Speaking Volumes | Saturday, May 2 is Free Comic Book day
Every year, Free Comic Book Day takes place on the first Saturday in May.
The tradition began on May 4, 2002, as a way to bring more readers into independent comic book stores and get more people interested in comics. It is coordinated by Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest distributor in the comic book industry today.
The idea was first proposed in 2001 in the magazine Comics & Games Retailer by Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, Calif.. Given the success of freebie days in other industries, Field thought an event like this could have a great impact on comic book stores and their sales. He received positive feedback after submitting the idea in his column for the magazine and the event started to take shape.
Publisher Jim Valentino added further to the idea after suggesting the event take place during opening weekend of the 2002 “Spider-Man” movie starring Tobey Maguire, which premiered in the U.S. on May 3. They were hoping to capitalize on the promotion of the film as well as all the press circulating at the time about the comic book franchise. With the exception of 2004, when the event was held in July, the tradition has been to hold the event on the first Saturday in May, although this does not always coincide with a new superhero or comic based movie premiere.
What happens on Free Comic Book Day?
Each year, comic book stores, libraries, and other venues that participate in the event will purchase comic books that are specifically printed for this annual event and give them out for free! The books offer a huge selection for all age ranges and tastes. Some stores might also offer other special deals and contests and libraries will often host special activities.
This year, due to COVID-19, Free Comic Book Day has been postponed. Manatee County Public Libraries will have free comic books, candy, and other items to be given out at a later date. However, while Free Comic Book Day is postponed for this year, you can still celebrate by reading any of the hundreds of comics available through our digital library, Hoopla.
Some of this year’s free comics include Power Rangers, Donald Duck, and X-Men. Check out the following other titles on Hoopla featuring the same characters: Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People, Donald Duck Vol. 6: The Big Sneeze, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Introduce your kids to the wonder of comic books with these kid friendly titles: Diana: Princess of the Amazons, Minecraft: Stories from the Overworld, and Duck Tales.
You can also check out some of these Bonus Borrows on Hoopla that will not count towards your limit of 5 items per month: Avatar the Last Airbender Vol. 1 and Captain America Vol. 1.
Other resources online where you can read comic books include The Internet Archive and GoComics.
Speaking Volumes is written by staff members with the Manatee County Public Library System. Sylvia Osbourne is a librarian at the Central Library.