Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Atomic Books, Baltimore County Public Library, BMore Into Comics, collectors corner, Cosmic Comix and Toys, free comic book day

Scenes from Free Comic Book Day in Baltimore, Maryland

Published Sat, 05 May 2018 17:30:36 -0500

by Baltimore Lauren

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This year for Free Comic Book Day, I decided to stay pretty local. The weather wasn't looking to be the best for the day, since, well, rain and comics don't mix well. I stopped by my local Baltimore County Public Library, Cosmic Comix and Toys, as well as Atomic Books. In tow with me was my mom, who enjoys the FCBD festivities too.

Our first stop was indeed the library! Thanks to Collectors Corner, all Baltimore County Public Libraries had all ages titles on hand, as well as coupons for the store and a raffle for a gift card. This is an excellent way to reach the community, as well as to get people who normally wouldn't know about FCBD! Collectors Corner themselves always puts on a big show for FCBD, complete with free pizza, special discounts, and more. If you've never been to one of their FCBD events, it's absolutely worth checking out.

Next, Cosmic Comix and Toys! This shop opens up two extra stores for the day, including their famed free room, a $5 room, and of course their regular comic shop. They had pre-made bags with four titles in each for both young readers and adult readers. Guests could also roll dice to obtain a free graphic novel, which is pretty radical. Free popcorn and balloons were also on hand, though in my opinion the real highlight of this store are the comic book paintings overhead. Huge props to everyone working here today, as they got guests in and out rather quickly. They really have organization down!

We then made our way to Atomic Books. This year they partnered with Bmore Into Comics, which brought in Monica Gallagher, Jonathan Eaton, and John Bintz! Atomic had just about every FCBD book out for people to take, as well as other free zines and posters. In their rather awesome Eithr Bar, Saturday Morning Cartoons were on, and they provided guests with free cereal, and $5 mimosas. Atomic is one of my favorite book stores in Baltimore, and this was arguably one of the best FCBD spreads I've seen in years. It wasn't crowded, the line moved quickly, and you didn't need to be there 4+ hours ahead of time to get what you wanted.

Overall, we had a super successful FCBD, and can't wait for next year. Below is the haul I came back with, and my mom is now going through her own stack of comics!