National Free Comic Book Day Hits Comic Book Specialty Shops May 3rd; Over 4.6 million comics to be given away free to comic shop customers

Twelve of the Gold level Free Comic Book Day comics are showcased in a mini-poster sent to retailers to promote the event. (Graphic: Business Wire)

NEW YORK--()--On May 3rd, over two thousand comic book shops across North America and around the world will share the magic of comic books with their communities when they give out over 4.6 million comic books—free of charge—during Free Comic Book Day, which marks its thirteenth anniversary this year. Comic Book Specialty Retailers expect record breaking attendance and have been preparing their shops for this event for months.

There’s literally a free comic book available for everyone’s taste, including Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, DC’s The New 52: Futures End, Archie, SpongeBob, Transformers vs GI Joe, Hello Kitty, The Simpsons and more to choose from!

Comic book publishing heavyweights Dark Horse Comics, DC Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics are among the many sponsors who created 60 special titles for Free Comic Book Day 2014. The free books are designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes, including:

  • Action-Packed Super-Hero Stories
    • DC’s The New 52: Futures End
    • DC’s Teen Titans
  • Stories Featuring Classic Characters
    • Archie
    • Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck
    • Buck Rogers
    • The Smurfs
    • The Tick
  • Sci-Fi Adventures
    • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
    • Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon
    • Project Black Sky
  • Stories for Kids
    • Avata: The Last Airbender
    • Hello Kitty
    • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
    • SpongeBob SquarePants

“Free Comic Book Day is a perfect occasion for fans to discover new types of comic books,” said FCBD spokesperson Jason Blanchard, “especially if they’re new to the wide variety of titles that are being published today. On May 3rd, we encourage new and current readers to use Free Comic Book Day as an opportunity to learn about the great comic books and pop-culture merchandise to be found at their local comic book shop. Hopefully, they’ll walk away with free comics they can't wait to read, and then keep coming back to their local shop for more!”

Along with free comics, many comic book shops will feature events during the day including creator signings, appearances of favorite super-heroes or cosplayers and great deals on exclusives and sale items.

Customers can check out the full list of all 60 titles on the Free Comic Book Day website, http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comics, and use the FCBD Store Locator to find a participating comic book shop in their area http://www.freecomicbookday.com/storelocator.

Legendary comic creator Stan Lee promotes Free Comic Book Day in a special video message to comic fans, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbdCVF7I3rc.

Reading Activist, actor, producer, director and host of Reading Rainbow LeVar Burton encourages people to participate in Free Comic Book Day in a special video message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi8HNxiIsEk

(B-Roll Video, Cover Artwork, Book Previews, and Photo Images available upon request)

ABOUT FREE COMIC BOOK DAY— Celebrating its thirteenth year, Free Comic Book Day is an annual event where participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. The event is held the first Saturday in May and is the perfect opportunity to introduce friends and family to the many worlds of wonder available at local comic book shops. From super-heroes to slice of life to action/adventure and beyond, Free Comic Book Day has a comic book for everyone!

© 2014 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. and Free Comic Book Day, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contacts

Diamond Comic Distributors
Jason Blanchard, 443-318-8381
bljason@diamondcomics.com
or
Deborah Moreland, 410-318-8296
mdeborah@diamondcomics.com

Release Summary

Free Comic Book Day is on May 3rd, 2014 at 2,000+ participating comic book shops in the US and around the world. Anyone can get a free comic by visiting their local shop.

Contacts

Diamond Comic Distributors
Jason Blanchard, 443-318-8381
bljason@diamondcomics.com
or
Deborah Moreland, 410-318-8296
mdeborah@diamondcomics.com