Free Comic Book Day and Catstock 5! 4-28-25

Hot Seat: Media Monday Free Comic Book Day and Catstock 5! 4-28-25

In this episode of Hot Seat: Media Monday, Nabil Khan previews the titles being offered at this year’s Free Comic Book Day, taking place locally at Ravenswood Comics and comic book stores around the country. Then John Chesebro invites listeners to this year’s Catstock 5 and describes the work involved with organizing a day-long festival. 

Free Comic Book Day takes place on the first Saturday of May. It encourages people to read by providing comic books free of charge to people of all ages. Nabil shared this year's popular comic book titles, such as Godzilla, Fantastic Four, Superman, and a crossover featuring Thundercats and Powerpuff Girls, highlighting the trend of crossovers in the comic book industry. We also talked about the nostalgic experience of reading comics, the evolution of comic book themes, and how modern comics now cater to various demographics, including children and young adults, with relatable stories. 

Catstock 5 is an annual festival with local bands, crafters, vendors, food trucks, raffles, classic cars, bounce houses and much more to raise money for Oneida Community Cat Committee, Operation Wildcats Ltd. and Wanderer's Rest to help with the trap, neuter and release of the feral cats in the city of Oneida to stop the rapidly growing feral cat population. Catstock 5’s John Chesebro previewed the event, discussed the process of organizing a day-long festival, and discussed his work at the “Voice of Pop Warner Football” in Oneida.