This holiday weekend, comic book fans can celebrate independence from their wallets because they won’t be needed to pick up some cool new editions. On Saturday, July 3, approximately 2,000 stores will give away comic books absolutely free of charge in observance of the third annual Free Comic Book Day.
Comic book store owners are hoping patrons bring their wallets anyway, since Free Comic Book Day is a great way to drive traffic to their establishments. But Free Comic Book Day spokesperson Barry Lyga says there’s another motive behind the event. He says that even though comics are the driving force behind many of today’s top-grossing blockbusters, “There are still a few people out there who aren’t aware of all the entertainment and value comic books have to offer. So here’s their chance to hop aboard and see what everyone else is talking about!”
Leading the charge this year is Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man, who appears in a special, free edition of Marvel Age: Spider-Man #1, in which the web-slinging superhero faces off against a new member of his Rogues Gallery: The Vulture! Also among the more than two million comics to be given away is DC Comics’ Teen Titans Go! #1, as well as titles featuring Mickey Mouse, Archie, Star Wars and Duel Masters. A list of participating stores and descriptions of the free comics can be found at www.FreeComicBookDay.com.
Free Comic Book Day is a joint effort of dozens of publishers, thousands of retailers, and Diamond Comic Distributors, one of the world’s largest distributors of English language comics. The event is sponsored in part by AOL RED, Tokyopop, and Wizards of the Coast.
