Yesterday was Free Comic Book day! Hundreds of comic book stores across the U.S. gave out free comic books to help fight illiteracy. I chose to check out Foundation’s Edge, a comic book store in Raleigh, NC.
Yesterday was the 9th year of Free Comic Book Day. Comic shops all over the United States opened their doors to anyone who would like to try out a free comic book. The Free Comic Book Day site even offers a store locator to make it easier to find participating shops in your area.
You are not given free range of the store as far as picking out your free comic but the store’s selection set up on their free comic book table was pretty good. Each shop differs in the number of free comics allowed per person; Foundation’s Edge had theirs set at three comics per person.
How successful was FCBD? In the first hour alone, this comic shop in Raleigh saw over a hundred people. Other shops saw as many as 250 in the first hour! Some people came dressed up for the event or at least wearing geek shirts. Several parents brought their children into the shop to pick out a comic; later that day a busload of orphans came in to join in the event.
Even regular customers more interested in buying merchandise than receiving a free comic received a 30% discount. I took advantage of this discount to purchase my next Walking Dead book! I saw Rachel there as well picking up her free comics.
The event lasted all day, but the comics were going fast, so latercomers might have missed out. If you missed the event this year, no worries, it happens every year on the first Saturday of May.