The biggest day for the comics industry was earlier this month. The highly anticipated annual FREE COMIC BOOK DAY event, as usual, didn’t disappoint. FANTASTIC FORUM was in it up to our necks this year as we sponsored events and made the rounds to comic book retailers in the Washington, DC metro area.
Producer/host Patrick Michael Strange was at Flashback Comics in Woodbridge, VA along with artist Pete Tapang, Ms. Delaware Collegiate Lyss Acosta-Millan, Next Issue Podcast host Harry Cee and Webster Style magazine’s Elden Hawkes. There were trivia and costume contests and prizes galore. If you happen to be in the area you want to check out Flashback. And Patrick does a weekly comics preview show from there that you don’t want to miss. Tell ’em you heard about it on FANTASTIC FORUM!
Our friends over at Victory Comics in Falls Church, VA had members of the 501st Imperial Legion in the house. We didn’t quite make it in time to see all of them but I managed to get some great interviews that you’ll see on the show. And I took pictures with cosplayers Kate Foil and Gareth Hoskins as Batgirl and Batman.
Kate has actually been a panelist on the show, too. You’ll see her in our upcoming episode #47 “The Star Trek Phenomena.”
I actually began the day at Fantom Comics in Washington, DC’s Union Station. The store was packed and we got some great footage and interviews.
Patrick and I made it separately to Laughing Ogre Comics in Fairfax, VA later in the afternoon. Among the terrific cosplayers remaining from the day’s activities were Camille Adrienne, Jeff Reynor and Mickie Holm.
All the stores we visited reported that this FCBD was the biggest they’d ever had. Larger crowds, greater interest and more enthusiasm than previous years. We wish that we’d have been able to make it to see some of our other friends. Third Eye Comics in Annapolis had Gail Simone as a guest and artist Adam Kubert was at Reisterstown’s Cards & Comics. There is never enough time on Free Comic Book Day. Perhaps we’ll expand the number of video crews at our disposal next year.
In the meantime, keep supporting your local comics retailers and keep watching, the best is yet to come!
