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Saturday May 4th is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and Downtown St. Thomas is ready to celebrate in Superhero style!
Free Comic Books will be available* at Fan of the Sport, Railway City Tourism, St. Thomas Public Library, Dark Matter and Submariner Tales in St. Thomas and our friends at The Elgin County Library will have also have comics available at their branches.
Soar into Downtown with your PASSPORT from 10am - 2pm and visit participating businesses for treats or a contest draw.
Visit at least 10 of the participating businesses to be entered to win one of three $50 prizes of Downtown Dollars! Passports can be left at your last stop or delivered to Railway City Tourism before 4 pm.
Print your PASSPORT at home before heading out.
Dress up as your favourite superhero for added fun! You never know who you might run into downtown for photos opportunities!
Participating Businesses:
Follow along with the event page for more details and updates!
Free Comic Books will be available* at Fan of the Sport, Railway City Tourism, St. Thomas Public Library, Dark Matter and Submariner Tales in St. Thomas and our friends at The Elgin County Library will have also have comics available at their branches.
Soar into Downtown with your PASSPORT from 10am - 2pm and visit participating businesses for treats or a contest draw.
Visit at least 10 of the participating businesses to be entered to win one of three $50 prizes of Downtown Dollars! Passports can be left at your last stop or delivered to Railway City Tourism before 4 pm.
Print your PASSPORT at home before heading out.
Dress up as your favourite superhero for added fun! You never know who you might run into downtown for photos opportunities!
Participating Businesses:
- Why Not Cookies - 373 Talbot St.
- Century Chocolates - 483 Talbot St.
- Submariner Tales - 488 Talbot St.
- Yurek Pharmacy - 519 Talbot St.
- Limitless Tattoo - 529 Talbot St.
- The Brow Boss...and all that Jazz - 529 Talbot St.
- St. Thomas Public Library - 153 Curtis St.
- Fan of the Sport - 571 Talbot St.
- Railway City Tourism - 605 Talbot St.
- Medlyn Studio - 643 Talbot St.
- Myrtle - 691 Talbot St.
- CTP Computers - 707 Talbot St.
- Bulk Barn - 730 Talbot St.
- Steamliners Espresso Bar - 767 Talbot St.
- Vesta Shop - 797 Talbot St.
- Ohtera - 797 Talbot St. Unit 3
- Dotsy's - 111 Ross St.
- Dark Matter Toys & Collectibles - 127 Ross St.
- Seed Confections - 159 Ross St.
Follow along with the event page for more details and updates!
2018 Photo Album
This event is presented with the assistance of the Downtown Development Board.
*free comic books will be available until close of regular business day or until we run out. Dark Matter Toys and Submariner Tales will have back issue comics while Fan of the Sport, Railway City Tourism, St Thomas and Elgin County Libraries will have official Free Comic Book Day issues.
8 Comments
Love how local businesses and cultural hubs like the library and Dark Matter are uniting under the superhero banner! The passport system turns comic hunting into a collaborative treasure hunt – genius way to drive foot traffic and celebrate community spirit. St. Thomas just leveled up its downtown camaraderie game!
$50 Downtown Dollars prizes? Brilliant incentive to support local shops while geeking out! This event isn’t just free comics—it’s a stealthy economic stimulator. Participants spend time (and likely extra cash) at 10+ businesses. Capitalism meets capes done right!
From kids in Spider-Man masks to adults reliving childhood nostalgia, this bridges generations. Libraries handing out comics alongside Submariner Tales’ niche offerings? Perfect mix of mainstream and indie fandom. Grandparents and grandkids can bond over Batmans and bake sales!
Railway City Tourism hosting passports? Smart rebranding of St. Thomas as a pop-culture destination. Imagine visitors snapping pics with cosplayers against historic downtown backdrops – superhero charm meets small-town heritage. Insta-worthy placemaking at its finest!
Free comics at libraries = gateway drug to lifelong reading! By blending graphic novels with a scavenger hunt, this event stealthily promotes literacy. Kids who grab a ‘Ms. Marvel’ today might pick up a novel tomorrow. Education disguised as adventure – heroic work!
Dark Matter and Fan of the Sport offering treats/contests? Clever way to turn freebies into future sales. A kid grabbing a free ‘Avengers’ comic might beg parents for a Funko Pop next week. Retailers aren’t just giving away books—they’re planting fandom seeds.
Targeting millennials with childhood throwbacks (free comics + costumes) while engaging Gen Z through TikTok-able photo ops? This event taps into cross-generational nostalgia. Even the passport concept feels like a retro video game quest – pure dopamine for 90s kids turned parents!
Print-at-home passports reduce paper waste, while Downtown Dollars keep spending local. Dressing up encourages reusing costumes instead of fast fashion. A superhero day that’s eco-friendly? St. Thomas proves heroism includes saving the planet too!