Making Free Comic Book Day Better
Yes, Free Comic Book Day is almost here. The annual holiday for comic book fans is sure to be a hit. Many comic shops will be welcoming fans with plenty of free comics as well as sales and deals around their stores.
While FCBD is a fantastic time, some of the comic community wonders if it’s hitting its full potential. With comic stories offering worlds of the possible and impossible, this post serves to continue the conversation and offer up solutions.
The adage “you don’t know what you don’t know” applies well here. The wonderful world of comics has several barriers of entry, so you have to start with just knowing what’s going on. The industry has plenty of room to grow and that expansion begins with promoting the medium. The best part is how easily this can be done and that everyone can play a role.
Comic shops will do this as their regular course of business. The fans do it just as routinely by showing their excitement for not only the medium as a whole, but also Free Comic Book Day. The internet can help with continued boosting by comic media websites, bloggers and social media platforms. This extends to publishers as well. They should absolutely be blasting it across their social media pages and websites.
One of my favorite joys as a fan is the news coverage of comic events. Seeing local news stations on site at comic conventions and comic shops for FCBD events is always a treat. Even if it’s brief, seeing footage of crowds flowing through convention doors or fans and cosplayers walking the show floor is exactly what’s needed to increase visibility. The same goes for FCBD when reporters are at shops, showing collectors digging through boxes and talking to owners about putting on events.
Now let’s look at it from the business side. It’s all fun and capes, but it’s also a business. And while the free comics are free to the fans, the comic shops still have to pay for them.
For my interests, once FCBD approaches, I like to research what deals shops will have. I’m definitely picking up the free comics I want, but I’m more focused on what back issues I can score at a great price. As the time comes, I like to hit social media to share the deals that different shops I come across will have.
Shops often carry a lot of inventory beyond just the comics. Some of which may have been sitting around for a while. That’s just the nature of the business. This presents a unique opportunity to free up some of that space. Ideally, word has gotten around and people will be lining up to hit the shop. Good deals across the store on a variety of merchandise will surely be a boost for business as well as get some of that unsold inventory out the door.
For their part, the place I went to had 20% off back issues. Spoiler alert: I bought A LOT OF COMICS. I also had a conversation with the LCS owner about it when he asked if I’d found the free books I wanted. I stated I was covered on those and that I wanted to hit the sale and support the shop to celebrate the day.
As has been the case for some time now, MyComicShop will offer fans a choice of one of the free comics for every $5 spent. I never hesitate in taking advantage of that. Especially because it will often coincide with purchases I’m planning to make anyway. In 2023, that included lots of Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil and more back issues. Needless to say, that took care of the free books, easily.
At the core of this are, of course, the comic books. What purpose should the free issues serve? The FCBD branding should always be present. And we can circle back around to the promotional piece with shops adding their stamps to the books.
Now let’s touch on the books themselves. This day is about celebrating the realm of comics. The content should cover a wide range, including reprints of classic material, new standalone stories and previews of upcoming story-lines. Every year the industry represents itself well with publishers of all sizes releasing books covering various genres. Check out the full line-up of Free Comic Book Day issues here.
One of the most important pieces of that involves the kids’ books. Anytime there’s an opportunity to reach younger readers, the industry should take it. Free Comic Book Day books and events are a perfect time to do so. Continuing to add to the quality of the books available to kids can increase the selection and the options for younger readers. This applies to attracting more readers, of all ages, in general.
There’s been a lot of good to come from Free Comic Book Day. There have also been some parts that didn’t work for some. Even with all the positives, it can always get better. The growth of and strengthening the industry should be a constant goal on every side. Publishers, creators, retailers, fans, media and distributors all have a role. Here’s to the bright future of Free Comic Book Day.
Check out your local comic shops. Share the day with your family and friends. Buy some books and other collectibles. Grab some free comics. Have fun.