FCBD 2006 - Cape Town, South Africa

This year's FCBD was record-breaking ! We had an estimated 700-800 people through the doors, significantly higher than previous years - and this was clearly indicated by the higher sales volumes. The fun factor was also greater since the bigger crowd added to the vibrant atmosphere.

The sale merchandise in the forecourt just outside the store once again proved incredibly popular. This year we also had much more sale product available, and people naturally took advantage of this :) Our lucky draw competitions are now a FCBD standard, and customers eagerly await the chance to score fantastic prizes. Since last year we have people dressed in superhero costumes, and for this FCBD we had Spiderman, Batman, and Supergirl helping with the competitions, giveaways and photo opportunities with kids. As for the free comics, people were happy with this year's offerings, especially the Tokyopop manga and Marvel's issue. This is also the first year that EVERY single Free Comic Book Day comic was gone by the end of the day !

We have always had some media coverage of FCBD since its inception, and this year was no different. A half page article on FCBD appeared in a major regional newspaper on the day before the event, and i was interviewed on 2 local radio stations, one just an hour before opening time on May 6! I'm sure this resulted in the many fresh faces we saw on the day. We would like to thank the entire industry for making the event possible in the first place. As a FCBD participant since 2002, this was by far our most successful year to date. We look forward to FCBD 2007 !!!

Mahdi Abrahams
Readers Den Comic Shop
Claremont, Cape Town
South Africa