Shops celebrate Free Comic Book Day May 2
Baseball fans await Opening Day. Golf aficionados look for the Masters Tournament as the beginning of another season on the links.
Comic books fans have another rite of spring: Free Comic Book Day, the first Saturday in May. Since 2002, FCBD, as it is known, has become a significant day for hardcore fans, casual readers, and store owners.
Publishers, ranging from the Big Two (Marvel and DC Comics) to smaller independent companies, release a host of special books on FCBD. These titles typically feature all-new stories that tease upcoming series or storylines.
Few things attract people more than the word “free.” Owners take advantage of the increased traffic in their stores by offering deep discounts on back issues, trade paperback collections, and graphic novels.
“There’s a great selection of free comics this year,” says Steve Conte, owner of Funnybook Comics & Stuff in Lake Hiawatha. “You have all-ages books, like ‘Pokémon’ and ‘SpongeBob Squarepants,’ plus cool new books like ‘Fight Club.’ ”
Some shops offer other incentives. For example, Fat Moose Comics in Whippany will feature in-store appearances by six student artists from the Kubert School in Dover, one of the first schools to offer degrees in sequential art.
“These artists are phenomenally talented,” says Scott Hughes, owner of Fat Moose. “Plus, it’s great for them. The school prepares them for drawing, but it doesn’t prepare them for interacting with fans at a convention. That’s part of the process.”
Though critics occasionally pen obituaries for the comic books, the field is actually healthy, according to Hughes, who also owns Highlander Games and Comics in Boonton. (That store is not participating in FCBD.)
Two other Morris County stores are taking part in FCBD: All in One Collectibles in Randolph and Dewey’s Comic City in Madison.
“Our industry has had ups and downs, but now we’re on the rise,” Hughes says. “There’s heightened interest and awareness. This culture is now part of the mainstream.”
Hughes points to films such as “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (which opens today), TV series such as “The Flash” and “Gotham,” and the Netflix series of “Daredevil” as examples of entertainment that have people curious about comics.
In addition, several popular TV series – including “Orphan Black,” “Game of Thrones,” and “Doctor Who” – are being adapted into comic book series. One upcoming title offers an offbeat crossover: “Archie Versus Predator.”
Conte singles out the new “Daredevil” series as a thrilling example of a high-quality series that can please fans while still being accessible to the general public.
In addition, the major publishers are taking advantage of the timing of FCBD in terms of subject matter.
For example, DC currently has a crossover storyline called “Convergence” that will result in major changes for some of its characters. The company’s FCBD book offers advance looks at the changes that will be instituted in June.
Meanwhile, Marvel has its own universe-shaking storyline, “Secret Wars,” that will be the subject of its own FCBD book.
However, both Conte and Hughes says that independent publishers have also been generating considerable excitement lately. Image Comics, which publishes “The Walking Dead,” has been especially active in producing cutting-edge material.
The Image feel, which could be likened to the indie film movement, is filtering into some Marvel and DC titles. Conte gives the examples of a rebooted “Batgirl” book and a new “Ms. Marvel,” who is a Pakistani-American teen living in Jersey City.
“I call it hipster-izing,” says Conte. “These books are geared to all ages and are not necessarily tied in to the larger universes.” He also cites “Gotham Academy,” about teen students in a Hogwarts-like school with a casual connection to Batman.
Hughes feels that the renaissance in comics is likely to continue, particularly as more readers discover the books. “We’ve been waiting for three or four years for a bump in interest,” he says. “Now, it’s here.”
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
WHAT: Annual nationwide initiative in which comic book shops offer special free books from a number of publishers, as well as deeply discounted back issues, graphic novels, and trade paperback collections.
WHEN: Saturday, May 2
WHERE: The following Morris County stores are participating in Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 2:
• All In One Collectibles, 540 Route 10, Randolph. 973-664-0912, www.allinonecollectibles.com, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Dewey’s Comic City, 13 Park Ave., Madison. 973-593-0042, www.deweyscomiccity.com, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Fat Moose Comics, 53a Parsippany Rd., Whippany. 973-884-4898, www.fatmoosecomics.com, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Funnybook Comics & Stuff, 98 N. Beverwyck Rd., Lake Hiawatha. 973-263-1733, www.funnyrama.com, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
INFORMATION: www.freecomicbookday.com