If there’s an equivalent to a national holiday in the comic industry, it’s Free Comic Book Day. For the past several years, on the first Saturday of May in comic shops across the country, thousands of die-hard fans and interested newbies have lined up at their favorite comic book emporiums to get free swag and revel in the joys of the hobby.

Toledo comic shops are once again preparing for the onslaught of customers this Saturday, May 5. JC’s Comic Stop on Reynolds Road is giving away the special free books and will also sport sale proces on many of its usual items. Proprietor Jim Collins said he is looking forward to seeing everyone who attended last year and will heavily promote the Comic Stop’s eBay and Facebook pages. Over at Monarch Cards & Comics at Key Street and Heatherdowns Boulevard, manager Ed Katschke will mix in free cookies and pizza with his Free Comic Book Day offerings, “while supplies last.”

Two of the exclusive free titles this year have caught the attention of the two comic book gurus.

“The one I think is very cool would have to be ‘Mouse Guard,’” Collins noted. “Why? Well, it’s a hardcover, for one, and if I would have known this when ordering I would have ordered lots more. This is one slick book. Contents features “Mouse Guard,” “Labyrinth,” “Time of the Dapper Men,” “Rust,” “Cursed Pirate Girl” and “Cow Boy.” Anyone that is hoping to get one of these had better be at the shop first thing on Saturday — I only ordered 12!”

“Many of the Free Comic Book Day titles this year are aimed at either general audiences or younger readers, but there is one that is guaranteed to appeal to older readers,” Katschke said.

“DC Comics will feature a preview chapter of its much-anticipated adaptation of the novel ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.’ Adapted by horror novelist Denise Mina and illustrated by Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti, this title goes a long way toward showing the comic industry has more to offer than standard superhero fare for the discriminating reader.”

Other Free Comic Book Day titles include such properties as “Star Wars,” “Transformers,” “Avengers,” “Yo Gabba Gabba!” “Dune,” “Smurfs,” “Voltron Force,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Animal Planet.”

Tags: Avengers, Comic books, JC's Comic Stop, Jim Beard, Monarch Cards & Comics, Star Wars

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Comics, Star.
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