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For Dave Romeo Jr., Free Comic Book Day is a busy but fun time.
“It’s a way for all the publishers, large and small, to promote existing products or new products and just to make people aware that they actually have a local comic shop,” Romeo, owner of Comics on the Green in Scranton, explained Saturday.
Free Comic Book Day, observed the first Saturday of May, is a 16-year-old tradition for a culture that dates back to 1938, when the “golden age” of comics began publication. Shortly after, comic book icons like Superman, Captain America and Wonder Woman became patriotic war-time staples. The comics — and the culture that comes with them — have endured since.
Comic book-inspired movies have swept the box offices in recent years, bringing comics to the forefront of American entertainment. “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2,” the latest from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, rocketed to the top-grossing film domestically taking in $56,256,000 on Friday, its opening day, according to IMDb’s boxofficemojo.com.
“It’s our favorite day of the year,” quipped Chuck Rowles, owner of Rubber Mallet Comics in West Pittston.
“The audience for the free comics runs the gamut. You have issues that are great for kids or even adults to jump into new books. There’s also material for people who have been reading comics for a long time. It’s a day of celebration of comics for everyone,” Rowles said.
Free Comic Book Day can also give businesses a boost.
“It gives us a nice shot in the arm for the year. It gives me a little bit of breathing space and it brings in new business and new customers, people who may now come in on a regular basis and read comics all the time,” Rowles commented.
Stationed outside Comics on the Green were a pair of “Star Wars” Imperial soldiers, dressed in full costume, including a TIE Fighter pilot and a sandtrooper, portrayed by Thomas Finley and Pete Faas. The duo are members of the 501st Legion charity organization, Garrison Carida.
The 501st Legion comes to events like Free Comic Book Day to take pictures with fans, go to children’s hospitals to visit patients, and appear at libraries to promote their “bad guys doing good” motto. The Legion has raised $250,000 for Make-a-Wish nationwide.
Comic book-related activities can be a way for families to spend time together. Nikki Tolerico and her husband, Ben, daughter, Bianca, son, Angelo, and pug, Parmesan, took Free Comic Book Day as a time to spend together at Comics on the Green.
“We are big comic fans. We go to comic conventions, we just got tickets for New York City Comic Con. We all try to coordinate outfits. Today we’re going for the Superman theme. But for Halloween, we’ve done Green Lanterns and Red Lanterns and even the Scooby-Doo gang,” Tolerico said.
The King’s College Comic Book and Media Club also took a trip to Comics on the Green for the event. Club President Christopher Natale and his partner, Vice President Samantha Bucher, described their love for comics.
“Free Comic Book Day is a holiday to me that we look forward to every year. It brings families closer together and introduces a lot of people to the joys of comics,” Natale noted. Several members of the club were new to the event and even comics as a whole. The club was set to see “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” later in the afternoon.
