of the film's heavy promotion and related press about the comic book medium. The first event was held May 4, 2002, the day after the film's opening, and its first four free comic books were Marvel Comics' Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (a reprint of its issue published in 2000), Dark Horse Comics' one-shot Star Wars Tales: A Jedi’s Weapon, Image Comics/Top Cow Productions' one-shot Tomb Raider # and the first issue of DC Comics' Justice League Adventures comic book (based on the Justice League animated television series). The event has usually been held on the first Saturday in May, and is often cross-promoted with the release of the first big-budget superhero film of the summer. According to Diamond Comic Distributors, over 2,000 stores participated in the inaugural Free Comic Book Day and gave away more than 2 million comic books from 4 publishers. The following year, 29 publishers participated. FCBD 2012 exceeded one million attendees, with over 3.5 million comics given away. In 2015, 2,340 retailers ordered 5.6 million comic books to give away. While giving out free comic books on FCBD, participating retailers often run additional promotions. This can include sales on selected merchandise, creator signings, prize raffles, cosplay contests, charity drives, karaoke, and art exhibitions. The event quickly grew to become a major celebration of comic book culture and fan clubs may volunteer to support local stores and help manage the crowds of people attracted to the event. Cosplayers may be enlisted to entertain the lines outside the stores and pose for photos. Among some retailers, FCBD has been more grandly organized. An FCBD "shop hop" cross-promotion in London, Ontario, Canada, encourages people to visit five downtown comic shops for entry into a prize draw, and has evolved into a street festival. Cosplayers parade along the street, which is chalked with murals, and many other businesses along the route cater to the theme. Mesa, Arizona, and Portsmouth, England, have each expanded FCBD into a two-day comics convention. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of FCBD 2020. Alt Free Comic Days was held online on that weekend, streaming panel discussions with comics creators and artists. In mid-June, Diamond Comics announced that the planned titles would be released weekly as Free Comic Book Summer from July 15 to September 9. In 2021, FCBD was held on August 14, when COVID-19 restrictions had eased somewhat. That year's event was received as a