Hey Kids! Free Comic Book Day!

Free Comic Book Day 2025 is almost upon us once again. It's that first Saturday in May when comic shops open their doors (and their wallets — the books they give away aren't free to them) to welcome in current, former and prospective fans of the uniquely American four-color medium.

Time Warp Comics up in Boulder has always been a go-to spot for celebrating FCBD — but this year is special. On Saturday, May 3, the store will not only be celebrating the annual day of comic book love, but also the grand opening of its new location at 5290 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder. The new location has some serious style, inhabiting the old digs of what used to be the beloved Video Station, which closed in 2017.

The new location came about after the sale of Time Warp, which had been run by Wayne Winsett since it opened in 1984. He hung up his cape and cowl — sort of...he's referred to now as "Captain Emeritus," a name bestowed in honor of his four decades behind the counter. The new owners are Kelly and Dottie Cooke, longtime customers of the store who say they feel honored to carry on the comics and games tradition.

"It's been such an amazing journey, right from the start," says Kelly Cooke. "But when we moved to the new location, the community outpouring of support was incredible. They helped in every way. That's just one of the many reasons we're so excited to have the Grand Re-opening of the Boulder landmark that is Time Warp Comics on Free Comic Book Day this year."

In honor of the day, the Cookes are bringing the party. The store will open an hour early at 9 a.m. for box holders, and fling the doors open for everyone at 10 a.m. (And if you want to get in early, Cooke says that it's not too late to become a box holder — that is, to sign up for specific titles for the store to pull each day of release and hold for a customer to come in and buy. It's great if you can't be there every week, but don't want to miss your favorite books.)

Over the course of the day, there will also be a face-painter, a balloon-twister, and a juggler-acrobat...and a special appearance by none other than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man himself. The 1989 Michael Keaton Batmobile will be parked in the lot out front for photo ops. Local pro-artists Scorpio Steele, Thomas Grey Studholme, and Joe Rollman will be on hand to sign and do all the art stuff, and of course there will be free comics, flash sales, some dollar-boxes full of good stuff, and sales on toys and pops and more.

Time Warp isn't the only local comic shop enjoying the bounty that is FCBD, of course. Here are some of the other major players in Denver metro that are worth a stop on that holiest of holy comic book days. Fit it in before (or after?) you go to see the new Thunderbolts* flick...because if you're reading this article, you know you're gonna.
All C’s Collectibles
1250 South Abilene, Aurora
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Aurora's premiere comic shop is focusing on big sales to accompany the free comics it'll have in neat stacks for its customers — half-off back issues and deals on wall books and graded comics too. And you'll want to get there early — the store will also have special doorbuster prizes for the first ten customers to set foot in the store.

Hall of Justice Comics and Collectibles
10136 Parkglenn Way, #109, Parker
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Affable comic shop owner Jon Garnett and his sidekick Randy Salazar always put on a good show for those to make the trek south to Parker; along with some big sales (half off back issues) and a healthy selection of free comics designed for the day, it'll also be hosting their usual impressive lineup of guest creators in its own artist's alley upstairs. The store plans to release information about who to expect there throughout the week leading up to FCBD, so keep an eye on Hall of Justice's social media for announcements.

I Want More Comics
550 East Thornton Parkway, #114, Thornton
10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
A place that bills itself as a "pop culture center" is for sure going to pull out all the stops for a day like FCBD. It'll be a festival of four-color fun, with bunches of free comics, a sidewalk sale for more deals and goodies, and a food truck for munchies while you're admiring the classic pop-culture-related vehicles on display courtesy of Colorado Movie Cars.

Mile High Comics
4600 Jason Street
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mile High Comics is sort of an extravaganza of pop culture — a "nerd-vana," if you will — every day of the year. It fills its voluminous space with not just comic books, but all the ephemera that surrounds the hobby: toys, games, collecting supplies, statues, books and cool uncategorizable stuff. Ah, stuff. (Sit on it, Marie Kondo, and hands off our things.) So Mile High doesn't do a lot of the bells and whistles for FCBD — the day itself, and the Mile High store itself — is more than enough of a draw. The one perk? Everyone gets three free comics, but for every $10 you spend that day, you get another freebie. Pretty cool.

Mutiny Comics and Coffee
3483 South Broadway, Englewood
9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
After Mutiny's move down Broadway to Englewood last year, the fan-favorite store has re-invented itself to some degree, choosing to focus a lot more on comics than its previous incarnation. That's been a good thing for Jeff "the Professor" Foster, who runs the comics section (and does Whatnot shows once or twice a week), and for the comics-loving community down south, who heretofore had to travel far and wide to get their comics fix. FCBD will see not only the obligatory free comics, but a slew of local pro-artists signing and drawing and doing all the arty things for which they're known. Fun stuff, and good coffee, too.

For an up-to-date list of the comics that will be offered on Free Comic Book Day, see the FCBD website.