Once more, my friends, it is the first weekend in May, and that means that tomorrow is one of my favorite Geek Days of the year. Tomorrow is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY here in North America. It’s a grand event, one that I have sincerely come to treasure, and I thought that I would tell you guys a little bit about what makes it so great, in case you haven’t heard already.

Over two decades ago, the comic book publishers, distributors, and shops of America began this little tradition, staking claim to the first Saturday in May as a time to share the love for comic books with one and all. On FCBD, the publishers release special edition comics, free of charge, to the fans. (They aren’t free to the store, though, so make sure you buy some stuff from them while you’re there.) Sometimes these FCBD specials are reprints of classic stories, sometimes they’re previews of upcoming comics, sometimes they’re excerpts from longer graphic novels, and sometimes they’re the launching pad for a new series, storyline, or event. The possibilities are truly endless, and every year I spend the weeks before FCBD checking out their website to see what this year’s offerings are going to be and which ones I want to make sure I don’t miss.

But that’s not really what makes FCBD so great to me. Oh, it’s GOOD. I love free stuff. Who DOESN’T love free stuff? But if that’s all there was to it, I wouldn’t have elevated it to my list of great events of the calendar year along with Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday, or the day in mid-August when Reese’s starts selling the Halloween pumpkins again. No, it’s much more important than that. Only a few years into the promotion FCBD began to evolve into more than just a carrot to dangle in front of customers to get them to drop in at their local comic book shop on a Saturday. Many shops started to expand the concept. They had their own sales. They had contests. They invited writers and artists to set up tables, sign books, meet fans, and sell merchandise. In short, the best shops on the planet have all transformed FCBD into an annual miniature comic book convention, and THAT’S why I love it so much.

I wrote a few months ago about how, as much as I appreciate larger shows like Fan Expo, I’ve started to find that the smaller conventions are the ones that hold more appeal to me as a comic book fan. Everything I like about small shows can be found at FCBD in microcosm. Sales, cosplayers, pros, and most importantly, hundreds of people who are just there because they like comic books and want to partake in comic books.

And much like other holidays, FCBD to me has become a time to spend with people who are important to you. Not relatives, not even your everyday friend group, but I’ve made friendships with a lot of people over the years that began on Free Comic Book Day. Let me tell you about my pal Vernon Smith, for instance. I first met Vernon at FCBD where I was set up at BSI Comics to record an episode of my old podcast (alas, I long for the days when there was enough quiet in my life to allow for some podcasting). Vernon, a local artist, was there to promote his self-published graphic novel, The Adventures of Dexter Breakfast. I interviewed him for the show, as I tried to do with all the guests in my podcast days, and we hung out for a while. And as the years passed, this started to happen more and more. It wasn’t only at FCBD, but also at local conventions, local shows, and other similar events. I became a fan, not only of his work, but of the fact that he’s a cool dude. I promoted his projects, such as his Action Labs Comics miniseries Bigfoot Frankenstein, or the variant cover he did for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures Halloween Special, as much as I could. When my wife was pregnant, Vernon was one of the first people outside of Erin and I to know what my son’s name was going to be, because that summer he released a children’s book called The Littlest Streetcar, and I had him sign a copy to the yet-unborn Edward. It’s still on his shelf. I call it “Eddie’s first collectible.”

A couple of years ago, I bumped into him at Fan Expo New Orleans, and when I told him I was there to sit in on a Star Trek panel, we started talking about what big Trek fans we both are. He told me how much he wanted to draw a Star Trek comic one day, and I wished him luck. And so I was thrilled, later that year, when IDW Publishing put out their Star Trek 500 special (celebrating 500 IDW issues of various Star Trek comics) to find out that Vernon drew the Strange New Worlds story in that issue. I was even happier, a few days ago, when he announced that he’s drawing two full issues of the upcoming Star Trek: Lower Decks comic – issues #9 and #10 in July and August, so go put your orders in. 

Guys, I don’t know how many of you can relate to this, but it feels SO GOOD to see your friends succeed this way. And I wouldn’t have had that relationship were it not for Free Comic Book Day. 

And this is just one example. There are at least a half-dozen other local creators who I’ve befriended and whose work I’ve grown to support – not just buying it myself, but talking it up to anybody else who’ll listen – and who I’ve joyfully seen tackle their goals. I’m singling Vernon out because he’s the one who has a project that is CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR ORDER, AND YOU SHOULD GO TELL YOUR COMIC BOOK SHOP TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU RESERVE COPIES FOR YOU RIGHT NOW, but he’s not the only one.

It’s a wonderful thing.

It’s stuff like this, friends, that really make FCBD worthwhile to me. Sure, freebies are great. But the community of people who’ve grown up to surround this event is far, far more meaningful. If you’re in the New Orleans area, come on down to BSI Comics tomorrow starting at 10 am. I’ll be there, along with Eddie, and if his new IDW-fueled jetsetting lifestyle slows down a bit, I think Vernon is going to be there too. Along with other friends of mine whose work you should definitely check out. If you’re not in New Orleans, go to the Free Comic Book Day website and find a comic book store near you that’s participating. And when you go, don’t just grab the freebies and leave. Support the store. Buy some stuff. Supports the local writers and artists. Check out their work. And most importantly, find your community. Find your people.

That’s going to be more memorable than this year’s Spider-Man freebie in the long run.

Blake M. Petit is a writer, teacher, and dad from Ama, Louisiana. His most recent writing project is the superhero adventure series Other People’s Heroes: Little Stars, volume one of which is now available on Amazon. You can subscribe to his newsletter by clicking right here. He’s also started putting his LitReel videos on TikTok. Oh yes, you will also be able to purchase copies of his books in person on FCBD. Did he mention that?