This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. It’s the one day a year you can walk into a comic book shop and expect to legally get something for free. You don’t have to purchase anything first. You don’t have to sign up for anything. You simply grab something from a designated area (usually a table) and it’s yours to keep.
To see a list of all the free stuff you can expect to find this weekend, go to the official Free Comic Book Day website.
Many retailers take the opportunity to also put a lot of their existing merchandise on sale. Not only can you expect to get something for free, you can often find something else you might like at a discounted price.
by Rick on April 29, 2009
This year’s Free Comic Book Day has now come and gone. I only visited one comic book shop, Comics World in the Chambersburg Mall in Scotland, Pennsylvania. Not only were they giving away the comics every other participating comic book retailer was giving away, they had some good sales taking place.
- Statues and Busts – 35% Off
- Trade Paperbacks – 50% Off
- Back Issues – 50% Off
- Action Figures – 50% Off
I probably should have showed up when the mall opened for business. I was able to pick up a trade paperback of Joss Whedon’s Fray along with the trade paperback of Tales of the New Gods. I also purchased a NM/M copy of Watchmen #1 for eleven bucks. I’ve got the fancy Absolute edition of the series, but I don’t own any of the single comics.
The event looked to be a big hit. They set tables in front of the store with all of the various free comics available for the taking. This allowed people who may not have ever stepped foot into a comic book shop to pick up some books without any pressure. I witnessed quite a few people picking up books. Many of them looked as though they may have never read a comic book before. I couldn’t help but think that if they had to go into the store to pick out some free comics, they may not have bothered.
