Give a big welcome to Kai from Fiction State of Mind! She's here to talk about one of her favorite comic events. Is it a comic con? No, it's Free Comic Book Day! Read on to discover how you can participate.
Hello Everyone! I’m so glad Book Bloggers International is hosting this event. I’ll confess when I first started blogging I didn’t talk about comics, despite being a fan of them for many years. I guess I was worried I wouldn’t be taken as a “serious blogger” if I covered comics.
However I’ve gotten over that! I’ve been pleased to notice that a lot of bloggers have started reading comics and now we have this month long event!
As avid readers we can get very much stuck in genre ruts. With many of us watching our book buying budgets closely, we tend to stick to the same genres and authors. Comic books have really increased in price over the last few years so many of us wait for trade collections to turn up at our library or get them as digital trades on Amazon.
So today I wanted to talk about a wonderful yearly event that will allow you to explore more comic book genres and creators for free.
The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. Comic shops across the United States will have various titles available for free (really! Not a scam!). For us FCBD veterans the day is kind of like a geeky Christmas! Besides free books the store has really great sales, free sketches and giveaways, also balloons & face painters for children. If you’re really lucky some Stormtroopers from Darth Vader’s legion the 501’st might show up!
Here is how it works. Visit the FCBD website at www.freecomicbookday.com. In the left corner put your zip code in the Find A Participating Store link. Pick a store and plan your trip! Also on the site you will find a list of the comics being given away on the 2nd along with some previews.
Fight Club
Dark Horse comics is known for its more adult themed comics like Hellboy and now Fight Club based on the bestselling novel by Chuck P.
Cleopatra In Space
I’m very partial to Science Fiction so I will definitely be getting this book. I also love seeing a book with a female lead which isn’t that common in comics.
Gronk
Gronk is adorbs! An all ages read about a monster and the human she adopts.
Attack On Titan
I’m Obsessed with Attack On Titan, a horror themed manga. AOT is one of the fastest growing fandoms. Pick up this book to see what all the fuss is about!
The Phantom
Step back into comics history by reading a classic hero: the Phantom! He was one of the first costumed heroes who starred in stories full of two fisted action and adventure.
Rabbids
An Example of the kid friendly comics available at shops. So much cuteness!
So I hope I’ve encouraged you guys to visit a comic shop next month! If you would like to send be pictures of your haul send me a tweet @yogikai. I will also be hosting an event encouraging bloggers to share their FCBD journeys using the hash tag #FCBDblogathon
Happy Reading!
However I’ve gotten over that! I’ve been pleased to notice that a lot of bloggers have started reading comics and now we have this month long event!
As avid readers we can get very much stuck in genre ruts. With many of us watching our book buying budgets closely, we tend to stick to the same genres and authors. Comic books have really increased in price over the last few years so many of us wait for trade collections to turn up at our library or get them as digital trades on Amazon.
So today I wanted to talk about a wonderful yearly event that will allow you to explore more comic book genres and creators for free.
The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. Comic shops across the United States will have various titles available for free (really! Not a scam!). For us FCBD veterans the day is kind of like a geeky Christmas! Besides free books the store has really great sales, free sketches and giveaways, also balloons & face painters for children. If you’re really lucky some Stormtroopers from Darth Vader’s legion the 501’st might show up!
Here is how it works. Visit the FCBD website at www.freecomicbookday.com. In the left corner put your zip code in the Find A Participating Store link. Pick a store and plan your trip! Also on the site you will find a list of the comics being given away on the 2nd along with some previews.
Tips For The Day
- Road Trip It! Every store will have different comics on the shelves so if there are several near you its fun to make a day of it and visit various stores. Each store also limits the amount of comics per person sometimes 3-5 per person is the maximum. So if you are going with your kids or friends you should be able to get some great books.
- Beware Duplicates! Several of the books given out are flip books which means it will have two different covers. So let’s say you see a Scooby Doo book and next to it a superman animated series book. They may actually be the same book so do a quick flip to make sure the second book is different.
- Consider a Purchase/Donation Though the books are free the individual stores do have to pay for them along with extra staff for the store, and talent fees. So if you see a cool T-shirt or any other goodie that calls to you buy it. Some stores will also let you get additional comics if you make a donation to their charity.
- Expand Your Genres If you visit a few stores you should be able to get lots of comics, so take a risk and get some genres you might not have tried before. Here are my suggestions:
Dark Horse comics is known for its more adult themed comics like Hellboy and now Fight Club based on the bestselling novel by Chuck P.
Cleopatra In Space
I’m very partial to Science Fiction so I will definitely be getting this book. I also love seeing a book with a female lead which isn’t that common in comics.
Gronk is adorbs! An all ages read about a monster and the human she adopts.
Attack On Titan
I’m Obsessed with Attack On Titan, a horror themed manga. AOT is one of the fastest growing fandoms. Pick up this book to see what all the fuss is about!
The Phantom
Step back into comics history by reading a classic hero: the Phantom! He was one of the first costumed heroes who starred in stories full of two fisted action and adventure.
An Example of the kid friendly comics available at shops. So much cuteness!
So I hope I’ve encouraged you guys to visit a comic shop next month! If you would like to send be pictures of your haul send me a tweet @yogikai. I will also be hosting an event encouraging bloggers to share their FCBD journeys using the hash tag #FCBDblogathon
Happy Reading!
We get it over here to (UK)!
ReplyDeleteMy local Comic book store (https://www.facebook.com/NostalgiaComics?fref=nf) work hard in the community, and raise money for the local children's hospital etc. by dressing up and stuff.
For those with a Standing order (like me!) we get a ticket that lets us in early to rifle through the piles of freebies that come in an hour before everyone else. They often have baristas on hand to sell fresh coffee, They will have people signing their comics, and often have cartoonists making sketches of people who want one. Must get my ticket on Saturday!
Great tips. I hope I can make it to store that day. It would be my first free comic day
ReplyDeleteI found out about this a few days too late last year and have been planning on going all year. I will be taking my 2.5 year old Munchkin so I hope it isn't too overwhelming but I am really excited! Thanks for the tips.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I actually was expecting NOT to be near any stories this year. WRONG! Guess where my kids and I will be this weekend?!? :)
ReplyDeleteYay! It's a great event. It can be overwhelming if you go later in the afternoon but everyone is in a good mood !
ReplyDelete