Whether science comics, heroic adventures, coming of age or Franco-Belgian classics - Free Comic Book Day 2026 will once again showcase the colorful diversity of the comic book world.

On this day, various "Kids & Teens" comics from renowned publishers Carlsen, Cross Cult, Edition Helden, Egmont, Kibitz, Loewe Verlag, Panini, Reprodukt, Splitter and Ueberreuter Verlag will be distributed free of charge to young and young-at-heart comic fans in libraries and bookshops.

"Comic Book Day is an absolute must for us as a city library," says Barbara Henning, deputy director of the city library. "Comics are in demand, both among children and young people as well as adults. This is not a fashion or a passing phenomenon, but an area that has become firmly established in recent years and is a natural part of reading culture," she explains, pointing out that comics from Asia, for example, are the fastest growing segment of the German book trade.

The model for the Free Comic Book Day comes from the USA. There is the Free Comic Book Day, which always takes place on the first Saturday in May.

A comic is a so-called pictorial narrative, i.e. a sequence of pictures that tells a story in at least two or three pictures and consists of pictures and text. The comic works with the help of the reader's imagination, because the reader creates a connection between the individual pictures and adds to what happens between the drawings.

The free comic booklets are available at the municipal library in Lebenstedt and at the Salzgitter-Bad municipal library during opening hours.