Free Comic Book Day: Detroit Style

Well, to be fair...

... we split our time between Dearborn and Detroit. In fact, we only hit two shops. 

That was the first big difference between Free Comic Book Day in Orlando vs. Free Comic Book Day up here in the midwest: There aren't nearly the high concentration of comic book shops up here.

Does that mean we need to open one of our own? Maybe? I mean, I could also sell shirts and arts in there, too, right? We've got this empty white garage in our backyard...

Just sayin'. It's got room for three cars. That's a lotta comic books. 

The other noticeable difference was the absolutely LOVELY weather we enjoyed all day. We bopped around Dearborn to Detroit and then back through Dearborn with the windows down and Shaq blastin' (his new song is actually pretty solid.) and both FCBD stops we, uh, stopped at had outdoor activities!

And I really only got uncomfortably sweaty one time. It ended pretty quickly - I removed my baseball jersey layer and all was well with my internal temperature. 

So our first stop was Green Brain Comics, located in Dearborn, Michigan. We've been here a few times already and it's clearcut organization is a dream for our nuerodivergent brains. 

I had big hopes that their Free Comic Book Day set up would be awesome too. 

It was. 

We entered through their parking lot behind the store, where they had tents set up with artists and various charities to donate to. They handed us two yellow tickets, which were worth three FCBD comics each. 

I think we bought something from every single artist present. We have so much art, y'all. We bought some original books, some tiny arts, some lil magnets and a metric fuck ton of stickers. 

Including this mouse pad. 

Then we went inside and bought some more comics. 

It seemed less frenzied than the Florida shops. However, I do want to note that we didn't get started at the butt crack of dawn like we normally do. We took a bit more of a relaxed approach this time and just left after we woke up. 

After Green Brain, we did a little regroup to see how we were feeling and decided we felt like continuing. So we headed to a new to us shop in Detroit proper called "Vault of Midnight".

When we parked, we were greeted with this mural.

As you can see, by the time we left, we had purchased two prints of the mural, a shirt by the same artist and a original comic book he created. And while we waited to pay, we had a lovely conversation with both the artist and another comic book lover who was hanging out. 

Vault of Midnight had another outdoor event space, complete with a DJ and food truck. 

The way they handled the comics was a little more relaxed than Green Brain, but seemed to work just as effectively. Green Brain used the previously mentioned "ticketing" system and had their FCBD books organized by maturity level at an outdoor table manned by a couple folks. 

Vault of Midnight filled two of their normal shelves inside the store with FCBD books and a simple sign that read "5 per person... Not 5 of the same one!" 

The store worded it more elegantly than I did, but you get the idea. 

There, too, we left with more pay books than free ones (and more stickers, of course). 

After our two comic shop visits, we hit up a nearby African restaurant called Baobab Fare. I have been on a mission to find some Jollof Rice that I don't have to make myself, and I thought they might have some.

They did not, but what I did consume was delectable. Even weirder (for me), I ate my leftovers the same night I had the originals. Now, used to be, I couldn't eat leftovers ever at all. 

Since we've moved up here, I almost always eat my leftovers... like a day or so later and doctored up somehow. 

But this? This I plopped in a bowl, heated up and ate at 11pm at night. It might have been even better than the original!! 

Ok, okay, you got me. One other cool thing (well, two) happened while we were out comic book daying, but I feel embarrassed about it because it feels like bragging and I don't want to be braggy. 

I have been making shirts. Just silly stuff. 

Well, yesterday, Mickey and I both wore "Oh-riginal" shirts. 

Here are some pics that I asked him to take outside the house before we left. WHO AM I BECOMING?

But I'm proud of 'em, so... I gotta get over the embarrassment of that. It's dumb that I feel that, but, hey, when you grow up being told everything you think and love is wrong, it's hard to believe in yourself. 

I'm getting better though. 

Well, when we walked up to the first shop to get our tickets, the first thing the gentleman said to me was, "Is that a Charlie Kelly shirt!?"

To which I replied yes and told him I made it because of my love for the Boggs episode of Always Sunny. He then asked where he could purchase one and took down my website. 

Then as we were checking out with the final artist at our second shop, HE complimented Mickey on his shirt and ALSO took my website. 

It's a good feeling and I shouldn't feel BAD about it... or bad about talking about it. It's cool! People like things I made! Yay!

Idk why my brain wants to be such a bitch all the time, y'all.