There is this thing in the comic book industry that is pure gold…and it’s called Free Comic Book Day. On that special day, comic book shops in a bunch of different countries designate certain comic books to give away for free. They even bring in authors, artists, colorists, editors, publishers, etc. to sign the comic books and to talk to fans. Okay, it sounds a little crazy to just give a bunch of comic books away for free, buy truly…Free Comic Book Day is true genius.
On Sunday, May 8th, I decided to pop into my local comic book shop in Salem, MA. Harrison’s Comics & Pop Culture is a pretty big store with lots of variety.The staff is also very knowledgeable and helpful.
Harrison’s is also well-kept, bright, and clean. There’s a game room down stairs, and you can literally get lost for hours wandering from rack to rack looking as comics, posters, and toys.
I really wasn’t planning to buy anything, but while I was there, I found some great comics that I just had to have in addition to the freebies.
One of the freebies was the PREVIEWS comic magazine for the “DC Universe Rebirth” series that will be launching soon, which will also include the new Wonder Woman comic book series by Greg Rucka, Liam Sharp, Nicola Scott Art, and Paulo Siqueira.
Regarding the Wonder Woman “Rebirth” series, the story, the art, and the coloring all look amazing. It comes out in June 2016 and should be fantastic. There are a bunch of other articles, artwork, etc in the PREVIEWS issue. It’s literally packed with every superhero that is going to be part of the “Rebirth” series. I’m definitely thrilled to have picked this up!
Some of the other comics that I bought include the new Dresden Files comic (which should be fun!), Lock & Key #1 by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodrigues (which only cost $1), and a couple of Justice League of America comics that (I admit) I bought because I loved the old skool art work on the covers, which feature my favorite girl–“Wonder Woman.” All in all, a very good day!
Harrison’s also has a fantastic Star Wars section, which I spent far too much time perusing. I would have liked to see more options that feature Rey, but I have a feeling that once the film trilogy is done, we’ll see more Rey stories in the Star Wars comics and novels.
…and they also have a great selection of Doctor Who comics!
I am hoping that the trend will catch on with book stores. I think it would be great for bookstores to do a Free Book Day in which they give away stuff for free to help promote reading, books, etc. Plus, anything to encourage people to come into a bookstore rather than buying online is a good thing.
If you managed to pick up a few comics at your local shop on Free Comic Book Day, let me know what you picked up. I’d love to see what you got!
Did you find any favorites? Did you get anything signed? What comic book shop did you end up visiting? I want to know!
