the show, so I had to use a pair of red boots I ordered for my Witchblade costume instead of Elektra’s red knee socks. After six hours, I was ready for some sneakers.
I am really glad I had a chance to try out my Elektra costume before I shoot it at the end of the month, because I evidently needed a trial run. I can’t count the amount of times someone walked up to me and handed me one of my red leg bands, or the amount of times my red bandana slipped back on my head to far. After my trial run, I know what to do to ensure I get great shots at the end of May.
I stuck around in costume till the Star Wars crew showed up, so that I could grab some quick pictures with them. They brought the coolest Chewy that I had ever seen; the costume was complete with stilts leaving the guy at least 8ft tall. There was also a fantastic Princess Leia who I got a few shots with.
I kept my wig, armbands, and head wrap on after changing into a Marvel shirt and jeans, and the costume group and I went out to dinner when we finished up. Batman, Superman and Robin stayed in full costume. It was funny to watch people’s faces as we walked through a packed mall on our way to dinner. In the end, I determined that we need more nerds in the world.
Overall, Free Comic Book Day was fantastic. I love experiencing both sides of the event, being a fan who is excited to receive some free comics and on the flip side helping to make everyone else’s event more memorable by dressing up and posing for photos. Free comic book day will remain to be one of my favorite events for that reason! I hope you all had a good time!
VampireKitten: I attended Free Comic Book Day 2008 at 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga. For my first ever FCBD, it was great fun for everyone and I was overwhelmed with the amount of swag I took home.
I trooped the vent with my 501st garrison, the Southern California Garrison, and we had a fantastic time taking photos with the kids and passing out 501st legion goodies. These troopers toughed out 82 degree weather for five hours in costumes, so I think we each deserve a cookie.
On top of us the comic book store had asked a few of their local regulars to dress up in characters. The Joker, Wolverine, Iron Man, Indiana Jones, and a few more attended.
Some of the booths included Mechwarrior, Marvel Zombies, Star Wars TCG, World of Warcraft, and Hero Clix. I must say I was completely enthralled that I got a free Iron Man hero clix, it’s too cool. On top of that I took home some Tiny Titans, HellBoy, Gumby, X-men, Transformers, Broken Trinity, and some new comics just starting out. Best of all we got to spend the day with Feedback and Hygena from the Sci-Fi channel’s Who Wants to be a Superhero?. Overall we laughed, geeked out and had a great time at 4 Color Fantasies!
May 5th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I took my youngest brother in law to his very first FCBD. It was really cool for him to go as afterward, I also took him to his very first comic con. A small one, but still, the L.A. Comic Book and Sci Fi con is pretty sweet. It was my first one ever, so it was nice to share that. So it was kind of cool that I also took my kids to these events as well. They were to little to grasp the concept (except for my daughter who tore a variant copy of Civil War 1 I had just bought) but it was pretty cool.
And Free my butt. I dropped like $80. LOL
May 5th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Now that is what I get for typing my thoughts and not thinking through. I took him to FCBD on Sat and the Con on Sun. Ugh. I hate it when I do that.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Thank you so much for helping make Free Comic Book Day such a special event!
All the costumes looked GREAT!
May 6th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Aw, that’s cute, Ricky (except for the comic book ripping, that sucks)!
I know, I especially like the Batman and Robin one (looks awesome), the Star Wars group (the one with Hoar and all the Jedi), and the pic with Wolverine and the Joker (ha, long hair)!