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Every year, comic book fans around the world eagerly await the rich rewards that come to them in the form of the Free Comic Book Day. Comic book shops all across North America and Europe hand out thousands of free comic books to one and all. This year, for instance, comic book shops opened early on the appointed day and provided for all kinds of special treats and entertainment. At some venues, celebrities from the comic book world, important artists and writers from Marvel comics to DC comics showed up to sign autographs.
Comic book shops organize the Free Comic Book Day to try to inspire interest in the medium among a new generation, in an age of instantly accessible electronic entertainment. In London this year, the Forbidden Planet comic book store in Covent Garden had people thronging its doors for hours before it opened. They were all there to collect their free comic books. Staffers just came out and hand out old favorites like Spiderman and also great work by independent artists. Comic book reading can feel like such a community activity when it's acknowledged and promoted in this way.
The whole Free Comic Book Day concept was originated exactly 10 years ago by a California comic book store called Flying Color Comics. In the beginning, only about three or four comic book publishers participated. When they saw how great the event was at bringing in new fans and creating buzz and hype around comic books - of a kind they had never seen before, they roped in other comic book publishers as well. There are now nearly 40 comic book publishers in as many countries that participate.
There's something really heartening about the way an age old entertainment form can suddenly find a way to appeal to audiences today. Free Comic Book Day draws at least 100 fans at every store in every country where it is held. And the reception seems to get stronger each year. So what kind of comics are the most in demand? What is it that new fans really want the most? Action comics like Captain America and Thor do spectacularly well - as you might expect from the way they have support from large-scale movie productions named after them. New names such as Dark Wing Duck and Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers can be quite popular too.
And of course, it can be heartening to find reprinted Mickey and Minnie Mouse requested as well.
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