For more Free Comic Book day, check out Martin’s write up. This time, Infinite Speech talks about Aquilonia Comics and Cards in New York, while I talk about Collected Comics in Texas.
Aquilonia Comics and Cards, Troy, New York
Free Comic Book Day is one of the best days ever next to my birthday! So every year my daughter and I head down to Aquilonia Comics & Cards and have a great time hanging out with friends and fellow comic fans. We chat about the usual comic related things while enjoying the great spread put on by the guys that run the store. Honestly, there’s nothing better than free food and free comics to go along with it.
However, getting in was a bit of an issue since there was a line down the block and around the corner (which is also a good thing), which made getting a parking space quite difficult. Which is something I should probably be used to on Free Comic Book Day.
Once I finally made it in, it was time to dive into some free books and take advantage of the great sales on all of the other comics! So that meant spending time looking at back issues and maybe snagging a trade or two since there’s way too many stories I haven’t read. As usual, my daughter and I found some nice deals, and even scored some prints for the wall.
It was definitely another successful FCBD in a fun, family friendly environment and next year’s can’t come soon enough!
Collected Comics, Hurst, Texas
While there are plenty of comic shops in the DFW area, there aren’t a lot in MY area, so I had to drive out a bit to get to one. The manager at the Hurst branch of Collected Comics is in a cosplay group I belong to, and extended an invitation to cosplayers to come to her store. Since I’m working on a Poison Ivy costume for an upcoming convention, I decided to use the opportunity as a sort of test run. It’s also, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, the first FCBD I’ve attended. Unfortunately makeup takes a really long time to apply you guys, so I was running a bit late and missed the morning crowd. Things were slowing down by the time I got there, though that meant I was free to roam around the store and talk to people.
Collected Comics is well laid out and carries a lot of fun stuff to go along with your comics, including an impressive collection of Pop! figures. It’s not particularly large, but it packs a good amount onto the shelves. Unfortunately this doesn’t include much manga, as that section was disappointingly small (though I’ve heard manga just doesn’t sell very well in comic stores). There were some people in costume while I was there, including a Nightwing, and an excellent Storm who arrived as I was leaving.
At the free comic table, everyone was allowed four books, with cosplayers able to take home an extra. I picked up the Hatter M preview, along with the offerings from Drawn and Quarterly (spotlighting Shigeru Mizuki’s upcoming epic telling of Japan’s 20th century history), Archaia (a lovely hardcover highlighting Mouse Guard, among other titles), and Udon (a preview of their Manga Classics line).
Also at the store were writer Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin) and artist Steve Erwin (promoting his Citizen of the Galaxy graphic novel). Promoting the local library’s summer events was Sam Lutz from Hurst Public Library, talking up their summer reading club. Things were busy, but the store maintained a welcoming atmosphere and everyone had a lot of energy. And of course, there were customers of all ages in attendance, as it should be at FCBD.
Infinite Speech
Kris
kristin@comicattack.net
