This year marks the eighth year of Free Comic Book Day, held this year on May 1, a comics industry-sponsored promotional event that supplies specially compiled comics from a wide range of publishers to comic book stores across the country to be given out for free, primarily to kids. .
The first FCBD was held in May 2002, according to Joe Field, the founder of FCBD and owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA. “At the time I came up with the idea,” said Field, “I was noticing comics rebounding from a difficult time in the late 90s, and I wanted to do something to call attention to the good stuff going on in comics.” At Diamond Comics Distributors’ Retailer Summit in 2001, “large publishers and Diamond and me got together in a meeting [and talked about whether] it was going to happen and how,” explained Field. “We agreed we needed to do it, and a good time was around the opening of the first Spiderman movie with the tremendous attention to comics it generated,” Field recalled. Now, Field said, “slightly under 2000 stores” take part in Free Comic Book Day, and he said this number is “a good indicator of stores totally devoted to comics.”
While Field said the number stores involved has remained fairly “constant, the number of comics has gone up.” Last year, according to Field, 2.2 million comics were ordered, and this year “just short of 2.5 million comics” were ordered. Of these 2.5 million comics, Field said, “probably 2 million will be given away on that day,” while the rest will be used by the stores as “giveaway items in the store, at local fairs, and community events.” There are two types of comics available: Gold Comics, 10 comics which are available at every store, and Silver Comics, 23 comics which are available at “different stores,” according to Field.
“Most of the stuff in the Gold level is all new,” stated Field. The Gold level this year includes original work from artist David Petersen’s Mouse Guard series and new material based on Jim Hensen’s Fraggle Rock TV-show from the 1980s supplied by their publisher, Archaia Entertainment. There’s also the start of the War of the Supermen series from DC; new Doctor Solar and Magnus stories from Dark Horse’s upcoming re-imagination of legendary heroes from the old Gold Key line of comics; an Iron Man and Thor special edition from Marvel; and Archie’s Summer Splash from Archie Comics. But, Field emphasized that “I never intended to make ‘All New Comic Book Day’; it’s Free Comic Book Day, and the goal of the thing is to attract new readers, bring back former readers, and thank consistent readers,” and therefore there will be something for everyone, whichever category one falls under.
Although Field admitted “we haven’t done a scientific poll, at my store we count at the door, and find out if they’re coming for the first time.” The “broad stroke number” of people who come out for FCBD nationally, Field estimated at about, “half a million people,” and at his store 1,000 to 1,200 people come in on FCBD. Of that number, Field said, “we generally have 25%” who are coming in for the first time. “Free Comic Book Day is based on free ice-cream scoop day,” said Field who explained that stores use FCBD to hook in new readers, “Give them a free scoop, but if you want the sundae, come back. Once a new reader gets a taste, they will come back.”
“We see new faces on Free Comic Book day that return,” continued Field. As well as getting people to return to the store, FCBD is an excellent opportunity not only to give away free comics, but sell some as well. Field said the event creates, “a party atmosphere around comics. It’s a flash mob; everyone there is in to it and can’t help want to check out what is going on and there’s free and other stuff that is available.” Field’s store and others, take advantage of this “party atmosphere” and “do special sales and events” on FBCD.
Field said this year Savage Dragon creator Erik Larson will be at his store signing, and they will have someone dressed up as Wolverine, always a crowd pleaser. With this year’s Free Comic Book Day around the corner, Field issued an appeal to anyone who is “planning on taking part in Free Comic Book Day, to bring a new person with them,” continuing that, “its new readers that make the difference to the business of comics.”
