Are you going to Free Comic Book Day? Maybe you’re in the group of comics fans who wait in line for the local comic shop to open on this day. Or maybe you’re a fan but always forget it’s the first Saturday in May and miss it. Or maybe you have no idea what this is. Well, it’s been going on for a decade now and it has grown into a pretty big deal in the comics community.
The main thing to know: you get free comic books on this day and good stuff too. In fact, this is a chance for big publishers to tempt new readers with, perhaps a sneak peek at a new story arc or a reprint of a notable issue. This year, for instance, DC Comics is reprinting a particularly good issue of “GREEN LANTERN” to tie in with the upcoming movie. And Marvel has a sneak peek at what lies ahead for one of its biggest titles, “THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN.”
Free Comic Book Day, or FCBD, is also a great opportunity for publishers to showcase something new. This year, three new FCBD titles catch my eye:
“JAKE THE DREAMING,” published by Radical Books, has a great story line. 12-year-old Jake loves to daydream. It helps him cope with living in boring old Slumberton. Jake discovers he can manipulate his dreams and enjoy epic adventures. But then he realizes that all the kids in Slumberton seem to like to daydream too. But they also look like they’re not coming out of sleep. Something is terribly wrong and it is up to Jake to save all the kids in Slumberton from whatever has put them into a permanent sleep mode.
“SPONTANEOUS, #1,” published by Oni Press, presents another intriguing story line. Melvin Reyes knows that his father’s mysterious death was, in fact, caused by spontaneous human combustion and he intends to prove it. The problem with his investigation is that, the more he learns about the condition, the more he will regret it.
“THE INTREPID ESCAPEGOAT & STUFF OF LEGEND,” published by TH3RD WORLD STUDIOS, is a nice gem of steampunk fancy involving a goat magician and his assistant, a 2,000-year-old mummy girl. This book also includes a preview of volume three of “Stuff of Legend,” a notable New York Times bestselling graphic novel.
