Doug Frattallone
Staff Writer
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. -- In May of 1968, if someone had come up to a certain 8-year-old (who looked just like me) and said, 'Hey, Gray's Drug is giving away free comics,' that kid would have thought a bit of Christmas had come early.
Same story, 35 years later. It doesn't matter if the books are 12 cents each (back then) or $2.50 each (right now): free is free. That bit of Christmas arrives May 3, when publishers and retailers team up for the second annual Free Comic Book Day.
At the Source Comics and Games in this St. Paul suburb, store co-owner Nick Post beams when talking about Free Comic Book Day, also known as FCBD. He calls the event pure "chaos," in the sense that his store will be packed all day long, as his crew will join retailers across the United States to give away millions of free comics.
"It's the biggest event ever in the history of comics," Post said.
Which is saying something.
Even bigger than Frank Miller's 1986 Batman mini-series
The Dark Knight Returns?
Bigger.
Even bigger than the 1996 wedding of Superman and Lois Lane?
Bigger.
Even bigger than Free Comic Book Day 2002?
Much bigger.
For FCBD 2002, Post said about 2 million books were handed out across America. Saturday's event should easily eclipse that number.
"They say this year more than 3 million comics will be given away nationwide," Post said. "It's probably closer to 3.5 million."
Why the giveaway? A comics boom in the early '90s had everyone in the industry feeling pretty super. But for various reasons, the business busted. Since then, publishers, creators and retailers have been busy promoting the American art form any way they can. If that meant giving away new books just to get people in the monthly habit of buying again, so be it.
Last year, several publishers were involved in FCBD 2002, which coincided with the release of the Spiderman movie.
This year, 29 different books will be given away. Thirty-two publishers -- who represent 95 percent of the comics sold in North America -- are taking part. May 3 was picked as the event date because of another Marvel-ous movie tie-in: the release of " "X2: X-Men United."
Lisa Woolley manages the Mile High Comics mega-store in suburban Denver. At 11,000 square feet, it's the biggest comics shack in the country. She says last year's event boosted business, mostly among teenagers. She's expecting FCBD 2003 to be even bigger.
"They have an excellent selection of free books this year," Woolley said. "So I'm hoping there will be something for everyone."
There should be. The books to be offered on FCBD 2003 won't be just superhero fare. Sure, DC's
Batman Adventures #1 is the big dog of the bunch, but the stack is pretty eclectic.
Among the highlights: a reprint of a famous 1940s Donald Duck story by cartooning legend Carl Barks;
The Best of Dork Storm, a popular book which lampoons the comics/gaming "community";
Leave It To Chance, the adventures of Chance Falconer and her pet dragon; and the crime comic
Skinwalker.
Marvel's entry is
Ultimate X-Men, which allows readers to latch onto an updated version of the mutants without 40 years of X-Continuity.
"Any new reader can grab onto it," said Gerry Gladston, who manages Midtown Comics in Manhattan. "It's one hot selling title."
Gladston, who would like to forget the '90s comic bust, was a big fan of FCBD 2002.
"Lately, things are on the upswing," he said, looking ahead to Saturday. "This year, I have a feeling it will be a lot better."
Back in Minnesota, Nick Post says FCBD 2002 was the single busiest non-sale day in the history of his 10-year-old store. Again, the reasons why aren't too complex.
"A lot if people in the general public were interested in the idea of getting a free comic book," he said.
Actually, does it get any better than that?
It's like being handed a free ice cream cone: you take it, you love it and you can't wait for the next one -- the rest of your life.
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