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The Enlightened Nerd: Free Comic Book Day

The Enlightened Nerd is a column designed to enlighten the inner nerd in all of us through local whimsical and intellectual events, people, and places.

The Enlightened Nerd is a column designed to enlighten the inner nerd in all of us through local whimsical and intellectual events, people, and places. Know a nerdy person, event, place, or thing in Vancouver? Send it in here or tweet it to @karolinathecat (#theenlightenednerd)!

 Vintage comic books. Photo by Philip MoussaviVintage comic books at the Comic Show. Photo by Philip Moussavi

Free Comic Book Day celebrates its fifteenth birthday this Saturday May 7 and one of Vancouver's beloved comic book stores, Golden Age Collectibles, will be celebrating alongside. It is expected to be the busiest non-holiday for participating comic book specialty shops across North America (and the world), as millions of comics will be handed out to eager readers.

Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday of May every year. It was created back in 2002 to increase interest and sales in comics, as well as celebrate independent and unique comic book shops around the world. Each year, publishers work with retailers to provide comic books at a lower cost so that they can be given out for free.

Golden Age Collectibles joined the Granville strip back in 1979. A nucleus of comic books, graphic novels, manga and rare books, they recently acquired an Amazing Fantasy 15 copy, which is the comic to own from the sixties featuring the first appearance of the Amazing Spiderman. Golden Age Collectibles’ spot in the heart of downtown brings a diverse demographic to its store. Guests at Golden Age Collectibles this Saturday can expect to see Marvel’s Civil War comic handed out, which is perfect timing with the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie release. The comics vary each year and from location to location so I would suggest checking out the extensive 2016 list of Gold and Silver Books to see what other participating Vancouver locations are handing out.

Free Comic Book Day is free comic book day. No strings attached, so go forth and read! While you’re at your neighbourhood comic store I would suggest perusing other genres for something you may like – just remember to keep your purchase in good condition because you never know its future value!