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NERD KINGDOM — Now more than ever is the age of the nerd. It is time to join the ranks, and there is no better way to do it than with Free Comic Book Day.
Utah has been crowned the geek capitol of America, but if Comic Cons and capes are still confusing to some, there is hope. The first Saturday in May has been designated as Free Comic Book Day, and participating locations will help ease readers into the wide world of illustrated storytelling.
The great thing about Free Comic Book Day is that readers can stroll into the shop with novices and experts alike, and everyone is there for the same exclusives. They won’t have to know Angel ("X-Men") from Alan M. ("Josie and the Pussycats") to be a welcome participant in the celebration.
Just in case people want to casually mention Free Comic Book Day to a friend like they are experts, here are some key terms to use to fool their friends into thinking they're a pro from How To Love Comics:
- Writer: The writer writes the story and has the overall vision of how the story will go. They write the dialogue and how the story will progress.
- Penciler: This person takes the script and draws the comic. They draw the comic in pencil which then gets inked and coloured later on.
- Inker: The inker inks over the pencils that the penciler drew. Sometimes this is digitally but often it is with actual ink.
- Colourist: This person gives the comic colour. This used to be done with colored ink but now-a-days this is done digitally to allow various different styles.
- Letterer: The letterer will take the script and place all the dialogue, word balloons, thought bubbles, sound effects etc into the comic in the intended places.
- Editor: The editor makes sure that everything is good to publish in a comic. They will check for spelling mistakes, art problems and will also coordinate with other publishers to make sure story elements will not interfere with other comic books.
Here are the locations throughout the state that will help new readers start their collections with a totally free comic. And remember to go early, because the celebration has gotten popular and supplies may run out.
St. George
Comics Plus 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Salt Lake
Black Cat Comics 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Featuring penciller/inker Ryan Ottley)
Hastur Games and Comics 10 a.m. (Featuring live taping of Hello Sweetie podcast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
Night Flight Comics 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Dr. Volts Comic Connection 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
West Valley City
The Nerd Store 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sandy
Dark Soldiers Comics 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Cedar City
Gunjah The Bead Forest 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Orem
Dragons Keep 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Lehi
Dragons Keep 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Provo
Dragons Keep 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Clearfield
End Zone Fun 11 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
