The Secret to Getting Free Marvel and DC Books This Saturday

If you haven't been to your local comic book store lately, Saturday May 2nd, 2026 would be a good day to go. Because the 1st Saturday in May, annually, is Free Comic Book Day! Here in Shreveport & Texarkana, there's Excalibur Comics. But, no matter where you are, there's a comic shop celebrating this awesome nerd holiday.

Now if you're thinking "What is Free Comic Book Day and why should I care?", let me tell you about it!

What is Free Comic Book Day?

The first Free Comic Book Day happened WAY back in 2002. The goal was simple: to celebrate the world of comic books and to prove there's a comic book for everyone. Since the first event, Free Comic Book Day has taken on a life of its own. Not only do you get free comic books (who doesn't love that?), but many shops around the country will bring in creators for signings, do community meetups, host cosplay contests, have sales, do movie screenings, and all kinds of fun stuff to celebrate the wonderful world of comics.

Like Comic Books? See the Lineup For Geek'd Con 2026

What Free Comic Books Will Be Available in 2026?

Like I said, the goal of Free Comic Book Day is not only to celebrate the current community but to welcome new people into the world of comics. Pretty much EVERY major publisher has a free comic available on Free Comic Book Day. Books for the younger reader all the way up to mature titles for adults.

There's quite literally something for everyone. This year, there's 24 titles from across the comic spectrum that will be available. Everything from Archie to Conan the Barbarian. Here's the full list of free comics below:

Ablaze | THE CIMMERIAN: THE POOL OF THE BLACK ONE

AMP Comics | GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

Archie Comics | WORLD OF ARCHIE ONE-SHOT

AWA Studios | PREVIEW OF ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE VOL. 2: INTO THE OUTERLANDS

DC | AQUAMANATEE # 1 SPECIAL EDITION

DC | DC X SONIC # 1 SPECIAL EDITION

DC | DC NEXT LEVEL SAMPLER

DC | THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE # 1

Dynamite Entertainment | STITCH #1

Dynamite Entertainment | SUPERNATURAL #1

Image | ENERGON UNIVERSE FCBD 2026 SPECIAL

Keenspot Entertainment | SPOTLIGHT 2026

Keenspot Entertainment | TOYBOX 2026

Mad Cave Studios | FLASH GORDON #1

Mad Cave Studios | TERRORBYTES #1

Oni Press | MIND MGMT / FORT PSYCHO SPECIAL

REKCAH Comics | FUTURE IS ****** ANNUAL 2026 #1 (ONE SHOT)

Titan Comics | CONAN THE BARBARIAN TIDES OF THE TYRANT KING #0

Titan Comics  | GUN HONEY DOUBLES DOWN #0

UDON Entertainment | MEGA MAN SHOWDOWN SPECIAL #1

UDON Entertainment | STREET FIGHTER FOREVER #0

UDON Entertainment/Manga Classics | JOURNEY TO THE WEST

Vault Comics | DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL #0

Vault Comics | INANNA THE NAME SHE LOST #0

On top of those titles, Marvel & a few other publishers celebrate the holiday in a similar but slightly different fashion. They celebrate 'Comic Book Giveaway Day' instead of Free Comic Book Day. What's the difference? Marvel, Dark Horse, and a few others have a different distribution deal...so they celebrate the holiday, just in their own way.  Marvel will be promoting some of their major upcoming issues with freebies (including Amazing Spider-Man #1000 & the upcoming Armageddon event). They also have a couple of free comic book offerings including:

• Alien, Predator & Planet of the Apes #1 CGD 2026
• Spidey & His Amazing Friends #1 CGD 2026

You can see the full list of Comics Giveaway Day here including a freebie of the hit comic "Something is Killing the Children".

Where is the Closest Comic Shop in Northwest Louisiana & East Texas?

Like I said, thanks to the success of Marvel movies, there are comic book shops everywhere these days. Which is awesome! In Shreveport & Texarkana, we have the wonderful Excalibur Comics located in both towns.

But if you don't live in Shreveport or Texarkana, there's tons of shops around East Texas. There's Level Zero Seven in Henderson, Ground Zero Comics in Tyler, All-Star Comics in Nederland, The Dug Out in Spring, Adventure Begins in Conroe, Wandering Mystic in Porter...just to name a few.

Need to find your closest participating comic shop? You can use this store locator from the Free Comic Book Day website.