davidh777

https://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Trevor

Debating my course of action this year. My local shop is great and always has a full selection, allows ten books with a food shelter donation, has talent in for signings, and large crowds. I then cruise around the state hitting a few more shops to check out the action.

But to guarantee getting all ~50 books, I’ve been making huge orders at Mile High Comics the last several years. Iirc, $400 gets you one of everything. Not sure if they’re doing it this year, or if I want to go that route. Trying to collect all the FCBD books (it started in 2002 while I was largely out of the hobby) is a goal of sorts, although I’m still hundreds behind, so perhaps I should quit now.

TheBang

You can order a full set for $40, plus shipping, here:

http://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bi...1321&snumber=1

According to the newsletter, that bundle contains 54 issues.

Trevor

Cool, thanks. That’s easier than trying to find things there that aren't crazy overpriced. Though to be honest, in past years I usually stuck to dollar books and they’d have a 40-50% off code; so I’d end up buying 800 books just to get the freebies. Jen will like this plan a lot better; but it feels weird outright paying for the books.

TheBang

The $40 you pay is actually a donation to the Matthew Shepherd Foundation, so maybe that can help you feel less weird about it.

PhantomStranger

Something like this would have tempted me in prior years, but FCBD has lost some of its charm for me. The freebies are only occasionally worth it and shops are always packed end to end on the day. I really wish they expanded it to Free Comic Book Weekend or something.

I do wonder if this event has been a success for the industry.

stingermck

Same, I could give a shit about FCBD now. The books are never that great. But then again, its not for me.

jjcool

I was wondering about that as well. Surely there must be some rules in place about shops selling the "free" books, right? Glad that the money is going to a worthy cause.

Why So Blu?

Don't forget to check with your local libraries - they participate in FCD, too.

davidh777

Honestly I haven't read a ton of the issues I've picked up, and many of them will be available digitally later. My LCS offers discounts on other stuff as well, but that has less appeal when I'm mostly digital. But they have moved to a temporary space while they remodel so I might drop in to see that and grab some freebies.

Josh-da-man

Most of these just seem like advertising.

The only times I've ever felt like I really need a FCBD book is when it features new content of something I collect in singles like that Walking Dead issue with the short stories, and Dark Horse's Serenity comics. I can'timagine wanting all fifty of these things, even if they were free.

Mike86

The only reason I ever went to Free Comic Book Day was because it usually would work out where there’s a new film releasing and my friends and I would use it as an excuse for a quick road trip and go to the comic book store the next day because where we go has a fifty percent off sale the same day. That was always the real attraction and half the time I didn’t even get any of the freebies. I probably won’t go this year because we just went last weekend for Infinity War. The free titles are garbage half the time anyways. I think the best one I got was a reprint of the first TMNT issue I believe a few years back. Otherwise I’d pick up stuff like the Bongo/Simpsons comics just because I like the show and they seem to have one yearly.

Trevor

I usually really enjoy the FCBD offerings, although I’ve probably only read a quarter of them each year.

My local local shop wasn’t nearly as crowded this year. Still a line waiting for the shop to open, and a line out the door for the first hour it was open. Not as much talent this year, and the sales weren’t as good. A far cry from past years with cosplayers in the parking lot, talent like Matt Wagner inside, and every new comic $1 sales. I may go back later and check out Doomsday Clock; was going to trade wait, but I want to buy something today.

The farther but still very local shop is growing, and may become a back issue search destination if I ever get organized. Six freebies there, as opposed to ten at the other.

BobO'Link

My LCS had a packed store but plenty of titles and a group in cosplay outfits in the parking lot to wave at passing vehicles. They have a 4 free book limit but if you spend at least $10 you can get another 4 plus for every $10 spent you get an entry for your choice from a dozen or so limited edition/signed TPB titles. You can also purchase entries (very cheap 1/$1, 6/$5, 15/$10) rather than go for the "free" option. Shelf comics are 4/$11, 25% off trades, and 50% off kids trades. The sale prices started yesterday and continue into tomorrow (the only day of the year they're open on Sunday).

I took the grandkids and they each found 4 books they thought sounded good. I only wanted Brian K. Vaughan's "Barriers" as it's the full #1 of that new weekly series in a standard comic size (the regular #1, as well as #2-#5, is supposed to be large format - I dislike those but it's also said it won't be collected in a trade). I didn't read it online (and likely will not) so this is a way to see if I really want that mini-series. With it having one strike against it due to the size it's nice to be able to read #1 without an investment. I also picked up "The Tick" (as I've done every year) but let the kids get stuff they wanted for the other 6 I was entitled to (I picked up some trades for them as well as a few floppies and put my tickets in the drawing for a signed Batman TPB).

story

The four-year-old is now six, and this year we brought her four-year-old sister along for the ride. Lots of excitement, especially right at the front door with a cosplaying Princess Leia (Endor poncho) taking photos with them. Like last time, they thought it was cool to see so many of my G.I. Joe toys in the store and we had fun pointing out how many Yoda figures, plushies, statues, etc. there were around the store. Funny trying to explain who Star Wars characters were when the 4-year-old has only seen half the movies.

This time we brought some of their birthday money, $6 apiece, so they could get something (nice sale: 30% off toys, 40% off apparel, 50% off back issues). After a lot of, "That's not in our budget," because who knew a vinyl Pinkie Pie bank could still be $25 after a 30% off sale, they both settled on something they really, really wanted: the 6-year-old got a Yoda plushie and the 4-year-old got a vintage Casper the Ghost with pop-out eye action. There was another guy who got the Casper glow-in-the-dark villain ghost and I almost felt like having her open it in the store in front of him while she waited in line for a drawing (local artists were doing amazing sketches, got one of Princess Leia), but I thought better of it.

Got plenty of free books, and I picked up a working Alpha Star motorized space tank by Fisher Price (no trailer, sadly) on sale for $15. The kids are excited to use it with my G.I. Joes, which is exactly how I used it back when I was their age. We also got free enamel Spider-Gwen pins of impressive quality, particularly for a free item.

A good morning at our friendly neighborhood comic book shop.

Trevor

I ended up going back out to my local store, and it’s sister store about 20 miles away. Picked up some more freebies, but mainly I decided to take advantage of their 25% off supplies deal. Picked up two drawer boxes at each store, as I slowly continue my quest to convert all my old longboxes to these awesome ‘new’ drawer boxes.

Haven’t read a freebie yet, unless you count DC Nation, but I brought some in with me to work, so hopefully I’ll check a few out today.

Trevor

My wife insisted on taking this pic to memorialize my favorite holiday.

PhantomStranger

I don't think I've ever seen a life-sized Hulk statue before. That thing must be over 8' tall.

majorjoe23

Needs more penis on shoulder (is that Hulk pic still around the forum somewhere?)

davidh777

Great Hulk pic!

I was in and out all day and trying to figure when to go, then it was all over.

majorjoe23

“I was in and out all day and trying to figure when to go, then it was all over.” Title of your sex tape, boom!

Sorry.

Edison

I ended up going to 4 stores 2 mall stores, and 2 stand alone. One mall store had a limit of 2 freebies everywhere else was a limit of 3, but the 2 comic shops let you get an additional 3 with a purchase.

I ended up with most everything I wanted except the Avengers/Captain America which was out everywhere except the first place that had a limit of 2, and it wasn't one of 2 I grabbed there.

davidh777

That too.

robin2099

They shipped them out to movie theatres when The Incredible Hulk came out. I would love to have one but dont know what I would do with it.

I thought FCBD was kind of lame this year. No titles really peaked my interest, enthusiasm from fans didn't seem to be there and not having it open with a Marvel movie lost some of the magic.

Obi-Wanma

Due to other commitments on Saturday, I didn't make it to my local store until 5PM. Most of the free stuff was gone, but they still had 10-12 titles. Some of it was backstock that they threw into the mix though and not the actual FCBD titles.

Most of the stuff my kids wanted (SpongeBob, Adventure Time, Bob's Burgers, Pokemon, Invader Zim, Star Wars, etc) was gone. They did still have plenty of Spidey and Avengers/CA though, and they let us pick 6 titles each from what they did have.

We tried going to another store because my kids were disappointed, but all they had there was DC Nation.