Today is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

Comics shops across the USA & Canada celebrate their beloved art form today by giving away comic books for free. Free, I tells ya! If you haven't visited a comic book store in a while - or ever - here's your chance to catch up on what you've been missing.

If you're not sure where your closest participating comics shop might be, the Free Comic Book Day website has a handy "FCBD Shop Locator" - enter your ZIP code and you'll get a list of shops near you. (USA shops only.)

The website also has a list of the 40 different FCBD comics you can choose from. (Note: Not all shops will have every title, and some titles will probably go fast!) Most shops will let you have one title, but several will offer multiple titles. Shop early, and shop often.

To get you started, here's a small sampler of the books on offer - twelve of the forty book in total. See you at the comics shop!

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day!

Don't forget: This Saturday, May 3rd, is Free Comic Book Day. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: Go to your local comics shop and pick up one (or more) of dozens of free comic books. Your retailers had to pay for the books beforehand, though; so thank them by purchasing some other books or merchandise, too.

There's practically any kind of comic book you could imagine: all-ages humor, superheroes, manga, adventure, media tie-ins, alternative comics, and more. This is a great way to discover comics for the first time, to try a title you've never read before, or to introduce comics to someone who's never read them before - take a child!

More information at the Free Comic Book Day website.

UP Mississippi Books on Sale

Attention bargain shoppers: The University Press of Mississippi is running a huge sale, with discounts from 40% to 85%. The sale pertains only to selected on-line book purchases, and it ends November 15, 2007.

Click here for the entire list of sale titles. While the list reflects UPM's broad range of publishing interests, ComicsResearch.org readers will be interested especially in these titles:

• Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers
• Carl Barks: Conversations
• Kewpies and Beyond: The World of Rose O'Neill
• The Lasting of the Mohicans: History of an American Myth
• R. Crumb: Conversations
• Milton Caniff: Conversations
• Mort Walker: Conversations
• Terry Gilliam: Interviews
• The Art of the Funnies: An Aesthetic History
• Accidental Ambassador Gordo: The Comic Strip Art of Gus Arriola

Update (10/15/2007): UPM has long been an enthusiastic supporter of comics scholarship, and we're happy to spotlight their sale. Be sure to check it out! And while you're there, check out their entire list of comics-related books.

Also: You might not be aware that UPM now uses print-on-demand to bring back out-of-print titles. So while they're not part of this sale, you now can stock your library with any of the older and essential titles you might have missed, like M. Thomas Inge's Comics as Culture, Joseph Witek's Comic Books as History, Amy Nyberg's Seal of Approval, and many more.

PS: Don't forget that we include expanded information on nearly all of these books at ComicsResearch.org!

Geektasm Alert: Free Superman Poster

Dateline Metropolis: As part of the state of Illinois' "Discover Offbeat Illinois" campaign, the IL Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is offering a free poster (several choices) to anyone who requests one. (The offer might be for US residents only; I didn't read the fine print). The poster touting the city of Metropolis' Favorite Son is pictured above (I've already ordered mine, natch); there's also one for the Tallest Man in the World, in Alton; Berwyn's Car-Kabob; Rockford's Jane the T-Rex (somebody order this one for me! Thanks, Kate and Queen!); and more.

To see all the posters, click here. To order your own, click here.

Super-special thanks to sister-in-law extraordinaire Alex "Scoop" Gillen for the tip. Here's another tip: See the world in new ways by visiting Phosgraphia, her ultra-cool photo-blog!

Fill Your Shelves with Top Shelf Comics

Oh, you lucky, lucky people... Top Shelf Productions is holding a special sale from now until October 25: discounts (sometimes huge) on tons-o-books! You've got to spend a $30 minimum to take advantage of these prices, but if you haven't looked at Top Shelf's offerings in a while, you should be able to reach that limit easily. Not sure where to start? Try these: Snakes & Ladders (music CD), Same Difference & Other Stories, Hey, Mister: After School Special, The 'K' Chronicles: What a Long, Strange Strip It's Been, and Jennifer Daydreamer: Anna & Eva. Tell 'em Gene K sent you!

Pictured: Alan Moore's novel Voice of the Fire, another must-have. Pay $5 instead of $26.95 like we did (whimper).