Free Comic Book Day Timeline

2019

"Avengers: Endgame"

This superhero team, which first appeared as a 1963 comic book, smashed Hollywood opening weekend box office records with its whopping $1.22 billion global debut. Its worldwide total reached past 2.5 billion making it the current highest grossing film of all time.

1986

"The Dark Knight Returns"

The four-issue comic book miniseries, featuring Batman, served as a rebirth for comics — and an inspiration for an entirely new era of books and films.

1969

The Archies

That's right. Riverdale's own Archie, Reggie, Jughead, Veronica, and Betty formed a "band" and released their hit single The song soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed there for four weeks.

Late 1930s

Superman & Batman

Both crime fighters captured the public's imagination right from the start. Nearly a century later, nothing truly compares to the impact these two characters had on American pop culture. And they're still going strong today.

1929

"The Funnies #1"

America needed laughs during the Great Depression. This was the first collection of comics even though it resembled a color newspaper supplement — without a cover.