EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE…BUT NOT THIS

Every year, on the first saturday of May, a celebration of all things comics takes place across comic book stores all across the country. Free Comic Book Day is a national event where comic book stores offer free comics provided by comic companies both big and small including IDW, Marvel, and DC Comics. The day was created with the purpose of introducing people to comics they might not have otherwise tried as well as introducing children to the world of comic books. This year 51 titles have been announced for free comic book day. Regarding Free Comic Book Day, Joe Field, creator and owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA, said  “Each year, we continue to push ourselves to bring fans the very best Free Comic Book Day experience. The caliber, strength and depth of this year’s comic book titles is fantastic and independent comic book shop retailers all over the world can’t wait to treat fans and customers to an incredible day of fun, discovery, and learning about comic books and comic book shops.”

If you’re not well versed in the comic book scene and need a familiar title to pick up, there are multiple comics based off of various hit TV shows such as: “Riverdale,” “Doctor Who,” “Stranger Things,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Deadly Class,” and even a special crossover comic featuring Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly.” Like anime and mangas? You’re in luck, “My Hero Academia” and “Kino’s Journey” are both getting their own special comic for the day. A surprising announcement was that Emil Ferris is putting out a 16-page exclusive called  “Our Favorite Thing is Our Things is Monsters.” The exclusive includes a six-page autobiographical story about the creation of her graphic novel “My Favorite Thing is Monsters” and a five-page “how-to” portion titled “How to Draw A Monster.” But for those that want their comics to feature superheros following the releases of films like “Shazam!,” “Hellboy,” “Captain Marvel,” “Glass,” and “Avengers: Endgame;” there won’t be a shortage of those either. “Justice League,” “The Avengers,” “Spider-Man,” “Catwoman,” “Spawn,” and “The Tick” are all getting their own comic for the event. For the full lineup click here.

The event’s official website posted tips for how to prepare for this year’s Free Comic Book Day, which takes place May 4. They recommend that you: find a participating comic book shop, contact your local comic book shop, browse the comic selection ahead of time, check out the Free Comic Book day social media pages, plan out your cosplay, plan to arrive early, and to have fun! According to them the best way to have fun is to  “dress up as your favorite comic book character!”

If you are unaware of any local comic stores and are in need of a recommendation, I highly recommend Infinity Flux in Chattanooga. Other stores near the area are B&M Amusement, Epikos (B&M and Epikos are located in Chattanooga), and The Fantasy Factory in Dalton.

The event’s website reads “Free Comic Book Day is the biggest celebration of comic books and a great time to discover new types of comics! It’s the perfect time to see what your local comic shop has in store, a time to read new comics, get kids involved in reading and have fun as a community! You will be able to meet a variety of comic fans and those who are new to comics that are discovering them for the first time. Head to your local participating comic shop for a day of fun and memories! One of the best ways to have fun is to dress up as your favorite comic book character!”