But, while I'm not selling off precious pieces of my decidedly ongoing childhood, I am hard at work on the JTFH comic book, which, as I have already posted, I will have available in some form or another on Saturday, May 4th, 2013. This date, if you didn't know already will marks Official Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) which coincides perfectly this year with Free Comic Book Day, which traditionally falls on the first Saturday in May. This is one of my favorite holidays, and one that I have celebrated these past three years at Ryan's Comics, in Murrieta, California. Ryan's Comics is a family owned business, and they have gone a long way (and spared very little expense) in making themselves an active part in the local community. While Free Comic Book Day is perhaps their largest, most attended event each year, they feature a wide array of gaming nights, art shows featuring the work of local artists, as well as just opening their doors for folks to hang out after hours and watch episodes of The Walking Dead, or major sporting events like the Super Bowl on one or all of their many large screen TVs. It is a treat to visit on any day, but Free Comic Book Day is particularly fine. The picture below is of my wife and I striking a pose with Spider-Man at last year's event.
So, God willing, I'll be back again this year, so long as work can spare me the day off. I know I've mentioned this in a previous post, but I like to tell the story anyway, so here goes:
Free Comic Book Day 2011, I had failed to get the day off work through the normal channels, but managed to switch with a friend. My wife and I hit up FCD within a couple hours of it starting (we had stumbled upon it the year before while we were walking our dogs through the area, but this time we came prepared). One of the attractions the previous year had been artist, Ali Garza, doing sketches and signing books for attendees. Loreal, my wife, had had him do up a sketch of Batgirl. And, for the 2011 FCD, Mr. Garza was back. To really make our Ali Garza line-up definitive, we brought with us a copy of Batgirl #67 comic, and we were going to have Mr. Garza sign it for us, and draw up a quick sketch of the front cover's other inhabitant, Canary. While we were in line to have the signing and second sketch done, one of the shop's proprietors approached us and sort of asked/told us if/would we mind letting a younger fellow, who had been waiting in line to enter the shop is 11PM the night before, cut us in line. While we had waited a while, and were anxious to move on and get some lunch, we obliged them. When it came our turn, Mr. Garza drew it up just as we asked, and we were stoked to move on and grab a bite to eat.
Now, the thing that really excites me about Free Comic Book Day at Ryan's Comics, other than all of the free comic books, and the endearing sense of community, and all of the really cool costumed characters and comic industry people that Ryan brings in each year, are the raffles. FCD 2011, Ryan was doing a raffle every two hours or so. To join, all you had to do was be there and hit up one of the many costumed superhero girls for a ticket. In the first raffle of the day, Loreal won a Yu-Gi-Oh backpack. We really had no use for the backpack, but it was exhilarating to win something, just the same. 2011 wasn't off to the greatest start, but you will always lose the raffles you don't attend.
After we had grabbed some lunch, Loreal opted to go home for a little while before heading out to a family event concerning her siblings to which my attendance was not in this instance required. I decided, after she had lit off for her brother's place, that I would go back and see this Free Comic Book Day thing to the end.
I showed up and immediately scored a ticket for the 4PM raffle from Batgirl. Upping my odds, I managed to get another from the lovely lady dressed up in the Robin outfit. I was wandering around the shop at this point, having gathered all of the free stuff I required earlier that morning, when I was approached by the fellow who had asked my wife and I to accommodate the young man by letting him cut us in line earlier that day.
"Are you hanging out for the raffle?" he asked.
I told him I was.
"Here," he said, "Come with me."
He led me over to where Batgirl was standing, handing out raffle tickets to a mom and her son.
"I want you to give this guy ten raffle tickets," the fellow said to Batgirl. "I let a guy cut in front of him in line earlier and he was a good sport about it."
Batgirl smiled and carefully counted off ten raffle tickets before tearing them off the roll and handing them to me.
"Thank you," I said, both to the fellow, and Batgirl.
"Don't mention it," said the fellow. "Hope you win something good!"
So did I.
I continued to wander until 4PM finally rolled around. I was standing there, the afternoon sun tapering off behind the nearby mountains, feeling the first cool breeze of evening waft across my tensed shoulders. My sweaty fingers were fanning before me twelve little pieces of red paper, each with a seven digit number. I was going to have to watch and listen very carefully.
Now, I can't remember every single thing that was raffled off that afternoon, but I do remember a large number of collectible trading card boxed sets, a few hardcovers and trade paperbacks of various ongoing titles and graphic novels. One of the higher interest items were two copies of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 of the newer reboot, both signed by Stan Lee. These went to two very lucky people, and I felt my chances waning as I watched those people walk off so excitedly with their winnings.
And then came that breathtaking surge of excitement as one of my numbers got called off, the first ticket I had gotten from Batgirl just a half hour before. I had won. . . A Ryan's Comics t-shirt. It wasn't signed by Stan Lee or anything like that, but I had won something. That shirt still hangs in my closet, and is the same one I am wearing in the photo above.
But there was still more to be raffled off. . . Much more.
I watched with growing awe and excitement as the raffle team brought forth a stack of CGC graded comics. This was the final raffle of the day, and this was the good stuff they had been holding back. I was terrified at this point that the sweat from my shaking fingers would wipe the ink from the tickets in my hands, that the number would be there, would become unreadable when brought forth for verification, should I be so lucky to have my number called.
The excitement was too much to handle. I watched as a CGC'd copy of a very early issue of The Incredible Hulk went home in the clutches of a soccer mom in her early 40's. She had a boy with her, about nine or so, who was clawing all over her to get at it.
"Not this one," she told the boy, "You see? You can't read this one. It's worth a lot of money!"
She was right. The price tag running along the bottom touted $400.
I watched a couple of other similar items with similar price tags walk off in much the same fashion. Some of the winners were confused by what they had received, but most of them had some understanding that they had just been handed something very special.
And then came the last item: A CGC copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #28, featuring the first appearance and origin of Molten Man, graded at a Very Fine 7.5 and valued at $595. This was to be the last comic raffled off that afternoon, and for that matter, that year. My blood pressure, in that moment, might have merited hospitalization.
It is a common occurrence at raffles and defines the statement I made earlier that you always lose the raffles you don't attend, that a person will grab a ticket, and, feeling the odds stacked against their winning are so high that there really is no point in hanging around and so they pitch their tickets and leave. The other altruism that I would here add is that, insomuch as you will always lose the raffles you don't attend, someone will always win said raffle. Always.
I can't remember exactly how many ticket numbers were read off, their owners found absent, and moved from to the next number, but it was at least one, and felt like about fifty. This was particularly upsetting to the old ticker given that a lot of the ticket numbers bore the same three digit prefix followed by the unique three or four digit number. But then at last a number was read off, and it just so happened to be--as you might have guessed or known already--yours truly. My mouth was dry, and I remember a pang of fear as I spoke out that I had the winning ticket that they wouldn't hear me and would move on to the next, but that didn't happen. I forced my way through the crowd to the shaded canopy where the fellow who had so graciously allowed the young man to cut in front of my wife and I earlier, and who had with equal graciousness asked Batgirl to give me ten extra raffle tickets took the ticket from my head, and, confirming it against the one he had just drawn, nodded concession and handed me that CGC graded copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #28 to have for my very own.
There really isn't much to be said in summation to a story like this one. I have drawn out the details as I remember them, and so I think, this entry has been more for my benefit than anyone else's. If you do find yourself at Ryan's Comics this year on May 4th, you will find me there living it up with the rest of the community who have gathered to take part in something truly special.
As always, thank you for stopping by!
J. Schiek
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