Free Comic Book Day Going Fine

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, a comics industry promotion through the Direct Market mechanism of comic book and hobby stores whereby it is assumed that people across North America can find a local participating comic book shop, go to that shop, and come away with a free comic book created for that purpose. Many shops that participate make a bigger day of it, inviting local -- or not-so-local -- cartoonists in to sign books and meet fans; some make it an all-day party and thank you for recurring customers as well an outreach, and at least one store with a few partnering sponsors turns it into a mini-convention.

There has also been a news element to the event. Many of the alternative publishers participate with free comic books intended for mature readers, and it was a Free Comic Book Day offering that led to recently rebooted Gordon Lee case. I believe that the Friends of Lulu Empowerment Fund makes its public debut at the CAPE show linked to in the first paragraph. Debate over whether Free Comic Book Day should be tied into a comic book-related movie (the opening of Art School Confidential this weekend doesn't count) or on a date before summer vacation patterns hit comic shops has offered some insight into the thinking of retailers -- I'm glad it's its own date, and I think there are some slow growth years to be expected before the event truly flowers.

Start here. Message board threads with creators touting their appearances can be found here and here.

For those of us far away from a comic shop or otherwise garden- or housebound, you might try Free Magazine Day at Twomorrows.

Mike Sterling writes about some people pre-selling FCBD comics in that charming way that some comic book shops have to turn everything into a matter of shortages and collectibles.

Or if you're walking around Chicago and see Rob Syers, make him give you a comic.

My scientific method of holding my thumb at arms length and squinting at the computer screen seems to indicate a reasonably high number of local press coverage, which is where an effort like this is likely to gain traction and do the most good. Some examples:

Dayton
Huntsville, AL
Norristown, PA
Philadelphia
Poughkeepsie
Rancho Cucamonga
San Jose
 
posted 3:30 am PST | Permalink
 

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