If the purpose of Free Comic Book Day is to raise awareness of comics, well, mission accomplished! The mass media has taken note, and newspapers large and small have been running articles about comics in general and what is going on in their communities in particular. Here's a selection of the meatier articles; you can find out what's going on near you at the FCBD website, and Steve Morris has compiled a list of additional lists at The Beat.

Comics | Matt Moore takes the wide view, talking to Joe Field, organizer of the first FCBD, and looking at the increase in comics sales in the past year as well as the print-digital divide. Moore talks to DC's Dan DiDio, Marvel's Dan Buckley, and an assortment of retailers and customers about the convenience of digital and the pleasures of brick-and-mortar comics shops. [Associated Press]

Advice | Allison Babka offers a "virgin's guide" to making the most of FCBD. [The Riverfront Times]

Comics | Whitney Matheson lists the ten FCBD comics you won't want to miss, as well as some tips for first-timers. [USA Today]

Comics | Torsten Adair has a list as well. [The Beat]

Comics | And Glen Weldon presents his FCBD cheat sheet. [Monkey See]

Retailing | Michael Cavna talks a wide array of creators and critics, including several of his fellow Eisner judges, and gets a great quote from Weldon: “Every FCBD, people walk into shops prepared for dank nerd-pits smelling of must and Funyuns, only to find smart, friendly people like themselves.” [Comic Riffs]

Comics | In addition to the comics everyone else has, residents of the Western states can pick up a special Dutch Bros. Coffee comic at the coffee stands of the same name. “Like the Freedom Fighters, we get together as a team, we attack the cause and we unite under the cup,” says editor-in-chief Brant Boersma. [in Oakland]

Events | Luke Petkac talks to retailers and local artists in the State College, Pennsylvania, area about their plans for the day. [Centre Daily Times]

Events | Frank Witsli looks at the Detroit-area FCBD scene. [Detroit Free Press]

Events | Bill Nutt talks to retailers in Morris County, New Jersey. [The Daily Record]