Free Comic Book Day Review - 2006

A review of Free Comic Book Day, the day on May 6th where comic book retailers all over gave out great free comic books to their readers. Part literacy program, part small business appreciation day, and all great fun. Free Comic Book Day was a blast. Check out how it went down.

Free Comic Book Day Refresher

For those of you not in the know, Free Comic Book Day is a day set aside to celebrate the comic book stores that bring us our comics day in and day out. It has also become a literacy program, helping to get kids excited about reading. This is the fifth annual installment of the program.

The Stores

Free Comic Book Day was a blast! It was great to see all the kids, parents, teens, and other comic enthusiasts out and about getting free comic books, talking shop, and having a great time. I really enjoyed seeing the excitement of some of the patrons that wandered in and found out that they could get free comic books. I visited a couple of stores that day, Things From Another World and Z Games. Both are great comic and games shops in the Portland-Vancouver area and I was glad to be able to hang around and shoot some pictures of the event.

The Dark Side

At one store I visited, I ran into some interesting characters. A Jedi, Storm Trooper, Scout Trooper, Jango Fett, and a mini Clone Trooper were in attendance. The Dark Side Troopers are a local group of costume enthusiasts who lend a hand to many non-profit/not-for-profit groups. They were a very stylish in their Star Wars outfits and added a nice flare to the day.

In Conclusion

In the end, Free Comic Book Day was a great day filled with comic books, friends, and the places I love going to each and every week. Having parents who owned a small business, I know how hard it can be to make ends meet and support a family. These brick and mortar shops are the backbone of the comic book industry and without them, getting out comic books would be extremely difficult. I know I try to support the stores I visit and game at and hope you do to.