I heard about the event in Facebook a couple of days ago,in which I admit, piqued my interest. I have not picked up and bought a comic book in years since the advent of the internet and sites which put up comic book content online. I know, it is more like piracy, but I could hardly squeeze in additional budget for comics with my current state of destitution.

So the premise of having a comic book for free with no strings attached induced feelings akin to a kid let loose on a candy store, free to grab anything that my hands could hold on to. But I know the event rules stated that only one comic book would be given per person. Not really what I imagined, but hey, at least it's free.

The event was scheduled to start at 10 am and will end at 10 pm. Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to just sleep early on Friday night, wake up early Saturday morning, then arrive early at FullyBooked to claim the free comic book. But recently I have been having trouble sleeping at night. When I say "trouble sleeping at night" I mean I get to sleep already at around 6 am. Which will make my sleeping hours add up to a grand total of 2 hours, just to get to Ayala on time to join the queue for the free comics. And 2 hours of sleep would just mean a really bitchy version of me nursing a splitting headache, which I think would not be beneficial to everyone around me. So I just opted to not sleep at all.

After an all-night session of internet surfing, at exactly 8 am I got out of the house to commute to Ayala FullyBooked. Nothing noteworthy happened on the way there, but by the time I got to the event, there were already a couple of people lined up at the door. If I had slept or tarried for a bit, I would be joining the queue in which by the time I had arrived was already snaking its way past Starbucks. It was getting longer as the clock steadily counted to 10 am, so the guards made the people line up on the opposite side of the door so as to not disturb the people in Starbucks.

So at exactly 10 am, we were ushered in. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside for me do document the goings-on. The organized chaos that was brewing in the queue finally was let loose inside FullyBooked as the kids, and the not-so-kids, were made to choose JUST 1 comic book from a table laden with prime goodies like Superman, Thor, Ironman, and even Archie comics. I got the Ironman/Thor title, which I think was one of the better titles in the bunch. Most of the people went upstairs to buy graphic novels and more comics, since all graphic novels are on sale with a 20% discount to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Sadly for me I didn't have any money, so I just went out after getting my free copy, to save myself from heartbreak from seeing my favorite titles on sale.

Right after getting out of FullyBooked, as if on schedule, my head started to throb with pain. Barely finishing my cigarette, I was bound for home to enjoy my free comic book. Holding it in my hand made me feel like a kid again, with a freshly minted comic book in my fingers, gently flipping the pages, enjoying the art and wit that can only be savored from the superhero-filled pages of my childhood. Thank you very much FullyBooked for bringing to us the Free Comic Book Day to make us feel young again.