Showing posts with label Free Comic Book Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Comic Book Day. Show all posts

Friday, April 23, 2010

PR: Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles!



Press Release For Immediate Release
Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles
 
From the Store that Brings You the Baltimore Comic-Con...
 
REISTERSTOWN, MD - April 22, 2010 - In honor of 2010's Free Comic Book Day promotion, Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown, MD will be celebrating along with the rest of the nation on May 1, 2009.  Come and meet artists JG Jones (cover artist of DC Comics' Superman Free Comic Book Day giveaway!), Frank Cho (Ultimate Comics New Ultimates) from 2pm-3pm, Steve Conley (Star Trek), and John Gallagher (Buzzboy)!
 
FCBD Special -- modern back-issues are only one dollar!  Oh yeah, and we're also giving away free comics while they last!  Our hours for Free Comic Book Day are 11am-7pm.
 
We'll see you there!
 
Our address:  100 A Chartley Dr., Reisterstown, MD  21136
For more information, call Cards Comics and Collectibles: 410-526-7410

 
   

Monday, May 04, 2009

Free Comic Book Day in Washington

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The crowd at Big Planet Comics Bethesda.

FCBD seemed to be a success in the area. I went to three stores, along with my daughter, a neighbor, and his daughter.

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Big Planet Comics Bethsda, with Lee screaming behind the counter (I guess someone started changing without using the phone booth).

We began with Big Planet Comics Bethesda which was as crowded as I'd ever seen it. Already by 11:30 they had run out of adult packs of comics, even though they only opened at 11. Many of the people coming in had children with them and appeared to be coming in solely due to FCBD.

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Jim Dougan and Molly Lawless and their comics.

We next went to Fantom Comics in Tenleytown which had three cartoonists appearing - writer Jim Dougan (see his new strip on Act-I-Vate), Molly Lawless and Arvid "Rex Mundi" Nelson. Molly had 3 comics books for sale, 2 of which were minis. I bought a complete set (and one for Michigan State's Comic Art Collection). Jim had 4 comics, all of which I had already. You should buy them though, right Jim? Arvid Nelson had a stack of his 5 Rex Mundi collections so I bought one of each and hope to start reading them this week (along with the preview comic Jim gave me). I wasn't wearing my reporter hat, so all I can report is that Hollywood's interested in a Rex Mundi movie (duh) and he's happy with his publisher, Dark Horse. Actually I cut in front of a guy with dozens of comics he was having signed (with his permission) and then some other people were buying trades so I didn't linger at the table.

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Unfortunately, Fantom is having a 50%-off moving sale so I also bought a stack of comics 3 feet high so... However, my friend Chris has already started on his stack of five AND has been able to tell a co-worker that he saw her spouse's favorite comic book writer while he had to stay home to try to sell his house - a ridiculous excuse (my wife has been harping on seeing Stan Lee when I didn't for over 20 years now).

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Arvid Nelson and Rex Mundi.

We ended up checking in with Big Planet Comics Georgetown where they said they'd had steady foot traffic, although not as crazy as Bethesda. They still had a few packs of children's comics and gladly contributed one set for the Library of Congress (although Sara Duke may have gotten her own set in which case another library will get them).

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Discerning consumers.

There are more pictures in this photo set on Flickr.

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The band at Fantom Comics.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Last Chance: Free Bo Nanas Mini-comic for Free Comic Book Day

John Kovaleski writes in to inform us:

Only two more days to get a free copy of the Bo Nanas mini-comic, "TheBlustery Day." It's all in honor of Free Comic Book Day (Saturday. May 2), All you have to do is e-mail me and I'll send you a PDF copy. (There's ateeny bit of assembly required, but I know you can handle it.) So what are you waiting for? Get your copy today! Offer ends tomorrow!

Also, on Free Comic Book Day I'll be at Comix Connection in York, PA, 10:00 to 2:00. I'll have the usual books and fun and FREE signed Bo prints.

As always you can find out too much about me on my blog: http://kovaleski.wordpress.com/

Enjoy Free Comic Book Day - the greatest holiday of them all.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Jim Dougan and Molly Lawless at Fantom Comics

Jim writes in self-deprecatingly,

I'm going to be at Fantom Comics in Tenleytown this Saturday from 12-6ish along with my occasional collaborator but more importantly fabulous cartoonist in her own right, the inimitable Molly Lawless! We're kind of a local opening act of sorts, because the "headliner" is REX MUNDI writer/creator Arvid Nelson!

More details here:

http://www.fantomcomics.com/2009/04/join_fantom_comics_for_free_co.html

And a brief article from the Express that rightfullly focuses on REX MUNDI:

http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2009/04/slim_volumes_big_fantasies_free_comic_bo.php

I'll have a laptop to show SAM & LILAH, copies of CRAZY PAPERS and NO FORMULA and maybe my controversial collaboration with Molly HOW I LOST MY S#?! AT THE APPLE STORE, Molly will have copies of INFANDUM...AD INFINITUM, I'm sure Fantom will have a ton of REX MUNDI, and we'll all have a good time!

I plan on being there. I've already got Jim's books (somewhere in a pile, sigh...) and perhaps Molly's, but I'll buy the Rex Mundi books which Arion Berger in the Express liked quite a bit.

Free Comic Book Day at Big Planet Comics PR

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday, May 2nd, at Big Planet Comics!

We’ll be open from 11AM-6PM and we’ll have piles of free comics from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, Oni, Top Shelf, and many more! Some highlights include the first part of Green Lantern’s Blackest Night written by Geoff Johns and a new Avengers comic written by Brian Bendis.

We have special pre-packs for the kids.

Stop by, say hi; we'd love to see you!

--

BIG PLANET COMICS
4908 Fairmont Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-654-6856

Also affiliated with:

BIG PLANET COMICS
3145 Dumbarton St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-342-1961

BIG PLANET COMICS
426 Maple Ave. East
Vienna, VA 22180
703-242-9412

BIG PLANET COMICS
7315 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
301-699-0498

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Free Comic Book Day "not available in any store" freebies

Hogan's Alley, a magazine I infrequently write for, but really like says:

Even in the depths of the Great Recession, the best things in life are free! Mark your calendars for this Saturday, May 2: Free Comic Book Day. Send us an e-mail ON THAT DATE with your mailing address, and we’ll send you a FREE issue of Hogan’s Alley! No obligations, no strings attached; the only thing it will cost you is several hours as you enjoy the issue. (This offer is valid for all U.S. residents, whether you’re a current subscriber or not.) Remember the one condition —we must receive your e-mail request on Free Comic Book Day (May 2), not the day before or the day after. (Before and after that date, any requests for freebies will receive only scorn and derision.) Feel free to pass this offer along to anyone you know who might enjoy Hogan’s Alley! [their email seems to be hoganmag@gmail.com]


TwoMorrows revolutionized fanzine publishing with Jack Kirby Collector and mags with lots and lots of creator interviews. They say:


TwoMorrows Publishing, in its 15th year of celebrating the art and history of comic books and LEGO, is commemorating Free Comic Book Day by again giving away publications online at www.twomorrows.com.

From May 1-3, TwoMorrows will be offering free complete digital issues of their various magazines for download, so customers can sample their publications. This limited time offer includes issues of their current magazine line-up:

ALTER EGO (focusing on Golden and Silver Age comics)

BACK ISSUE! (celebrating comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today)

THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (documenting the life and career of the "King" of comics)

DRAW! (the professional "how-to" magazine on comics and cartooning), and

BRICKJOURNAL (the ultimate resource for Lego enthusiasts)

Also featured are past favorites ROUGH STUFF and WRITE NOW!, which are still available as back issues. Digital Editions normally retail for $2.95-$3.95 per download, but are free over the three-day Free Comic Book Day weekend, to encourage more readers to try them out, and consider ordering them at their local comic book shop.

TwoMorrows is also making available free downloads of previous years' FCBD publications: COMICS GO HOLLYWOOD (revealing secrets behind fans' favorite on-screen heroes, and what's involved in taking a character from the comics page to the big screen) and COMICS 101 (featuring how-to and history lessons from top comics professionals).

All these publications are available as free downloadable Digital Editions just by logging in and adding them to the shopping cart, and checking out at www.twomorrows.com.

Publisher John Morrow explained, "With the economy down, every penny counts, and these Digital Editions are an economical way for us to let readers sample our stuff, and see if it piques their interest. If so, I hope they'll add new issues to their local retailer's pull list, and get older issues direct from us if their retailer doesn't stock our publications."

Glen Weldon on the joys of Free Comic Book Day

See "Free Comic Books: Say it Soft and it's Almost Like Praying," by Glen Weldon, National Public Radio's Monkey See blog April 29 2009.

Big Planet Comics Bethesda will have premade packages of kids and adult comics as well as individual issues. They also have a sale table which has some good stuff on it like Love & Rockets collections.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles PR

Straight press release here, but two excellent creators.

Free Comic Book Day at Cards, Comics and Collectibles

From the Store that Brings You the Baltimore Comic-Con...

REISTERSTOWN, MD - April 28, 2009 - In honor of 2009's Free Comic Book Day promotion, Cards, Comics and Collectibles of Reisterstown, MD will be celebrating along with the rest of the nation on May 2, 2009. Come and meet artist Frank Cho (Hulk, Mighty Avengers) from 1pm-4pm, and artist Steve Conley (Star Trek) from 11am-7pm!

FCBD Special -- modern back-issues are only one dollar! Oh yeah, and we're also giving away free comics while they last! Our hours for Free Comic Book Day are
11am-7pm.

Come help us celebrate our 25th year!

Monday, April 27, 2009

DC-Area Free Comic Book Day Signings!

This weekend (May 2, 2009) is Free Comic Book Day, and DC-area stores have a bunch of creator signings. I'm going to err on the broad side here, so you'll see locations up through the Baltimore area too -- gas up those cars! Please note, this information is all up on the FCBD web pages with the exception of the Virginia information below, and I just happen to have stumbled upon it via their webpages. If you have further information, please contact us and we will update this posting!

DC:
Fantom Comics
4500 Wisconsin Ave.
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 362-5053
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi, Kull) 12 Noon - 2 PM; 4 PM - 6 PM
Jim Dougan (Crazy Papers, How I Lost My S*@t at the Apple Store, Sam & Lilah) 12 Noon - 6 PM
Molly Lawless (Infandum!... Ad Infinitum) 12 Noon - 6 PM

Prize Wheel for prizes every hour on the hour.

Krispy Kreme donuts. A whole table's worth. Be sure to bring pants with a stretchy waistband.

Maryland:
Beyond Comics
Lakeforest Mall, 701 Russell Ave.
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(301) 216-0007
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Gene Ha (Alan Moore's Top Ten)

Beyond Comics
5632 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
(301) 668-8202
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Mike Imboden (Creator/writer: Fist of Justice)

Big Planet Comics
7315 Baltimore Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
(301) 699-0498
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Lamar Abrams

Cards, Comics & Collectibles of Reisterstown, MD
100 A Chartley Dr.
Reisterstown, MD 21136
410-526-7410
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Frank Cho (Hulk, Mighty Avengers) from 1pm-4pm
Steve Conley (Star Trek) from 11am-7pm

Collectors Corner Inc.
8108 A Harford Rd.
Baltimore/Parkville, MD 21234
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
All artists and characters will appear from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM on May 2nd

Writers and artists:

Jo Chen (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Runaways)
Pat Carlucci (Hotinks Studios)
H.C. Noel (Mr. Scootles)
Michael S. Bracco (Birth & Novo)
Nathan Getz (No One)
Tony Calandra (No One)
GW Fisher (Image Comics' Shadowhawk)
Frank Zeigler (Waki & Rusty)
Patrick Kelly (Local Artist)
Carlos Taylor (Local Artist)
Chris Hewitt (The Living Corpse)
Tom Arvis (Sureshot Comics)
Ver Curtis (Moonstone Comics)
Kata Dales (Lost in the Woods)

Character Appearances : (Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Cat, Elektra, Supergirl, Rorschach, Venom, Iron Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Ozymandias, The Comedian, Batman, War Machine, Hulk, Deadpool, Superman, White Queen, Daredevil, Green Lantern, Thor)

SALE all DAY - 20% Off Everything in the store on Free Comic Book Day!
25 Cents Back Issues (5 for $1.00) - 1000's to chose from!

Charm City Roller Girls (Baltimore's Own Pro Roller Derby Girls)
Vu Skateshop : Gary Smith - Professional Skateboarder

Plus, Live Music and Free Pizza & Refreshments All Day!

Game demonstrations, MTG, D&D, HeroCLix and BOARD GAMES too!

BAND list and schedule:

Playing in front of the Gaming Clubhouse in the back parking lot behind the store

12:00 – 12:40 – The Alameda
1:00- 1:40 – Bene Gesserit Witch
2:00 – 2:40 - Davey G and the Keyboard
3:00 – 3:40 - Muscle Twin
4:00 – 4:40 - Person Parcel (Gary B)
5:00 – 5:40 - Mandroids

Super Villains Comic Book Shop
4361 Ebenezer Road
Nottingham, MD 21236
(410) 870-1253
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Greg LaRocque (Spiderman, Flash, Iron Man, the Avengers & many more - http://www.greglarocque.com/)
Keith Chow & Jeff Yang ("Secret Identities")
Adam Russo ("The Dreaming")
Car Import Super Model Jasmine Mai (http://www.myspace.comultimatejasminemai/, signing her convention exclusive comic book!
more guests TBA

$1.00 back issues with over 150 long boxes to choice from!

Character Appearances
Spiderman, black & classic red
The Joker
Rorschach from the Watchmen.

Free Pizza!!
Chances to win tickets to the Baltimore sneak peek showing of 'Star Trek Countdown'

Washington Street Books
131 N. Washington Street
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
(410) 939-6215
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Greg Cox (Author: Novelization of the DC Comics' "INFINITE CRISIS", "52" and "COUNTDOWN" along with various Star Trek Novels)
Jim Clatterbaugh (Monsters from the Vault Magazine)
Garth Gerhart (Bitterman and Beelzebum Comics)
Chelsea Carr (Baltimore Betty & Political Cartoonist)

Virginia:

Laughing Ogre Comics
Lansdowne Shopping Center
19340 Promenade Drive
Lansdowne, VA 20176
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Chris Giarrusso (writer/artist of Mini Marvels and G-Man) from 11 am- 3 pm

Laughing Ogre Comics
University Mall
10647 Braddock Road
Fairfax, VA 22032
Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
Fillbach Bros (writer/artists of Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures) from 11 am- 3 pm

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Free Comic Book Day at Collectors Corner in Baltimore

We're a little ways out yet, but I did get this notice, and there are a good number of creators appearing at the store (as well as other entertainment!), so I thought I'd pass it along:

Free Comic Book Day - May 2nd 2009 9AM - 8PM
When:Saturday, May 02, 2009
9:00 AM to 8:00 PM EDT
Where:Collectors Corner
8108 A Harford Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21234

Scheduled Creator & Character Appearances
All artists and characters will appear from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM on May 2nd

Writers and artists:

Jo Chen (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Runaways)
Pat Carlucci (Hotinks Studios)
H.C. Noel (Mr. Scootles)
Michael S. Bracco (Birth & Novo)
Nathan Getz (No One)
Tony Calandra (No One)
GW Fisher (Image Comics' Shadowhawk)
Frank Zeigler (Waki & Rusty)
Patrick Kelly (Local Artist)
Carlos Taylor (Local Artist)
Chris Hewitt (The Living Corpse)
Tom Arvis (Sureshot Comics)

Character Appearances : (Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Cat, Elektra, Supergirl, Rorschach, Venom, Iron Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Ozymandias, The Comedian, Batman, War Machine, Hulk, Deadpool, Superman, White Queen, Daredevil)

SALE all DAY - 20% Off Everything in the store on Free Comic Book Day!

Charm City Roller Girls (Baltimore's Own Pro Roller Derby Girls)
Vu Skateshop : Gary Smith - Professional Skateboarder

Plus, Live Music and Free Pizza & Refreshments All Day!

Game demonstrations, MTG, D&D, HeroCLix and BOARD GAMES too!

BAND list and schedule : Playing in front of the Gaming Clubhouse in the back parking lot behind the store -

12:00 – 12:40 – The Alameda
1:00 – 1:40 – Bene Gesserit Witch
2:00 – 2:40 - Davey G and the Keyboard
3:00 – 3:40 - Muscle Twin
4:00 – 4:40 - Person Parcel (Gary B)
5:00 – 5:40 - Mandroids

- Collectors Corner MD

Friday, May 09, 2008

America's first political cartoon appeared today

According to the Associated Press's Today in History, Ben Franklin's 1754 cartoon of the thirteen colonies as a cut-apart snake appeared with the caption "Join or Die" appeared today in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Why are mention it here? There's an original on display in Baltimore in Geppi's Entertainment Museum. It's tiny, but cool. If you don't live around here, an easy place to see it was in the intro credits to HBO's John Adams miniseries. Special update: Also Richard Thompson redrew it and posted it on his blog.

Speaking of Geppi's, curator Arnold Blumberg and Geppi both appeared in the Free Comic Book Day Jughead issue from Archie. The whole comic is set in the museum.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Richard's Poor Almanack annual Free Comic Book Day cartoon

See it on his blog.

I was at Hole in the Wall books in Vienna, VA and they had it posted. I mentioned it and they started wondering how he could get the life of a comic book store owner so accurate in the last bit of the cartoon.

Friday, May 02, 2008

TwoMorrows Free Comic Book Day includes free downloads

Not exactly Washington DC-centric, but a fine offer nonetheless...


This weekend, we're celebrating Free Comic Book Day by offering FREE publications, both in comic book stores worldwide, and online at www.twomorrows.com.

On Saturday, May 3, 2008, our new COMICS GO HOLLYWOOD publication will be available free of charge at comic book shops. This 32-page comic-size book was assembled exclusively for Free Comic Book Day by our regular magazine editors, and reveals secrets behind your favorite on-screen heroes, and what's involved in taking a character from the comics page to the big screen. It includes storyboards from DC's animated hit "The New Frontier" (courtesy of DRAW! magazine), JEPH LOEB on writing for both Marvel Comics and the Heroes TV show (courtesy of WRITE NOW! magazine), details of an unseen X-Men movie (courtesy of ALTER EGO magazine), a history of the Joker from his 1940s origins to his upcoming appearance in the Dark Knight film (courtesy of BACK ISSUE magazine), and a look at Marvel Universe co-creator Jack Kirby's Hollywood career, with extensive Kirby art (courtesy of my own JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR magazine).

This one-shot sampler of our magazine line is also available in print form free from our website (a shipping charge applies), or as a free downloadable Digital Edition just by logging in and adding it to your shopping cart, and checking out. Also, last year's FCBD publication, COMICS 101 (featuring how-to and history lessons from top comicsprofessionals) is also available for free in print or digital form at
www.twomorrows.com.

To give readers a chance to sample complete issues of our publications, we're again offering free downloadable Digital Editions of these recent issues of our magazines, only from May 3-4:

Alter Ego #65
Back Issue #21
Jack Kirby Collector #47
Write Now #14
Draw #12
Rough Stuff #3
BrickJournal Vol. 1, #9

We've also added several new Digital Editions of past issues of our magazines (each available for $2.95 per download), just in time for the FCBD event, and the newest episode of the TwoMorrows Tune-In podcast (hosted by Chris Marshall) has just debuted, featuring behind-the-scenes info on our upcoming publications.

So be sure to go to your local comics shop, and stop by our website and load up on free stuff!

Best regards,
John Morrow
TwoMorrows
10407 Bedfordtown Dr.
Raleigh, NC 27614
919-449-0344
fax 919-449-0327

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

May 3: Free Comic Book Day offer from Hogan's Alley

One of the best general comics magazines is Hogan's Alley and I'm not saying that because I write for them once in a while. After all, they don't pay me. I'm saying it because it's true. And the editor Tom Heintjes is making an offer you can't refuse:

Mark your calendars for this Saturday, May 3: Free Comic Book Day! Send us an e-mail at hoganmag@gmail.com ON THAT DATE with your mailing address, and we’ll send you a FREE issue of Hogan’s Alley! No obligations, no strings attached; the only thing it will cost you is several hours as you enjoy the issue. (This offer is valid for all U.S. residents, whether you’re a current subscriber or not.) Remember the one condition--we must receive your e-mail request on Free Comic Book Day, not the day before or the day after.


Set your calendars now!

May 3: Free Comic Book Day signings

Randy T. had put this in a comment, but I think it's important enough to move it up into a post:

Pretty disappointed to see so few creator signings locally to coincide with this event (http://www.freecomicbookday.com/creator_signing.asp).

I did, however, notice that Matt Dembicki and Andrew Cohen will be signing at Beyond Comics in Gaithersburg, MD. I only found that since he was signing last year at Big Planet's Vienna, VA store and I figured he'd do so again this year, even though it's not on the creator signings listing at FCBD's web pages.

If you feel like traveling, though, try the following:

Cards, Comics & Collectibles in Reisterstown, MD is having Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Steve Conley (Star Trek), and John Gallagher (Buzzboy).

Collector's Corner in Parkville, MD is having Michael S. Bracco (Novo), Tony Calandra (No-One!), Pat Carlucci (Marvel Masterpieces), Ver Curtis (Moonstone Comics), Kata Dales (Lost in the Woods), J.D. Dracoules (Trailer Park of Terror), G.W. Fisher (Shadowhawk), Nathan Getz (No-One!), Ross Kerr (Lost in the Woods), Sunny Lee (Gen 13) [tentative], Chris March (Trailer Park of Terror), H.C. Noel (Mr. Scootles), and Frank Zeigler (Waki & Rusty).

Super Villains Inc. in Nottingham, MD is having Greg LaRocque (Legion of Super-Heroes), Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi), and Jeff Parker (Marvel Adventures: Iron Man – FCBD 2008 Ed.)

And Washington Street Books in Havre de Grace, MD is having Chelsea Carr (Baltimore Betty), Greg Cox (Star Trek), and Gale Heimbach (Green Hornet).

Saturday, April 26, 2008

May 3: Free Comic Book Day


April 25, 2008 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

National Free Comic Book Day Hits Saturday, May 3rd

A Big Day for a Booming Industry

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 3rd, the day after Paramount's Iron Man hits theaters, thousands of comic book retailers across North America and around the world will share the magic of comics with their customers when they distribute millions of comic books free of charge during the seventh consecutive Free Comic Book Day.

Comic industry heavyweights Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics are among the many publishers and manufacturers creating special titles for this year’s Free Comic Book Day. The free books appeal to a broad range of reader tastes, from exciting super-hero adventures for all ages to cutting-edge graphic fiction for older, more mature readers.

“We are thrilled to be a part of Free Comic Book Day for the seventh year in a row,” said Marvel President and Publisher Dan Buckley. “This is the best opportunity retailers have to actually increase readers and customers to their stores and each year has been more successful than the last. This event is about celebrating creative expression and the unique art form it represents.”

This year’s Free Comic Book Day is particularly special because it coincides with two major comic-related happenings: the eagerly awaited opening weekend of Paramount's Iron Man and National Cartoonists Day (a celebration sponsored by the National Cartoonists Society, the world's largest and most prestigious organization of professional cartoonists). All three events promise to make this first weekend in May a memorable one for comic-lovers everywhere.

To find a store in your area and to learn more about Free Comic Book Day go to http://www.freecomicbookday.com.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Free Comic Book Day at Big Monkey Comics, Washington DC


On FCBD, a neighbor and I loaded up his minivan with kids - my 9-year-old daughter, a friend of hers, and his 7 and 4-year old daughters. We cruised into the city on 14th St, and drove right past Big Monkey Comics' new home. They had formerly been in Georgetown, but moved in March to 1722-B 14th St, NW (202-333-8650). The store has a couple of signs, and a monkey on the 2nd floor window. After going up a narrow stairway, we got into the store which was fairly crowded with a twenty-something average customer. The free comics were set up in the back room where the new comics racks are - the kids (and adults) each got to pick 3 comics and they also were giving away sets of bagged back issues. The kids all went out into the small hallway and started reading their comics while I took a quick look around. I'd say the store has less stock than it did on Wisconsin Avenue, but it has a little more space, some of which was being used for a table for a Heroclix game. The staff was friendly, and all wore FCBD shirts that made them easily identifiable.

The kids continued reading in the van and we cruised over to Georgetown to visit Big Planet's Dumbarton Street store. Store owner Peter's known me for years, and let the kids pick up some more comics while not holding me to the store's limit of 10 freebies. However I dropped a hundred on sale books and toys, so I think he came out ahead. The store continues to have a good range of collections and indy material - perhaps the best selection of the three stores. There was a good crowd here too and Peter was happy with the turnout.

The girls continued reading in the car. My daughter's friend was most taken with Fantagraphics' Peanuts - she reads the comics in the newspaper when she can. My daughter gets comics regularly so was a bit more jaded, and I'm not sure what the neighbors daughters were reading, although the 4-year-old passed out on the ride anyway. Both stores carried the DC Conspiracy's mini-comic as well and I picked up one for Michigan State University's Comic Art Collection which I'd encourage all 17 of my readers to donate to.