Expect to find a long line to be streaming out of the front door of Vault of Midnight on May 4. This will be the twenty-second year that the Michigan-grown comic book, manga and graphic novel chain will be participating in Free Comic Book Day.
Basically every single comic publishing house that you can think of – Marvel, D.C., Viz, Image, Dark Horse – participates. Most of what will be on hand are one off, unique comics that the companies publish just for the day. The full spectrum of the medium is represented, ranging from material meant for kids all the way to more mature storylines intended for adult readers.
“Typically there’s about 70 selections across all of these various publishers,” Vault of Midnight co-owner Curtis Sullivan said. “Folks can choose up to five comics per person.”
The original Free Comic Book Day was intended as a promotional effort for the first of Sam Ramey’s iconic Spiderman films, starring Tobey Maguire. And in the two decades since then it just plain kept going.
Some of them are stand alone adventures and some tie into existing, ongoing story lines. You can find a full list of what is available at freecomicbookday.com.
RELATED: Astronomicon 7 Brings Together Pop Culture Icons
All three of Vault of Midnight’s stores will be participating. This includes Ann Arbor’s store at 219 South Main Street, as well as their Grand Rapids and Detroit locations.
Doors will be open from 11am-5pm, according to Vault of Midnight. Different locations will have different activities at them. A full list of what is going on at what location is available on the Vault of Midnight website.
At each location, a sense of community always forms over the love of superheroes. People often dress in cosplay as they patiently wait in line to see which of the comics they want. And again, expect to be able to share your love of comics with a lot of people, where chatting and getting to know new friends is routine.
Last year, Sullivan said that when estimating attendee numbers “we stopped counting around 3,000 people.”
Find a Washtenaw County CSA That Works For You
Local Ann Arbor Podcasts To Make Social Distancing More Entertaining
Candlelight Concert Brings Holiday Magic to Ann Arbor
A Guide to Mulled Wine in Washtenaw County
Argus Farm Stop Celebrates 10 years of Business in Ann Arbor
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
