Free Stuff For Free!
It was Free Comic Book Day on Saturday and I'd been able to find a comic book shop reasonably close by that was participating. I'd had a look at the free comic books on offer and was particularly interested in the Marvel Secret Wars #0 and the Doctor Who Three Doctors. The Marvel comic is a prequel to the Big Secret Wars Event that is starting soon while the Doctor Who one had a sneak peek of the TOP SECRET Summer Event which I had no idea was even a thing.
So off I went on Saturday morning and got there not long after the shop had opened so it was practically empty. I picked up a Groot keyring because it was adorable and asked the Comic Book Guy about a title that had recently been recommended to me. After chatting about that, he asked me if I wanted a free comic book so I thought about it for a nanosecond and said, "Yes please!" He indicated a shelf behind me and said those were the ones available. I noticed the Doctor Who one first (it had a bright blue cover so it stood out plus it was closest to me) and then the Secret Wars, and said that I really wanted those two. Comic Book Guy replied in a very disapproving tone, "You're only allowed one" like I was committing a horrendous sin. I was a little taken aback by that as I was under the impression you could get several so I had to quickly decide which to get. As much as I really want to know what the TOP SECRET Summer Event is, I don't particularly rate the Doctor Who comics that much so I picked Secret Wars instead.
It was hard not to be disappointed by that, especially when I found out later that Forbidden Planet was giving out goody bags with four comics in. I suppose, if I'd thought about it earlier, I could have tried some of the other shops but they're rather few and far between. There's only about a dozen shops in the whole North West - that includes the two Forbidden Planets in Manchester and Liverpool - so it would involve an awful lot of driving just to get free stuff. It seems a little desperate and a bit greedy. Perhaps next year I can see if any of the others are participating and if they allow you to have more than one comic.
I also managed to get two free novels, one on Thursday and one on Friday! Thursday's came in the post and was a complete surprise. It was part of Waterstone's Read and Review prize draws which they offer through their loyalty card. I got a hardback copy of Gorsky by Vesna Goldsworthy so that was very nice. Friday's book came from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers scheme. 90% of their books are ebooks now and it's not quite the same as getting a lovely new book in the post. The book I got from there is called The Lineage of Tellus: Poison & Passion by Lauren J Hasbrouck. I'm currently reading another free ebook that I got from LibraryThing (they offer them every month) called AbductiCON by Alma Alexander. So many free books, so little time to read them!
So off I went on Saturday morning and got there not long after the shop had opened so it was practically empty. I picked up a Groot keyring because it was adorable and asked the Comic Book Guy about a title that had recently been recommended to me. After chatting about that, he asked me if I wanted a free comic book so I thought about it for a nanosecond and said, "Yes please!" He indicated a shelf behind me and said those were the ones available. I noticed the Doctor Who one first (it had a bright blue cover so it stood out plus it was closest to me) and then the Secret Wars, and said that I really wanted those two. Comic Book Guy replied in a very disapproving tone, "You're only allowed one" like I was committing a horrendous sin. I was a little taken aback by that as I was under the impression you could get several so I had to quickly decide which to get. As much as I really want to know what the TOP SECRET Summer Event is, I don't particularly rate the Doctor Who comics that much so I picked Secret Wars instead.
It was hard not to be disappointed by that, especially when I found out later that Forbidden Planet was giving out goody bags with four comics in. I suppose, if I'd thought about it earlier, I could have tried some of the other shops but they're rather few and far between. There's only about a dozen shops in the whole North West - that includes the two Forbidden Planets in Manchester and Liverpool - so it would involve an awful lot of driving just to get free stuff. It seems a little desperate and a bit greedy. Perhaps next year I can see if any of the others are participating and if they allow you to have more than one comic.
I also managed to get two free novels, one on Thursday and one on Friday! Thursday's came in the post and was a complete surprise. It was part of Waterstone's Read and Review prize draws which they offer through their loyalty card. I got a hardback copy of Gorsky by Vesna Goldsworthy so that was very nice. Friday's book came from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers scheme. 90% of their books are ebooks now and it's not quite the same as getting a lovely new book in the post. The book I got from there is called The Lineage of Tellus: Poison & Passion by Lauren J Hasbrouck. I'm currently reading another free ebook that I got from LibraryThing (they offer them every month) called AbductiCON by Alma Alexander. So many free books, so little time to read them!