[posted by J. Nadiger]
Every year, the first Saturday of May is Free Comic Book Day. It's usually timed with the release of a comic book movie, this year being X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
For Free Comic Book Day, participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores.
IMPORTANT: It does NOT mean that all comics found in the store are free!
Rather, each publishing company creates a comic intended as a free sample for a potential new reader. Some are reprints of popular titles, but most are original stories done by talented creators, designed to woo you into the comic shop on a more regular basis.
Every store does Free Comic Book Day a little differently, but I think that my comic shop, Elfsar Comics, puts on the best FCBD in town.
For the past several years, we've combined Free Comic Book Day with a food drive for the Vancouver food bank. If you walk into the store, you automatically get to choose 5 out of the 25 different Free Comics, no questions asked.
BUT! If you bring in a non-perishable food item, or cash donation, you get 5 more comics, an entry into one of the raffles, and a photo taken with one of the costumed heroes that will be on site.
If that wasn't enough, we'll have some spectacular local artists there promoting their work and doing sketches:
- Comic creator/filmmaker KAARE ANDREWS
- Cartoonist CAMILLA D'ERRICO
- Arcana Comics publisher & EiC SEAN O'REILLY
- Digital artist DERYK MANDRYK
At the very least, it's a chance to find some cool new works of art and donate to a very worthy cause.
Free Comic Book Day happens this Saturday, May 2. We open at 11am and close at 7pm. Supplies of free comics are limited (first come, first served!), and it's always crowded, so please come early, but it's always a good time.
I hope to see you all there!
For more information, please visit Elfsar's Free Comic Book Day page.
