Ah, May, when the free comic books bloom again. If you had asked me when the first Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) was, I'd have said five or six years ago. Incredibly to my addled brain, on May 4th we had the 13th FCBD. On Free Comic Book Day, publishers print up special issues which retailers then purchase at a reduced price to give away free to their customers. This year a record 52 comics were offered.
As a dad of young boys, I was glad to see a large chunk of those were comics truly aimed at kids. Well-known names like Sesame Street, Snoopy, Smurfs, Tinkerbell and even Pippi Longstocking were represented. My superhero-obsessed sons were naturally drawn to the comics promoting upcoming Batman and Hulk cartoons (which they're maybe a couple of years away from watching). My five year old was especially interested in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which he's heard the kids talk about at school but thankfully has been alien to our DVR.
They like the old school cartoons, as you can see from their homemade shirts. The Spider-Man shirt is just a screen grab from Google Images, but my pal Jim Alexander designed the Wonder Twins shirt for me. Sadly, the printer ran out of ink before daddy could make a shirt.
FCBD has grown into quite the event. Comic book shops will also have sales, costumed characters, creator appearances. Some have all three, like my pals at Up Up and Away who reported having their best single day ever. Here's my son Noah with Spidey and Black Cat.
Up Up and Away hosted "Walking Dead" co-creator Tony Moore, signing and doing sketch cards. One fan had Tony sign this WLKG DED license plate. Too cool!
Moore's wife, Kara, volunteered to do face painting for the kids. Both of mine asked for Cap's shield on their cheeks.
After Up Up and Away, we trekked to Comic Book World in Florence for more fun and free comics. I'm already thinking about what shirts to make for next year!
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