| Free Comic Book Day is an annual gathering of fans, geeks, nerds, and those who can’t get enough of the world of fiction. For some, it is considered “Christmas in May.” It is celebrated every first Saturday of this month. However, since Fully Booked in 2009, they have been organizing this event on the second Saturday instead of what was an intended celebration since 2003.
In the Philippines, FCBD goes back to the early days, and it’s not Comic Odyssey that started their tradition, which was in 2007. For Fully Booked, it was always the second Saturday until they collaborated with Comic Odyssey from 2013 to 2019, and for the last time in 2023. This year is a fresh restart for Fully Booked, |
Of course, there was no FCBD in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. They were the first bookstore in the Philippines to bring back FCBD to the public in 2022, a month late in June. They collaborated again with Comic Odyssey for the last time, and now they made it their tradition to have FCBD at their stores in the second Saturday of May as they’ve been doing since then.
The change for all of this is for marketing reasons, at the same time to cement their identity to be the only shop to celebrate FCBD. It is also a “second chance” for those who missed out on the first Saturday, as Fully Booked can. The mechanics are the same as all of their stores allow you to get ONE FREE COMIC, but at their flagship store in Bonifacio Global City, you get TWO FREE COMICS.
This does not apply to just stores in Metro Manila, but also to their select branches in regional states, as they have stores in Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and other locations that are listed where you can get your free comic book.
Of course, the early bird gets the most books, and it’s going to be a feat if you can manage to check each store and grab as many titles as you can, presented under the Gold and Silver labels of listed titles published.
The most crowded place will always be the flagship store, as most people will be there as always to not only get the titles they want, but also the opportunity to get the discounted books and other bargains that the store will offer for this event. These days, for someone who has been attending this event, it would be just another FCBD.
For those who are still high enough to appreciate the annual event, if it’s FCBD on the first or second Saturday of May, it is still something to celebrate for those who truly appreciate the creators, writers, artists, publishers, and the stores in supporting them not just for the free comic, but helping continue the business grow at the same time meeting new friends too.
Until next year again, maybe this time getting up early is not going to be a challenge for these tired bones.
No comments:
Post a Comment