Early May is often the best time to be a nerd, with Free Comic Book Day, which takes place on the first Saturday in May and May the 4th (Also known as Star Wars day) often happening mere days from each other. Sometimes, however, the nerd gods make it so they both fall on the same day, as with this year, which sets the stage for an amazing celebration of all things comic book, pop culture and Star Wars!
Both days separately are great for many reasons and I was lucky enough to be able to plan out and experience them together and have an amazing time deep in the world of comics and Star Wars!
Free Comic Book Day 2024
Since 2002, Free Comic Book Day (or just FCBD) has brought together Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and other independent comic creators to give away free comics to fans as a way of celebrating comics and supporting the shops that they’re sold in. FCBD is now a huge event for comic shops worldwide. With the ranges of comics on offer getting bigger every year, there’s more incentive than ever before for fans new and old to venture out and explore the wonders of their local comic book store.
I managed to visit two comic book stores, Forbidden Planet in Manchester, UK and That Comic Shop in Preston, UK, both of which were great experiences (the latter actually being my local comic store). Queues were long but worth it, there was a wonderful sense of community with free food and other goodies along with the comics. In addition, there were plenty of sales and promotions on graphic novels and back issues, and offers on Star Wars merchandise to tie into May the 4th. Both are amazing places, and visiting them and chatting with the workers or manager of the store is always a great experience. Free Comic Book Day encourages you to venture out and enjoy comics!
FCBD is a great chance for first time fans to get into comics, with the widest range of free comics you can imagine every year from all corners of every possible universe! Rules differ in every store, but you always get to help yourself to a good number of the comics to take home and enjoy. Alongside the freebies, it’s important to help support your local comic store. This is another reason the day is so great, by asking around about the comics on offer and maybe picking up some comics, a graphic novel or even some merchandise!
Free comics wise I managed to pick up Star Wars, Doctor Who, some Marvel and a Pokémon one! All of which were great issues to help get fans into the comics, often by having several advertisements for ongoing series set in the universe encouraging you to come back.
Free Comic Book Day is a fun experience that allows you to chat with like-minded people, enjoy comics, buy new ones and explore the wonderful world that is your local comic shop! Whether you partook in it this year or maybe want to give it a go for your first time next year, then it is well worth a visit.
Celebrating May the 4th, Star Wars Day
Similarly to FCBD, May the 4th or Star Wars Day has been a staple in pop culture since the late 1970s just after the first film! Every May 4th (which was chosen as it sounds very similar to “May The Force be with you”) fans gather to celebrate all things Star Wars, whether it is dressing up, buying merchandise, meeting other fans at a convention or simply just watching the films!
In recent years, Star Wars Day has gotten bigger and bigger, with new shows, games, merchandise and more all being released on the day to really make it more special to Star Wars fans. This year was no exception, with Tales of the Empire, a series of animated shorts which was released on Disney+. The episodes followed Morgan Elsbeth (The Nightsister from Ahsoka) as we find out her origins and answered the long hanging question of what happened to ex-Jedi Barriss Offee after The Clone Wars season 5 back in 2013. Our full review of the show is available here…
Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth Feature in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire
May the 4th, 2024 also brought back The Phantom Menace to theaters across the world to celebrate its 25th anniversary. I managed to go to a showing on May 4th. It was a great chance to see the film on the big screen, and seeing fans young and old turn out for the film was very special.
It also included a look at the latest Disney+ show, The Acolyte set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, which premieres in a month’s time on June 4th. The clip showed off some fantastic-looking Force themed martial arts as a Jedi and villain fight.
Other notable releases for May 4th included new Lego Star Wars sets both celebrating 25 years of Lego Star Wars and The Phantom Menace (some of which I managed to buy!), a new trailer and poster for The Acolyte, a Star Wars update on Fortnite, two free Star Wars comics from FCBD, new merchandise releases and much, much more!
May the 4th is a wonderful day for Star Wars fans of all ages, and just like FCBD there are plenty of events, releases and ways for people to enjoy the day and really celebrate what it means to be a fan! I managed to enjoy some free events in certain toy stores which were giving out Lego and allowing you to build and take mini buildable Star Wars characters. I got a Lego Yoda!
Both FCBD and Star Wars day mean a lot to many different people, and it truly creates such a special time when both the days happen together. This allows fans big and small, comic shops and others to all come together and celebrate love of comics, Star Wars and being a nerd!
FCBD Editor’s note: support your local comic book shops!
Editor-In-Chief Lizzie Hill, here. Just chiming in for a moment, but yes, 100% what Cam said! Support your local comic shop on Free Comic Book Day or just any time! I went around to my local shops and picked up a few freebies to pass along to our comics guide madman… err… I mean, expert, Vin, and bought a few for myself and to support the local stores.
Shout out to my local comic shops, Bedrock Comics in Framingham, MA and The Hall of Comics in Westborough, MA. Both stores are well run with a knowledgeable staff with many years of experience and a great love of comics. Both stores had sales running for FCBD and my purchases that day included The Sandman, Umbrella Academy, and Lore Olympus.
Do you need help finding stores that sell comics and other collectibles near you? Comicshoplocator.com is a great place to start your search. I know Amazon is convenient and all, but there’s nothing like the experience of exploring a comic shop in person, whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart. And local businesses can always use the customers and support much more than that online behemoth!
Did you get any free comics on FCBD? How did you celebrate Star Wars Day? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or in The Cosmic Circus Discord. And may the Force be with you, always!
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