May the Fourth be with you. Saturday, May 4, 2024 is Free Comic Book Day all over the world. Many specialty stores in the USA will be giving away free comic books. If you live near one of them, you’re in for a treat!

Most comic book and hobby stores will be sent special comic books for this day by the major publishers. The average store will have piles of comics laid out on a card table for visitors to examine. All stores have limits. Some will let visitors choose three books, some will let them choose five. Some will only let each visitor choose one. Some stores will have local artists selling and signing their work. A few stores, like CenterPoint in Millington, TN, will have refreshments. All will invite you to buy their other merchandise at full price. The hope, of course, is you’ll be interested enough to return to the shop on another date and buy merchandise at full price. It’s a chance to get some free reading material and see old friends, maybe make new friends.

Many publishers use Free Comic Book Day to launch new books, so this is a good chance to get a free comic book that might be wiorth a pretty penny in a few years, if you’re one of those people who sees comic books as an investment rather than for fun.. There will be superhero boos, occult adventures, children’s cartoons, sword and sorcery, science fiction, old favorites, and brand new material. You can’t beat the price. You might want to call first, to double check the hours at your nearest store.

The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) Retailer Selection Committee has selected forty-eight comic book titles for the industry’s most anticipated annual event to take place on Saturday, May 4, at participating comic shops worldwide.

A committee of comic shop retailers chose forty-eight titles to be available on Free Comic Book Day: twelve Gold Sponsor comics and thirty-six Silver Sponsor comics that give fans an opportunity to discover new titles and genres. This year’s selection of Silver Sponsor comics includes beloved franchises such as Star Wars, Monster High, Maleificent, Doctor Who, Street Fighter, and One Piece. Other notable Silver Sponsor titles are available from ABLAZE, Archie Comics, First Second Books, Massive Publishing and more.

“Every year, we strive to bring fans a memorable Free Comic Book Day experience! We know comic book retailers are looking forward to treating their communities to a day of fun and discovery, and we think this year’s comic book selection really reflects that!” said Ashton Greenwood, Free Comic Book Day spokesperson. “The variety of this year’s comic book selection is really exciting! There’s something for every kind of fan, from long-time readers to the comic book curious.”

Comic books are part of our cultural heritage. Go do some reading. Make a family outing of it. Go choose some new comic books, then picnic in the park if the weather is nice or stop at a fast food place. I hope you and your family are looking forward to this Saturday as much as my family and I are.

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