MATTHEW BURNETTE, Staff Writer

There are probably around 1,000 activities that I can come up with that I would prefer to do besides waiting in line for just about anything.

It’s tedious, boring and often seems to be a conglomeration of complainers that you wouldn’t want to associate yourself with if you didn’t have to stand single file with them in anticipation of completing the same task.

However, I was more than glad to make an exception a couple of Saturdays ago in celebration of one of my favorite days of the year: Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Book Day is an annual event that occurs on the first Saturday in May aimed at bringing readers, new and old, into independent comic book stores around the United States.

Often, those stores will have promotional deals on items in the stores, but the big draw is that anyone who visits gets to take home a number of free issues of various titles, some specifically released for the occasion.

Though the day undoubtedly ends up being a lucrative one for the many shops that celebrate, it truly feels like a concerted effort to get people interested in reading comics, a past time I’ve enjoyed since college.

While I’ve always been a fan of superhero shows and movies, mostly Batman-related endeavors, my interest in actually reading comics started in those long hours between classes.

Technically, I probably should have been more focused on more fruitful endeavors like studying or working on homework, but with an ardent “D is for Diploma” attitude and all that free time, a favorite hobby was born.

I did a lot of research into what the best stories were in the canon of the Caped Crusader and started by reading collected editions of what were considered the best Batman stories that had been told.

Once I ingested enough content to get references and understand the most commonly accepted origin stories of the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery, I started in on some of the newer stuff.

From there I branched out into comics featuring some of my favorite cartoon characters and other ones that just seemed interesting.

So naturally, as Free Comic Book Day approached, I gladly made plans to come and spend some time at our local comic book store.

I often jokingly lament to people that the worst financial decision I ever made was taking a job at an office one block over from a comic book store, but nonetheless, Manchester is incredibly fortunate to have a place like Everscape that covers a lot of interests and has a knowledgeable and friendly staff.

As I stood outside of their building on Free Comic Book Day waiting to get my turn to go in and peruse the selection, it occurred to me how incredibly cool it was that there was a line of people stretching back to the old Henley building waiting to take in some actual physical media.

Books to thumb through while taking in a good story, posters to hang on the wall, games to play, figures to display and cards to collect. In some ways I think we’ve strayed a little too far from owning actually copies of the things we enjoy.

A much smarter person than I prospered recently that one of the downfalls of current society is that we’re no longer required to seek out our own entertainment anymore.

There’s no need for video stores anymore because you can find almost any movie you want to watch on the multitude of streaming services. Music stores are a rarity because you can download any song you can imagine onto your phone. You don’t have to go to the bookstore anymore because you can read from your Kindle anytime you want.

Oftentimes a trip to the comic book store leads to a conversation about what I’m currently reading, what’s going on in the world of pop culture or whatever else just happens to come up.

It’s always refreshing just to get that sort of friendly interaction while out and about, and that’s something I’m afraid we’re losing. You don’t have to talk to anyone when everything’s conveniently dropped at your doorstep.

Undoubtedly the appeal of that convenience for a lot of folks.

If you’ve ever visited our office and more specifically my desk, you’ve seen my various collections of things that bring me a lot of joy.

To my right is a lineup of action figures, mugs and other tchotchkes that I’ve acquired, and to my left, is a stack of books, all purchased from our friendly neighborhood comic dealer.

Each one represents a trip to the comic book store and in turn a trip out into the world to seek some joy and have a friendly conversation about what’s good.

Maybe next time you find yourself wanting to buy a book or watch a movie, you’ll venture out past a screen and into a bookstore or similar retailer and maybe even acquire something you weren’t expecting: a little connection. And maybe I’ll see you at the comic book store sometime.