May 4 was a busy day for geeks in Kokomo. Not only was it Star Wars Day, but Free Comic Book Day also fell on the date. As a result, it wasn’t uncommon to be addressed with “May the Fourth Be with You” while leafing through one of dozens of free comics handed out by Comics Cubed in Kokomo.

Located in downtown Kokomo at 121 E. Sycamore St., Comics Cubed attracted fans of legendary superheroes such as Spider-Man, Batman, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the promise of free comics, and they delivered. Over the course of the day, much of the store’s supply of free books was exhausted.

But there was much more to experience during the day. A “geek garage sale” took place outside of the store, where local collectors sold off parts of their personal pop culture collections. And inside the store, patrons took advantage of discounts rivalling Comics Cubed’s biggest sales.

“Obviously, we love seeing so many people attend Free Comic Book Day and the accompanying sales,” said Comics Cubed owner Shawn Hilton. “But more important than that is seeing so many young readers lining up to experience what might be their first comic books.

“The entire industry embraces Free Comic Book Day specifically because literacy rates in the U.S. have suffered. We believe no one should be denied the gift of reading. The ideas encountered within the pages of a book — any book — have the power to change lives.

“Our hope is that the modern mythology we have constructed through comic books will provide fertile grounds for imagination to take hold. Today’s reader may be tomorrow's author."