Mike Malve of Atomic Comics, a four-store Phoenix-area chain, had great results with cross-promotions, creator appearances, and other ways to increase the excitement for Free Comic Book Day:
So here it is... Free Comic Book Day 2004 RULED! Thanks to the tremendous hard work and dedication of the Atomic Comics staff, our guest creators and, of course, the tireless Spider-Man, FCBD2004 absolutely destroyed our now soaring expectations. And judging by the awestruck, beaming faces of the youngsters and their proud parents, fans young and old, new and returned all agree -- Free Comic Book Day 2004 at Atomic Comics RULED!
Top Cow Editor-in-Chief Jim McLauchlin said, 'I went to all four Atomic Comics stores on Free Comic Book Day, and the energy was off the scale. Lines were massive, events were fun, and everyone had a great time. The crew at Atomic puts on a party like no one else in the comics biz.'
Atomic Comics owner, Mike Malve, agrees, 'Our Free Comic Book Days are always awesome because they are so much more than simply handing out a comic to those who may wander into the stores-our events are full blown parties! Top creators! Free food and drink! Spider-Man! Free comic books! Yowza!'
For FCBD 2004 Atomic was proud to thank our loyal customers with appearances by some of the brightest stars in the industry, including Pat Lee and Rob Ruffolo of Dreamwave Studios, Joseph Michael Linsner of Dawn fame, Top Cow's Eric Basaldua, Mike Kunkel of Hero Bear & the Kid fame, and The Gift's Raven Gregory, along with a host of rising stars from the local indie scene. All creators gave graciously of their time, truly meeting and chatting with fans as well as providing charity sketches with proceeds going to ACTOR.
In addition to fantastic creators and Spider-Man, Atomic Comics also spiced up the party with local business team-ups. Krispy Kreme gave out thousands of free donuts to folks standing in line at all four stores. At the Paradise Valley Atomic Comics Krispy Kreme representatives were on hand with a donut dunking and decorating machine, providing free custom donuts and even a face-painting station. A local restaurant walked the line at the Chandler Atomic passing out free cups of homemade root beer and pizza slices. Snapple provided several cases of free fruit smoothies for the thirsty crowds. Game Works hosted a Spider-Man party where Atomic passed out flyers and free comics the night before FCBD.
Joe M Linsner himself hosted a Dawn Look-a-Like contest at the Phoenix Atomic. Said Joe, 'I was blown away by the warm and enthusiastic reception I got from the fine folks of Phoenix! Atomic Comics is one of the coolest stores I've ever been to. The contest was a blast...' A Hip Hop radio station provided a live call-in van that pumped the jams and passed out tons of free schwag to the fans. Wow, that's a lot more than simply handing a free comic book to someone who just happens to walk in the store that day!
Even with temperatures soaring to over 105 degrees here in the Arizona desert, FCBD 2004 was a resounding success. 'Initially we were very concerned about the weekend chosen for FCBD this year,' said Malve. 'Mirroring the release of Spider-Man 2 may seem great if one's store is in Wisconsin, but this weekend is usually the hottest of the year in Phoenix, and we were worried folks would either be out of town or wary of standing in line with 105+ temperatures.' Added Malve, 'Free Comic Book Day should be a celebration of the wonderful variety and fun our industry brings to fans every day of the year. It's an opportunity to reach out to new folks who have never been in a comic book store. In order to maximize this opportunity, retailers have to work hard. But all of the extra effort and dedication reaps tremendous rewards when the lines surpass several hundred deep, Christmas season caliber sales figures keep the cash registers ringing all day, and the joyous faces of fans light up the stores.'
Now that's a party!
The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
