The first Saturday in March is Derby Day, down in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s also Free Comic Book Day at comic shops from coast to coast. And this year it’s ALSO May 4, making it Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth be with you!”) even unto galaxies far, far away, making this Saturday a Triple Crown all by itself!
*So, anyhow… Free Comic Book Day. You dont find newsstands very much any more, supermarkets and drug stores usually don’t carry comic books these days, and comic book shops are suffering like all other small businesses beneath the weight of Internet sales.
*But even before the Internet, shops and publishers were collaborating on Free Comic Book Day… a way to reward established readers and invite new ones… and also, in many cases, introduce new titles, characters, and lines.
*In most cases, it’s pretty simple. You walk into the shop, look around and pick up a few of the specially-marked free items. You might think about making a purchase or two. The comics are free to the customer, but they still cost the dealer a quarter apiece.
*In case you’d been wondering, comics are not all superheroes, and the superheroes themselves are not all Dark Knights and Grim Crusaders. So it’s safe to take the kids! Archie and his gang are still hanging out. Mickey and Donald, Pluto and Goofy are still all over the stands. There are also romance comics, war stories, non-fiction, science fiction, and more – just about every genre under the sun.
*Most stores also lay on refreshments or entertainment, and sometimes artists or writers are on hand to sign their work.
*So, where can you go in our coverage area?
*I expect to be at my favorite comic book store, Heroes Your Mom Threw Out, in Elmira Heights. Jared Aiossa is our host, and I’ve been shopping there ever since my sharp-eyed wife spotted his ad on the Smallville TV show, many years agone. Being as I’m a regular, Jared knows what new titles to steer me toward, and which ones I probably wouldn’t care for. He also does a lot to promote art in the community.
*Comics for Collectors is in the Collegetown section of Ithaca, bouyed no doubt by the large local university propulation. (For a long time Tim also had a branch, of honored memory, on Market Street in Corning.) His selection is always good, and he’s right off the Ithaca Commons, so there’s plenty more to explore and shop at.
*Pulp Nouveau is on Main Street in Canandaigua. It’s fun to just keep walking deeper into the store, away from the street. Main Street also has a needlework store, and plenty of other businesses, just in case some members of your family are disposed in other directions. Domestic harmony!
*Two Kings in Victor (“where everybody is treated like royalty!”) is a great small shop that recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, making it about the youngest store on our list (most of them are decades old). Independent comic creator Joe Pangrazio (Heroclix Team World Champion) will be joining them.
*I was at Collector’s Choice in Brockport last year a couple of weeks before Free Comic Book Day – boy! Was that store packed with boxes waiting to be unloaded! Collector’s Choice is also an excellent donation if you plan to arrive via the Erie Canal.
*I recently made plans to visit Center Field Cards and Comics in Endicott, but got sidetracked by an out-of-state funeral. It’s still on my list to visit, though!
*It’s always a good idea to double-check with each individual store just to make sure they’re participating, to find out their hours (which may be different on FCBD), and to see what special events they might have laid on. Maybe I’ll see you! Happy reading!