Look, up in the sky—its a a bird…no a plane. It’s Free Comic Book Day! The first Saturday of May, comic fans around the world flock to stores for Free Comic Book Day. The day isn’t just about grabbing free books though. It’s about celebrating your fandom, discovering something new, and introducing comics to a new audience. Due to changes with publishers, there is another coinciding event, Comic Giveaway Day, that brings in even more books. This year the event was bigger than ever, with over 50 comics and events in over 60 countries. A wide selection of titles was available from the big publishers like Marvel and DC as well as many independent publishers. Beyond the free books, stores make it an event with sales, cosplay, raffles to benefit charity, and even comic artist and writer appearances. It’s like a hometown comic convention with free admission and swag.
First envisioned by Joe Field of Flying Color Comics 25 years ago as a way to draw in new readers. Inspired by Baskin Robbins’ free scoop promotion, Field thought the only thing better than free ice cream would be free comics. The first FCBD was held one year later on May 4th, 2002. Seen as the kickoff for the summer movie season, the first event also not so coincidentally aligned with the release of the first big-budget Spider-Man movie. It was the perfect storm that brought together diehard comic fans and people that never held a comic book in their life. One of the titles available on the first FCBD also happened to be Ultimate Spider-Man. Needless to say, that 24-hour time frame in early May 2002 birthed countless Spider-Man fans. For comic book stores, FCBD is basically their Black Friday and their biggest foot traffic day of the year. Publishers use their special issues as a gateway to their larger series, hoping to create new readers. This isn’t just a win for the stores and publishers; reading comics is a proven way to increase literacy among young children. Many schools even use comics or graphic novels as tools to boost engagement and literacy with struggling readers.
Along with helping improve literacy, reading comics can also provide many positive mental health benefits. Reading in any form is a way to escape and momentarily take your focus off of the daily monotony and struggles of life. Comic books serve this purpose even greater as the visual storytelling reduces cognitive load and the short format gives a sense of accomplishment when you finish an issue. Stan Lee, who created great characters such as Spider-Man, The Hulk, and Iron Man, once said “Comics are like a gateway—first to imagination, then to understanding ourselves.” On the surface, most comics are seemingly about superpowers and foiling the villain’s plans, but underneath many stories are about identity, loss, responsibility, and finding a sense of belonging. Spider-Man deals with anxiety and guilt, the character of Batman was created out of grief, and the X-Men is truly a story about feeling different and being excluded. The fact that superheroes suffer from many of the same problems that we deal with every day can be a form of therapy for many people.
The real draw of Free Comic Book Day isn’t the comics—it’s stepping out in the world, being a part of the comics community, and finding a story that resonates on a deeper level. Today I visited two local shops, saw some great cosplay, had some real-life social interactions, and walked away with a smile on my face.
It was a great day, made even better by bringing my 5-year-old son with me. Seeing him get excited about the books reminded me of the true spirit of the stories. Discovering these stories, connecting with my son and sharing moments with fellow fans made for a great way to spend the second day of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Now if you will excuse me, I have some comics to read.
Excelsior!
Another wonderful article! It’s so obvious you have such a personal interest in everything that you write about and share with your readers.
Great job James!