FCBD has come and gone once again and for this little store in the Rocky Mountains, it was another fun day.  We saw a few more people than last year, gave away more comics and made more new friends.  Had it not been for the snow, cold and wind, it would have probably been a spectacular day instead of just a great one.

We were happy to be a part of it, giving away hundreds of free books and next year we will make sure to order even more kids books as they appeal to kids of all ages and we go through them far too quickly.  As with any event, there were a few glitches that, from our perspective, made it seem like there was less interest from the industry to participate in this celebration.

First, Marvel dropped the ball by giving us a three year-old book where the back issues are not available to the average public.  While I understand that there are trades available, it turned many off to find that they could read part 1 of a story for free but to read on, the would have to spend over $20 to get a thick book that contains the comic they already have in their hands.  Compared to DC who gave the public a brand new, self-contained story, Marvel's contribution seemed to pale in comparison.

Prices were higher on more titles and that was disappointing.  Again, more weight placed on the shoulders of the retailer, which is discouraging.  If this trend continues, I fear what may be expected of us next year -- fewer participants in the free Free Comic Book Day box.  Last year 'Gold Members' got a few more goodies from smaller publishers than this year.  I hope this isn't a bad sign of the state of smaller publishers.

There's still no contribution from Bongo Comics.  Those would go over HUGE!

Also, there's little variety in the promotional department, specifically with the posters.  We received plenty of FCBD Batman (over a half dozen) posters but only two X-Men and one Future Comics (surprisingly signed by Bob Layton).  A little more diversity would have been nice.  The opportunity to purchase different types of POP items was great as every store has different needs and they were reasonably priced.  On the flip side, it's too bad the polo shirts had the date on them.  Just the FCBD logo would have been great so we could use them in the years to come.