Free Comic Book day highlights art form

Uncle Nasty, professional comic book artist Tone Rodriguez, Gabe Rosson, Marty Rosson, and professional comic book inker Jeremy Clark pose on Free Comic Day in Gabe's Cave. (Michael Hanich/Camden News)
Uncle Nasty, professional comic book artist Tone Rodriguez, Gabe Rosson, Marty Rosson, and professional comic book inker Jeremy Clark pose on Free Comic Day in Gabe's Cave. (Michael Hanich/Camden News)

Free Comic Book Day is an event for comic book enthusiasts and causal pop culture fans throughout the United States. where comic book stores feature a free series of selected comic books. The event takes place on the first Saturday of every May.

Stores all across the United States saw their profits rise as a result of the event, but more importantly, they saw a renewed interest and the appreciation of comic books from collectors to regular shoppers. El Dorado's own comic book store Gabe's Cave took the national event and expanded it with several other big events for their shoppers.

Most of the free comic books given to shoppers and comic book enthusiasts are previews of comic series for individuals to potentially subscribe to. Among the comic books offered on Free Comic Day were "Avengers/X-Men #1," "Spider-Man/Venom #1," "Doctor Who," "Best of 2000AD Issue #0," "25 Years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and more.

Co-owner Marty Rosson shared his thoughts on Free Comic Day and the impact on the store he co-owns with his son Gabe.

"I believe since 2005, every year they've had a free comic day nationwide. So, we participate in that every year; it's just one of the biggest comic days in local comic shops history. I mean, it's one of the biggest days every year," he said.

Not only did Gabe's Cave have free comic books to give out, but they also offered other promotions, including meeting some of the comic book industry's most talented individuals. On May 7, Gabe's Cave had a meet and greet session with professional comic book artist Tone Rodriguez and professional comic book inker Jeremy Clark, who provided their time to sign autographs, take pictures and create some work for the store.

Rodriguez is best known for his pencil, ink and artist work for Bongo Comics. His work in Bongo Comics extends to many different works of "The Simpsons," including the main comic lines, "The Simpsons Comics Presents: Bart Simpson," "The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror" and "Radioactive Man." He has also worked for other comic companies, including Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics. One of the other comics he has created is "The Adventures of Jimmy Halpert," which was used in an episode for "The Office."

His work isn't just limited to comic books, as he has played significant roles for "Dexter" and "South Park." In "Dexter," where he plays a killer in an episode, he contributed to the art of the Dark Defender, a character used in the show.

Jeremy Clark of Little Rock, is one of the industry's most detailed and established professional comic book inkers. Clark has created ink work for companies like D.C. Comics, IDW, Image Comics, Titans Comics and Zenescope. Some of his most profound works include the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin" line, "Mighty Morphin: Power Rangers," "Blade Runner: Origins" and "Punchline." He has also created solo art of Marvel characters like Spider-Man and Cable, DC like Deathstroke, Kratos from God of War and TMNT.

The appearance of the two artists on Free Comic Day was publicized by the YouTube channel "Gabe's Cave," a talk show on comics and pop culture filmed right in the store. The show is hosted by Gabe and his brother Darren Rosson and co-host Brandon Johnson and "Uncle Nasty." Together, the hosts of the show talk about the new releases of weekly comic books and the movies and television shows for popular franchises such as Marvel, DC and Star Wars. They even build some figures and Lego sets and unbox figurines and statues.

Free Comic Day and having two popular comic book artists is just one example of the events Gabe's Cave hosts. A few weeks ago, the store hosted a meet and greet with actor Lou Ferringo, who is mostly known for his role as the Hulk for five seasons of CBS's show from the 80s.

The shop has been open in El Dorado since October 2021 and has already hosted significant events for the city. Gabe's Cave looks to expand the growth of the comic book community in El Dorado through the love and common interest in comic books and pop culture.

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