Maybe your stacks of Spiderman comics are too tattered to even consider bringing to college. Maybe you just could not risk losing your pristine, hardcover copy of Watchmen: The Absolute Edition to a dorm thief. Or – in the most likely scenario – maybe student loans have forced you to set your comic collecting dreams aside.
If any of the above apply to you, take a break from your course packets to indulge in the simple pleasures of panels, speech bubbles and exaggerated sound effects with Free Comic Book Day this Saturday. Comix Revolution on 606 Davis Street will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. giving away titles that range from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Guardians of the Galaxy.
Free Comic Book Day began in 2002, and Comix Revolution has taken part in the event ever since. “When it started out, we weren’t really sure how the event was going to play out, like if the popularity was going to catch on, or if it was even going to work,” said store manager Joe Chouinard. “But now if you’re not doing Free Comic Book Day, people are confused. I think everyone knows about it now and expects it.”
Comix Revolution will be giving away 1,500 free comic books, making up 80 percent of all the event’s offerings (a full list can be found here). A portion of the free comic books will be given to the Evanston Public Library.
In Chouinard’s experience, the first Saturday of May at Comix Revolution usually turns into a family event. “I don’t think there’s a lot to do in Evanston, to be honest,” he said, laughing. “I think Free Comic Book Day is something families look forward to a lot because it gets them out of the house and gives them something to do with their kids.” Besides the regular Marvel and DC fare, Comix Revolution will also be carrying comic books targeted for a younger audience, like Hello Kitty and Teen Titans.
Although Free Comic Book Day is popular in Evanston, with families, regulars and Northwestern students taking part in the festivities, the question of the long-term success of the event still remains. “It’s good for that one day, but as a longer promotional tool, Free Comic Book Day is not terribly effective. But it’s a cool thing to do,” said Chouinard.
So when you head down to Comix Revolution this Saturday, consider shelling out some cash for a non-Free Comic Book Day offering, or visiting more regularly . Ask Chouinard for recommendations, or just chat with him about comics in general (he’s a Marvel guy, but also really enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s Batman films). Talking to other comic fans is his favorite part of Free Comic Book Day, and probably one of the great joys of comics in general: enthusing about them with others as excited as you are.