davidh777

Free Comic Book Day is May 7, 2016

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/992

jjcool

I've never experienced a Free Comic Book Day. What's it like? Do stores go all out for it?

Josh-da-man

Probably the only one I'd be interested in is the Serenity book from Dark Horse.

davidh777

It depends on the store. I have two local places I hit. One restricts the number of free books to four (though they don't monitor) and also has a floppy sidewalk sale and 30% discounts on everything else in the store plus a cosplayer or two. The other store doesn't restrict freebies but only offers 10% off other stuff.

I usually hit the first store (my primary store) and grab what I want, then go to the second to get some others. Selection will vary depending on how much traffic they've been getting, I think, so my first priority is (1) books I know I want to read and (2) major publishers, figuring that the smaller companies' books won't be in as much demand.

Some stores bring in talent as well. You can read last year's thread for stories and details.

Trevor

Sweet, thanks for the reminder to take vacation time.
Some go all out and have pros in for signings, free food, etc. some barely acknowledge it.

Check the past threads for some cool stories. I met Matt Wagner and John Synder at last year's.

Mike86

As usual I'm not that interested in the free comics but like to take advantage of going out as a store I go to on occasion (its not in town but a few hours from where I live) has an annual sale. Typically its been traditional the last few years that my friends and I go the Friday before to whatever comic related film is opening and then to Free Comic Book Day the next day but I work Friday this year so I'm not sure if we'll still be going.

The Valeyard

I'm going to be screwed this year. I'm heading out to Tampa for work that week and won't be able to hit my usual haunts. I'm going to start calling stores around Tampa to see what they have to offer. My kids will have to hit our closest store to pick up stuff I may miss.

jjcool

That's on my lsit as well. I am also interested in the Suicide Squad and Avengers books.

Thanks for the info David. I figured that some stores would have other stuff going on that day. I will have to check and see what my local stores are doing. A sale would be great, as they have a lot of books that I am interested in, but not at full price. Do all stores get the same free books? If so, I assume it is a first come first served situation and when they run out, that is it.

I must admit that I was not familiar with the names, but did look them up. That's cool that some stores make the day an event, and almost seem to have a mini con type atmosphere to it. Hopefully one of my local stores will do something exciting.

majorjoe23

A local shop usually does 50% off all comics on FCBD, including new issues from that week. But if you get there too late, they're really picked over.

My favorite shop brought in Scottie Young two years ago. That was pretty sweet. I got a free Rocket Raccoon sketch.

Trevor

Worst case scenario, you could do what I foolishly do each year. Buy $300 worth of back issues from Mile High and get all the FCBD books included. I usually pick $1 books or books just from their weekly 50% off sales, which makes the books almost normal price.

Mike86

The shop I go to gives 50% off on not only single issue comics but on trades too. Its a nice time to stock up or get some titles I may have otherwise been iffy on getting.

PhantomStranger

The way shops handle FCBD varies dramatically. Most stores do something but check out a wide range, because a few really go all out.

majorjoe23

That's pretty sweet. They just do 35% off trades.

The Valeyard

That would not go over well with my wife.

mrhan

I usually take my kids and read whatever they get but I will pick this one up for sure. I have a promo poster for it that his daughter signed.

davidh777

I assume all stores get the same titles and don't have to request stock from a bunch of different publishers, but I can't say for sure. They do tend to have the same selection available with a few exceptions, which is why I think they get all the same stuff and demand just makes some titles go faster. If retailers were picking and choosing, they probably wouldn't even bother with some of the titles.

To my knowledge, the stores can only display this stuff on FCBD. One of my stores will often bring out stuff from previous years, which I guess is kosher. I'm surprised they'd hold onto it that long, honestly.

Yeah, I actually get more reading out of the trades I pick up than the free books. This way I can actually support my local store without paying an arm and a leg for cover price.

jjcool

I really want to give my local store more business, I really do. I just can't justify paying $125 for a hardcover omnibus that I can get off amazon for less than $40. Extreme example, I know. But a discount of even 30% would go a long way. I am willing to pay a little more to support my local store, but I am not going to throw money away.

PhantomStranger

Each store orders the Free issues they want to carry. Some stores order every single different free title, while other stores go with a much smaller selection. FCBD has different levels with only a few key issues that will be carried by every participating store.

Why So Blu?

I get them all from my library. Libraries do participate in Comic Book Day.

The Valeyard

Now I have to check libraries in Tampa.


In the past, have they carried every title or just a handful of the more popular ones?

Trevor

Stores (and libraries maybe?) actually do have to pay for every book, so I'm guessing that not every library stocks them, especially all of them.

davidh777

Cool, thanks. So there is a pick-and-choose element to it, though it sounds like they are placing an order from a single source. Do we have any idea what this costs them?

PhantomStranger

One shop told me their cost is basically $1 per book, though I wasn't sure if the guy meant the entire promotional budget for the day or not. Each shop has to pay some nominal fee for the issues, which is why some comic book stores really don't participate that much.

The Valeyard

They range from like .35¢ to $1.00 per issue depending on which company is releasing it. Bigger companies can afford to charge less while the little companies charge more. Comics Factory in Pasadena gets EVERYTHING each year but limits 10 per customer.

Maybe I should just fly back home for the day?

Why So Blu?

My library has gotten and will probably get about 75% of all free comic book day titles.