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Your Neighborhood Free Comics Shop

Comicscape: Comics at the Library
© Mania

Times are tough all over. Layoffs, paycuts and increasing prices are causing all sorts of economic strife for fans of sequential art. If the stress of living in a recession wasn’t bad enough, the increasing proliferation of single issues going over the three-dollar-mark can take its toll on a comic reader. When faced with the decision of spending 5 bucks on the latest issue of Captain America or buying lunch… well, a lot of us are going without food these days. But we’re here to tell ya, there’s something else!

What if we were to offer you a place where you can get comic books for free? What if we were to tell you you didn’t have to choose between sticking with a title you’ve been following for years on end or branching out into something new? What if a magical kingdom existed in which you could sample those classic stories of yesteryear without paying the high-end price that accompanies an oversized, hardcover collection? What if there was a land, not so far away, in which you could get comics for free?!?!

No, we’re not talking about illegally downloading your comics from some vile pirate website; Comicscape would never condone such a thing. We’re talking about a mystical world located right around the corner: your local library.

Take a Look – It’s in a Book!

That’s right folks, in addition to carrying the Sweet Valley High collection, the latest John Grisham thriller and a worn, paperback copy of Flowers in the Attic, your local library also carries comic books. You say you’ve always wanted to read Kamandi but can’t afford to drop the $30 for that hardcover collection? You’d love to check out Y: the Last Man but with 10 volumes on the shelves, the only way you can hope to purchase them is in the ½-off bins at the next comic convention? No longer do you have to feel restrained or restricted by the contents of your wallet; you can find them at the local Free Book Dispensary, aka the library.

You say your library doesn’t carry comic books? Well, have you looked? They’re often hard to find. Most often, you’ll find comic books in the Young Adult section, where Golden Age reprints stand side-by-side with the latest manga or Calvin & Hobbes collections (as hard as it may be for some of us to accept, they’re all comics). But these days, with more books geared toward an older audience (and the increased opinion of sequential art in the eyes of “The Man”), you might have to look in that fancy art section of your library. Yes, even if your parents still see comics as kids stuff, the folks who stock the shelves know enough to put Ennis, Moore, Byrne and Eisner right next to Van Gogh, Da Vinci and Bosch.

No Seriously, They Just Don’t Carry ‘Em

So maybe you live in some backwater part of the country where the fine craft of comic bookery still isn’t accepted as high art. Maybe your library only carries books without pictures and simply doesn’t have comic books, graphic novels or whatever you wanna call them. There’s only one solution to a situation like this: you’ll actually have to speak to the person behind the counter. As daunting as this task may seem, it’s really not any harder than asking the dude at your local comic shop to pre-order the first issue of Scratch9. Just walk up to the desk and make your request.

You might get a few funny looks at first, depending on who you’re asking, but don’t worry: as they said in that movie, “If you ask for comics, they will come.” Or something like that. It might take a week or so, but sooner or later you’ll have a copy of Tellos or V for Vendetta in your hands. Yes, you’ll have to give it back eventually, but you’ll get to read it and it won’t cost you one thin dime.

And the more you ask for, the more they’ll get. Supply and demand, right? If you keep requesting comic books, sooner or later your local library will eventually start keeping them on the shelves… and ordering more!

The Hero is YOU!

By asking for and borrowing comics from your library, you’ll be doing the world a great service. God knows you can’t find comic books in 7-11s and drug stores anymore, so those poor kids who loved Iron Man 2 but don’t have a comic shop nearby don’t have anywhere to go to find the latest issue of their big-screen hero. Even if they did, they probably couldn’t afford ‘em anyway; it’s not like comics are 60 cents anymore. But during those hot summer months when their parents are encouraging them to read, they’ll be spending more time at the library, only to discover a huge comic selection. And it’s all because of you. Next thing you know, they’re mowing lawns and saving up their pennies to actually buy these books. See? You’ve saved some money and you’ve done a good deed. In addition, you can expand your tastes and expand your mind. Are you a superhero fan who has always wanted to try out something like Craig Thompson’s Blankets or Abandoned Cars from Tim Lane? Here’s your chance to do so without risk.

At the library, everybody wins. Pay them a visit today.

This public service announcement has been brought to you by Comicscape, Mania.com and your local library.

In addition to proving valuable weekly insight into the world of sequential art and acting like a smarty-pants while doing so, Chad Derdowski also takes part in the Zod Complex podcast, a weekly show dedicated to comic books and geek culture. Find them at ZodComplex.com today!