Comic book shops offer free titles

    This is a newspaper, so I guess I had better go ahead and say it.
    Economic crisis.
    There. I met my quota for the month. I swear, the newspapers are getting worse than DC Comics with all these crises. Before, there was the housing crisis and the credit crisis. Before that, there was the Infinite Crisis.
    All four of the nerds reading this just chuckled. Of course, they already know what I’m about to tell you non-nerds. Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).
    According to freecomicbookday.com, the first FCBD was held in 2002. It has since become something of a nerd holiday, held on the first Saturday in May.
    It is celebrated in much the same way as any nerd event: people show up in costume, vicious debates break out about who would win in a fight against whom (The Hulk would totally wear Superman down after long enough), and a distinct smell forms after long enough. Oh, and free stuff changes hands.
    According to the FCBD Web site, comic shops across North America participate by giving out certain comics selected from the official FCBD list.
    Each store is allowed to set their own policy on the giveaway. This year’s free books include an “Avengers” book penned by Brian Michael Bendis and a Green Lantern “Blackest Night” prelude penned by Geoff Johns.
    FCBD is also a way for independent comics publishers (essentially anybody who isn’t Marvel or DC) to get the word out about their books. For instance, there’s Red 5 Comic’s “Atomic Robo and Friends” sampler or Maerkle Press’s “Love and Capes” Issue #10. FCBD lets wary readers read a bit of a comic they might not be willing to pay for.
    Murray’s own G’s Comics, located at 605-B South 12th St., is participating in Free Comic Book Day again this year.
    G’s owner Garrick Crump said he was excited about the promotion.
    “Last year, Free Comic Book Day brought in a lot of new faces,” Crump said. “We had people who had actually never even been in a comic shop before. It was strange to hear, because I kind of take it for granted that people go to shops. This year, we’ve tried to advertise a little more within the community and hope to get an even better turnout.”
    G’s has been open for two years, since Crump bought out the old shop, Warlord’s Comics.
    “I knew for a long time that I wanted to run a shop but I didn’t think that Murray really had the market for two comic shops,” Crump said. “At the time, Warlord had more of a focus on gaming. I wanted to sort of shift more towards comics.”                 Crump said he initially lost some business with the more gaming-minded customers. He has since tried to balance gaming and comics. This includes sponsoring regular gaming tournaments, which draw dedicated fan bases.
    Crump said the most popular tournaments are Magic: The Gathering card tournaments, followed by Yu-Gi-Oh trading card and HeroClix tournaments. Supplies for all three games are sold in the shop.
    More recently, G’s made an effort to branch out by carrying T-shirts, DVDs and collectible figurines, including some Japanese imports.
    Crump said his favorite part of the job is getting paid to read comics.
    “I have a lot I have to keep up on, which is good and bad,” Crump said. “If you come in and want to get something, and you’ve got that twinkle in your eyes, I’ll do what I can to sell it to you. But, if I’ve read it and it is just flat bad, I’ll let you know. I’d rather lose the $3 sale than stick you with something you won’t like.”
    Crump said he works with customers by offering discounts to repeat customers and ordering things he doesn’t have in store.
    Crump said G’s is also a Certified Guaranty Company submission center, which allows comic sellers to look up the value of their comics in a comic book pricing guide. Many of the values are subjective, however; one person’s near-mint condition may be another’s very fine condition.
    If you’re a hardcore comic book fan or just mildly interested, free comic book day is the perfect chance to check them out. Swing by your local shop this weekend and see what all the buzz is about.
    Cody Arant can be reached at cody.arant@murraystate.edu.