This years Free Comic Book Day is scheduled to be on Saturday 5th May. As we all know, it's getting pretty boring. Last year we spiced things up a bit by teaming up with Oxfams portrait/signature Fairwell To Weapons thing. What should we do this year to break the monotony?
Maybe we should have special deals on the day. "Reduced Price, one day only" kind of thing? We need something that's going to cause a fuss outside the shop and make people stop and take notice..
How about the Option of fancy dress? American stores do it! just a suggestion. I think ion earlier threads some people wanted to dress up. And it will certainly make people take notice!!!
But he's always in fancy dress that OKcomicsman. Don't encourage him. Or if you do, might I suggest Pirates as a theme. Everyone loves Pirates, especially Pirate's mums. He's probably already done Pirates hasn't he, he's dressed as cowboys, spacemen and lumberjacks...maybe David Jason Characters as a theme?
R.e. causing a fuss: The day after 9/11 My Fair Lady's sister wore an Osama mask in her shop. The day after 9/11. She's not the full shilling (and is nothing like my common law partner. Honest.) Please note, I am not recommending this.
Balloons are good. Draped suggestivley around the exterior of your shop they are sure to be a talking point amongst all passing shoppers. Young and old will find them a stimulating delight to their eyes and be attracted into the consumer paradise. Particularly kids, kids love balloons.
Well at least if you do a reduced sale thing I'll have a chance of seeing the sale stuff for a change. (Bloody discriminatory against weekend shoppers that's what it is having sales mid week).
won't everyone stand outside waiting to be the lucky one, fights will break out, there'll be rioting. Balloons is a great idea everyone loves balloons. Maybe set up a harvey nichols style comic themed window display?
OKcomicsman should dress up as Darkseid. I had that thought on the bus home and now I can't rid myself of the mental image, so I am sharing it. Awww. Lil' Darkseid, he's so cute!
And no matter how much money Georgiana pledges OKOliver and The Collector cannot come as The Dr. Manhattan Twins. If they insist we'll have to put those balloons to a novel use.
It’ll sound crazy but stick with me here. Why don’t you contact the TV people and big it up. I’m sure Calendar/Look North or whatever the Regional News thing is would be interested. I mean, it’s not like there’s a lot of local interest stories (If I see that fella with his house trapped between two stretches of Motorway again I’ll weep).
They’ll love it. They can do one of their terrible intros: “And now a shopkeeper who is giving his stock away for FREE! Biff! Bang! Pow! Comics aren’t just for kids but they certainly are FREE!”. Cut to close up of OKComicsman surrounded by balloons and screaming children, while OKOliver and The Collector edge their way into the background. OKcomicsman: “Uh…..Meep!”
OKcomicsman vs. Christa Ackroyd. Book your seats now.
I think it’s a good idea. Really. Hey, it’s worth a shot. Think big and seize the stars!
I used to, er date, her make up lady. They all call her "Big C", beacause she's scarier than cancer. She parks her car on double yellow lines every single day, and pays a £40 fine everyday, because she can't be arsed walking from the carpark 200 yards away... I've just looked it up, that's the dictionary definition of awesome.
Getting TV involved is a great idea. And I do send out press releases to TV, Print, Radio and Web journalists. I invite Jonathan Ross every year, but does he come...?
...probably only when he's kissing David Bowie's @ss.
I should have known a smooth operator like you would have covered the media already. I'm still pushing for balloons though.
We like your Christa memories. Me and The Lady watch the News every night just for Christa, and she always amuses us by letting her true awful nature peek out from behind her bland TV persona. It's great. It's not big or clever of us but fascinates us nonetheless.
We keep an unofficial score sheet for how many times Paul Hudson gets the better of her.
I also know in my heart that one of these days she'll wear red shoes and a house will fall on her from out of nowhere. And all the Munchkins will be happy.
Of course before that happens her face will continue becoming more "tanned" until it is the same colour as her hair and all we'll see is 2 white eyes staring out from what looks like an overcooked jacket potato with a wig ...
Ok, I take that back! She is fab isn't she?!
And I don't know about "bland TV persona" - have you seen those looks she has? Just before reading out a really happy story, as the camera picks her up she'll be doing this immense scowl down to her left like she's in some kind of state of sheer concentration - possibly focusing, mentally telling her skin to become more tanned.
A comic signing? Any issues coming out by local artists or writers? Maybe you could persuade Staz Johnson to come along and sign some of his stuff, the queue outside would definitely attract people and make them wonder what was going on.
