“We are fast approaching on this year’s BIG Event – Free Comic Book Day!!

“On Saturday, May 4th from 11 am to 5 pm we will be giving out ‘Free’ Comics! We will have local artists set up doing sketches;  including Derek and Nikki Davis, Duane Ballenger, J. Chris Campbell, John Davis, Mel Rivera, Christopher Lockwood, Gregbo Watson, Joey Weiser and Chris Kemple. You may recognize most of those guests, but we are happy to welcome a new name! Watch this site and Facebook for more announcements of details and promotions!

“For the folks that may not have attended one of these in the past, I wanted to let you know what it is. First and foremost, contrary to the title, not every comic in the store is ‘Free’. Many of the current publishers have produced comics, some with reprinted content and some with new content, to be available for this event. The comics still have to be purchased by the comic shops at somewhere between .25 cents to .50 cents each. The comic shops then get to decide how to distribute these books out to attendees of the event. Most shops simply place a limit on the number of books you can pick per person.

“Though this is certainly a major time for the various comic shops to promote their business and the industry as a whole, this is probably one of the more costly events. Consider that most shops will purchase several thousand copies of these books to be simply handed out. Not to mention whatever expenses they may incur for additional activities or guests.

“If you want to check out the different books available visit their website: www.freecomicbookday.com.

“You can also see the location of shops in your area and a history of the event. This is the 17th year of Free Comic Book Day and each year continues to get bigger and bigger!

“Also a lot of shops will bring in special guests, cosplayers or fandom groups to help celebrate the event. The guests in most cases will provide small simple sketches for free, usually one per person. The guests may also bring in some of their own books or products to sell, so please do spend a few moments to look through their stuff. Keep in mind that most appear for free to help support the local shop and event. Cosplayers at the event will pose for photos for free, but please ask before taking their photo so they can be prepared and get into character for the shoot. Also keep in mind that some of the guests may not be at the particular store all day, so you may need to seek them out early at the event to check.

“Specifically for my shop, I have supported this event every year that I have been in existence (13 years and counting) – Richards Comics & Collectables located on 1214A Laurens Rd. in Greenville SC, we will have copies of all of the different offerings from the various publishers and 10 guests that will be happy to give you a free sketch or sign a book for you.  We will also have a Kid’s Art Contest and several cosplayers on hand for photo ops! Weather permitting, I will even have a basement sale with about 100 boxes of books that are just one dollar each and other discounted items! Maybe even a few other surprises awaiting you! NOTE – the Basement Sale is dependent on good weather.

“This is a great event to introduce new readers -young and old -into the world of comics. I am sure you have noticed all of the major comic films that we have been graced with over the past several years. Keep in mind that most of them had their origins in comics. Many more comics are being adapted into films all of the time, so if you like the characters on the big screen we have plenty more adventures just waiting for you to read in comic form!

“This year there are at least 50 different books that have been produced and are available for this event. Keep in mind that every comic shop may not order them all and some will be ordered in smaller quantities. The advantage of arriving early for the event is there will be more to choose from, but if you arrive later in the day then the amount each person can get may be increased, though some titles will probably be gone. With the huge number of folks that regularly attend and the variable quantities of comics there is no way to reserve a copy of these books. They are typically on a first-come, first-serve basis to be fair to everyone.

“Overall, keep in mind that this is a fun, family event open to everyone, so please be sure to invite your friends and family members! Also the event is national and being held at most comic shops. It might be to your advantage to travel around and visit several during the day. That way you may be able to collect more of the Free comics and meet different guests.

“And as I mentioned this is not a free event to the shop owners so please do look around the store and see if something might interest you to purchase. It will help the shops with their expenses and hopefully you will find something cool to read or add to your comic/figure collection! Likewise, be sure to check out the creations that the guests have brought. You might find the perfect, unique gift for that certain someone.

“I truly hope everyone has a chance to visit their local comic shop(s) and pick up lots of Free comics, get a sketch or two and pick up something cool to help support the shop(s) and the event!

“I look forward to seeing you here at Richards Comics & Collectables!!”

Richard Morgan
Owner
Richards Comics & Collectables
1214A Laurens Rd.
Greenville, SC   29607

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Here are several sites for the store you can use to keep up with other events, signings, sales or to just use to contact us.
fb – Richards Comics & Collectables
twitter – richardscomics
instagram – richardscomics
email – ramorgan@ix.netcom.com
website – www.richards-collectables.com
blog – https://richardscomics.wordpress.com/

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