Time for heroes: How comic books came back with a vengeance

Fifteen years ago, one long-time fan had almost abandoned Marvel. On this year’s Free Comic Book Day, he explains what drew him back in

These magazines might seem corny and simplistic, but there’s still plenty of appetite for good old-fashioned good-versus-evil fisticuffs (Flickr/Dex)

I have a confession to make: my name is David, I am 47 years old, and I no longer read Marvel comics.

Which is quite a curious admission, I suppose. Back when I was about my son’s age now, at the beginning of my teens, I had been a voracious Marvel fan ever since I could first pick up a comic book, and it was something that was decidedly uncool in the early 1980s, at least at that awkward age on the cusp of the mysteries of young adulthood. I distinctly remember being in a newsagents with a stack of comics to buy when a group of girls from my school walked in. Panicking, I also bought a copy of The Sun and stuffed my comics inside to hide them.

But we’re beyond that now, right? Comics – and their grown-up siblings (but which are really just the same thing) graphic novels – are a valid and accepted literature and art form. And I do still read comics voraciously, it’s just that my love affair with superheroes, which began 40-odd years ago, has been over for maybe 15 or 16 years.

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It has been rekindled in some way by the Marvel movies. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise for exactly the opposite reasons I parted way with the comics: it’s self-contained, and manageable, and whether the film stars Iron Man or Captain America or the Guardians of the Galaxy, the stories slot together almost seamlessly. It is, in fact, like the early days of the Marvel comics in the 1960s, when impresario Stan Lee presided over a small but growing world of the Avengers, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four.

Captain America has been a hit for Marvel since the beginning (Jay Maidment)

But by the time I stopped reading Marvel comics, the universe had become huge and unwieldy and I found I couldn’t follow what was happening in the X-Men comics unless I also read three or four other titles. So I reluctantly let it all go.

The rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has engaged my son hugely, and we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 last week, then together watched the trailer for The Defenders, which will bring together Marvel’s Netflix TV series Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist.

His interest piqued, he asked me about the wider Marvel universe beyond the movies and TV, which prompted me to head into the attic to retrieve a stack of my old Marvel comics from the several boxes’ worth I’ve lugged around for the past quarter of a century. And, flicking through them with him, I fell in love all over again. Age might have dulled the inks on the newsprint pages somewhat, but the wonder of those comic books still shone through, undiluted.

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Today my son will be making his first visit to a comic shop without me. He’s going with his friends and they’re all rather excited; it is, after all, Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Book Day has been held annually on the first Saturday in May since 2002. Initially an American initiative, it is now a world-wide phenomenon, and most comic shops in the UK will be participating in some form.

Perhaps a word for the unwary about how comic consumption works these days. Back when I was a kid, you could pick up American comics from Marvel and DC in your local papershop. These days, you have to either go to a specialist comic shop that imports them every Wednesday, buy them via mail order, or download digital versions from platforms such as Comixology. You won't find the latest imported American comics in newsagents in the UK these days.

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While that might make them a tad more difficult to get hold of than back in the day, it has seen the rise of the specialist comic shop in the UK, and most cities will have several, with even smaller towns often being home to one. Free Comic Book Day was set up to drive trade to these independent retailers, as well as introducing new or lapsed readers to the latest comics on offer.

It's not a free-for-all, of course: you can't just walk in to a shop and help yourself. Rather, the big comics companies create special editions which will be available on the day only, featuring their best-known characters.

Thus, this year sees Marvel putting out comics featuring Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America, DC heavily pushing Wonder Woman in advance of their new movie featuring character, while publishers such as Image, Dark Horse, Archie and manga specialist Tokyo Pop will all be providing wares.

But does it work? According to Axel Alonso, Marvel's editor in chief, it does. He tells me: “Free Comic Book Day is the chance for all fans to take part in one of the most fun family events of the year. Local comic shops will invite everyone to experience some of the biggest stories with the best heroes and Marvel is excited to offer readers four all-new stories created specifically for Free Comic Book Day.

“Whether you have been a loyal Marvel reader for years, or have just recently discovered the Marvel Universe through TV, films, or games, Free Comic Book Day is the chance for you to continue the adventure and see what happens next.”

Hardcore collectors will, of course, be keen to get their hands on these limited editions, but the best value to the companies is getting new readers engaged. Those whose exposure to the characters might be only through the movies or TV shows are being shown the greater comic book universe from whence these titans did spring, with the hope they will become addicted to the print adventures as well as the celluloid universe.

Page turners: Marvel’s editor has praised the community benefits of Free Comic Book Day (Getty) (Getty Images)

For the shops, it's all about getting people through the doors. One of the UK's biggest comic store chains is Forbidden Planet, which has branches up and down the country. Danie Ware of Forbidden Planet explains: “We offer free comics to our customers, and host signings in as many of our stores as we can. It is treated as a big event by the comics industry and by fans, and for many people, it’s a day out and a celebration of comics as a culture. And we like to make it as much fun as possible.

“Free Comic Day began as a way to bring attendees of the comic-book films into the actual comics themselves – and it’s a good opportunity for us to reach a new audience, particularly in the light of modern trend for superhero movies. The free comics offered are great ‘jumping aboard’ points, both for those who want to discover new stories, and for those who want somewhere to begin. It gives us a chance to reach out of our immediate demographic and appeal to a whole new audience.”

Com(ic) as you are: the day has become a world-wide phenomenon since its launch (Vincent Diamante) (Flickr/Vincent Diamante)

The day is perhaps more important for the smaller shops. OK Comics is based in Leeds, which also boasts a large Forbidden Planet, and Free Comic Book Day is always a big event for them. There are always queues outside the shop (it’s pretty compact inside) and there have been people queuing from the early hours of the morning to get their hands on the comics first.

Joe Arieh, who works at OK Comics, says the day always brings in newbies to the comic scene, especially families. He says: “They walk past and see a sign saying 'free comics' and it intrigues them. They might have seen the Marvel or DC movies but have no experience of comics, so it can be a great introduction for them.”

And those who come in for the freebies usually leave with an armful of paid-for comics as well, making it entirely worthwhile for shops such as OK, who do have to outlay money on the publishers’ free comics.

With the rise of digital editions bought direct from the publisher or Comixology, it might be that bricks-and-mortar comic shops are facing stiff competition for readers’ cash, but according to Joe from OK digital often actually helps the shops.

He says: “Sometimes people read downloads but then want to buy the actual comics. It can be a good way to try comics out in digital form before buying the physical editions.”

That certainly chimes with my experience. When I started dipping a toe back into the comics waters after a long absence, I initially checked out the new titles from Comixology, downloaded straight to my iPad. But I found I missed the physicality of a comic book, and soon drifted back into checking out my nearest shops.

Cartoon boon: the free comics provide an opportunity to discover new stories (Flickr/Selena NBH) (Flickr/Selena N. B. H)

One of those is OK Comics, another is 2 Tone Comics in nearby Hebden Bridge. For Amanda and Tony Addison at 2 Tone, getting people through the door is especially important – they have twice been flooded out, once in 2012 which resulted in a £26,000 refit and most recently in the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015, which destroyed most of their stock.

Thus they make Free Comic Book Day a friendly event, with customers turning up in costume and cake on offer to encourage those who come for the freebies to stay for the sense of community, and hopefully spend money.

Amanda says: “We always make it an event and because we're a small shop we get people staying and making a day of it. One year we had a chap we'd never seen before come in, get hs free comics, buy some more stock and then ask to use the bathroom. He came out in a full Power Range outfit and entertained the customers.”

It might be that many people who enjoy the big-screen superhero movies will never feel moved to read the graphic adventures – comics aren't for everyone. But for me at least, the interest the movies have ignited in my son to investigate the source material – without which there would be no Guardians of the Galaxy or Wonder Woman movies – coupled with the proactive initiative of Free Comic Book Day has certainly rekindled my dormant love for Marvel comics especially.

Yes, some of them might be hokey and simplistic. Yes, the whole concept of superheroes is a curious and possibly juvenile one. But re-reading my old comics with my son made me remember that these slim pamphlets might just be our modern version of the myths and legends of old, and if there's one thing we should welcome in an uncertain world, it's the idea of champions who help the vulnerable and dispossessed, and engage with evil wherever they see it.

So, perhaps another confession: My name is David. I am 47 years old, and I think I just started reading Marvel comics again.