This Saturday is the first Saturday of May, which means the return of Free Comic Book Day.
Manager of Showcase Comics and Hobbies Dylan Purcell says the store does all kinds of stuff to celebrate the day. “The free comics are what brings people in, but at this stage of Free Comic Book Day, the tradition of it has set in. It’s been a long time now.”
It’s always one of the store’s biggest sale days of the year, as well. “Pretty much anything you buy is going to be on sale.”
People have seemed to build Free Comic Book Day into their schedule that first Saturday in May, notes Purcell.
“They show up every year with their families. I really like it because it brings a lot of kids into the store. There’s like this busy, loud energy the full nine hours we’re open,” Purcell adds. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I wouldn’t want to do it every month, but it sure is fun the once a year we get to do it.”
Free Comic Book Day is a chance for people who may not be plugged into comic books to come in and check out board games and the like. “Because we put it on sale, they come in to take advantage of the sale. But I think a lot of people look for an excuse to buy that really nice toy, board game or statue or pick up some graphic novels and stuff to read.”
Especially here at the store, Purcell jokes, “we forget people that aren’t plugged into ‘nerd’ culture – they’re still pretty nerdy.”
“They still have a desire to sit around and play card games around the house.”
This is the time of year they come and pick that stuff up, Purcell explains. “A lot of people come in on Saturday, we don’t see regularly.”
“There should be no barricades to this stuff. You don’t have to buy all the cool new stuff. There should be no fear of missing out. You should be in this for the joy it brings you. If that joy is one board game a year or picking up a really nice Transformers figure or something like that, that’s what you should do,” says Purcell.
Typically, DC and Marvel will always hit fans with Batman, Superman and Spiderman titles each year.
“There’s always going to be free comics with those characters. Spiderman just relaunched in a new Amazing Spiderman series with a new creative team, so that’s going to be a big one. What I really enjoy about it is it’s also the time when some of the smaller publishers announce a lot of what they’re going to be doing over the next year,” Purcell explains.
Free Comic Book Day is a launchpad into the summer, adds Purcell. “It’s typically not a great buying season for comics. Comic companies usually are in the middle of storylines come summer, but when they started Free Comic Book Day, the big companies started launching storylines and so the little companies do too.”
Purcell always looks at the first Saturday in May, as the “springboard to all the new storylines for just about every company.”
Free Comic Book Day kicks off at 11 a.m. at the store.
“It starts busy, and it ends busy. It never slows down all day. It’s a lot of fun,” Purcell says.
