Business & Tech

Free Comic Book Day Rewards Long-Time Fans, New Readers

The Slackers store in Hazelwood will celebrate the industry holiday with free comics, discounted items and other giveaways.

Fans of the Avengers, Spider-Man and Transformers can pick up special-edition comic books starring their favorite superheroes at at in this weekend.

The shop is participating in Free Comic Book Day, an annual celebration of the comics industry. Each May, retailers, publishers, suppliers and distributors make some comics free in an effort to reward comic book veterans and draw in new fans.

This year, Free Comic Book Day falls on May 5, and Slackers will stay open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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"The main thing is to get people interested in comics," said Joe Turck, who manages the store. He said he hopes people new to the hobby will visit the store to see what grabs their attention.

Forty-two different titles will be available, including comics targeted toward kids. A full list of Free Comic Book Day titles is available online.

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But offering free comics is only one component of the store's celebration. At Slackers, all new issues, trade paperbacs, T-shirts, figures, comic supplies, used movies and used video games will be discounted 20 percent. Visitors who buy one back issue may get another free too.

Costumed superheroes, like Spider-Man and Captain America, also will be available to take pictures with kids, Turck said.

All branches of the St. Louis County Library, including the at 915 Utz Lane A, will participate in Free Comic Book Day. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., residents may visit their local county library branch and receive one issue per person while supplies last.


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