Bumper crowd anticipated for Free Comic Book Day in Windsor
It's the first Saturday in May, which means it's Free Comic Book Bay — when comic book publishers set out their wares and make them available free of cost to comic lovers.
And this year, Free Comic Book Day coincides with another notable day: May the 4th, or Star Wars Day.
The owner of Rogues Gallery Comics in downtown Windsor said instead of a single day, they are hosting Free Comic Book Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, to accommodate the bumper crowd that's expected at the store.
LISTEN: Free comic book day in Windsor
Shawn Cousineau said there are 40 or 50 "brand new" comic books at the store plus some from previous years.
"We limit it to three per customer and other shops do other limits, but we think three is pretty fair and if you want an extra one, it's a dollar to charity," Cousineau told CBC News.
Rogues Gallery Comics has been collaborating with Paper Heroes and Cartoon Kingdom for the event since around 2019, and everyone who visits the shops gets their name entered into a raffle for a prize by scanning a QR code.
"Because this year it's on May the 4th, it's a big Star Wars Day this year, we're calling them bounties," he said.
The owner of Rogues Gallery Comics in downtown Windsor, Shawn Cousineau, says there are 40 or 50 'brand new' comic books at the store plus some from previous years. (Rogues Gallery Comics)
Cousineau said there are also "side bounties," at the art gallery, the museum and the Windsor Public Library downtown, which are all having events.
Additionally, he said Torus Doughnuts will have a specialized doughnut for the day, "and our newest member is Yay for Strays [Cat Cafe], and they're being awfully sweet. Every person that goes in for the bounty gets a free beverage and half-hour coupon for visits with the kitty cats, which is outstanding."
Elias Pacheco says he's been going to Rogues Gallery Comics for the better part of 10 years, and has been volunteering there on Free Comic Book Day for a while.
"It's been a lot of fun, you meet a lot of great people, you see a lot of great comics come through the door, and it's always fun just to see a little kid come and read comics and pick up a comic and be like, 'Oh, it's Transformers,' and 'it's Spider-Man,'" he said.
