We first published our article about FREE Comic Book Day in 2014. We update it annually for Jersey Family Fun readers.
2023 UPDATE Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day, one of the comic book industry’s most popular events, will return in 2023 as a single-day event, scheduled to take place Saturday, May 6, 2023.
Does your child love to read?
Do you want to encourage him/her to read more?
Take a look at what FREE Comic Book Day is all about!
My oldest who is in now preparing for high school graduation started his love for reading comic books while in Kindergarten. Every year he just kept getting better and better at reading. He has been an avid reader for years. What books does he love the most? … his dad’s comic books still rank high with him, but now he’s developing his own collection.
There’s something about those pictures, the vibrant colors catch their attention. The colorful words in bubbles, yell “READ ME!” The action that moves page to page, keeps them turning the pages. Even if they aren’t yet able to read all the words, kids can put the pictures together to form a story. It’s why even my youngest, now 13, was been trying to get his hands on daddy’s comic books for as long as I can remember. It’s why babies start with picture board books, it’s the pictures that get them to pick up the book.
While it’s the pictures that catch their attention, it’s the words that keep them hanging on. Find the right comic book and not only will your child really enjoy their reading they will build their vocabulary and literacy skills.
Those skills are something your child needs for the rest of their life. As they grow up, their comic books will grow with them. Today, it may be Mickey Mouse, next year it may be superheroes, and from there it will go on. When you’re child is struggling with reading, take them to find a comic they can get excited about. They’ll get practice without really thinking about it.
Have a teen too COOL to get unplugged and read? Connect them with a comic. There is something about the artistry that will have your COOL teen hooked. (Plus, they will be building their SAT vocabulary skills along the way.) Of course, if your teen becomes anything like my husband he will still be reading comics well into his adulthood, which isn’t necessarily bad. After all, it’s something my husband can do and enjoy with the kids.
If you’re ready to introduce your kids to comics or keep their love for comics growing check out Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day is a single day – usually the first Saturday in May each year, Saturday, May 7, 2022 – when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local comic book shop for their participation and rules.
From the FREE Comic Book Day website I’ll share this:
“Comic books began in the 1930s as a unique American art form that has grown – like so many American forms of entertainment – to spread around the globe. From Japanese businessmen reading manga on the subways of Tokyo to French artists re-interpreting Proust with words and pictures, comics have changed entertainment and challenged perceptions. These days, there are comic books for every taste, from slam-bang super-hero adventures and thoughtful slice-of-life to thrilling science fiction and intense drama.”
So get out there Saturday, May 6, 2023 for FREE Comic Book Day! Take a few minutes to connect with your local comic store and pick up a few books for your kids.
Click over to the Free Comic Book Day to see some of the more than 40 titles that will be available.
New Jersey Comic Book Stores participating in FREE Comic Book Day
These are the comic book stores in New Jersey that we confirmed participation in the 2022 Free Comic Book Day. We’re currently checking their 2023 status.
New Jersey Comic Book Stores in North Jersey participating in FREE Comic Book Day
Bergen County Free Comic Book Day Events
- JOKER’S CHILD, 12-23 River Rd, Fair Lawn – confirmed for 2023
- Gotham Underground, 147 East Main Street, Ramsey – closing permanently in March 2023
- A & S COMICS TWO, 563 Cedar Lane, Teaneck – confirmed for 2023
- KINOKUNIA BOOKSTORE NJ 595 RIVER ROAD SUITE 106 EDGEWATER
- PARADOX COMICS, 269 Ridge Road, North Arlington – confirmed for 2023
- The Comic Curators, 1217 Teaneck Road, Teaneck
Essex County Free Comic Book Day Events
- NEW WORLD MANGA, 93 E Mt Pleasant Ave, Livingston – confirmed for 2023
- TIME WARP COMICS & GAMES, 555 Pompton Avenue, Suite A, Cedar Grove – confirmed for 2023
- Gotham Comics, 295 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell
- EAST SIDE MAGS, 7 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair – confirmed for 2023
- FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, 53 University Ave, Unit 101, Newark– confirmed for 2023
Hudson County Free Comic Book Day Events
- A&S Comics One, 7512 Bergenline Avenue, North Bergen –confirmed for 2023
- MANIFEST COMICS, 762 Broadway Second Floor, Bayonne – confirmed for 2023
Morris County Free Comic Book Day Events
- FUNNYBOOKS COMICS & STUFF, #98 North Beverwyck Rd., Lake Hiawatha – confirmed for 2023
- DEWEY’S COMIC CITY, 13 Park Ave, Madison – confirmed for 2023
- NEW MOON COMICS, LLC 69 King Street, Dover – permanently closed
- FAT MOOSE COMICS, 53A Parsippany Road, Whippany
- RAY & JUDY’S BOOKSTOP, 40 West Main Street, Rockaway
- EXPIRED ROBOT COMIC BOOKS, GAMES AND COLLECTIBLES, 25 Kinnelon Road, Kinnelon – confirmed for 2023
Passaic County Free Comic Book Day Events
- ZAPP COMICS- CARDS & TOYS I, 574 Valley Road, Wayne – confirmed for 2023
Sussex County Free Comic Book Day Events
We have not been able to confirm 2023 participation from either of these comic book shops.
BOB’S COLLECTABLES, 3640 Rt 94 N, Hardyston Township- Pyramid Comics & Cards, 24 Main Street, Sparta
Union County Free Comic Book Day Events
- A LITTLE SHOP OF COMICS, 393 Park Ave, Scotch Plains – closed permanently
- ROGUE COMICS AND COLLECTIBLES, 105 North Union Avenue, Cranford – confirmed for 2023
- AMAZING HEROES, 966 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union – confirmed for 2023
- CLOCKWORK COMICS & CARDS, 1003 Vauxhall Rd, Union – confirmed for 2023
Warren County Free Comic Book Day Events
We have not been able to confirm 2023 participation from this comic book shop.
INFAMOUS COMICS, 56 Alvin Sloan Ave, Washington
New Jersey Comic Book Stores in Central Jersey participating in FREE Comic Book Day
Hunterdon County Free Comic Book Day Events
- COMIC FUSION, Turntable Junction, 16 Turntable Jct, Flemington – confirmed for 2023
Mercer County Free Comic Book Day Events
- COMIC RELIEF, 4120 Quakerbridge Rd, Suite #2, Lawrenceville – confirmed for 2023
- FINAL BOSS & COMICS LLC, 10 Gordon Ave, Lawrenceville – confirmed for 2023
- COMIC LAIR, 1606 South Broad Street, Trenton – confirmed for 2023
Middlesex County Free Comic Book Day Events
- MAIN STREET COMICS & TOYS, 74 N Main St, Milltown – confirmed for 2023
BLACKTHORN COMICS, 7 Sheffield Ct, East Brunswick
Monmouth County Free Comic Book Day Events
- ZAPP COMICS!, 700 Tennent Rd, Manalapan – confirmed for 2023
- THE COMIC CRYPT / AMAZING STORIES, Highway 35, Eatontown – confirmed for 2023
- The Geekery, 133A Main Street, Matawan – confirmed for 2023
- JAY SILENT BOB’S SECRET, 65 Broad Street, Red Bank – confirmed for 2023
Somerset County Free Comic Book Day Events
- J.C. COMICS, 579 Route 22 West, North Plainfield – confirmed for 2023
- COMIC FORTRESS, 59 West Main Street, Somerville – confirmed for 2023
New Jersey Comic Book Stores in South Jersey participating in FREE Comic Book Day
Atlantic County Free Comic Book Day Events
- LEVEL UP ENTERTAINMENT, 4403 Black Horse Pike, Hamilton Mall, Mays Landing – Confirmed for 2023
Burlington County Free Comic Book Day Events
- COLLECTOR’S CORNER-DOUBLE PLAY, 2501 Mt Holly Rd, Burlington – confirmed for 2023
- RONS COMIC WORLD, 1690 Route 38, Mount Holly – confirmed for 2023
Camden County Free Comic Book Day Events
- FAT JACK’S COMICRYPT, 521 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn – confirmed for 2023
- STORMWATCH COMICS, 449 Route 73 North, West Berlin – confirmed for 2023, but with a special note. “We will be giving away FCBD comics from previous years and will not have any of this year’s offerings.”
- A TIME LOST… AND FOUND, 325 East Atlantic Ave, Audubon
- PLUNDER PALACE, 914 Township Lane, Cherry Hill – will not be participating for 2023.
- ADVENTURELAND STORE, 100 Premium Outlet Dr, Suite 840, Blackwood
- SECRET ORIGINS COMICS & MORE, 888 Haddon Ave, Collingswood – confirmed for 2023
Cape May County Free Comic Book Day Events
- None that we are aware of
Cumberland County Free Comic Book Day Events
- None that we are aware of
Gloucester County Free Comic Book Day Event
- PANTHER COMICS AND TOYS, 5200 route 42 unit 7, Turnersville – confirmed for 2023 through their Facebook Messenger.
- THE COMIC BOOK STORE, 30 N. Main Street, (Next To Angelo’s Diner), Glassboro – confirmed for 2023
- FRANKENSTEIN COMICS, 845 Mantua Avenue, Woodbury
- CROSSROAD COMICS & COLLECTIBLES, 23 S. Broadway, Pitman – confirmed for 2023
Ocean County Free Comic Book Day Events
- COMIC RELIEF, 1231 NJ-166 Ste 7, Toms River – confirmed for 2023
- CONQUEST COMICS, 659 Atlantic City Blvd, Bayville – confirmed for 2023
- MAXED OUT COMICS LLC, 149 Riverwood Dr, Toms River
Salem County Free Comic Book Day Events
- None that we are aware of.
This link will take you to a page to find a comic store close to you participating in FREE Comic Book Day. Just enter your zip code and it will find the store closest to you. It may not be a complete list, so if you are familiar with other stores check with them to see if they are participating.
