For the first time in sixteen years I missed Free Comic Book Day. I would say it was due to me having car troubles, but it would be more accurate to say all my car’s troubles are now behind it. It is now, in short, an ex-vehicle. So, I was forced to read about it online. USA Today ran a piece with the promising title, “Why you should care about Free Comic Book Day.” It was a reasonable summary of the basic facts: 2,300 comic book shops (worldwide) would give away 5.7 million comics, 50 titles from 37 publishers. But it never actually answered the question in the headline, unless the answer is “free comics.” Which really isn’t specific enough.
But the best, and most thorough examination of this year’s FCBD selections was NPR’s “A Guide To Free Comic Book Day 2017: The Don’t Misses And The Near-Misses” by Glen Weldon. There are mini-reviews of such FCBD titles as Colorful Monsters from Drawn and Quarterly, BOOM! Studios Summer Blast and a preview of the upcoming Image graphic novel Kid Savage by Joe Kelly and Ilya. But what made it so invaluable is it had information anyone, interested civilian, parents or hardcore fan, needed to know before going to a comic book shop on Free Comic Book Day.
Like, that not every store is participating in FCBD, so before going to one, call ahead to make sure you won't be disappointed. Plus, as you may not be able to get every single FCBD title, and that their comics are rated by age appropriateness (all-ages, teen, mature). Then there’s this, something which needs to be reprinted and widely circulated before every FCBD:
While you're there, buy something.
Seriously: Buy something.
Buy SOMETHING. The comics shops still have to pay for the "free" FCBD books they stock, and they're counting on the increased foot traffic to lift sales, so be a human being and buy something.
How will you know what you should buy? Ask someone on staff at the comics shop. It's that simple. Tell them what kind of movies you like, what kind of books, what TV shows you binge on. They're trained to make recommendations in line with your tastes.
“...females made up 43 percent of ticket buyers for Guardians Vol. 2, versus 39 percent for the first film.”
“...families made up a hearty 19 percent of the audience, an especially strong showing for a superhero offering.”
“Younger moviegoers also turned out in larger numbers: 17 percent of ticket buyers were between the ages of 13-17, compared to 13 percent the first time out, while moviegoers between the ages of 18-24 jumped from 33 percent to 38 percent and those between the ages of 25-24, from 20 percent to 26 percent.”
Meaning, it was, literally, a movie for everyone, which is something I hope more creators in comics take into consideration more often. In spite of everything around us saying otherwise, we too often let ourselves believe the inherently limiting proposition that “genre material” (science fiction, superheroes, etc.) is for a limited niche audience. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is all the evidence anyone could possibly need to prove that just isn’t so.
Finally, it originally appeared as a Facebook post but I discovered it on Deadline in a piece titled “‘Guardians 2’ Director James Gunn To All ‘ Heartbroken Misfits’:’ We Are Groot’”. In part, it reads:
“When I was young I felt utterly alone, at times to the point of suicidal thoughts. I never felt like I belonged, had an incredibly difficult time connecting to other people and, despite having love around me, I had an impossible time experiencing it, or taking it in.
“But I found my respite in popular entertainment – Marvel comics, science fiction and horror films, the music of The Sex Pistols, The Replacements, and Queen.
“…I work because I like telling stories. I work because I love the relationships I have with my collaborators. And I do it because I like connecting with people, and the easiest way I know how to do that is through filmmaking. I do it so that some kid in Thailand, or England, or Colombia, or Brazil, or Japan, or Russia, or anywhere, can hear the frequency of his or her own heart bouncing back off the Guardians.
"They’re a group of heartbroken misfits whose lives have been bereft of tenderness and connection and who have a nearly impossible time trusting themselves or others. But they’re learning, one step at a time.
"They are me. They are you. We are Groot.
"And no matter how much world leaders are telling you we aren’t in this together, we are. You are not alone.”
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
