FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (FCBD) IS TODAY! If you already know what FCBD is, you can skip past the box. If you DON’T know what FCBD is, read on!

Free Comic Book Day is the annual event that celebrates comics. It could  very well be the biggest day of the year for our beloved medium. Along  with participating comic book shops across North America and around the  world, we are once again giving away specially designed comic books  absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into the store!

As for us, free comics are just part of the equation. They’re a BIG part of the equation, no doubt, but there’s much, much more! If you’ve been following our FCBD@Cosmic Comix updates, you’re up to speed on pretty much the whole deal. If not, here’s a recap of everything we’ve said about FCBD to date:

1.  Free comic books!
2. 25% off everything in the store!
3. Thousands of 25¢ Comics!!
4. Super Saver Deals!
5. Artist doing FREE sketches!
6. Dice table! Every roll’s a winner!
7. Door Prizes!
8. Free Comic Book Day FREE raffle!
9. Balloons!
10. Popcorn!

Whew! And of course details on all that stuff can be found in our most recent FCBD updates. It’s gonna be quite the blowout, BELIEVE. In fact, if you’ve never been to a Free Comic Book Day before, you need to try it at least once in your life. You’ll see the store in completely new way! This place will be ROCKING!

FCBD@Cosmic Comix! Its gonna be awesome!

One final note: for all you moms out there who may have no interest in comics, Doris’ Closet, the consignment store next door, will also be having an event that day. 20% of all sales proceeds will go to the Catonsville Women’s Giving Circle. So make sure you stop by and visit them, as well!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (FCBD) is now ONE week away! Give or take two or three days. So it’s time for FCBD@Cosmic Comix Part Three! It’s the third in our series of posts designed to tell you exactly what you can expect to find at Cosmic Comix & Toys on that most excellent of days.

In FCBD@Cosmic Comix Part One, we gave you the first taste. I don’t want to spoil the fun before you click back to find out for yourself but a small part of it is 25% OFF EVERYTHING IN THE STORE! In FCBD@Cosmic Comix Part Two, we told you a little more. All I can say about that is… snake eyes! Or maybe… box cars! I don’t know all the lingo.

What could we possibly add to all that stuff to make our celebration of Free Comic Book Day the best in the area? Well, let me tell you.

1) DOOR PRIZES! We’ll be counting every single person who walks through the door on FCBD and we’ll be giving out door prizes on a regular basis! How about an Avengers movie poster? Or a Free Comic Book Day T-shirt??

2) FREE COMIC BOOK DAY RAFFLE! We’ve got five Avengers/Invaders hardcovers to give away. Each one a $40 value! All you need to do for a chance to win one of them is fill out a raffle ticket and give it back to us! Just like that! And the best part is, entering is totally free!

3) 25¢ COMICS! "Whaaaa? I thought you only broke out the 25¢ comics for special occasions?" That’s right! And no occasion is more special than this! We’re gonna set up DOZENS of long boxes, each one chock full of comics, out in front of the store. All for a quarter each!

It’s one of our most popular events at Cosmic Comix and we just couldn’t hold out any longer. You saw in this week’s Whiz Bang how we were just aching to get those suckers out there for you. And that was just a small taste! Maybe only one fourth of the total number of boxes we have. That’s right, a QUARTER OF THE QUARTER BOXES is all you saw this week!

It’s gonna be a blast, I assure you. Let me direct your attention to this photo, which was taken at a recent Free Comic Book Day right here in Cosmic Comix!

Look for the final wrap-up installment of FCBD@Cosmic Comix next week!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (FCBD) is now just TWO weeks away! So that must mean it’s time to bring you FCBD@Cosmic Comix Part Two! It’s the second in our series of posts designed to tell you exactly what you can expect to find at Cosmic Comix & Toys on that awesome day.

In FCBD@Cosmic Comix Part One, we gave you the first taste of what exactly the party will entail. I don’t want to spoil the fun before you click back to find out for yourself but a small part of it is 25% OFF EVERYTHING IN THE STORE! 

So… what do we have up our sleeves this week? What more could we add to the already solid list of special events and details? GLAD YOU ASKED.

1) SUPER SAVER DEALS! A Cosmic Comix trademark. All over the store you’ll find special deals discounted even more than 25% off! Remember Secret Invasion at 80% off?? And the $10 hardcovers featured in this week’s Whiz Bang?? Those are two great examples of the types of deals you’ll see on Free Comic Book Day! Now, exactly what will the deals be? Stop on by and find out!

2) SKETCH ARTIST! Local artist Tim Murphy (see image at right) will once again be joining us to do sketches of all kinds. Want an awesome drawing of Superman? Or Batman? Or Wolverine? This will be your chance! And guess what? IT’S TOTALLY FREE!!

3) DICE TABLE! Wait a second… did you say dice table? What is this, FCBD@Vegas? No! It’s FCBD@Cosmic Comix! And it’s one of the coolest things we’ll have going on Free Comic Book Day. We’ve upgraded from last year’s prize wheel to a fully functioning dice table! Now you’ll be able to roll the bones — the oversized fuzzy dice, that is — for a chance to win all kinds of fun prizes! Every roll is a winner!

The excitement gets ratcheted up another notch! And we’re not even done yet! Look for another installment of FCBD@Cosmic Comix next week!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (FCBD) is now just three weeks away! It’s Saturday, May 5! And as we do every year, we will once again be throwing a massive party! This is the first of several posts designed to tell you exactly what you can expect to find at Cosmic Comix & Toys on that very special (and massively fun) day. We’re calling this series FCBD@Cosmic Comix!

But first, if you didn’t know already, we should tell you that FCBD is the annual event that celebrates comics and could very well be the biggest day of the year for our beloved medium. As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book stores across North America and around the world give away specially designed comic books ABSOLUTELY FREE to anyone who comes into their shops.

As for us, we always do it up right. If you want some clues about what might be happening this year, check out the wrap-up from last year’s FCBD! And in a post earlier this year, we told you many of the titles that we’ll have available for FREE on FCBD. 

So what can you expect this year?

1. Free comic books! You choice from a myriad of titles!
2. Balloons!
3. Popcorn! 
4. And of course 25% off everything in the store!

Sounds like a party already! But that’s all we’re willing to divulge for now. Look for another installment of FCBD@Cosmic Comix next week!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY,  the annual event that celebrates comics and could very well be the biggest day of the year for our beloved medium, is being held on SATURDAY, MAY 5, this year! That’s still a few months away, but we wanted to let you know we’re actively preparing for it already! But a little background before we get into it…

As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is a single day when participating comic book stores across North America and around the world give away specially designed comic books ABSOLUTELY FREE to anyone who comes into their shops. FCBD is held the first Saturday in May each year and like we said this year it’s May 5.

Tell your friends, tell your family: on May 5, Cosmic Comix is giving away comic books! And this year, Free Comic Book Day is once again coinciding the release of a major comic book movie: THE AVENGERS! If you’ve seen the trailers, you know how good it looks. So make it a whole weekend devoted to comics!

Check out the wrap-up from last year’s FCBD! We had artists doing sketches, a spinning prize wheel, popcorn and of course comics galore! And if you don’t feel like reading anything… a picture is worth a THOUSAND WORDS!

And I’m sure your next question has to be: WHAT ARE THE COMICS?! Ask and you shall receive. After the jump you’ll see a handful of the comics we’ll have available, totally free, on FCBD!

Continue reading »

The 2011 YEAR-END SALE has officially begun! It runs from Wednesday, December 7 – Tuesday, December 13! As we always say (and it’s totally true) it’s our biggest sale of the year! We’ve already given you a little sneak peek with the Back Issue Whiz Bang of the past couple weeks, but during the Year-End Sale it goes waaaaay beyond that. We just go crazy with the discounts!

For starters, EVERYTHING IN THE STORE will be on sale for a minimum of 25% OFF! You can walk into the store, look around, and anything you see will be a minimum of 25% off. But that’s just the baseline!

You’ll save even more on Back Issues!

• Back issues priced at $5.00 or less will be just $1.00 – up to 80% off!
• Back issues priced at more than $5.00 will be 50% off!

And on our collections of Back Issues, too!

• Mini-series sets will be 50% off!
• Cosmic Comix Collections will be 50% off!

You’ll also save more on Supplies!

• Short boxes priced at $4.50 will be $3.00.
• Long boxes priced at $5.50 will be $4.00.
• A set of 100 bags & boards, normally priced at $15.50, will be $11.50.

And here are some other deals we’ll have going!

• Action figures will be 25% off!
• But if you buy 3 or more action figures they’ll be 35% off!
• Statues and busts in the cabinet will also be 35% off!

We just finished the Super Bonus Items, which you will find on the front and back tables! UNBELIEVABLE DEALS! Sneak preview: Marvel Masterworks hardcovers for $20.00!

It’s a great time to come by the store because the deals are better than any other time of the year.

It all starts this Wednesday at 11 am and continues for the entire week! See you at the store!

THANKS AGAIN to everyone who came out for this year’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. It was the event’s 10-year anniversary and we think it was the best one yet! We even set a new attendance record for ourselves… in the early part of the day we were averaging a hundred people coming through the door each hour!

Local news site Catonsville Patch was there and took some great photos of the day:

And in case you were wondering, that’s local artists Tim Murphy and Kelly Sexton doing awesome superhero sketches. Add those to my photos from earlier on in the day (and much earlier on in the day) and you get a decent feel for what it was like in here. People! And lots of them! Fun! And lots of it! POPCORN!!! And lots of it.

Of course the big reason people might be reading this right now is to find out who the big winners are in the raffle. The prize, one of which will go to each winner, is a $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

Drumroll, please…. The Free Comic Book day 2011 Raffle winners are…

Congrats, Jacob and Craig! And thanks again to all who entered. Not to mention all who spun the big wheel, participated in the 25% off sale, got some popcorn, got a balloon or two, and of course some free comics!

See you next year!

These pictures were taken at 10:55… technically five minutes before we opened, but we had to let the people in! They demanded it!

Doors open soon! Here’s a taste of what to expect…

Last week, I sent out the following press release to all major media outlets:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A FREE DAY OF FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Worldwide Free Comic Book Day Comes to Catonsville with Comics for All Ages!

Cosmic Comix & Toys in Catonsville is one of thousands of comic book shops around the world celebrating the comic book art form on Saturday, May 7th. On Free Comic Book Day, over 2.7 million comic books will be given away by participating stores, introducing as many people as possible to the wonders of comic books!

 “The wide array of comic books being published today ensures that readers of all ages — children, teens, and adults – can find something appropriate that will stir their imaginations,” said Rusty Simonetta, Owner of Cosmic Comix & Toys. 

Celebrating its tenth year, Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) has proven to be a smashing success, spreading the word that comics are terrific reading. “Even if you have never picked up a comic book, stop by on FCBD, because you never know what you will end up finding.”

"We at Cosmic Comix want to spread the word that comics are perfect for today’s times," Simonetta continued. "Comic books and graphic novels are considered hip, hot and smart.” Comic Books have propelled to the front ranks of pop culture, many being adapted into movies. The first weekend of May is going to be a big day in the comic book world.”

Regular updates, information about comic books, and a list of participating publishers and their free comics are all online at www.cosmiccomix.com or at www.freecomicbookday.com.

Free Comic Book Day kicks off at 11:00 am and runs until 7:00 pm on May 7th at Cosmic Comix & Toys, 87 Mellor Ave, Catonsville, MD, 21228. Call 410-747-3041 for more information.

And what more can I add beyond that? Except to echo all of Rusty’s thoughts on how fun it all is. If you’ve watched the video linked above (or here) you’ve seen how much is going on here at the store on that day. Free comics, a 25% off sale, prizes, and comics galore! Plus this year we’ll also have the Cosmic Prize Wheel, a popcorn machine and local artist Tim Murphy (whose work can be seen at left) will be doing sketches!

And here are just a few of the dozens of titles we’ll have available this year for absolutely free. Click to enlarge!

Amazing Spider-Man

Green Lantern / Flashpoint

Sonic the Hedgehog

Locke & Key

For a complete list, please visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY,  the annual event that celebrates comics and could very well be the biggest day of the year for our beloved medium, is being held on SATURDAY, MAY 7, this year… that’s just a few weeks away!

Along with participating comic book shops across North America and around the world, we are once again giving away specially designed comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into the store!

Tell your friends, tell your family: on May 7, Cosmic Comix is giving away comic books! And this year, Free Comic Book Day is once again coinciding the release of a major comic book movie: THOR! If you’ve seen the previews, you know how good it looks. So make it a whole weekend devoted to comics!

You can see more info along with a list of the comics we’ll have at www.freecomicbookday.com. Check back soon for more information about special events and sales surrounding Free Comic Book Day.

Check out the crowd from last year. It was packed in here!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 20th Annual Year-End Sale! We certainly had a good time and we hope you did, too! We’ll do it all again next year!

Be on the lookout for more special offers coming soon and of course the Bonus Sale on January 22!

That’s right, it’s our BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR, and today, Tuesday, December 14, is the last day! So come on in!

• Everything in the store is AT LEAST 25% OFF!
• Back Issues priced at $5.00 or less are just $1.00 – up to 80% off!
• Back Issues priced at more than $5.00 are 50% off!
• Buy at least five action figures and get them all for 50% off!
  
• All variants are just $3.00!
• Plus much more, including Super Bonus Items!

More information, including store hours during the Sale, can be found here!

Mark your calendars for the Cosmic Comix & Toys 20th Annual Year-End Sale!

Wednesday, December 8, through Tuesday, December 14!

That’s one week from today! It’s our biggest sale of the year and it’s always a great time. Everything in the store will on sale for a minimum of 25% off!

New Comics, Trade Paperbacks, Action Figures… anything you can find! At least 25% off! And check this out:

• Buy at least five action figures and get them all for 50% off!
  
• All variants will be just $3.00!
  

Plus, save even more on Back Issues!

• Back Issues priced at $5.00 or less will be just $1.00 – up to 80% off!
• Back Issues priced at more than $5.00 will be 50% off.

Plus, save even more on Supplies!

• Short Boxes regularly priced at $4.50 will be $3.00.
• Long Boxes regularly priced at $5.50 will be $4.00.
• 100 Bags/Boards regularly priced at $15.50 will be $11.50.

Plus, be on the lookout for Super Bonus Items (SBI’s) during the Sale! Honestly, we’re not even sure what those SBI’s are yet, but we can assure you, they WILL be cool. See you here!

Last Wednesday we rolled out another massive MINI-SERIES SALE and we’ve gotten a great response to it. People are walking out of here with huge piles of back issues! And the good news is, it’s still going! The bad news, though, is that it only lasts until this Saturday, October 2. (*tear*) But until then all mini-series back issues are 50% OFF!

You’ve probably noticed the mini-series boxes on the floor near the back of the store. There’s an incredible variety of limited series in there: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, GI Joe, Transformers and a ton of independents, too!

Prices are already pretty low on our mini-series sets – generally between $6.00 and $10.00 – so this sale gives you the chance to pick up a complete, multi-issue story for as low as $3.00!