*First Published on FathersofMultiples.com
Coming the first Saturday this May (May 5th) is this year’s Free Comic Book Day.
Free Comic Book Day is a promotional event by all the big names in the industry to attract new readers. The event takes place annually, always on the first Saturday of May.
There are 2 big comic book publishing companies, Marvel and DC. They include some giveaways with characters everyone has heard of to spike interest. These are your Avengers, Batman, Superman, and Spiderman characters among many, many others that everyone is familiar with and would enjoy reading a story about them.
However, there are also a number of offerings that include lesser known characters from the big 2 publishers as well as other companies you may or may not have heard of. These are a great way to get to know some new interesting heroes and villains! The stories in question, regardless of the characters involved, are generally considered “jumping on” stories that you don’t have to be familiar with any current plot lines to understand. After all, they want you “jumping on” and continuing with future issues. So, the story is either going to be a stand-alone story, or one that is “to be continued” to really get you wanting to come back for more.
It promotes reading!
The great thing about Free Comic Book Day is that, in addition to promoting the comic book companies’ merchandise, it promotes reading for everyone. Libraries tend to jump on this day because of that connection to literacy and offer other activities in conjunction with the free comics. The library near me, for example, has comic book trivia, printable coloring, and comic book art button-making. They even have a rapport with a local with a large comic book and comic statue collection. He brings his collection in to display for the envy of all that come see it.
If you have a comic book store near you, they too get into the Free Comic Book Day fun. It makes sense, if after your free taste, you want to come back for more. These stores will have likely gained a new customer.
Don’t have a comic book store near you?
Don’t be discouraged. This is the age of the Internet. You can buy subscriptions online and have the comics sent to you by mail. Plus, there are digital comics you can subscribe to and just read through your device of choice. Personally, I like having a comic book in hand. The sense of adventure and wonder that comes with flipping the page to see what happens next to ol’ Captain America or the one true Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, can’t be beaten.
Comic books are more popular than ever thanks to the gazillion comic book-related movies that come out yearly now. Thanks to that, they’ve lost the stigma that used to be associated with them in relation to being qualified as “reading”. Hey, if it gets a kid into reading that otherwise shows no interest? That’s a win!
Check out the video to get the full list of free comics that will be available this May 5th: