Do you realize what day it is tomorrow? Why, it's only one of the greatest holidays of the year, right up there with Christmas, Halloween, and the Feast of Maximum Occupancy! It's Free Comic Book Day! FCBD comes along just once every year on the first Saturday in May (just like the Kentucky Derby, oddly enough), and offers us all a chance to walk into our local neighborhood comic shop and walk out with a stack of fresh, new books, without having paid any money for them whatsoever. Of course, only specific comics, especially produced for the day, are offered for free. The idea is to get the comic book nerds through the door on a day other than Wednesday (which is the day new comic books get released, for those not in the know), in the hopes that, while they're grabbing their free books, they'll see a deluxe hardcover collection of Batman they just have to have (even though they already have all those comics in issues, boxed and boarded, of course). The other idea is to entice non-comic book fans into the shop with the offer of free goods, in the hopes that that first elicit taste will hook them, and they'll keep coming back for more, More, MORE!!

Ahem. That's how this Phillyist got addicted, anyway. The point is, FCBD is supposed to be a day for both obsessed comic nerds and mildly intrigued non-nerds. You can check out the store locator to find a participating shop near you; all the big Philly shops will be taking part, of course. But keep in mind that the lovely Brave New Worlds in Old City will also be running a cool promotion (you could win tickets to a private screening of Iron Man) and hosting some exciting celebrities (the guys from Geekadelphia, apparently in full Star Wars regalia, and Philly author Duane Swierczynski).

One final piece of advice: get there early! Those free comics go fast.

Free Comic Book Day
Sat, 5/3/08, all day
Various venues, including:

Brave New Worlds
45 N. 2nd St.
(215) 925-6525

Fat Jack's Comicrypt
2006 Sansom St.
(215) 963-0788

Atomic City Comics
642 South St.
(215) 625-9613

Image Credit: Flickr user kreg.steppe