Maybe I'm spoiled by Free Comic Book Days of past. But, when I enter a comic book shop that is participating, I assume, because I've never seen otherwise, I will be able to get one copy of each free comic they have on hand. Certainly, every year I've gone to what was my favorite store in Jacksonville Florida, that was the case. Unfortunately, that was NOT the case this year, which led me to search for another comic shop, just to see if an extra limit was the norm. I'm pleased to say it was not, and I'm also very happy to recommend to anyone in the Jacksonville or Orange Park area a little store that still has people who care about comic books and the people who buy them, Broadsword Comics and Games.
I journeyed with two of my children to Suncoast Comics of Jacksonville. As I said, I expected to be able to get one of each free comic. What I discovered was, only "regular" customers (those with pull lists) received a bag with all the free issues. Anyone else was limited to two free comics each. Given that the idea of Free Comic Book Day is to lure non regular customers into comic book shops with the hope of turning them into regular or semi regular customers, a two comic limit seemed contrary to the spirit of the day.
Not satisfied with how my Free Comic Book Day had turned out, I decided to find another shop and see if the rules had changed. After an unsuccessful search on the Comic Shop Locator (which I had issues with before today), I traveled online to the Master List of Comic Stores and found Broadsword, which is located in nearby Orange Park, not far from Orange Park Mall. They didn't have every free comic issued for today, but they did allow me to take one copy of each of what they had. They also advised a customer arrived early this morning who had the same experience I did at Suncoast.
Just so you know, I purchased comics from both stores, as I believe that is the right thing to do, since I know the free comics are not free to the comic shops, and I recommend you do the same. But, I can't recommend a comic store that isn't interested in growing their customer base, and doesn't refer people to other stores when they don't have what a customer is looking for. What I do recommend is that you find a local store (or online store, if you don't have a local shop) that treats you right, and when you find that shop, treat it right in turn. Pay for the comics you order. Tell other people about them.
What was your FCBD experience today? Do most shops limit you to a few comics, or can you get them all? Let me know below!
