Free Comic Book Day has people across the United States flocking to their nearby comic book stores to see the newest lineup of free comics given by stores across the continent. Not only is an issue of Marvel's Avengers available, but there are also titles related to other fan favorites, such as James Bond, Overwatch, Star Wars, and the CW's Riverdale. While many of these comics are not directly related to the shows and video games they're based on, they're still an opportunity to explore a little bit more of the stories while admiring the art within.

Behind the scenes of Free Comic Book Day

This day is held the first Saturday of May, and it is a chance for comic fans of all ages to get together and find old and new comics to read. Various titles, some familiar and some new, are available for participants to take home for free. This event celebrates the long history of comic books in the United States and the characters people have come to know and love.

First held during the opening weekend of the first Spider-Man film by Sam Raimi in 2002, FCBD usually coincides with the opening of a movie based on a comic book. This year, the day is associated with the new Venom movie coming out.

Through a combined effort between writers, artists, publishers, retailers, and Diamond Comic Distributors, fans can head to participating shops and, depending on the individual store's policy, pick and choose which one they want.

Out of the fifty titles available, picking one can be hard to choose.

"It’s a great time to be a comics fan, and an even greater time to experience the medium of comic books for the first time during our 17th annual Free Comic Book Day," Joe Field, the creator of Free Comic Book Day and the owner of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, CA, said.

How can I participate?

Participating in FCBD is easy. On their website, freecomicbookday.com, there is a list of participating shops. There is some etiquette surrounding the day as free stuff can send some people into a frenzy.

While there are free comics available, it's considered polite to buy something as the shop still has to pay for the shipment of comics.

Buying something from the shop helps support the owners, who usually are independent retailers.

Also, not every title is available, and some stores may have restrictions on how many free comics can be taken. If you can't make it this year, it's still good to tweet about it on social media for your local stores to get views with the hashtags FreeComicBookDay or FCBD.
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