Free Comic Book Day At Comics And More With Archaia, Andy Burns And His Princess

Today is Free Comic Book Day around the world, along with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in downtown T.O. at the Reference Library. My plan was to hit my local comic book shop, make my way down to TCAF and then a trip to the Royal Ontario Museum, all with my little Princess beside me. However, today I feel like crap, a cold having caught up to me, clogging my ears and causing constant coughing. So out was TCAF* and the ROM and plans cancelled with the friends I was hoping to meet up with. However, the Princess and I did make the 15 minute walk from our house to our local shop, Comics and More to see what books I could pick up for Free Comic Book Day.

I’ve written about Comics and More before, in our two part article on kids and comic books – it’s a bright, welcoming store that’s been run by Rob for 25 years and that’s perfect for parents and kids to browse through. And it was those combos who were lining the aisles and combing through bins placed outside the store when we arrived. It was great to see. While I’m one for the digital comic revolution, seeing neighbourhood kids eager to get books of all sorts filled me with some serious good vibes.

As for the Princess and I, well, she may just be turning two, but she knows what she likes. For the second week in a row, she had her eyes on a hardcover Yo Gabba Gabba book (“yabba yabba,” she constantly said when looking at it). Believe me, she’s hardly seen that show with us, but I couldn’t turn her down this time.

Of course, there was the Free Comic Books for FCBD – a selection for Dadda (that’s me) and one for the Princess. No doubt, the highlight between the two stashes was the beautiful Archaia hardcover anthology, featuring stories of Mouse Guard, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and more. It’s the kind of quality you’d find in a bookstore or comic shop. I’m looking forward to sitting down and reading through that and the rest of the goodies we came away with.

So while the clogged ears and nose may have prevented me from a longer day out, I’m glad I was able to muster up the energy to take the Princess for a walk to experience her first Free Comic Book Day. She may not know what she’s reading yet, but hearing her say “book, book!” gives me a smile now. I can’t wait until she’s just a little bit older and we can start reading Spider-Man stories together – maybe she’ll be able to explain to me what the whole Ben Reilly/Peter Parker clone thing was about.

*Speaking of TCAF, our own JP Fallavollita sent me the following text: “Is it just me or is there way more stuff here that I have to pick up here than ever before? Most definitely the most relevant, most fascinating and most enjoyable TCAF yet!”