KRAKATHOOOOM!! Free Comic Book Day Is Soon Upon Us Once Again!

Once a year, the major players (and many of the minor ones) in the comic-book industry flood the shelves with special issues for Free Comic Book Day, and this year it’s happening on Saturday, May 7.

(It’s always on the first Saturday in May, the very first FCBD having occurred on May 2, back in 2002 – to coincide with, to borrow glory from, the release of that first Spider-Man movie, remember?)

You can totally blame a dude named Joe.

That’s Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics out in California, who brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer magazine.

And so now we’ve got just about every comics retailer in the country setting the day aside for passing out free comic books – a few for only the grownups, yes, but plenty for the kids – and hosting special events like booksignings and cosplay contests and so on, all in the name of sparking capitalist frenzy.

(“Hellooooo, Austin!” *guitar riff* “We’re Capitalist Frenzy!”)

Of course, this Saturday’s also a good time to pick up those non-free comics that you’ve been meaning to get, those new and exquisitely produced things like Daniel Clowes’ Patience and Chester Brown’s Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus and Lisa Hanawalt’s Hot Dog Taste Test and the latest iteration of the Kramers Ergot anthology; and even back-catalog brilliances like Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer or that collection of Jonathan Lethem’s take on Omega the Unknown or Paul Pope’s 100%; or, hell, just about anything that Kelly-Sue DeConnick and her equally talented husband are involved with these days.

But, yes, it’s very much about getting the freebies on Saturday – and there are comic-book stores all over town from which to get them. Do we need to Google it for you? Let’s just give a shout-out to Dragon’s Lair, where there’s also gonna be a Bounce House and Snow Cones for the kiddies. And let’s sound a joyous huzzah for Austin Books & Comics there in the Center of Austin Fandom, where Guzu Gallery will be hosting a book release of Tim Doyle’s Unreal Estate. And let’s not neglect Round Rock’s Rogues Gallery, up there to the north, in the city that thinks it gets to be so damned cool now, since it’s also got that TechShop and a Jack Allen’s Kitchen and a Hopdoddy’s and yadda yadda yadda.

Bunch of other places ‘round these parts, too: Your favorite local places: You know.

Be sure to visit them on Saturday, May 7, citizen.

Because – thanks, Joe, you cunning retail guru – Free Comic Book Day!

(And if for any reason, you’re unable to visit your friendly neighborhood comics shop on Saturday, then know that your friendly neighborhood Austin Public Library will have a supply of this year's giveaway floppies on Monday, May 9 after 3pm and will hand them out as long as supplies last. For more information, please call 512/974-7400 or visit library.austintexas.gov.)