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I'm sure everyone who's ever held a comic book or graphic novel knows about the one particular holiday around the medium celebrated worldwide since 2014: May 4th, Free Comic Book Day, which coincides with Star Wars Day. I've been to that event quite a few times over the years. But what I didn't know was who founded the idea behind this global celebration of comics, nor did I know that the man -- and the store -- that launched the idea was just a short trip from home.
The founder of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD for short) is a fella named Joe Field. Field is highly regarded as THE expert on comic book retail. He's got countless fans here in Cali, ranging from all ages and backgrounds. He was around when the Ponzi scheme that was the Direct Market started assaulting comic book shops nationwide, and decried the amoral distribution for what it was. When Diamond Comics Distributors assumed a monopoly over the business side of the industry, store owners like Field felt the crunch immediately. He, along with every other well-known comics shop owner, now had to bow before Diamond's demands as well as the Big Two, who stood to make the most out of this draconian measure.
The ramifications multiplied; Big Two comics, along with the "Big Two of Indies", Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics, were the only publishers fully benefiting from Diamond's distribution takeover. Every other publisher took big losses, as they couldn't promise Diamond enough sales to be listed in the distributor's catalog, Previews -- if you weren't in Previews, it was a safe bet the industry didn't value you.
This meant only the four aforementioned publishers had high prospects of survival in an industry facing rising scrutiny, and therefore all comic bookshops had to prioritize selling what was listed in Previews to survive. This forced comic bookshop owners to act as gatekeepers to indie comic book artists looking for consignment deals and showcasing their work in stores for exposure. Like the publishing arm of the industry, shop owners often had to turn local artists down because not only were they financially stretched thin, shelf space was also a concern, for sales purposes; for local artists, their best shot is a 50-50 profit split deal, IF the work is considered. I faced such rejection myself several times, and ended up getting showcased by my local indie general bookstore in a 60/40 deal -- I would receive 60% of the profits, the larger share.
Around that time (it was 2015), FCBD was picking up fame. Turns out it started the year prior in Concord, California -- close to where I live -- with Joe Field and his shop, Flying Colors Comics. Every FCBD day was a celebration at Field's shop, and many stars in the industry has attended those celebrations over the years, such as Jim Valentino (Image) and Stan Lee (Marvel).
However, with the fallout of the comics industry from both cultural and political perspectives, things reached a breaking point in the medium's community last summer in June. 38-year-old Ian McGinty met sudden tragedy from apparent inhumane working standards by his publisher, launching the Twitter exploitation exposé #ComicsBrokeMe, where many comics artists revealed how brutal their publishers were, with particular elaboration on the issues of publisher abuse and the industry's inequities on profits and employee pay.
The comics industry was bleeding out and the ones taking the brunt of the catastrophe were the stores, their owners, and fans of the medium. Publishers, their CEOs, and Diamond gained astronomical gains in profits and comforts. Eventually, with comic magazines being priced at nearly $5, people started dropping their shops. The showcased mainstream comics were lacking in quality and were WAY overpriced, and some shop onwers were so upset about the state of the industry that they started unintentionally cold-shoulering customers at random.
And now, the birthplace of FCBD, along with its store and respective owner is facing a questionable future.
Joe Field's Flying Colors Comics shop was unable to get a lease extension, and will be closing up shop permanently by January 2025.
He's unsure of what he'll do next, but he's made it clear he got into the business because of a genuine love for comics. Publishers view comics as commodities, but shop owners like Field see comics as what they TRULY are: a unique art form, a special blend of words and images telling a story.
The founder of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD for short) is a fella named Joe Field. Field is highly regarded as THE expert on comic book retail. He's got countless fans here in Cali, ranging from all ages and backgrounds. He was around when the Ponzi scheme that was the Direct Market started assaulting comic book shops nationwide, and decried the amoral distribution for what it was. When Diamond Comics Distributors assumed a monopoly over the business side of the industry, store owners like Field felt the crunch immediately. He, along with every other well-known comics shop owner, now had to bow before Diamond's demands as well as the Big Two, who stood to make the most out of this draconian measure.
The ramifications multiplied; Big Two comics, along with the "Big Two of Indies", Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics, were the only publishers fully benefiting from Diamond's distribution takeover. Every other publisher took big losses, as they couldn't promise Diamond enough sales to be listed in the distributor's catalog, Previews -- if you weren't in Previews, it was a safe bet the industry didn't value you.
This meant only the four aforementioned publishers had high prospects of survival in an industry facing rising scrutiny, and therefore all comic bookshops had to prioritize selling what was listed in Previews to survive. This forced comic bookshop owners to act as gatekeepers to indie comic book artists looking for consignment deals and showcasing their work in stores for exposure. Like the publishing arm of the industry, shop owners often had to turn local artists down because not only were they financially stretched thin, shelf space was also a concern, for sales purposes; for local artists, their best shot is a 50-50 profit split deal, IF the work is considered. I faced such rejection myself several times, and ended up getting showcased by my local indie general bookstore in a 60/40 deal -- I would receive 60% of the profits, the larger share.
Around that time (it was 2015), FCBD was picking up fame. Turns out it started the year prior in Concord, California -- close to where I live -- with Joe Field and his shop, Flying Colors Comics. Every FCBD day was a celebration at Field's shop, and many stars in the industry has attended those celebrations over the years, such as Jim Valentino (Image) and Stan Lee (Marvel).
However, with the fallout of the comics industry from both cultural and political perspectives, things reached a breaking point in the medium's community last summer in June. 38-year-old Ian McGinty met sudden tragedy from apparent inhumane working standards by his publisher, launching the Twitter exploitation exposé #ComicsBrokeMe, where many comics artists revealed how brutal their publishers were, with particular elaboration on the issues of publisher abuse and the industry's inequities on profits and employee pay.
The comics industry was bleeding out and the ones taking the brunt of the catastrophe were the stores, their owners, and fans of the medium. Publishers, their CEOs, and Diamond gained astronomical gains in profits and comforts. Eventually, with comic magazines being priced at nearly $5, people started dropping their shops. The showcased mainstream comics were lacking in quality and were WAY overpriced, and some shop onwers were so upset about the state of the industry that they started unintentionally cold-shoulering customers at random.
And now, the birthplace of FCBD, along with its store and respective owner is facing a questionable future.
Joe Field's Flying Colors Comics shop was unable to get a lease extension, and will be closing up shop permanently by January 2025.
He's unsure of what he'll do next, but he's made it clear he got into the business because of a genuine love for comics. Publishers view comics as commodities, but shop owners like Field see comics as what they TRULY are: a unique art form, a special blend of words and images telling a story.
