Free comic books will be available Saturday at Lambton library locations and Sarnia store Future Pastimes.
Free comic books will be available Saturday at Lambton library locations and Sarnia store Future Pastimes.
“Often people look down on comics like they’re not a valuable type of reading, but that’s simply not true,” said Lambton County Library’s Vanitia Campbell.
Free Comic Book Day has been happening the first Saturday in May for about 20 years, she said.
“There’s a lot to comic books, whether it’s interpreting the art or reading the words,” Campbell said.
“So it’s a day that’s celebrated by many, many organizations across North America, to kind of celebrate and elevate the comic book as a genre.”
About 1,000 free comics get picked up on the day at Future Pastimes alone, said store owner Trent Rogers, noting publishers put out a few dozen titles specifically for the day each year, usually in line with promoting film or television products.
Among those featured at the library this year are Spider-Man, Avengers, Dog Man, and Animal Crossing, Campbell said.
Some people show up annually, get their free comics and leave, Rogers said. “But a lot of people choose to shop and find other things in the store, which is great.”
The day is about drawing attention to the genre and highlighting independent comic stores, Campbell said.
The library orders about 500 to 600 copies through Rogers each year, she said. “Usually we have a few left over,” which are used for art projects like collages or button making.
The library’s holdings include graphic novels — like comics, but more robust and perhaps longer — which “are very well used,” she said.
“Lots of people gravitate towards that as a genre, and we’ve got them for all ages,” she said. “People are starting to recognize the format as a good form of literature.”
The library gets its comics for Free Comic Book Day at cost, Richards said.
Future Pastimes visitors are welcome to take two or three with no strings attached, but they’re encouraged to donate to St. Clair Child and Youth Services if they take more, he said. The store maintains a year-round donation box.
Some of the county’s 25 library branches are closed Saturday, Campbell said. Free comics will “be available a little bit after the day” at those locations..
“But essentially walk in, go up to the service desk, ask for a comic book and they will give you the selection to choose from.”
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