Retail in Review: Free Comic Book Day

Orbital Comics

Free Comic Book Day felt much more fun than Record Store Day. You got the impression that it was a celebration of something genuinely cherished by shop staff and comic book fans.

I went to Orbital Comics, which is right next to Leicester Square Tube station. There was a fairly short line where two staff members were dispensing free comics. Everyone could take 3 comics and the staff took their time to ask me what comics I normally read so I’d get sometime I’d enjoy. I also grabbed another bunch of free comics from Forbidden Planet, which is this big comics/merchandise megastore that is based a short walk away from Orbital. I recorded a few interviews at Orbital and made an audio package for Roundhouse Radio:



There was quite a broad range of comics on offer. Most of these were compilations of previews to various series, some were first issues introductions and others were one off specials for the day. Fortunately a lot of these comics have now been made available online: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/05/06/free-comics-if-you-missed-free-comic-book-day-damsels-grimm-killjoys-star-wars-aspen-aphrodite-xi-steam-engines-of-oz-molly-danger-and-more/

Grabbing the free comics

The Walking Dead comic (an on-going series about a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse) was a particularly interesting. It appeared to be specially crafted for the fans of the series, giving snippets of insight into the back-story of the main characters and even had an allusion to the joy of comics. You can read it here: http://imgur.com/a/K57Ah

Fun loving costumed fans at Orbital Comics!

There was the usually comic crowd (adolescent men with skin-problems), but there were a fair amount of parents with their kids. In fact a lot of the comic books on offer were for kids, so the day had a lively family feel.

Free Comic Book Day came across as a celebration of the medium, as opposed to being a day to celebrate a system of commence. There’s certainly an air of glee in the air, since as opposed to being charged for something at an inflated price, the comics are given away. It felt like a day out in Orbital Comics, since there was a stall selling cakes, fans dressed up in costumes and staff who were really keen to have long talks about comics.

My horde of free comics!

The difference is that Record Store Day isn’t about promoting music (since virtually everyone loves music anyway) while Free Comic Book Day was an occasion for people to share something that they were truly enthusiastic about – which certainly made it a lot more fun and heartfelt.