Thirty-five years ago this very moment, you would find me on a bicycle peddling madly up Lancaster Drive on the way to Wedgewood Plaza. The bike was metallic green, which was cool, but not as cool as the banana seat bikes which were appearing in the neighborhood. Entering the outdoor plaza by the hidden bike-safe entrance, I weaved around the bowling alley (originally groovy pool tables soon supplanted by groovy video games), passed by the cinema (one screen where I hid under my coat throughout Jaws), and pulled up in front of Gray Drugs. At about the third aisle, the owners perched a tall rotating metal rack filled with comic books. They cost ten cents, then twelve, twenty, and beyond. My allowance allowed for the purchase of one comic book because of the additional expenses that accumulated during a week (candy and baseball cards). The store employees might hover, but they never rushed the selection process. My inclination went toward the most number of pages, though a good cover could win out.
On Saturday, May 6, I will once again ride my metallic green bicycle (still no banana seat) to my neighborhood comic book shop. And I don’t need to bring any allowance (quite a relief considering the inevitable weirdness of having that conversation with my parents). It’s Free Comic Book Day! For five years now, the comics industry has supported their retailers and customers with this promotional bombshell. You show up at the comic shop and they give you a comic book printed just for the occasion- maybe even more than one, maybe you pick… It’s free! Everything from the Archies to the X-Men are possibilities, alongside a bushel full of independent and downright creative titles.
Local participating stores include Comics Etc., Rochester (473-7150); Hammergirl Anime, Rochester (475-9330); All Heroes, Rochester (865-9113); Lost Worlds, Macedon (315-986-7858); Collector’s Choice, Brockport (637-8556); and Joe’s Comics, Geneseo (243-4240). Be sure to call ahead for hours, directions, policies, and whether or not a metallic green bicycle is required.
April, 2006