What is Free Comic Book Day?

It’s that time of year again… the first Saturday in May.

Yes, it is the annual event/holy day when creators, publishers, distributors and local comic book shops put aside their differences and team up to make and deliver special free-edition comics to promote comic books and comic book shops with the primary message: we actually exist!

What kinds of comics are given out?

Marvel, DC, Image, Independents, Adult and All-Ages titles are all represented in this multiverse-shattering alliance to promote comics to anyone and everyone.

Here are some examples from our 2023 FCBD — each store will carry a core set of titles but will also curate their own selection based on the tastes of their clientele, but mostly the taste of whoever’s doing the ordering!

It’s free for the people, but who pays for it? How can they pay for it?

Everyone takes a haircut, and we stores end up paying about 25¢ plus shipping per book for what amounts to pretty effective advertising for the entire industry.

Now, you might wonder, given that the Free Comics do actually cost money to procure, and like the name says, they’re given out gratis, how do stores make money on Free Comic Book Day itself? In years past at our downtown megamart days, there would be snaking lines out the door, but unlike Record Store Day (which was ironically inspired by Free Comic Book Day), there wouldn’t be highly lucrative exclusives for sale. Do the people who pick up free comic books really end up buying more comic books than they would have on any other day?

Actually, yes! But for the first couple years at Fantastic Comics, we also spent quite a bit on prep and promotions, so much so that while revenues might be 40-50% more than on a regular Saturday, the take home profits ended up being a wash.

Hm… But can I make money on free comics?

Typically, no, but sometimes, yes! The value of most comics in general is the entertainment of reading one, and that’s especially true for FCBD editions. Enjoy them and pass them along for others to enjoy is the way to extract maximum value from Free Comic Book Day. But sometimes Free Comic Book Day is an opportunity for publishers to test out new characters and titles, so check your long boxes for that first appearance of Umbrella Academy, which could fetch $100 in great condition.