James Harvey
12-14-2001, 12:42 PM
Free Comic Day will hit in 2002 and <a href="http://www.comicon.com/newsarama">Comic Newsarama</a> provided the best source of info on this great event. In an announcement issued by Marvel Comics, Free Comic Book Day, an industry promotion featured here at Newsarama a few times over the last few months, was officially confirmed.
Notable to readers and industry watchers is the cooperative, unified nature of the announcement. Marvel’s Joe Quesada and DC’s Bob Wayne are both quoted in the announcement, along with Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson and Image’s Jim Valentino. As savvy comic readers know, some of these gentlemen have not seen eye-to-eye over the last year, with the tension being particularly strong between Marvel and DC since the summer.
As previously detailed, Free Comic Book Day will be May 4th, 2002, the day after the Spider-Man movie is scheduled to be released in North America, and that date was chosen particularly because of the massive amount of promotion expected for the film.
Originally proposed by comic book retailer Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, California, Free Comic Book Day is supported by Diamond Comic Distributors and “enthusiastically embraced” by leading publishers Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics as a “way to salute the positive aspects of the medium, unite the industry, thank current readers and fans, and, most importantly, to invite new readers to visit their local comics shops. Hoping to show readers just how far the four-color artform has advanced, each company will offer a free issue showcasing its finest efforts. Details on what each publisher will offer to follow.”
"I'm confident that this industry-wide initiative will meet with amazing results," said Marvel Editor In Chief Joe Quesada. "It's great to see our industry coming together for this incredible push forward into the
mainstream!"
"This is a great opportunity for those persons who haven't read a comic in years to discover what Hollywood, The New York Times Best Seller list and the Pulitzer Prize Committee already know: comics are a viable and vital literary medium and not just for kids only any more," said Image Comics'
Vice President and Publisher Jim Valentino.
Bob Wayne, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for DC Comics, said, "We have every confidence Free Comic Book Day will lead more people to discover just how much fun it is to shop for and read comics."
Dark Horse President and Publisher, Mike Richardson added, "We're extremely pleased to be working with North America's finest retailers, publishers, distributor and printer to reach out to those who are unaware of the high-quality comics currently available."
Maggie Thompson, editor of the weekly Comics Buyer's Guide, noted that this is the first time in the history of comic books that the industry has come together for such an event. "Insiders have known for decades how entertaining comics are. Now everyone's reaching out to share what we've always loved."
Joe Field, originator of the event, concurred. "Comics are an amazing source of creativity and entertainment and we're hoping Free Comic Book Day will open the eyes of a new generation of comic book readers."
Additional information on this program will be published in Comics Retailer issue #119 (February cover date, on sale in January) as well as the January and February issues of Diamond Dialogue.
Free Comic book Day will also supported by a web site, http://www.freecomicbookday.com which will feature information on the participating publishers, titles, and more, though the websites does not seem to be operating at present time. A Marvel spokesperson said the website should be operational in a few days.
Retailers will soon receive much more information about Free Comic Book Day, including details on how to participate, and an outline of the extensive promotional efforts planned for the event, including the aforementioned website and Internet campaign, point of sales posters, a massive PR and advertising campaign, and more.
Notable to readers and industry watchers is the cooperative, unified nature of the announcement. Marvel’s Joe Quesada and DC’s Bob Wayne are both quoted in the announcement, along with Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson and Image’s Jim Valentino. As savvy comic readers know, some of these gentlemen have not seen eye-to-eye over the last year, with the tension being particularly strong between Marvel and DC since the summer.
As previously detailed, Free Comic Book Day will be May 4th, 2002, the day after the Spider-Man movie is scheduled to be released in North America, and that date was chosen particularly because of the massive amount of promotion expected for the film.
Originally proposed by comic book retailer Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics in Concord, California, Free Comic Book Day is supported by Diamond Comic Distributors and “enthusiastically embraced” by leading publishers Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics as a “way to salute the positive aspects of the medium, unite the industry, thank current readers and fans, and, most importantly, to invite new readers to visit their local comics shops. Hoping to show readers just how far the four-color artform has advanced, each company will offer a free issue showcasing its finest efforts. Details on what each publisher will offer to follow.”
"I'm confident that this industry-wide initiative will meet with amazing results," said Marvel Editor In Chief Joe Quesada. "It's great to see our industry coming together for this incredible push forward into the
mainstream!"
"This is a great opportunity for those persons who haven't read a comic in years to discover what Hollywood, The New York Times Best Seller list and the Pulitzer Prize Committee already know: comics are a viable and vital literary medium and not just for kids only any more," said Image Comics'
Vice President and Publisher Jim Valentino.
Bob Wayne, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for DC Comics, said, "We have every confidence Free Comic Book Day will lead more people to discover just how much fun it is to shop for and read comics."
Dark Horse President and Publisher, Mike Richardson added, "We're extremely pleased to be working with North America's finest retailers, publishers, distributor and printer to reach out to those who are unaware of the high-quality comics currently available."
Maggie Thompson, editor of the weekly Comics Buyer's Guide, noted that this is the first time in the history of comic books that the industry has come together for such an event. "Insiders have known for decades how entertaining comics are. Now everyone's reaching out to share what we've always loved."
Joe Field, originator of the event, concurred. "Comics are an amazing source of creativity and entertainment and we're hoping Free Comic Book Day will open the eyes of a new generation of comic book readers."
Additional information on this program will be published in Comics Retailer issue #119 (February cover date, on sale in January) as well as the January and February issues of Diamond Dialogue.
Free Comic book Day will also supported by a web site, http://www.freecomicbookday.com which will feature information on the participating publishers, titles, and more, though the websites does not seem to be operating at present time. A Marvel spokesperson said the website should be operational in a few days.
Retailers will soon receive much more information about Free Comic Book Day, including details on how to participate, and an outline of the extensive promotional efforts planned for the event, including the aforementioned website and Internet campaign, point of sales posters, a massive PR and advertising campaign, and more.