And another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone and y'know I've got to declare Beyond Comics 2's a success. I've got to hand it to the guys who organize FCBD's promo material. They offer a HUGE banner for display in HUGE windows, which Beyond Comics has. I mean, you can read every word on it easily from 30-40 yards away. I've literally seen it slow down traffic and bring foot traffic into the store. They even offered stores the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of my favorite game, Heroclix, offering an exclusive Free Comic Book Day Batman figure. Never mind the fact that it was an all-new Batman sculpt, a must-have for Heroclix fans but you should have seen the faces of the kids as they're being handed a new Batman figure.

We had people lined up the store before it even opened to get their comics and get them they did. The choice of comics was stronger this year than ever before. DC came through with The Batman Strikes! Archie Comics took Free Comic Book Day to re-introduce a whole new generation to Katy Keene, Teen Fashion Queen, while smaller press comics used FCBD as an chance to intro new ideas to new audiences.

A. David Lewis, writer of "Mortal Coils" and the just released graphic novel, "Lone & Level Sands," stopped by to sign copies of his FCBD offering, "Free Bodies." "It" boy blogger, Scipio Garling of The Absorbascon, stopped by to buy comics on Free Comic Book Day. Why? Simply, because he's good people.

I wish you all could have seen the looks on the kids' faces as they got got their comics. Sheer happiness, I tell you. Well worth the small expense we retailers incur to get them into the hands of customers, new and old.

Free comics combined with happy kids and adults sprinkled with one crack staff (Kevin, Jerome and Ricky), makes the ingredients for another successful Free Comic Book Day.