HONOLULU (KHON2) — Are you for the biggest day in retail all year long? It’s Free Comic Book Day, and it’s taking place on May 4th… as in may the fourth be with you.
This is a huge event. comic book stores and libraries across the United States will be giving away millions of free comic books to anyone and everyone.
This tradition began when Joe Field, a comic book store owner in California, proposed the idea in a column in the Comic & Games Retailer magazine in August 2001. His inspiration came from the success of other free promotions like free scoop day at ice cream shops and free donut day at donut shops.
Field has said he believed a similar promotion could work for the comic book industry to attract new readers and bring former comic book fans back into the fold. It is also meant to thank loyal customers for their dedication.
The first Free Comic Book Day was held on May 4, 2002. This event was strategically timed to coincide with the release of the first “Spider-Man movie to maximize the impact.
While the May the Fourth be with you concept did not have a direct impact on creating this day, it is certainly a happy coincidence.
So, to learn more about Free Comic Book Day here in Hawaiʻi, KHON2.com turned to Loretta K. the owner/operator of Other Realms.
For 36 years, Other Realms has been a local comic book store that’s fed Oʻahu’s need for fun, entertaining and interesting art-oriented stories.
“Free Comic Book Day started about exactly 22 years ago come this Saturday, and it was sort of the brainchild of one retailer on the mainland who said, ‘hey, we need to get comics into the general public,” explained Loretta K. “This was a little bit before the Marvel movies and some of the bigger movies made comic books a little bit more mainstream. So, in order to get families in and introduce people to the importance of reading and comic books as a genre in general, they decided to give away some free comic books.”
Loretta K. explained that this monster of an idea went from giving out four specially created comic books the first year to creating nearly 50 different comic books today.
Although the first comic book publishers to participate in the first years were the major creators of art like Marvel and DC Comics, it has expanded to include smaller and independent publishers such as Dark Horse, Image and Viz Media and includes nearly everything from Doctor Who to Pokémon and everything in between.
And because this event has become so iconic, it caters to all age groups and all genres. The books are even color coded based on audience age, genre and story lines. So, you can easily find what you are looking for or can figure out what you may like.
If you haven’t ever read a comic book, then this is the time to get one. You literally have nothing to lose and a potential new hobby to gain.
For those who have tried comic books but find them difficult to follow, Loretta K. has some advice for you.
“Comic books are no longer simplistic stories anymore; they have some meat to them,” said Loretta K. “I would say you shouldn’t just sit there and think, ‘oh, I’m gonna read this in five minutes’. You do have to sit and enjoy a comic book for longer than just a few minutes because the text in it is only part of the story. The art is what is going to tell the story. The art is the other half the whole story.”
So, comic books are an art; and artists, like local comic book artist Stan Sakai, create these stories and art to communicate ideas, concepts, beliefs, hopes and dreams.
Other Realms is located on 1130 N Nimitz Highway in suite C-140. If you do not live on Oʻahu, then you can click here to find a comic book store near you that will be participating. Hawaiʻi’s libraries will also be joining in the fun. You can click here to find the libraries on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island that will be participating.
Well, we hope you have an adventure filled weekend with your new, free comic books!