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'Free Comic Book Day' comes to Korea

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Some of the 'Free Comic Book Day' titles available at Dice Latte in northwestern Seoul / Courtesy of Kyung Lee
Some of the 'Free Comic Book Day' titles available at Dice Latte in northwestern Seoul / Courtesy of Kyung Lee

By Kyung Lee


After two postponements and a canceled Comic-Con in August, community gaming space and comic book shop
The Dice Latte in northeastern Seoul will host Korea's first Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) event on Halloween Day weekend.

The international event, which was first held in 2002 and founded by retailer Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics in California, promotes comic books from various publishers with hot-off-the-press issues. The FCBD Selection Committee selects some comic books as Gold Sponsor titles each year.

And while DC Comics and Marvel Comics will no doubt present as leading comic book ambassadors in FCBD, Joey Croner, owner of The Dice Latte, told The Korea Times the event stack includes 30 different titles for all ages and subject matters including Halloween.

"I wanted to show that there's a community of comic book enthusiasts and collectors in Korea," he said. "You don't walk on the street and someone's reading a copy of the latest Batman, but there's a lot of people that enjoy American comics."

Croner also compares the community size of comic book readers in the country to the "thousands" of Korean players who play Dungeons and Dragons, a longtime fantasy role-playing game with an international cult following.

The Dice Latte's FCBD lineup includes Spider-Man, Season 10 of My Little Pony, Manhwa Contemporary Korean Comics and Image Comics' title Invincible, the latter which has been adapted to a series to be released on Amazon Prime next year.

Joey Croner, owner of Dice Latte in northwestern Seoul / Courtesy of Kyung Lee
Joey Croner, owner of Dice Latte in northwestern Seoul / Courtesy of Kyung Lee
Bring on the games and trivia


And to reinforce thematic elements of Halloween, Shawn Morrissey, a heritage interpreter and guide for the tour group Dark Side of Seoul ― as well as comic book creator alongside illustrator Tim Bauer ― will as co-host of the event showcase his own comic book.
"The Dark Side of Seoul" comic book was released in August at a localized launch event also co-hosted by Croner, held on the same weekend of the canceled Comic-Con.

To further hype up the spirit of Halloween among Koreans and foreign residents expected to show up on Nov. 1, Morrissey will also oversee playing of the VHS-based board game Nightmare.

"It's very silly but it's a lot of fun, and it's horror-themed," he said.

Following the board game's conclusion, Morrissey has scheduled a pub trivia contest ― with questions on horror fiction and films ― played in groups of four. Prizes include copies of "The Dark Side of Seoul" comic book and tickets to the tour.

On also introducing Halloween to visitors as deriving from the ancient Gaelic festival Samhain, Morrissey said, "A fun thing to do would be to have history and heritage questions as well, to give this information in a trivia way to any of the Koreans and Westerners who aren't familiar with the heritage and history of Halloween."

He added, "And if people are interested [in dressing up], I could tell where that custom comes from, when it started and the [Samhain] festival going back 2,000 years or so."

Both co-hosts said the main benefit of gaming events such as this brings people together, regardless of differing cultural, social or political views.

"They're playing a game and they probably wouldn't have met any other way," Croner said. "They might not agree on much else, but they'll come together for games."

Celebrity presence


In addition to displaying free to low-priced comic books and other merch, The Dice Latte has also invited Lee In-hyuk,
Marvel's first South Korean comic book illustrator and cover artist, to attend the event on Halloween Day for signings and meet-and-greet sessions with fans.

With Croner recognizing Lee's impressive portfolio of cover art that features Immortal Hulk, Spider-Man, Flash and Marvel Zombies: Resurrection, Lee said he looks forward to attending and familiarizing himself with what FCBD brings to the table.

"I've only attended events overseas and Comic-Con in Seoul in 2019, so I'm excited about my first FCBD event in Korea," he said.

Alongside the first public release of "The Dark Side of Seoul" comic book and Lee's attendance at FCBD, both Morrissey and Croner said they welcome other comic book creators to come together at The Dice Latte and discuss their comic book projects ― even through launch parties long after the Halloween decorations are taken down.

"While it [The Dice Latte] is a great place for people to become consumers of Western comic books and board game culture, it's also an excellent place for independent creators in Seoul and Korea," Morrissey said. "For both foreigners and Koreans to get together and talk about the writing, the art, I would hope that a lot of them show up."


Visit
fb.com/thedicelatte for more information, or their Naver Smart Store.


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