FCBD Philippines | Is Reading Relevant?

05.06.2019 – Twelve years since 2007 Free Comic book Day in the Philippines has gotten bigger than anyone have imagined. The lines have gotten longer the crowds become massive that there’s a fine line there between which actually reads and those join in just because the word has something to do with “FREE.” In this generation of digital age the lingering question if there are still people really reading these type of medium? FCBD is considered “the Christmas for Pop Culture Nerds” no doubt the crowd would be there for pageantry.

FCBD 2019 Feature | The Story Behind FCBD Guy

05.02.2019 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines has become part of the local event culture, where everyone lines up to their participating bookstores and comic shops. Every year since it became a regular thing in 2007 there have been a growing community among those who became a comicbook reader and its evident why many Filipino still adore reading a physical copy than digital. Of course FCBD in Manila had become a community on its own having different interesting diverse personalities among those who have been consistently lined up at this event.

FCBD 2016 Release List for Gold Books!

12.11.2015 – Free Comic Book Day is six months away in 2016, but Diamond Comics Distributors had officially released the list of Gold Sponsored books that you’ll be looking forward to picking up when the day has finally arrive. This is also the 15th anniversary of Free Comic Book Day since it was first established in 2001. FCBD has become an annual affair all over the world including the Philippines and next year its going to big as announced here…

FCBD 2015 Highlights at Comic Odyssey | Fully Booked!

05.03.2015 – While there has been five venues where Free Comic Book Day was being held all over Metro Manila. There are also minor branches of Fully Booked that given away one free comic to their regular customers. For Comic Odyssey their regular customers also received three free comics at each of its stores. The main event held the biggest FCBD at Fully Booked’s flagship store at The Fort since both companies started collaboration in 2013.

FCBD 2015: The Life of Standing in Line!

Illustration By Rommel "Omeng" Estanislao

05.03.2015 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines without a doubt has become more than a day to pick up a free comic book, but a game changer after one individual stood there during the first Saturday of May in 2013. Life standing in line is not the most glamorous part being there. You got to understand their dedication even though some would comment in social media that these people don’t have a life. You may not know the real story but most of them came prepared for it.

FCBD 2015: Comic Odyssey | Fully Booked Update!

05.01.2015 – Comic Odyssey and Fully Booked can be considered the stores that s reintroduced Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines. Both companies has have been successful organizing comic-related events even before FCBD was established. It’s the only place people would remember to attend the annual Free Comic Book Day since Comic Odyssey (2007) and Fully Booked (2008) started this event.

FCBD 2015: Planet X Comic Shop Event Details!

05.01.2015 – Free Comic Book Day is fast approaching and its less than 48 hours to go before someone started lining up at the locations previously revealed. For those who want to avoid the huge crowed there are low key shops participating. There’s one particular store that would be considered a hole in the wall and if you’re not a regular comic book reader you won’t even notice it existed inside Glorietta. The store is Planet X Comic Shop...

FCBD 2015: Will You Stand in Line Today?

04.29.2015 - Free Comic Book Day is on May 2, 2015 and ever since 2007 the interest to line up has grown in numbers. The most you can see them back when Comic Odyssey was located at the 2nd level of Robinsons Galleria. Back then nobody knew this will become big… Probably the right word is humongous in record setting crowd. Now it has become what you call a competition and also an annual pilgrimage of sorts that changed the way it was in the Philippines.

FCBD 2015: Preparations, Locations & Fun!

04.24.2015 – Free Comic Book Day is less than 10 days and fans have been trooping to this annual pilgrimage wondering where to go to get their free stuff. You’re in luck because there are only a few places to go through to stand in line next Saturday. The event has been around since 2002 and for those new people who have heard about this through word of mouth should know this is not just about free stuff. But in some places in Asia the word “FREE” is a word never to avoid.

Free Comic Book Day 2014: Post-Event Coverage!

Sorry for the late post - work has been in the way :P 

I don't belong to this generation of hand held device-dependent kids who download and upload everything; from the movies that they watch, the music that they listen to, to the books that they read. I can't say that I don't do these as well since I do but I would  still say that I'm a bit old fashioned since I prefer books over e-books and such. I grew up leafing through pages of whatever reading material I could get my hands on and reading from the light a flashlight (when it's already past bedtime) or the light of a candle (when it was black out-there were a lot of those in the 90s). Whether the kids of today could find the image of a holding a book and reading by the light of a candle impossible next to horrifying I'm glad (and relived) to see that steps and feats are being done to preserve the love of reading from a book or a comic book.

Last year we braved the heat and the lines for Free Comic Day (see the blog post HERE) It is an annually celebrated event (all over the world!). When you look it up on Wikipedia, Free Comic Book Day or FCBD is a promotional event to get new readers into independent Comic Book Stores. It's also a good way to get readers interested in reading good old fashioned comics. 

Free Comic Book Day has also made a dent in the local scene since it is also a great way to celebrate the local artists that we have. FCBD is held in different branches of Fully Booked and this year - Filbar's had a go at it as well. Stores invited local artists who got to share their work as well as meet fans and make new ones as well. For the past two years we've been going to Fully Booked at The Fort to celebrate Free Comic Book Day :) 

FCBD 2014: Filbar's Surprises By The Numbers!

05.03.2014 – For those who want to avoid the huge crowd at The Fort BGC there are other comic shops that will participate in this year’s Free Comic Book Day. Its great timing also that they are also celebrating 35 years as a store that was established in 1979. If you’re familiar with Filbar’s its THAT comic shop who will be celebrating FCBD after being reintroduced with new management sometime in July 2013. This is also their first time to participate to be part of FCBD 2014. Last night preparations have been underway to get ready and welcome new customers at the door.

FCBD 2013: Setting the Record!

05.06.2013 – Last weekend Free Comic Book Day was celebrated in the Philippines. Besides the celebration that was greeted at the Fort Bonifacio High Street last Saturday. There was also the one at Quezon City in National Bookstore with the collaboration with Castle Geek. This was billed as “Setting the Record” for most sketch cards done by the local artists. It was heavily promoted as early as February that Castle Geek and National Bookstore will be bringing Free Comic Book Day.

FCBD 2013: It's about The Comic Book Fans!

05.05.2013 – Free Comic Book Day in the Philippines has become an unofficial one single event that everyone has anticipated in the past six years. Comic Odyssey has started to promote this event since 2007 and the rest as you all know is history. The event surrounding the annual celebration originally started in North America but Comic Odyssey was not the first store in the Philippines who has brought this promotion to the local shores. It was actually the former CCHQ (Central Comics Headquarters) in Katipunan from 2002 to 2004.

Comic Odyssey Store Preview & FCBD 2012 at Fully Booked!

05.13.2012 – Last night we checked Fully Booked with the progress on how things are shaping up with the fourth branch of Comic Odyssey opening up in less than 7 days. It’s located at the 4th level of the flagship store in Bonifacio High Street. This is a great timing for Fully Booked to celebrate their Free Comic Book Day in 2012. Fully Booked has been celebrating FCBD since 2008 every third Saturday of the month of May. It has become their own tradition to promote not only this event but to let you know that the biggest bookstore appreciates the support as a way of thanking the fans.

Get Ready for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY in the PHILIPPINES!

05.07.2011 - In less than a few hours from now the doors to the biggest event happening for the fifth time in the Philippines is about to unfold. Free Comic Book Day is like your birthday and everyone in the whole world is celebrating it. This single event happening has been much awaited like Christmas in the summer. Also, this is where families and friends gather as most geek and nerds compare it to every monumental celebration of the year.