Celebrating Free Comic Book Day At Conquest Comics

 
My once local and now local again comic shop has been ramping up its Free Comic Book Day festivities for the past few years, attracting cosplayers, food, and a general sense of “hang out” in their shop on the comic holiday. They also host a pretty wide-ranging sale on the comics, graphic novels, and collectibles in the shop, which makes the big event feel even bigger.

Though not all comic shops can do so, Conquest Comics  in New Jersey gets in a wide range of the free comics available each year, and has a really generous threshold of allowing 10 free comics per customer, and that generosity is not taken for granted by the customers.
When I attended this FCBD on Saturday, May 6th, there were even outside tables selling food and crafts, a nice addition that encouraged people to spend time at the shop and talk to each other, too.

Batman, Deadpool, and Harley stood on duty beckoning customers in from the roadside.

Conquest Comics had their main counter entirely covered in stacks of free comics, and I’m happy to say many customers were also buying trades, comics, and collectibles, making the day profitable for the shop as well as being comics outreach to the community. Men, women, and children were all present, too giving a wide range of readership.


Between visiting Conquest and picking up some collectibles and comics as well as Free Comic Book Day comics, and stopping by another shop within an hour drive, The Record Store, I brought home quite a haul to keep me fueled with comics and pop culture for awhile.

Here are some more photos from the event:



Photo credits to Hannah Means-Shannon and Russell Shannon.