Happy Free Comic Book Day, everyone! Celebrate today by supporting your local comic book stores.
Free Comic Book Day (this year on August 14th) is known as the biggest event in the comic book industry! It’s all about a single day of participating in and buying from comic book specialty shops across North America. Some locations will give away comic books for free to anyone who comes to these select shops!
This day of the year was “founded on the belief that for every person out there, there’s a comic book they’ll love,” according to the official website. The fun event offers a large selection of free titles, and the selection is designed to “appeal to a broad range of age levels and their tastes”.
“Every year, the industry comes together to give away free comics and encourage both curious, first-time comic book readers and seasoned comic book fans to flock to the best place in the comic book community: local comic shops,” reads the website. Because every comic shop is unique to the community and store location, this day is also a celebration of comic readers and the sense of community reading can bring to even a small group of people.
#FCBD21 is tomorrow!
— Free Comic Book Day (@Freecomicbook) August 13, 2021
While you’re at your shop celebrating, don’t forget to check out the AR gallery of exclusive posters from @CocaCola and @Muaadib. PLUS, spin the prize wheel after the gallery to win all kinds of goodies: exclusive art, signed comics, & more! #FanOfFans pic.twitter.com/0e37CcZQMy
Especially during these times, we’re all missing our communities. And some free comics will be available digitally, too, in case you can’t make it down to your local store!
This year is special because it’s also the 20th anniversary of this event. Every year, big comic publishers such as Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and BOOM! Studios, in addition to several independent publishers, are giving out free comics for comic book fans in over 2,300 local comic shops.
You can find a participating shop at their official store locator, and discover plenty of titles and new shops near you. And if you can’t participate this year, this event is still great to learn about comic shops you can support and buy from in the future.
“The diverse range of titles available each year proves that there’s truly a book for everyone: from superheroes, to popular film and television shows, to beloved video games, and all-ages tales. Popular series available in the past include Pokemon, Doctor Who, SpongeBob, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Riverdale, Overwatch and Star Wars.”