The first Saturday of May has been Free Comic Book Day for over two decades, serving as a celebration of a community and an opportunity to invite others to join in. Your friendly local comic shop will be carrying a selection of free comics (usually previews of upcoming comics or samples of other comics already out there) across a range of publishers, characters, and subject matter. Additionally, most shops also offer other deals on collections, graphic novels, back issues, and merch, so it’s worth checking out for far more than just the free stuff. For Free Comic Book Day, my local shop (Words & Pictures in Calgary AB) does great deals as well makes a point of including family friendly titles and has an entire section for younger readers.

There are plenty of titles to check out (see the home site for more details)

It’s also a great time to pick up essentials like bags for single issues and long boxes for your collection. I usually pick up a couple of short boxes to carry my purchase in. It’s also not a bad opportunity to take a chance on some staff picks. It’s how I started following Manifest Destiny (an eldritch retelling of the Lewis & Clark expedition across America, something that might become inspiration for a Call of Cthulhu Down Darker Trails adventure) among others.

    Many comic shops have a corner dedicated to TTRPGs / board games / collectible card games. For many of them, it brings in the cash that keeps those doors open as more folks turn to electronic subscription services and big box book stores. I’m gonna admit, I remain a fan of the brick and mortar stores and even with the numerous PDF RPG products I pick up, I still try to do what I can to spend what I can to help support that local community spot.

    And on days like Free Comic Book Day (both in May and October), you really get to see that community in action.

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