Slashdot Mirror
Does Free Comic Book Day Help Retailers? (freecomicbookday.com)
An anonymous reader writes:
Today comic book stores around the world celebrate "Free Comic Book Day," offering free comic books to anyone who pays them a visit. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the event is offering 50 free titles this year, including Doctor Who, Serenity, The Simpsons, Love and Rockets, and a brand new comic from Stan Lee. Marvel is giving away both an Avengers/Civil War comic and a separate one featuring Captain America, and there's also comics with Grumpy Cat, The Tick, and even a Street fighter V comic.
But the Los Angeles Times notes there's different opinions about whether the event creates repeat business (though one comic shop owner told them "as far as that one day goes, it's a great day.") Another store owner says he even stopped participating temporarily because "It's just the hyenas looking for free stuff," while a third described it instead as a way to give back to the community of comic book readers.
But the Los Angeles Times notes there's different opinions about whether the event creates repeat business (though one comic shop owner told them "as far as that one day goes, it's a great day.") Another store owner says he even stopped participating temporarily because "It's just the hyenas looking for free stuff," while a third described it instead as a way to give back to the community of comic book readers.
and I live in a small town, so I would have to travel an hour or three to get to the nearest comic book store
No.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
This is *the* place to be today!
Anything that promotes literacy will help comic book sales. I'm taking my 3 kids and hitting at least one shop. Reading is the most important thing anyone can learn to help them with the rest of their lives. Getting them early is important.
Instead of going in and saying "gimmie mah free comic" instead approach the owner and start a conversation about how you're just getting into comics along with asking questions on suggestions for what you might enjoy the most. Not only will the clerk/owner make sure you're well taken care of for showing interest, but they'll remind you it's free comic day and likely hook you up with multiple back issues to get you started. Comic guys love talking about their trade, the metaverse, story archs, characters etc. Show some genuine interest and you'll be welcome back anytime.
comic book industry is so inbred now that it's practically a parody of itself - as it keep shrinking, stories become so inbred and derivative of other comics that anyone from "the outside" who isn't part of the industry would glance at the tripe the industry is putting out and never look at it again - if it wasn't for multiple covers and other sales gimmicks, the industry would be gone now - besides, every day is "free comic" day if you have a torrent client - worst thing for the current industry is to download old comics and see how much better they used to be
Look. Trolling is an art.
This is not art.
Art would have been calling it Cowic Book Day.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
A bunch of free loaders hangout in my shop all day long and don't buy anything. And some even try to trade in the shit from last year as well.
Comedy isn't always about having the best jokes, it's about getting them in first and being persistent. Here's an example: Kathy Griffin is still making a living as a comedian.
So hail to you, mysterious cow poster (slashdot user Sexconker), you truly are the Kathy Griffin of trolls.
"This is a store, not a library. You READ the magazines after you BUY them."
Fuck you Calydor. You'll never do anything better with your life then what the cow poster has done.
Imaging the business! This is like OSS -- FREE, as in beer, and you know if you want a lot of people to show up, you need an open bar.
Fuck you Cowdor. You're the only cow here. Moo Cowdor moo!!!!!
It bugs the hell out of me that apparently, at least the most outspoken US comic fans, just seem to think of superhero comics whenever they talk abour comics.
A little enlightenment:
Superherocomics are a smaller subgenre of comics in general, and, if I may say so, a rather shallow one at that. Comics encompass a huge superset of superhero comics, the bulk made up of so-called franco-belgian comics, covering a huge variety of genres and target audience demographics. Resulting in the fact that comics are considered a notable cornerstone of culture in France and Belgium. Count in japanese Manga (academically debateable, I know) and US Superhero comics are nothing but a fraction of all comics.
A free comic day handing out only superhero comic is nothing I'd be interested in.
I'm a notable multi-decade comic afficiando, know my way around pretty well and touched a superhero comic in years.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
A person named Clint.
While I don't read comic books, I would get the Serenity comic book if I knew where the comic book store was. I just wish that they would raise money by selling comic books and t-shirts to go towards another movie or some more episodes of Firefly.
I like comics, but I don't like the consumerism that the industry is based around. I know I don't have to participate in the consumerism of toys etc., but I still don't think it is responsible for adults to buy toys to keep in a box and never play with. It's the same with most things, people want to collect everything. I do too, but I think it's an impulse we should learn to fight, and not encourage, for the environment or something ...
My family's experience yesterday: coming back from out of town later than planned. We'd hoped to hit at least one of two comic books stores that have comics and were participating (a third store has card and board games and hosts tournaments, yet no comic books, but I still consider it a comic book store). So we are still like 30 minutes out but get into cell reception range (we were out in the mountains) and call the first, they are already closed (6:30pm). Call the second, they were supposed to close at 6, but will wait for us. We tell them we are just getting back into town and are 20-30 minutes out, "Sure, no problem, come and get your free comics". Who does this?
We get there, just as another family is leaving, who had also just come from out of town. The shop owner points us to the free comics table and tells us to take as many as we want. My two kids (16 & 17, male and female) take one of most of the dozen different comic titles left, I get 3, the wife gets a couple. Kids then search all the isles, agree on a Wolverine/Spiderman combo comic to buy together and my daughter buys a Spiderman book bag. Best of all? This place is 3 blocks from their high school, but new within the last year and we didn't know of it.
Big win for the store, IMHO. My kids will probably be there at least monthly, and who knows, may spurn on two more comic book readers for life.