Free Comic Book Day This Weekend – May 4

One of the best days on the pop culture calendar is coming up this weekend – Free Comic Book Day.

That’s right; you can get a free comic book this Saturday, May 4.

The annual event was started in 2002 as a way to create a new generation of comic book fans. The comic book industry was facing competition from video games and other distractions and the idea was to get kids and, yes, adults, back into comic book stores.

Since then, the day has become a huge success, being held the first Saturday of every May. The event celebrates the independent comic book specialty shops, which face competition from online sites and chain retail book stores that have discovered the popularity of graphic novels.

The Day is celebrated not just in the U.S., but in Canada too. This year, thousands of independent comic book store are expected to take part.

Now, there are rules.

Each store usually gives out just one comic book per customer. However, some stores are more flexible, depending on their supply of comics.

You can’t just grab any comic book in the store. A select group of comic books are identified each year as the ones to be given away.

This year, there will be a huge list of comics to choose from. There are 53 titles that offer a wide range of genres and age groups.

There’s a Star Wars and Superman comic for those with more adult interests. For kids, there’s Sesame Street and Sponge Bob Squarepants.

Comic books have become embedded in television and movies so there’s also a Walking Dead and Grimm comic.

Now, not every comic book store will have the comic you want. So your best bet is to find the nearest store that is participating and call ahead. And then get there early.

To find which stores are participating, visit www.freecomicbookday.com. There, you will be able to type in your zip code in a “shop locator” and find a store near you that’s participating.

So, put off the household chores Saturday morning and head down to your local comic book store.

Tell them Patch Goes Pop sent you!

Patch Goes Pop can be reached at patchgoespop@yahoo.com