Free Comic Book Day 2018: How To Get Yours In Philly

PHILADELPHIA – Free Comic Book Day is slated for Saturday, and several shops in Philadelphia are planning to participate in the event. Lost in all the record-breaking box-office talk about “Black Panther” and "Avengers: Infinity War" has been the popular comic book event, which historically has been tied — albeit unofficially — to the superpowered summer spectaculars.

Here are the stores in Philadelphia that are participating:

• Store: Fat Jack's Comicrypt
  • Address: 2006 Sansom St.
  • Address: 7596 Haverford Ave.
• Store: Brave New Worlds
  • Address: 55 N. 2nd ST.
• Store: Atomic City Comics
  • Address:639 South St.
• Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse
  • 2578 Frankford Ave., 1st Floor S
• The Ontario Street Comic Shop
  • 2235 E. Ontario St.
• Hero Complex
  • 4456 Main St.

You can see other participating stores online here.

Publishers print special issues to be given away at participating comic book stores, libraries and museums on the first Saturday in May. The event, which has been held since 2002, usually coincides with the weekend opening of a superhero-centric movie as part of an effort to harness momentum from the fiercely popular films. Some stores expect to see about 1,000 visitors.

The opening for "Avengers: Infinity War" was originally scheduled for the same weekend as Free Comic Book Day 2018, but the premiere was later moved up by a week.

Fifty free comic books will be offered on this year's Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, though stores might not carry all the issues available. That's a lot of comics — even for die-hard fans —and while the issues might be free, some stores limit the number of freebies customers can take.

Here are Patch’s recommendations for comic books you should snag.

Go to the event's website for a complete list of all the comics available this year.

Patch reporters Joe Vince and Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

Image via Free Comic Book Day