Free Comic Book Day Makes Saturday Special for St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Comic Book fans, young and old, were lined up in downtown St. Cloud on Saturday morning. They were in line outside of Granite City Comics waiting for the store to open for Free Comic Book Day. The annual celebration is held on the first Saturday in May every year.

Free Comic Book Day was started in 2002.

Store Manager Jay Johnson says Free Comic Book Day is a great way for people to get into the hobby:

"It's not only a big event, a successful event, but it's very fun. Fans look forward to it every year, even casual fans look forward to it every year, it even draws onlookers just wondering what the heck is going on outside the store, so it's our biggest day of the year by far."

Johnson says the day is a big day for kids and families to get out and have some fun together, and that is great to see. Everyone was able to choose up to four free comics from over 50 titles, and Granite City Comics has some specials in store as well.

Joe Feld originally came up with the idea for Free Comic Book Day.

Ten-year-old Marcella Watkins was waiting outside Granite City Comics and Games, hoping to grab a copy of the Garfield comic. Watkins says Free Comic Book Day usually sneaks up on her:

"I kind of just forget about it until it comes, and then I forget about it more until it's the day, and then I'm like, oh my god, it's Free Comic Book Day!  I just forget about it all the time."

Watkins says her favorite comics are Murder Drones and Pharaoh, and she has just started getting into Stray Dogs. People could also get free comics at the St. Cloud Library thanks to a partnership with Granite City Comics.

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