Good morning, Fan Peeps! And Happy Free Comic Book Day!!!
The annual celebration of Comics has come a long way from the four offerings at the first FCBD on May 4th, 2002. From a suggestion by retailer Joe Field and the buy-in from Comics publishers and distributors, that initial FCBD coincided with the release of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. And the event has grown and grown, with more and more shops and publishers participating, every year.
FCBD serves as a wonderful fan event, giving the dedicated, casual and new readers free access to characters, storylines and publishers they may or may not have experienced before. There are a couple of notes that we all should take, as we venture out to get our free books, today.
FCBD is, as the title suggests, absolutely free for the public. It is not, however free for the retailers who participate. While most publishers and distributors provide the books, at cost, the shops do have to pay for each book they offer. The hundreds of participating shops are unsung heroes of FCBD, coming out of pocket, each year to give back to the Comics fandom community and hopefully to introduce new fans to the medium.
If you’re in the Columbia, SC area, definitely check out these Local Comic Shops:
Heroes & Dragons – 1621 Broad River Road, Columbia.
Now the elder statesman of the Midlands shops, today will be their last day in Boozer Shopping Center (they’re moving to 1807 Bush River Road). Heroes and Dragons will feature the following local creators: artist Corey “Roc Bottom” Davis, the creator of Jet Boy (who has a lot of exciting things coming!); Chad Bowers, writer of X-Men ’92, Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, and more; and Golden-Age icon Vic Carrabotta, who worked as an artist for Marvel’s predecessor Atlas, will be doing sketches, commissions, and prints between 10 a.m and 3 p.m.
Scratch N’ Spin – 513 12th Street, West Columbia
Check out Eric and crew for many creators, cosplay, trivia, and giveaways. Chuck Brown, 1/3 of the Bitter Root creative team, Mike Sudduth and John Pading from Frank Comics, Corey Mikellfrom Noir Caesar Entertainment, and many local and regional artists will be present for sketches and signings. Scratch N’ Spin is a pop culture one-stop-shop, offering not only, comics, but also music, movies, games, toys and collectables.
Cosmic Ray’s – 4427 Devine Street, Columbia
Visit Ray for your free books, as well as many FCBD exclusives. They will be holding raffles for premium comics, toys and collectibles. Cosmic Ray’s is great for all manner of books, collectibles and conversation. And you’ll always be offered a bottle of water! Just don’t take anyone with you who will put comic books in their pants (go see them for the story)… As they said in The State Article – Wanna cosplay? Ray is cool with that.
For further reading:
https://comicsalliance.com/tribute-free-comic-book-day
www.thestate.com/news/business/article229994244.html
Enjoy Free Comic Book Day!!!
Tragic Fanboy 