Trax Parry, the self-proclaimed “evil overlord” of The Nerd Store, still gets excited about Free Comic Book Day, even though the store has been participating in it for a decade.
Before 11 a.m. Saturday, children eager to collect their free comics lined up outside the store at 807 8th St., Greeley, according to Parry, the store owner.
“I like that we get to do something with the community and get to see people excited,” Parry said, adding that the day is a sort of introduction to comics for many people. “A lot of kids get excited because they get to bring home a book and something to read. It’s just fun.”
The High Plains Library District set up a tent outside of the store where comic book fans could create their own buttons and take away a goodie bag. Parry said the district has partnered with the store for the day over the past few years.
Free Comic Book Day started in 2002 to get newcomers to check out their local comic book stores. More than 2,000 stores across the nation participate in the day, which is usually on the first Saturday of May.
Dressed as Mickey Mouse, Lang Johnson greets customers during Free Comic Book Day at The Nerd Store in downtown Greeley on Saturday. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)The free comics were on multiple tables upstairs in The Nerd Store. The comics made available included “Marvel Voices,” “Suicide Squad: King Shark,” “Speed Racer,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Who is Nightwatcher?” and other titles. Along with the free comics, attendees also got to take home Pokémon cards and stickers, too.
Meghan Foote, the store’s comic book “guru,” has worked there for close to eight years. Foote’s favorite part of Free Comic Day is seeing the eager faces of children looking around and leaving with a new stack of comics.
Foote recommends “X-Men,” “Batman” and other superhero comics for those who want to read more comics. Foote is a fan of independent comics and considers titles such as “Monstress” and “Saga” to be “golden” reads.
Once the tables of free comics were put away in the afternoon, the upstairs space returned to its normal purpose: a gaming area for those who enjoy Magic The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, Pokémon and other card games.
The store hosts a big Magic The Gathering night at 6 p.m. every Friday. Parry said the store partners with other downtown Greeley businesses such as Wing Shack, Sexy Sammies and Luna’s Tacos and Tequila to provide food for the night. There are two divisions: standard and draft. The night is great for beginners of the game, Parry said.
The draft has a $25 fee, and players are provided a deck of cards to play with. It’s a $10 fee to play in the standard division, and players must bring their own deck of cards to use. Magic gaming nights also take place Wednesday through Saturday.
Dungeons and Dragons and other board games start at 6 p.m. every Monday.
The store hosts a miniature night at 6 p.m. every Tuesday. Attendees paint miniature figures that can be used in various games.
Pokémon gaming is every Saturday at 2 p.m. It took a hiatus Saturday for Free Comic Book Day.
A assortment of comic books sit on a table during The Nerd Store’s Free Comic Book Day on Saturday. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)In addition to bringing in new faces, the event provides an opportunity for everyone to connect with someone who enjoys not only comics but also Magic The Gathering, Pokémon or other games. The day is about bringing all walks of life into the store where everyone feels safe to be themselves. A feeling Parry prides himself on for fostering every day since 2013.
“One of the things about The Nerd Store is that we are a safe place for all people,” Parry said. “It’s a place where people can come, especially people that may have a hard time finding some safer spaces. We have a lot of people in the neurodiverse community that join us, and the LGBTQ communities who join us. That’s become a core part of our identity.”
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