FREE. COMIC. BOOK. DAY.

It that time of year again, this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day and there are lots of events happening at the LCS’s here the 518.

Before I get to that I would like to take a moment and ask everyone to help Nikkol Jelenic local creator of AcidiComics and A Taste For Killing anthology.

Nikkol’s artwork is currently in the running to appear on the cover of Heavy Metal Magazine …and she needs your help!

So here is the deal:

Nikkol’s artwork (see below) needs your votes to be considered by the judges to grace the cover of Heavy Metal. She only has 10 days to earns votes by the public. This is where you come in and can help her.

Click this link to go to Threadless to vote for her art: “DEAD STRINGS LIVE THROUGH HEAVY METAL!”

About DEAD STRINGS THROUGH HEAVY METAL

Heavy Metal is a huge part of what has molded me as an artist. I wouldn’t know half of the artists I look up to & am influenced by if I hadn’t read my Dad’s stash of HM zines. While working, like most artists I know, I love to listen to music as it also feeds the creative process. This cover is my homage to years of great music listened to while constantly striving to better my skills & growing through my art which features signature guitars & bass from rock legends I love who have passed on.

As we lose influential creative minds & these instruments no longer have strings to be played by them, their mark on us will live on making their existence immeasurably great. There’s so many amazing entries, it’s got to be very difficult for the judges to pick just one, but I’m so stoked to be amongst all these talented artists & grateful for the opportunity to have people like Kevin Eastman & Grant Morrison look at my art!

All it takes is a few minutes to go to the link and vote… so go do it now and I will wait right here…

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…and I am back

As I mentioned at the top of the post, Saturday is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, one of the holiest days for comic book fans and a great chance to check them out if you are interested … for FREE!

History Lesson time:

Free Comic Book Day was first held in 2001. In the past, thousands of shops around the world have given away millions of free comic books to interested readers. Back in 2001, when movies based on comic properties trend was beginning, Joe Field, a retailer and writer on the comic industry, saw how successful feature films based on comic book franchises were doing on the big screen Hoping to capitalize on the positive momentum of the comic movie trend, he proposed a Free Comic Book Day as a way to bring in new readers and help turn around the struggling industry that was still recovering from the speculator bust of the late 1990s. After receiving positive reactions to his idea. Jim Valentino who was in charge Image Comics, suggested having the first Free Comic Book Day on the same weekend as the opening of the 2002 Spider-Man feature film, in order to piggyback off the film’s heavy promotion and related press about the comic book medium. The first official event was held May 4, 2002, one day after the film’s opening. This year, Avengers: Age of Ultron opens the same weekend as Free Comic Book Day. Free Comic Book Day has three main purposes:

To introduce everyone to the joys of reading comics.

To call back former comic book readers.

To thank current comic book buyers for their continued support.

One point of clarification, you can’t just walk into a participating store and just grab any comic…last year I was foiled again trying to walk out of the shop with that near-mint copy of Detective Comics #27…I don’t care what the owner told the cops, I still argue that the signage was unclear….

The books that are free are specially printed comic books, put out by the publishers to promote their regular books and offer new readers a great place to jump on or as a to preview and promote a new title or storyline/event.

So here are the comics that are part of the FCBD event (the books that stores decide to offer will vary) :

More information and Previews here

lease don’t show up to one of the stores and try to walk out with 10 copies of one of the FCBD titles being offered.

The stores set their own policy for the number of free comics per customer

Free Comic Book Day isn’t just about free comics. Many shops use the day as an opportunity to bring in local creators and offer sales on their regular stock, be it current stuff or back issues.

Okay all the boring stuff is out of the way, now to what is happening here in the Albany/Saratoga area:

Participating Stores



412 Fulton St, Troy, NY

Hours: 12:00PM to 5:00PM

The Deal:

50% off back issues 35% off hardcovers and trades plus 20% off all new issues. Basically, everything will be on sale and they we have a few local artist set up with a free Aquilonia print.

Number of Free Comics Allowed: Inquire at store for details

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537 Central Ave Albany NY

Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00PM

The Deal:

We will be having comics artist John Hebert (Punisher, Ghost Rider) on hand, as well as a special guest appearance by Harley Quinn herself!

We are also helping out the St. Baldrick’s Foundation/ Ben’s Dream Drakkoman fund. A volunteer powered charity committed to funding the most promising research to cure childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Green Drakkoman Fund is named after the superhero that 6-year-old Ben Stowell created and shared with the world. We will be doing raffles and taking donations all day. Some of the prizes we have were donated by Diamond Comics, DC Comics and Marvel including a John Hebert donated the piece of original art of fan favorite Harley Quinn done just for the Drakkoman Fund charity!

Also, if anyone has any questions they can reach us at 518.459.2400

Number of Free Comics Allowed: Inquire at store for details

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Zombie Planet

1238 Central Ave, Albany, NY

Hours: 10:00am to 10:00PM

The Deal:

We are having a storewide sale all day – will be running various comic-themed game events: Heroclix Miniature Game, Marvel Munchkin and the DC Comics Deck Building Game all day. Plus Harley Quinn will be making an appearance in the morning as well as other cosplayers during the day

Number of Free Comics Allowed: 4 comics per person to ensure every gets a chance to get something all day.

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Excellent Adventures

110 Milton Ave Ballston Spa, NY

Hours: 12:00AM to 5:00PM

The Deal:



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Comic Depot / FanboysInc Podcast

Comic Depot

514 Broadway Saratoga Springs, NY

12:00pm – 9:00pm

The 190 Grille Cinema

190 Glen Falls St

Glen Falls, NY

The Deal:



Comic Depot / FanboysInc also have teamed up with local business Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish Coffee Company, the recent winner of Intuit’s Small Business Big Game Superbowl commercial, is set to release a comic book for this year’s Free Comic Book Day, on May 7. Death Wish Coffee Presents #1: ODINFORCE is written by Ron Marz, drawn by Rick Leonardi, with colors by Nanjan Jamberi. The comic will be released at the 2016 Free Comic Book Day event at The Comic Depot in Saratoga Springs, NY, hosted by Fanboysinc.

The completely original story follows a ragtag crew of Vikings, led by Halfdan the Left-Handed, as they search for the fabled ODINFORCE in the fantasy realm of Valhalla. A stunning adventure story, filled with danger, suspense, action, and mystery that will excite readers of any age, and will be cherished by comic collectors and coffee drinkers alike.

“The best thing about the whole project has been Death Wish’s complete commitment to just telling a cool story.” Marz said. “Once we settled upon the Viking theme, the only real direction has been to do what’s best for the story. This isn’t an advertisement, it’s a comic book, and one I’m really proud of.”

Death Wish Coffee is a sponsor of the Fanboysinc network, as well as a supporter of the comic book community. Together with Fanboysinc, Death Wish Coffee was able to reach out to Marz, who brought Rick Leonardi on board to illustrate the book. A fully-painted cover is being created by celebrated comic artist Joe Jusko.

“I’m not sure any company has really done anything quite like this where they sponsor a comic book without their product being in the story.” said Mike Brown, owner of Death Wish Coffee Company. “I am very excited to do something really special for our fans and really open up our relationship with the comic book community.”

The comic book Death Wish Coffee Presents #1: ODINFORCE will be available in a limited physical copy run, starting on Free Comic Book Day, May 7, at The Comic Depot in Saratoga Springs, NY, as well as at The 190 Grille in Glens Falls, NY.

Physical copies will then be made available through the Death Wish Coffee website (www.deathwishcoffee.com), along with a digital comic release.

Number of Free Comics Allowed: Inquire at store for details

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So remember to be kind to your local comic book shop this FCBD. Wait patiently in line, don’t push or shove, throw some sheckles around while you are in the store as a thank you for the comics and the time spent getting them ready to hand out.

So there you have it …lots going on Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. I plan on hitting all the stores and taking some pictures and talking to the owners, creators, and attendees.

Come back Monday for the recap of the day’s events.