Free Comic Book Day 2013, here's what's happening at Alternate Reality Comics!

Everyone knows what Free Comic Book Day is, right (being that this year is the 13th annual Free Comic Book Day, you should - grin!)!? Well here's your sound bite description of what Free Comic Book Day is (and I'll be calling it FCBD the rest of this entry): FCBD is a day, every first day of May   , in which the comic book industry gets together to celebrate how amazing this medium is, and all you have to do is show up at your favorite comic book store (Alternate Reality Comics, right?) and Free comics will be had, no purchase required! It's especially fun to bring your comic book newbie friends, kids, and loved ones so that they can share with you in the fun!

So this year, FCBD is Saturday, May 4th (May the Forth Be With You!) and at Alternate Reality Comics the fun will be happening from 10am-7pm! Here's the lowdown of the fun overload that we have planned!:

* First and foremost, everyone who shows up will get FREE comic books! The photo above shows just the smallest selection (some of my favorites) of this years selection. Just about every comic book publisher has a new comic they produce for FCBD, so there's a comic book for whatever your reading taste leans towards. We give everyone several of the offerings, with details of how many to be revealed on the day of the event (no one is ever disappointed!). A couple of the other FCBD comics not shown here that we'll have a LOT of include: Walking Dead, Superman Unchained, Infinity (Marvel's event starting in August), and Gerard Way's The Fabulous Killjoys!

* We are having five local artists, Warren Wucinich, Randi LeeAnn, Joyce Hedelund, Brice Gielgens (and his gal, Kit Kendall will be in helping out in a new cosplay ensemble!), and Ed (I've never known Ed's last name - grin!) and they will happily draw for you (just don't ask them to do the whole Justice League or Avengers line-up - grin!).

* Extra special guest, Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets creator), will be signing the FCBD  comic that excerpts his new semi-autobiographical graphic novel based on his childhood, called Marble Season (do kids still play marbles?)! Everyone will get a free Marble Season comic, but if anyone wants to supplement their Gilbert Hernandez / Love and Rockets collection, we're going to have a BIG sale on said graphic novels!

*Everyone's favorite food truck the Sausagefest Food Truck will be here to take care of your munchies before or after you get your Free comics (they even have a veggie selection, which I LOVE)!

* Raffles for FABULOUS prizes! Everyone who comes to FCBD at Alternate Reality Comics will get one raffle ticket and if you want to get more than one raffle ticket, we'll have details on how this works on the day of the event (Saturday, May 4th as you may remember)! What are the raffle prizes? Well, how about a Captain America statue, a Superman statue, gift certificates, and graphic novels!

* And for the month of May, our Artist Spotlight section of our store, will be a group show featuring different local artists doing their version of any comic book cover. We've already got several fab pieces in, but we have room for more and you have until Monday, April 29th to turn in your submission. We're having the opening reception for these artists and their art on Wednesday, May 1st from 5-7pm, but if you don't get a chance to make that, you'll be able to Marvel (and DC - grin) at this art as you pick up your FREE comics on FCBD!

We hope all of the patrons / friends of Alternate Reality Comics will join us on this big FUN day, Saturday, May 4th, because you all are the key ingredient of everything that has made Alternate Reality Comics one of the headquarters for sequential art greatness here in Las Vegas! Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 4th, pass it on, bring friends!