By Braeden Pelton
It’s that time of year again. Free Comic Book Day is on the way. This Saturday, May 7 stores nationwide will be sampling new comic issues and stories free of charge. Grand Rapids has several locations you can stop by to snatch up some freebies.
Each store participating in this event will have several issues from the Free Comic Book Day sample list. Don’t go thinking you can get everything at one stop. The amount of comics you can take is usually limited from store to store with most offering between three and five. Not only are there free comics, but most everything is on sale. It’s like a Black Friday for geeks.
Now this event is just around the corner, literally. To all Grand Rapids Community College students we have a comic store blocks away. Vault of Midnight can be found close by at 95A Monroe Center St NW, and has the biggest event in greater Grand Rapids. There will be a few stalls for activities, vending, raffles along the strip in front of the store. Some of their featured books will be “Archer Armstrong Forever,” “Valiant,” “X-Men 92” and more.
There are several other shops sprinkled about West Michigan participating. Comic Signal, at 4318 Plainfield Ave NE, is an adorable little mom and pop comic shop with a ton of old comics. Eastown offers up Argo´s Book Shop at 1405 Robinson Road SE. They’ve got a wider variety of genres, not being a comic store, but you can still find a good selection of trades. The Outer Limits located at 1120 Burton ST SW, has a great library of games to choose from, along with their comics for everyone out in Wyoming. Last but not least there’s Tardy’s Collectors Corner here in GR at 2009 Eastern Ave SE, They have so many collectable items to offer. Be warned, it is a tad cramped.
To find more specific events, the list of all available comics, and more, please visit the official Free Comic Book Day website. Happy hunting, and have fun!
