So Dutch Ruppersberger, a U.S. Representative here in the great state of Muralynd (pronounce it as it’s spelled and you’ll sound like a local!) has proposed a resolution for “Free Comic Book Day.”

Actually, I think this was just his version of yelling “First” to all his other representatives, because Free Comic Book Day has been going on since 2002. But that’s okay. It’s not like Congress has a lot of other things on their plate right now.

Actually, this concept is pretty cool. My grandmother used to always encourage my voracious need to read by saying, “It doesn’t matter what you’re reading, just as long as you’re reading.” She might have had a different opinion had I been reading something like To Serve Mankind for the tasty recipes, but that wasn’t the case. Comic books can be quite the awesome gateway drug to other reading adventures. Or they can stand alone. There are some amazing comics…excuse me, graphic novels out there, that carry as much weight as “serious literature.”

So tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day 2009. Looks like there’s a nice selection from which to choose this year, including X-Men Origins: Wolverine, in honor of the movie hitting theaters today. I’ve never gone to this event before. Comics have never been high on my Collector radar. I’ve had the pleasure of reading other people’s collections, and that has satisfied me. But I might check this out.

I’m also going to put in a plug for one of my all-time favorite illustrators in the game today: Frank Cho. He’s going to be signing books from 1-4 at the Cards Comics & Collectibles here in Reistertown. He is an illustrating god and I have had the distinct pleasure of witnessing his talent from the very beginning (he did a deliciously bawdy strip for The Diamondback at UMCP). He’s also a cheeky little Monkey Boy ^TM and seems like he’d be really awesome in person. So check him out, check out Free Comic Book Day, and say hey to Comic Book Guy from me.

Tip of the paw to A2 for bringing this to the lair’s attention 🙂