Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual event held on the first Saturday of May in which participating comic book stores give away comic books for free to encourage people to visit their stores. The first FCBD was held in 2002 and has since become a popular event for comic book fans of all ages.
FCBD is important because it helps to introduce new people to the world of comic books. It also gives comic book stores a chance to showcase their stores and their products. In addition, FCBD helps to promote literacy and reading. Historical context is that FCBD was started in 2002 by Joe Field, a comic book retailer from Concord, California. Field was inspired to create FCBD after seeing how successful Free Comic Book Day had been in the United Kingdom.