Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day was conceived by Joe Field, a California-based comics retailer, event promoter and partner in WonderCon.[1] In 2001, Field noted how successful feature films based on comic book franchises were providing the comic book industry with a positive cultural and financial turnaround from the speculator bust of the mid-1990s.[1][2] In his August 2001 "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, inspired by Free Scoop Night at the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor next to his store, Field proposed Free Comic Book Day.[1][3] The column received positive reaction and Jim Valentino, co-founder of Image Comics, suggested having the first FCBD coincide with the opening weekend of the 2002 Spider-Man feature film, in order to take advantage of the film's heavy promotion and related press about the comic book medium.[1][4] The first event was held May 4, 2002, the day after the film's opening and its first four free comic books published were Marvel Comics' Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (reprint of its issue published in 2000), the Dark Horse Comics' one-shot, Star Wars Tales: A Jedi’s Weapon, Image Comics/Top Cow Productions' one-shot Tomb Raider #1½ and the first issue of DC Comics' Justice League Adventures comic book based on the Justice League animated television series.[1][5][6][7] The event has usually been held on the first Saturday in May, and is often cross-promoted with the release of a feature film.

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, which facilitates and promotes the event,[3] over 2,000 stores participated in the inaugural Free Comic Book Day and gave away more than 2 million comic books[8] from 4 publishers.[9] The following year, 29 publishers participated.[8] Attendance at FCBD 2012 exceeded one million, with over 3.5 million comics given away.[1][10] In 2015, 2,340 retailers ordered 5.6 million comic books to give away.[11]

Alternative logo for the 2020 alteration to Free Comic Book Summer

Artist Jim Lee holds a signed FCBD edition of The New 52 at Midtown Comics in Manhattan.

While giving out free comic books on FCBD, participating retailers often run additional promotions. This can include sales on selected merchandise, creator signings, prize raffles, cosplay contests, charity drives, karaoke,[12] and art exhibitions.[13] The event quickly grew to become a major celebration of comic book culture[14] and fan clubs may volunteer to support local stores and help manage the crowds of people attracted to the event. Cosplayers may be enlisted to entertain the lines outside the stores and pose for photos.[12]

Among some retailers, FCBD has been more grandly organized. A FCBD "shop hop" cross-promotion in London, Ontario, Canada, encourages people to visit five downtown comic shops for entry into a prize draw, and has evolved into a street festival. Cosplayers parade along the street which is chalked with murals, and many other businesses along the route cater to the theme.[14][15] Mesa, Arizona, and Portsmouth, England, have each expanded FCBD into a two-day comics convention.[16][17]

FCBD 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after Diamond met resistance[18][19] to the idea of changing it to a month-long event to accommodate local restrictions.[20] On the weekend of the cancelled event, Alt Free Comic Days was held online, streaming panel discussions with comics creators and artists.[21] In mid-May, when it resumed shipments to retailers, Diamond Comics launched the Back The Comeback campaign. Merchandise sales and proceeds from a planned auction would go to three industry charities to support comics and game shops.[22][23][24] In early June, Marvel announced that it will be releasing its two issues on specific days in July. The X-Men issue, a prelude to the "X of Swords" storyline, would be released on July 15, and the Spider-Man/Venom issue would be released on July 22.[25] On June 18, 2020, FCBD 2020 was announced as "Free Comic Book Summer" for July 15 to September 9, featuring weekly shipments of select previously-announced titles.[26] On December 17, 2020, FCBD 2021 was moved to August 14 from the normal day in May "in the hopes that much of the uncertainty and disruption related to COVID-19 will have passed."[27]

Notes

Diamond Comics organizes and facilitates FCBD, guided by a committee representing publishers, industry journalists, retailers, and its own management.[3] This committee selects the titles from publishers with the aim of providing a wide variety of what the industry has to offer.[36] The committee also investigates potential dates for the event which are then decided by a vote among retailers.[40]

Publishers pay for production of the give-away comic books and retailers pay the cost of printing the books that they order. Titles are divided by sponsorship level, price and anticipated demand into two tiers; participating retailers are required to carry all titles from the top tier, and may carry any or none of the second-tier titles. In 2007, the costs to the retailer were 12 to 24 cents per copy for the top tier and as high as 50 cents for the second tier.[41] The minimum buy-in is about $50.[3]

A Wonder Woman cosplayer reading a FCBD edition of Graphic Elvis by independent publisher Liquid Comics.

The goal of the promotion is to showcase the breadth of the comics industry by putting comic books in the hands of people who might not otherwise read comics, or comic readers who might not otherwise read those titles.[29] At least 50 titles were available on FCBD each year from 2014 to 2018.[42][11][43][13] Most of the FCBD comic books are produced specifically for the promotion, and can become collector items.[5][12] On some occasions, retailers have partnered with publishers to make custom covers exclusive to their stores.[12][13]

Most books are complete 32-page single-issue stories serving as an introduction point for newcomers. These may be in the form of a "zero issue" prelude to a new story arc.[4][44] There have also been flip-books with two separate stories, or samplers with a number or short pieces.[12][45] Non-fiction titles have included collectors' guides, art books, biographies of prominent creators, and histories of the comics industry.[42] For 2020, age ratings were added to identify all-ages, teen, and mature content.[46] Stores may also be provided with posters or other merchandise to give away in cross-promotions with associated films.[38]

According to organizers, in the 2010s each year's event brought about one million people to comic shops[1] and gave away about five million comics.[47] Marc Nix of IGN called FCBD a "wonderful comic nerd holiday"[29] and F. Andrew Taylor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said it was like "a combination of Christmas, Halloween and Burning Man" to fans.[12] Scott Thill of Wired wrote that "Free culture has rarely paid off so handsomely, for fans or publishers."[4] Diamond Comics reported that media coverage of the 2014 event was equivalent to $3.2 million in publicity.[48]

There have been criticisms of the focus on the event, questioning whether centering promotions at comic book shops is the best way to reach new comic book readers.[3] Other criticisms center around the selection of titles and their cost to retailers. Many retailers only order the titles they know are marketable at their stores,[3][41] and are reluctant to invest in promoting titles they can't sell for the rest of the year. This results in promoting the same titles that customers are already reading instead of exposing them to new titles.[41] The number of titles has also caused concern for some retail staff and journalists, who find it challenging to gain familiarity with all 50 to 60 titles to make recommendations.[41][42]

2011 FCBD at Nexus Comics in Iceland

Gratis Comic Tag (GCT) was launched in 2010, held in comics shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the Saturday following FCBD. Eighteen publishers participate, with about 35 titles offered for free.[5][43][49][50][51]

The Netherlands and Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) have also observed Free Comic Book Day, beginning on May 5, 2012.[43][52]

Halloween ComicFest is an annual promotion launched by Diamond Comics in 2012, held roughly six months from FCBD on the Saturday before Halloween. This event similarly offers free comic books to visitors at comic shops, with the titles having a "spooky" theme. Participating retailers typically host a Halloween party with activities including a costume contest. Sixteen publishers took part in the 2013 event.[53] In 2019, there were 28 free titles available, including 9 mini-comics which could be purchased in packs, intended to be given away to trick-or-treaters or as party favors, spreading the effective range of the promotion.[54]

Children's Book Week (CBW), organized by American non-profit Every Child a Reader, was moved to May in 2008.[55] FCBD was named as an official CBW event, launching Children's Book Week, and the two organizations partner in promoting child literacy. In 2015, FCBD carried the literacy guide Raising A Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love to Read! among its free titles.[56]

Inspired by Free Comic Book Day, the pen-and-paper roleplaying game industry started Free RPG Day on June 15, 2007.[57][58] It is a moveable event held on the third Saturday in June.

• Star Wars Day, which occasionally coincides with FCBD

• Free Comic Book Day
• Miller, John Jackson (May 2, 2012). Original magazine article suggesting "Free Comic Book Day, from 2002 to today". The Comics Chronicles.