Free Comic Book Day Returns to Oiltown Comics

By John F. Kaiser III – Navarro County Gazette

Join Oiltown Comics in celebrating Free Comic Book Day, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm, Saturday, Aug. 14. The store is located at 520 W. First Avenue.

The first Free Comic Book Day was held Saturday May 4, 2002 in correlation with the release of the first Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man film. Twenty years later, this event is still going strong and adopted now by thousands of comic book retailers worldwide. One such shop is our very own local Oiltown Comics who has embraced and championed Free Comic Book Day since they opened in 2016.

Are all the comics free?

Normally held the first Saturday of May every year, this years Free Comic Book Day will be held on Aug. 14 due to setbacks from the ongoing pandemic. If you are unfamiliar with Free Comic Book Day, and just what all it entails, the official website has a handy FAQ to help answer those questions. The biggest question you probably have is “Are all of the comics free?“. To that, the answer is “No“. However, there will be a huge selection of curated free titles designed to appeal to a broad range of age levels and tastes.

Another great question that appears in the FAQ is “What’s the big deal about comic books anyway?”. On a personal level, I can tell you that getting into comic books at an early age really kicked off my love for reading and learning which expanded well past comics into literary classics and cultural mythologies. The Free Comic Book Day website answers the question with “Comic books are an original American art form, created in the early days of the twentieth century. They are fun to read, featuring a wide range of diverse story lines that capture the imagination of the readers.”

Just how big of a deal is this?

From the Oiltown Comics Newsletter touting the event: “Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is the biggest event in the comic book industry—a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books FREE to anyone who comes into their shops! Founded on the belief that for every person out there, there’s a comic book they’ll love.

Current plans are to be Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14 for this event.”

If you have any further questions about the event, owner Nic Davidson urges you to check out their social media pages, or to come drop by the store (Hours are 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday).