A Free Comic Book Day Cherry Popped - A Review

This year is my first year of attending a Free Comic Book Day event. And boy howdy was I not disappointed. Chaos ensued. Stormtroopers, Iron Man and even Chewbacca was there. To be honest, I thought he'd be taller. :)

I am glad I got there early, because arriving 45 minutes early and the line was almost around the building already.

I had heard rumors about people camping out the night before, but I thought that only happened in those big cities. And while I saw no proof of camping overnight in my town, there were plenty of excited people who arrived long before me and all equally excited, but few were quite as prepared as I was.

My first and third stop on my Free Comic Book Day Adventure was the only place I really do business in town, Tony's Kingdom of Comics and Collectables. The main reason I only do business with Tony is because Tony was the first place I ever stepped foot in and he has always been awesome to me. But, I did check out the other shop today not just for their free comic offerings, but also to see what they offered. They offer primarily CGC slabbed books which don't align with the type of collector I am, a reader, so Tony doesn't have to worry about anything. He is still getting all my business. But to give a shout out, my second stop was at NW Comic Gallery, LLC. They have a nice shop, are quite friendly and have a great selection of CGC books and art on display.

As you can see I scored quite a few books between the two shops, with some help from my wife tagging along, 3 books per person, including a couple of books from local comic book artists.

Not only did I get some free comics, but my LCS, Tony's, got Spider-Man artist Randy Emberlin in the shop for free comic book day. So to top it all off, I got my Spider-Man #347 and #348 signed by him today as well as purchased some new comic art from him. A fantastic day it was!

Here is the before and after of my signed comics....

Before	After
Click for larger View	Click for larger View

The ASM #348 goes with my signed print that I got from Randy last year.

And here is the signed prints I purchased from Randy Emberlin today which are being matted and framed by my wife as I write this blog.

I am also glad did my research, and I knew exactly what books I wanted and I not only did I make sure that my local LCS had them ordered, I made sure that copies would make their way to me. OMG! How did I do that you might ask?

It is simple. It's called the 1.2.3. approach.

1. Have a subscription box with your local LCS. LCSs tend to treat their box subscribers with a little more love than non-box subscribers, it's called customer loyalty.
2. Be prepared to make an offering the day of the event. In my case, I offered up some of my wife's baked goods (thanks sweetie), which happened to be superhero themed cupcakes, to fuel the troops (the staff) for the event.
3. Ask to for it. You never know unless you ask.
4. Be truly grateful. 

But first and foremost, you have to be willing to give to receive. By having a subscription box, you show you're a loyal customer and that is something that your LCS values. By being prepared to offer up something personal, not a box of cookies purchased from a store five minutes before you got there I am offering something of value to the store's staff in exchange for a favor. If you don't have baked goods to offer, think ahead and offer time (ask to volunteer as security for the day). And lastly, you never know if you don't ask. But don't ask if you don't have something to offer up, because that is just rude. Your LCS, its owner and staff deal with a lot, not only on Free Comic Book Day, but throughout the year. Each and every time you go into the store, be grateful. When your LCS finds you a back issue, be grateful. When they don't forget get fill your monthly subscription... be grateful. When they remember your name when you walk in the door. Be grateful.

Thanks Tony for everything you do, not only for collector like me, but for the community, and for making my first Free Comic Book Day an great experience.