A Look At Free Comic Book Day 2015

Free Comic Book Day for 2015 is only half a year away! To most of you the dates being released this week should be no surprise, as Free Comic Book Day (or FCBD) has been the first Saturday of May since its creation in 2002. Never the less, it is always exciting to get the official date on the website along with hints of what goodies will come. So without further adieu, the date for 2015′s Free Comic Book Day is:

Saturday, May 2nd 2015

This will be the 14th annual Free Comic Book Day, with its origins going back to 2002. For all but 2 years in the event’s history, FCBD has also lined up wonderfully with the release of a major comic book movie (almost always Marvel, so someone tell the other companies to steal the spotlight someday!). This year the film coming out just in time for FCBD is undoubtedly going to be the biggest yet and guaranteed to drive customers into comic shops, as it will be Avengers 2, the sequel to the highest grossing comic book film ever! You can use Comic Store Locator or FCBD’s official website to find the nearest participating comic stores near you. Stores are renowned for hosting major sales, costume contests, celebrity signings, and more during this day, on top of already handing out thousands of free comics! Each store tends to vary in how they celebrate the event, each with a fun way of rewarding long time comic readers and bringing new ones into this beloved hobby.

“Free Comic Book Day is the biggest and most anticipated event of the year for all comic book enthusiasts. It’s the perfect opportunity for new and devoted comic book, entertainment, and pop-culture fans to get great comics for free, while participating in fun comic shop events,” said Free Comic Book Day Spokesperson Deborah Moreland. “Comic book shops see FCBD as a great way to show off their stores and help novice and veteran fans find stories they will love that not only entertain but enrich their lives. It’s also a great excuse for people to let their inner “geek” out while having fun meeting like-minded people and exploring their local comic shop.”

This year there will be 50 official comic book titles given out on Free Comic Book Day, but there might be more. In past years we regularly see free RPG supplies, Heroclix, and magazines added to the mix. Plus, varying shops may include previous FCBD comics in their give aways and local creators or independently published comics exclusive to their shops. The first 12 of the official titles will be announced on December 11th, as these will be the Gold Sponsor titles. The remaining 38 titles, part of the Silver Sponsor’s comics, will be announced on December 17th. You can expect to find the lists for both Sponsorship tiers on our website on those respective days. A complete listing of all fifty FCBD titles, including the twelve Gold Sponsor and thirty-eight Silver Sponsor comic books can be found in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributors’ Previews catalog, on sale at your local comic book store December 24th, 2014.

Artist Amanda Conner on Right, with husband J. Palmiotti, and SG2M’s Mathias Lewis at WonderCon 2013

Adding to this news, we also have found out who will be designing this year’s Free Comic Book Day T-Shirt. For reference, last year saw a great design by artist Skottie Young, which can be seen above. I still proudly wear my 2014 FCBD T-Shirt, as I see many fans and shop owners do as well. The image on the T-Shirt is also usually found on a poster, as it will be for 2015, which you can request be ordered for you at your local comic shop. So who is designing the 2015 FCBD T-Shirt? Why it is beloved comic artist Amanda Conner, the woman behind such great titles as Harley Quinn, Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre, The Pro, Painkiller Jane, and more! Amanda has designed an incredible piece for the 2015 shirt, which has a lot going for it. Not only does this design look good, but it has a unique symmetry in its design. If you look closely at the image below, you’ll see the comics people are reading are about the acts other comic readers are doing. Furthermore they all run full circle! Amanda’s FCBD artwork represents the diversity of comic book readers and how they are brought together by a love for reading great stories in a fun, unique art form. “I remembered what many of us comic book readers actually are… frustrated super-heroes,” Amanda said about her inspiration for her FCBD design. “I thought about making a piece of art that would resemble a super-hero insignia. Hopefully when you see it from a distance, that’s what it looks like”.

The 2015 FCBD T-shirt will be available in both black and navy blue, for Men’s, Women’s, and Youth styles/sizes. The adult Men’s sizes run Small to XXL, with an MSRP ranging from $14.99-$17.99, and will have youth sizes running from Small to Large at an MSRP of $11.99. The rather fashionable Women’s V-neck T-shirts will also be available for the first time in sizes Small to XL with an MSRP of $14.99-$17.99. Just as with the 2014 FCBD T-Shirt design, Amanda’s artwork will also be available as a commemorative poster to remember the fun and excitement of 2015′s FCBD festivities. All proceeds go to support Free Comic Book Day’s marketing and promotional efforts. The commemorative Free Comic Book Day T-Shirts and poster by Amanda Conner and other FCBD memorabilia, along with the aforementioned complete listing of all fifty FCBD titles, can be found in the January issue of Previews catalog.