Free Comic Book Day 2026

 Hey my Geeky Friends,

It's time for that Geekiest month of the year May. It has May the Fourth be with you, Towel and Geek Pride Day, there's always a convention, and it's my local geek store's anniversary. But first up was Saturday the 2nd with that great nerdy holiday of Free Comic Book Day! The day the comic book companies shower us with free stuff. I was so excited to be able to properly participate this year, last year I only was able to do the store anniversary celebration at Geek Mountain since Fangirl was down with her reproductive organs trying to unalive her. I had no ride to Asheville. So we made a triumphant return this year. So I shall tell the tale in pictures and words, including a poem.

 

Free Comic Book Day 2026 

Running on two grapes and cola

First stop is on the home turf at Geek Mountain

It's proprietor has forgotten his own store anniversary 

With a guitar pick and a pack of mystery dice

We journey on to the sound of geek

At Morgan's Comics a friendly face greets

Rambunctious people and small rule changes gives rise to anxiety

They line up at Comic Envy with butt crack showing

A mom with Jedi offers snacks to her fellow line people 

As we wait for our comic stories another one seems to be brewing

When a pizza patron mutters "It's a bonding experience and we get food out of it."

Once inside the store is a safe space 

For All are welcome

We take our lunch at our first Outback

With an enthusiastic waiter who loves his job

There I almost choke on Fettuccine Alfredo

In our visit to a thrifting realm

I start our visit by going back to the wrong car

In the bins I find the holy grail and Sci-Fi history

"The Hobbit" that has alluded me is collected

Half a coconut sits on a carpet of second hand treasures

If I had the second half I could make horse sounds

Their putting dice in skulls back home at Game Forge

Where the gaming tables are alive

We see a Dungeon Master carrying a huge dragon figure

Will there be a TPK tonight?

Heading toward the holler we take the bypass 

Where a biker joins our journey home

With headbanging music

Not my best poem, but I'm sure with more time and energy.

A More In Depth Look

So our first stop was at Geek Mountain our local nerdy shop to see what he was doing for his store's anniversary. I hadn't heard him mention anything in videos. It was low key compared to last year's shop anniversary weekend cause he forgot. His wife reminded him. So he was gonna do a little something on May the Fourth be with you for the anniversary. I just picked up a guitar pick while Fangirl got some stickers and dice. As Fangirl started the car Click-Clack Goblin (A Dice Tribute) by Twisted Game Songs was finishing its play. Fitting song given what Fangirl bought.

 

Our next stop was Morgan's Comics in West Asheville. There were comics aplenty, but unbeknownst to me they'd changed from doing 10 comics per person to 5 last year I think and I didn't know it. I mean thankfully I found out, but dang it got my anxiety further in a state. I know it's not a big deal, but tell my brain that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The people kinda already got me going. Now normally I'm good in nerdy masses, thank Chuck I didn't inherit Pop's Social Anxiety, but when we get in groups where people are darting around you cutting you off, yeah that's where I have issues. I mean every holiday season Walmart triggers me. Fangirl who doesn't like people right up in her space had to bug out quickly after getting her comics. I did have a nice chat with Birdie who works there before having to duck out myself. 

 

We headed to Merrimon Avenue to see the action at Comic Envy. There was a line and they only let so many in.

 

 

 

 

Fangirl and I took the opportunity to take a pic while Lobo guarded the gates in. 

   

  

I'm glad they implemented this limiting of people going in it was nice not to get squished in the store. 

Afterwards Fangirl and I took our first trip to Outback Steakhouse. The deep fried mushrooms were awesome. They have this Ranch that has a little kick to it, chief's kiss. My Queensland Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo dish was good as well:

 

 

 

We hit up the Goodwill Outlet, my first time in a year and 5 months. I found some books and magazines like a bunch of copies of Issac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. I also found the edition of The Hobbitt I'd been scoping on Pango books! Found some trinkets including the holy grail! I also saw some funny things like this humorously titled book:

I was hoping for it to be $5 or under and to my delight it was $4.45. I was a Thrifty Geek that day. All those book and things for that price. This is why I love the outlet above the retail Goodwill. 

 

We headed back to our home county for one last stop: Game Forge.

 

 

We were greeting by handfuls of little skulls some with dice in them. The game tables had a lot of action going on. As we were departing we saw a Dungeon Master carrying in a large dragon figure. I felt a TPK was on the horizon.

Heading home a motorcyclist passes us blaring music and I started head banging to it. Then went home and finished my lunch leftovers with my Mom, who was eating whatever she made.she made. We just talked about the day. A great way to end a good day.

The Haul

First there was the comics! Supernatural is my favorite. Can we laugh it was released on Sam Winchester's 43 birthday? I have to hold off on Dungeon Crawler Carl's because I'm currently reading the book and don't want spoiled. 

 

In the Goodwill haul I cleaned up book wise. My Mom was like "More books..."

My grail is perfect for the skull I bought at Game Forge!

Whew! FCBD was a tiring, but fun. I was glad everyone was well to go, a little anxiety but not enough to keep me down. I have to rest up now I have my first convention coming up the Spring WNC Comic Con. Hope you all have a good week! May the odds ever be in your favor.

*Thrifty Geek* 

Fangirl and Thrifty Geek's Epic Return to Asheville!

 Hello friends,

So Saturday your favorite Everyday Heroes* returned to our beloved Asheville since Tropical Storm Helene, aka the worst visitor to WNC ever! ><  

Since it was Doctor Who Day, I wanted to put a little Doctor in my outfit:

I wore a dark blue shirt and the over shirt I've been using mainly for my 11th Doctor Costume since 2019. I had my Doctor Who pins, which I'm noticing are all sorts of crooked. Threw on a combination of blue and golden eye shadow, and lastly this resin necklace Fangirl made that I got for my Bad Wolf Birthday years ago.

When I got it since I was in a Doctor Who mind mode, and seeing this I thought Fangirl had made my Whovian Butt a Doctor Themed necklace, I mean come on a blue box with two hearts on it... What else would it be. I found a few years this was just a random design she came up with. Well too bad I have declared it my Doctor Who necklace. Lastly I slipped my smallest sonic the 13th Doctors in my pocket. Now that I was Whovianed out I was ready to journey forth.

The roads were crowded due to it being Saturday, people probably shopping for the holidays, and visitors excited as we were to visit the city again. Yes I said city, I hear so many many visitors call it a small town. It is not. You want North Carolina small towns go to places like Canton, Clyde, Waynesville in Haywood, or Hot Springs in Madison County. Yeah that is a tiny Main Street in Hot Springs. Fun to visit year ago though. OK now that I'm had my light hearted and hopefully only with a smidge of bite rant, let's continue with our story.

Our first stop was Itto's Ramon Bar and Tapas in West Asheville. We were greeted by a waiter I'd never seen before. He went crazy for my necklace and Fangirl's winter wrap. He proclaimed us stylish, which I don't think is a term I have ever heard before in reference to myself.  I loved this guy! they were so full of energy, he made sure we were taken care of. Fangirl even gave him info on resin work. We think he may have been just starting here cause while he remembered the water they always give you, he forgot to ask the drink order, but he was so charismatic I was okay with it.  We had our usual appetizers of Takoyaki Balls, then I had one of my usuals Itto Classic Ramen and Fangirl tried for the first time Itto Miso Ramen. It was awesome as always, but Fangirl's left her lips numb. So she got some vanilla Japanese Ice Cream to counteract it.

With my hands smelling like my lunch we went down the street to Morgan's Comics. Morgan's boasts the title as the first female owned Comic Shop in Western North Carolina. Her storefront also now boasts a mural of Morgan's Superhero self.

Now we haven't actually been to the store since Free Comic Book Day in May. We haven't seen Morgan since at the Spring WNC  Comic Con, which I realized I never posted about on here. I chatted at length with Morgan about our Storm experiences and purchased a holiday present. 

 

After Morgan's we headed toward the mall, which we saw in the parking lot it was so packed we're like nope after we couldn't find a space, so we headed to Five Below. While waiting to turn in we saw the now closed section of the road as you go toward the river:

Today was my first time seeing Asheville's devastation in person. It made me feel the same as seeing our home county's for the first time.

At Five Below I proceeded to try to knock a hole in my holiday shopping, I have never spent that much there ever. Now one of the items was a Luffytaro keychain from One Piece for Fangirl who loves the series. I was hoping she didn't have it. Well get out to the car only to have Fangirl show me the Luffytaro she'd purchased, then she said she'd found out when she got to the car she had that already. So while we were still there I returned them, and my frustration turned to humor over the situation. 

After that we went to Pop on Merriman Avenue for Bubble tea. Fangirl decided to sit in the car while I got our drinks. There was a birthday party going on. I bought a couple bolba tea charms one for Fangirl and I.

I got my usual black milk tea with strawberry and mango popping pearls.

 

 

 Fangirl got a Universal Love it had cute hearts and stars in it! Although the stars were murder on the straw.

As we headed back toward West Asheville we started reminiscing about Fangirl's Dad CD who like my Pop had passed last year. I asked her if she had anything of her Dad, she replied. "Dad". I forgot she has some of his ashes. We just started laughing.

We went to the Goodwill Outlet, my fav part of Goodwill. I saw some interesting sites like The Cow Wedding Tragedy: 

I got a Buccee's Bag full of things for like $5 and the greatest score was this still wrapped New Phone, Who Dis? game. At Kohl's it would have cost $19.99, a great Thrifty Geek find!

After this I stopped by Burger King so I can surprise my Mom with a large order of fries to make her smile. The 23rd was also the one year anniversary of our final Thanksgiving with Pop, a lot of bad memories from a year ago have been showing up in the last few weeks.

After that we made the journey home. Yeah crap ending, but not much happened. 

I hope you have a good week be sure to check out my Instagram video of the day, and hopefully I'll see you soon. God Bless!

                                                                                            *Thrifty Geek*

* Sorry it's a play on this song I've recently discovered. I also just discovered how awesome Defying Gravity is!