PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — May 7 marks the 20th anniversary of Free Comic Book Day. Fans will be lined up for hours at comic shops nationwide. A Philadelphia comic shop owner says he is ready to give everyone, from ride-or-die aficionados to more cursory readers, plenty to explore.
Free Comic Book Day is a promotional effort of publishers and store owners to celebrate the colorful world of comic books and graphic novels. It is always the first Saturday of May, and it is usually concurrent with a big-budget superhero movie release — in this case, Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” More than 2,000 shops worldwide take part.
It is also a way for those comic shops to connect to their local customers, says Daryll Jones, owner of Atomic City Comics, on South Street in Philadelphia.
"What we do is we buy books at a very discounted price, and we give those books away,” said Jones, who has been in the industry for decades.
Jones says the day always attracts a lot of new people, among the droves of loyal customers, who get a glimpse into a world that goes much deeper than many people realize.
"There's all sorts of sophisticated material in comics,” Jones said. “There's stories about people dealing with cancer, people struggling with the death of parents."
Atomic City usually gets a crowd of about 600 to 700 people, Jones says. He says he always gives away tons of books and rarely runs out. He expects this year will be no different: Jones says says he has at least eight to 10 titles available per person.
"We celebrate our customers. We give away tons of stuff. Each comic book store puts a little party together to explore new things."
Locate your nearest store here, or check out one of these Philadelphia-area stores:
Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse
2578 Frankford Avenue
Philadelphia
Atomic City Comics
638 South Street
Philadelphia
Brave New Worlds Old City
55 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia
Comic Universe
446 MacDade Boulevard
Folsom, Pa.
Johnny Destructo's Hero Complex
4327 Main Street
Philadelphia
The Ontario Street Comic Shop
2235 East Ontario Street
Philadelphia
Secret Origins Comics and More
888 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, N.J.