Talk:Free Comic Book Day/GA2

GA Review
The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.''

Reviewer: Reidgreg (talk · contribs) 18:16, 6 May 2020 (UTC)

Linking Talk:Free Comic Book Day/GA1. New review to be forthcoming. – Reidgreg (talk) 18:16, 6 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Okay, this is a really long review. I wanted to do as much as I could to help bring this to meet the GA criteria, so there are a lot of notes here but I've tried to provide solutions as often as possible.  It may be best to read the whole thing through before making any changes or replies.
 * The largest issues are some referencing/verifiability and some needed expansion to give better coverage of the subject. Once that is done, there will probably be some more prose work and tidying. – Reidgreg (talk) 13:56, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * It's been about two weeks since I posted my review and the nominator hasn't made a registered edit since 6 May, so I've left a note at WikiProject Comics requesting a volunteer to respond to this GA review in place of the nominator. – Reidgreg (talk) 14:49, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Failing review (see comment at end). – Reidgreg (talk) 14:00, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

Criterion

 * GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)


 * 1) It is reasonably well written.
 * a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):
 * 1) It is factually accurate and verifiable.
 * a (reference section): b (citations to reliable sources):  c (OR):  d (copyvio and plagiarism):
 * Some references should be improved or material removed
 * 1) It is broad in its coverage.
 * a (major aspects): b (focused):
 * Coverage could be broader
 * 1) It follows the neutral point of view policy.
 * Fair representation without bias:
 * A little too promotional, and I'd like to see some criticisms for balance
 * 1) It is stable.
 * No edit wars, etc.:
 * 1) It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.
 * a (images are tagged and non-free content have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):
 * Supporting images from Commons could be added
 * 1) Overall:
 * Pass/Fail:
 * Needs work, but I believe GA is achievable Failing due to nominator absence.
 * Pass/Fail:
 * Needs work, but I believe GA is achievable Failing due to nominator absence.

Review comments
I used a utility to add archive links for the sources (many of which don't seem to be at their original URLs), updated some URLs and tidied some of the references.
 * Referencing & verifiability

Earwig copyvio detector got a 76.7% score from http://tongyeong-estore.skylineluge.com/gratis-comics-tag-2019.html – this is undated and uncredited, but the title has "2019" in it and the page source is dated 2020-01-11. Going through the Wikipedia article history, the material formed organically as part of the normal editorial process from 2013 or earlier, with references. So I am confident that this website copied from Wikipedia and that it is not a copyvio on our part. Otherwise there's just proper names, dates, and common phrases.

I feel that there are some issues related to the number of primary sources. They're adequate for simple verification of non-controversial statements, but in the long run it's so much easier if you start with reliable secondary sources instead of having to cautiously frame information from primary sources.

I want to be clear that the GA criteria require that everything be verifiable as a matter of policy, but inline citations aren't required for everything. So while I might prefer to see more inline citations to reliable secondary sources, I feel that there's enough coverage in the sources to verify most of the information. Specific notes follow:
 * "CBGXtra"
 * from the speculator bust of the late 1990s This source says that there was a speculator bust in the first quarter of 1994. So that would be mid-1990s, not late 1990s.  I think the situation is that the bust occurred in the mid-1990s, and the industry was still in a slump in the late 1990s before it recovered.  Suggest:  late 1990s &rarr; mid-1990s, or rephrase.
 * "Founder interview"✔️
 * "Wolverine FCBD"✔️
 * Not sure that the first citation is needed
 * "Inquirer"✔️
 * Germany, Austria, and Switzerland launched Gratis Comic Tag, on May 8, 2010. covers name and countries, but not date. (second source covers)✔️
 * "2006 guide"✔️
 * "July FCBD 2004"
 * reprint of press release, used to confirm dates.✔️
 * Comic Book Resources – "2005 date chosen"✔️
 * FCBD homepage archive May 8, 2013 for verification of date to 2014 (There are enough sources that "the first Saturday in May" is verifiable, and the table provides citations for individual years.)✔️
 * BoingBoing✔️
 * Founding editor of a popular blog. Sufficient, though there are other sources in the article which could verify the same information.
 * "Free For Whom" Comics Worth Reading✔️
 * "LVRJ" – Las Vegas Review-Journal "Here’s everywhere you can get free comic books"✔️
 * FCBD Merchandise (primary source)
 * In addition to comic books, some stores also give away other merchandise, such as mini-posters and movie tie-in memorabilia. The source just has FCBD merchandise. I added a citation to "Venom" which specifically mentions mini-posters.✔️
 * cbr.com ✔️
 * Newsarama "not a feasible solution" ✔️
 * The 2020 event was initially changed to be a month-long event before it was indefinitely postponed due to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19.. Suggest:  FCBD 2020 was postponed indefinitely for health reasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after the distributor met resistance at changing it to a month-long event to accommodate local restrictions.
 * "Covid Delay"✔️
 * Newsarama "Wolfman, Eastman, More Sign up for Alt Free Comic Day" (press release)
 * The self-proclaimed "Alt Free Comic Day" was held virtually on the day FCBD would have been in 2020. Suggest:  On the weekend of the cancelled event, Alt Free Comic Days was held online, streaming panel discussions with comics creators and artists.
 * "2003 date"✔️
 * "Iron Man"✔️
 * Wired "Iron Man Leads Free Comic Book Day's Freebie Blitz"✔️
 * Comic Book Daily "Knowing is Half the Battle"✔️
 * Blog, but sufficient to confirm date
 * yahoo "Avengers Comic Among the Goodies"✔️
 * "2015 orders" primary source supplementing following source✔️
 * Newsarama "Full Line-Up"✔️
 * FCBD 2016 Gold Sponsor – primary source to confirm the date✔️
 * cleveland.com "lots of giveaways"✔️
 * ew.com and FCBD "Venom movie"✔️
 * The statement In its first six years, more than 2,000 retailers in more than 30 countries gave away over 12 million FCBD special edition comic books. The success of the promotion rests with each participating retailer. Most participants agree that Free Comic Book Day has been part of a healthier comics market and has helped to grow comic book sales over the last several years. has problems in terms of primary sources and verifiability. It is cited to these two sources:  Scoop "A Talk with Joe Field" and Loud Poet Interview with Joe Field. The first doesn't verify any of the passage, and the second has 2,000 stores in 20 countries (for the fourth year).  So it's not all there, and because it's a primary source it should be framed as "according to...".  There are issues in saying "Most participants agree" when only given anecdotal evidence from a primary source instead of a reliable survey of 2,000 retailers.  In a situation like this, I think it's best to leave that subjective statement out.  The reader should be able to conclude on their own that the event has benefits for it to have carried on for 20 years.  I feel that it needs to be rewritten, and that it'd be easiest to start over with better sources. I'll try to suggest something specific in my expansion notes (below).
 * The event has also garnered press coverage in the news media. is cited to two sources: Diamond Comics "Outside the Panels" and Today.com. The first is primary and not great, the second is reliable and serves as an example of the statement, but doesn't specifically talk about the press coverage.  Could be better.  Really, if there were more mainstream news sources used for the article, that would provide verification and this wouldn't need to be cited at all.  I feel that this is easily verifiable, though, even if it doesn't have a citation.✔️
 * Diamond Comics "Media coverage generates" (primary source)
 * In 2014, the free publicity for the FCBD event and the comic book industry – from Facebook, Twitter, over 1,000 television news stations and 4,000 online news outlets – was estimated at US$3.4 million. The source says "$3.2 million", and as a primary source we have to do an "according to" to qualify it. Also, if this is attempting to establish notability, this would be a great place to specify reliable media sources rather than unreliable social media.
 * In some communities, the day is more grandly organized such as in London, Ontario, Canada, where most of its major comic book retailers, such as Heroes Comics, as well as the London Public Library's Central branch participate. On that day, these establishments cooperate in a major cross-promotion in which visitors are invited to collect stamps of each participating establishment for entry in a prize draw upon completion as well as various other activities which has evolved into a street festival in the city's downtown core. The 2013 event collected over 2,000 such completed ballots, which does not account for more casual visitors. Is cited to London Free Press "Downtown London transformed" and Escapist "The Crossover". Sources are good but do not verify all the information. The first verifies London, a major event, describes a street festival. The second says five downtown shops participating (in 2014, not 2013) with stamp books for a draw, describes a street festival.  Neither mentions the public library nor the number of completed ballots.  The phrasing is also a bit awkward. Suggest looking for additional sources and rewriting. (I've made a draft on this, below.)
 * FCBD "Fans Cosplay" Another primary source. I feel that there are other, better sources in the article which would better support the statement.  Nonetheless.✔️
 * Phillipnes Star FCBD also has a positive impact for independent artists as it became an opportunity in marketing their works. I think that's overstating the source, which doesn't make an examination of the the results of the promotion for independent artists.  I feel that the most you can say from this is that they carry titles from indie publishers. (See Breadth and Focus below.)
 * In conjunction with Free Comic Book Day 2006, TwoMorrows Publishing hosted a promotional Free Magazine Day. Visitors to their website were able to order any in-stock issue of their magazines Back Issue, Alter Ego, Draw!, or Write Now! for free. Unsourced and promotional; suggest removing.
 * USA Today "Halloween ComicFest" verifies it started in 2012, based on FCBD, launched by Diamond, and date.✔️
 * Comicbook.com "CD and Marvel are Drinking and Drawing"
 * For Free Comic Book Day 2017, the Arizona Comic Mini-Expo partnered with several comic artists to raise money for The Hero Initiative and the ACLU of Arizona. verified by source✔️
 * In the absence of context this looks like a trivial factoid. It's common for a lot of bigger promotions to have a charity aspect.  I feel that it would be better to tie that in to general events, and then expand on the ACME with a treatment similar to the street festival in London, Ontario. (draft below)
 * Gratis Comic Tag✔️
 * I think there's room for expansion here. I linked to de.wiki which has an article on this event (but don't redirect Gratis Comic Tag here or you'll lose the link).
 * "Vine"
 * Verifies countries, events, founding year, and (through second-Saturday-in-May) the date.✔️
 * Chicago Now "Free RPG Day"✔️
 * Inspired by Free Comic Book Day Source says it is "much like" FCBD, not that it was inspired by it.
 * Found this Meelple Mountain article which provides verification, and added citation.✔️ (there's also potential for expansion)


 * Breadth & focus


 * I feel that there's some room for expansion for: (a) the materials which are given away, anything that distinguishes them, and some idea of the number of issues and publishers, (b) events in other countries/continents, (c) criticisms of the promotional event.
 * Loud Poet and I think another source mention part of the inspiration being a Baskin-Robbins Free Scoop Night next door to Flying Colors. Loud Poet is also a source for the piece Field wrote in Comics & Games Retailler which is in the lead (uncited) but not in the body. This has to be addressed. I would prefer to see it cited in the body. (Leave the lead as-is for now.)
 * I think there's enough on Halloween ComicFest and Gratis Comic Tag to give them short paragraphs rather than bullets.

We have to be very careful with neutrality because: (a) this subject is a promotional event, and (b) there are a lot of primary sources and press releases. This article should be framed as an encyclopedic summary of the event, and not itself be promotional. As mentioned above, I feel it is valuable to use mainstream media sources (not just those that cover the comics industry) and also to cover criticisms of the promotional event.
 * Neutrality

I thought this was a subject that might already have a few pictures on Commons, and I was right! (link) Most of these appear to have been taken from a single event in 2012:
 * Media
 * Signings:
 * File:5.11.12JimLeeByLuigiNovi2.jpg this was in an earlier version of the article; not sure why it was removed.
 * File:David Wenzel at That's Entertainment for FCBD 2012.png
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186406520).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186406350).jpg
 * Store (interior):
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186411102).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186405356).jpg
 * Store (exterior):
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186415158).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186414322).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186414778).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 (7186414464).jpg
 * Cosplayers:
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 - Obi-Wan Kenobi (7186407260).jpg
 * File:Wonder Woman Cosplayer relaxes with a good book - Free Comic Book Day 2012.jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 - mom and son ready for battle (7186410518).jpg
 * File:Free Comic Book Day 2012 - Batman vs Thor (7186408032).jpg
 * File:Thor cosplayer.jpg

Suggested expansions

 * History:

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) was conceived by Joe Field, a comics retailer, event promoter and partner in WonderCon. In 2001, Field noted how successful feature films based on comic book franchises were providing the comic book industry with a positive cultural and financial turnaround from the speculator bust of the mid-1990s. In his August 2001 "Big Picture" column in Comics & Games Retailer magazine, inspired by Free Scoop Night at the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlour next to his store, Field proposed Free Comic Book Day. The column received positive reaction and Jim Valentino, co-founder of Image Comics, suggested having the first FCBD coincide with the opening weekend of the 2002 Spider-Man feature film, in order to take advantage of the film's heavy promotion and related press about the comic book medium. The first event was held May 4, 2002, the day after the film's opening. The event has usually been held on the first Saturday in May, and is often cross-promoted with the release of a feature film.

According to Diamond Comic Distributors, which facilitates and promotes the event, over 2,000 stores participated in the inaugural Free Comic Book Day and gave away more than 2 million comic books from 4 publishers. The following year, 29 publishers participated. Attendance at FCBD 2012 exceeded one million, with over 3.5 million comics given away. In 2015, 2,340 retailers ordered 5.6 million comic books to give away.

While giving out free comic books on FCBD, participating retailers often run additional promotions. This can include sales on selected merchandise, creator signings, prize raffles, cosplay contests, charity drives, karaoke, and art exhibitions. The event quickly grew to become a major celebration of comic book culture and fan clubs may volunteer to support local stores and help manage the crowds of people attracted to the event. Cosplayers may be enlisted to entertain the lines outside the stores and pose for photos.

Amongst some retailers, FCBD has been more grandly organized. A FCBD "shop hop" cross-promotion in London, Ontario, Canada, encourages people to visit five downtown comic shops for entry into a prize draw, and has evolved into a street festival. Cosplayers parade along the street which is chalked with murals, and many other businesses along the route cater to the theme. Mesa, Arizona, and Portsmouth, England, have each expanded FCBD into a two-day comics convention.


 * Organisation:

Diamond Comics organizes and facilitates FCBD, guided by a committee representing publishers, industry journalists, retailers, and its own management. This committee selects the titles from publishers with the aim of providing a wide variety of what the industry has to offer. The committee also investigates potential dates for the event which are then decided by a vote amongst retailers.

Publishers pay for production of the give-away comic books and retailers pay the cost of printing the books that they order. Titles are divided by sponsorship level, price and anticipated demand into two tiers; participating retailers are required to carry all titles from the top tier, and may carry any or none of the second-tier titles. In 2007, the costs to the retailer were 12 to 24 cents per copy for the top tier and as high as 50 cents for the second tier. The minimum buy-in is about $50.


 * Products

The goal of the promotion is to showcase the breadth of the comics industry by putting comic books in the hands of people who might not otherwise read comics, or comic readers who might not otherwise read those titles. At least 50 titles were available on FCBD each year from 2014 to 2018. Most of the FCBD comic books are produced specifically for the promotion, and can become collector items. On some occasions, retailers have partnered with publishers to make custom covers exclusive to their stores.

Most books are complete 32-page single-issue stories serving as an introduction point for newcomers. These may be in the form of a "zero issue" prelude to a new story arc. There have also been flip-books with two separate stories, or samplers with a number or short pieces. Non-fiction titles have included collectors' guides, art books, biographies of prominent creators, and histories of the comics industry. For 2020, age ratings were added to identify all-ages, teen, and mature content. Stores may also be provided with posters or other merchandise to give away in cross-promotions with associated films.


 * Reception

According to organizers, in the 2010s each year's event brought about one million people to comic shops and gave away about five million comics. Marc Nix of IGN called FCBD a "wonderful comic nerd holiday" and F. Andrew Taylor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said it was like "a combination of Christmas, Halloween and Burning Man" to fans. Scott Thill of Wired wrote that "Free culture has rarely paid off so handsomely, for fans or publishers." Diamond Comics reported that media coverage of the 2014 event was equivalent to $3.2 million in publicity.

There have been criticisms of the focus on the event, questioning whether centering promotions at comic book shops is the best way to reach new comic book readers. Other criticisms center around the selection of titles and their cost to retailers. Many retailers only order the titles they know are marketable at their stores, and are reluctant to invest in promoting titles they can't sell for the rest of the year. This results in promoting the same titles that customers are already reading instead of exposing them to new titles. The number of titles has also caused concern for some retail staff and journalists, who find it challenging to gain familiarity with all 50 to 60 titles to make recommendations.


 * Related events

(GCT) was launched in 2010, held in comics shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on the Saturday following FCBD. Eighteen publishers participate, with about 35 titles offered for free.

Halloween ComicFest is an annual promotion launched by Diamond Comics in 2012, held roughly six months from FCBD on the Saturday before Halloween. This event similarly offers free comic books to visitors at comic shops, with the titles having a "spooky" theme. Participating retailers typically host a Halloween party with activities including a costume contest. Sixteen publishers took part in the 2013 event. In 2019, there were 28 free titles available, including 9 mini-comics which could be purchased in packs, intended to be given away to trick-or-treaters or as party favors, spreading the effective range of the promotion.

Children's Book Week (CBW), organized by non-profit Every Child a Reader, was moved to May in 2008. FCBD was named as an official CBW event, launching Children's Book Week, and the two organizations partner in promoting child literacy. In 2015, FCBD carried the literacy guide ''Raising A Reader! How Comics & Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Love to Read!'' among its free titles.

Other areas to improve
Although not part of the GA criteria, here are some other areas you might consider for improvement:
 * Not a big deal, but should the infobox be rather than ?  The former is used for such articles as Astronomy Day, We Day, No Bra Day, World Naked Gardening Day, Go Topless Day, Day to Praise, Gamers' Day, World NGO Day, World Rabies Day, International whisk(e)y day, World Maths Day, Free Money Day, and others.
 * Some editors might want to balance the white space alongside the table, but I like it. I think it'll display better for people using mobile devices, which could be used a lot for an event-related article.
 * If you want some high-quality images of FCBD events, you can always ask the people at FCBD. They already have press kits with photos, but to be used here they'd have to be released to the public domain. There's an email form at Wikimedia Commons they can use for that. But I'd wait until after you're satisfied that the article is in good shape. If they see it's a quality article that coincides with their interests, they'll be more likely to help.

General discussion
As you may guess from my review, I like the subject and would like to see this pass GA. A lot of changes, though, so please take your time with it. It will take a bit of work, but I'm fairly confident we'll get there. I'm putting this review "on hold" for seven days for discussion and edits. Please ping me when you're done or if you have any questions. – Reidgreg (talk) 13:56, 11 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Nominator hasn't made any registered edits since May 6, which is four weeks today.  I requested a volunteer to take over as nominator at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Comics but there was no interest after a week.  So, I am going to fail this review, make the changes I suggested myself, and possibly renominate it at some point in the future (not sure if I want to hold for next year's event or not). – Reidgreg (talk) 14:00, 3 June 2020 (UTC)