Buying comics can be an expensive hobby. A lot of fans simply can’t afford everything they’re interested in, due to rising prices and the over-saturation of the market with superhero titles.
Every week Multiversity staffers get together to create pull lists with a $20 budget. But what if comics didn’t cost anything? What if you could walk into a shop and get free funny books? Well, it might look something like Free Comic Book Day! To celebrate tomorrow’s festivities we’ve put together a list of some of the comics we are most excited to pick up on this most joyous of comics holidays!
Mike’s Pick: FREE
Free Comic Book Day titles are generally intended to show off a publishing line or upcoming release, so that makes my pick a little weird. You see, it’s a collaboration between a number of publishers showcases a wide range of cartoonists. Retrofit and Big Planet Comics are joining forces with Oily Comics, Peow! Studio, Study Group Comics and Uncivilized Books to self-publish “FREE.”
“FREE” will have a cover by Chuck Forsman and feature comics from folks like Box Brown, Hanna K., Kate Leth, Jason Little, Matt Madden, Jane Mai, Melissa Mendes, Ben Sears, Jack Teagle, François Vigneault, and a whole bunch of others. As I mentioned, this is a self-published effort, so it won’t be available everywhere. That said, there are a bunch of shops where you can find a copy and it’ll be sent out with the next round of Retrofit subscriptions.
I’m really excited for this one. Not just because the roster is so impressive or that it’s a whopping 40 pages, but because it exists outside of the official Free Comic Book Day system. I take that as a sign of growth in interest, from readers and publishers alike.
Alice’s Pick: The All-New, All-Different Avengers
As some of you may know, I’m a bit of a stickler for representation in comics. I think the fact that it is now 2015 means that it is simply unacceptable for comics to rely on the generic fallbacks that is just having a bunch of beefy, blond, white men in spandex beat each other up. Comics can be so much more. Comics should be so much more. That’s why the cover of “The All-New, All-Different Avengers” Free Comic Book Day issue has me so excited. Right up front you have three of my favourite new characters that shows how Marvel has pushed diversity in its younger cast of characters: we have Miles Morales as Spider-Man, Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel and Sam Alexander as Nova. Then you have Thor, who is a woman now, and Captain America, who is Sam Wilson. And then, of course, your robotic representation in The Vision and whoever is in the Iron Man suit. Now, that is an Avengers team.
Add on top of that the fact that the creative team is Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar and the fact that this is apparently going to be our first look at Marvel’s landscape post-“Secret Wars” and you have a book that I won’t be missing for the world.
Keith’s Pick: DC Comics Convergence
Judging by what’s being promised in “Divergence”, big plans are afoot for the DC Universe once June rolls around. Batman, Superman, and the other big shot heroes of DC are supposed to transform in vital ways beginning with this free book. We’ve heard the Batman story deals with the aftermath of “Endgame” and ushers in a huge status quo change for Snyder and Capullo’s book. If leaks are to be believed, then I can’t imagine this hasn’t been thought of sooner. Ideas and possibilities for further fun and character exploration are endless. The Superman story by new writer Gene Luen Yang and returning artist John Romita, Jr. promises earth shattering ramifications for the Man of Steel according to even more Internet chatter. The final story is the second part of the Darkseid War prologue. Geoff Johns’ story seems like it will be epic in scope, but the main attraction for me has to be the art by Jason Fabok. His run on “Justice League” has been stunning so far, with his art getting better and better with each successive issue. He deserves to be a superstar. It appears that June is going to be the beginning of DC not only allowing their creative teams to take bold risks with lower-tier characters, but also with their big guns. “Divergence” must accomplish what all free comic books should do: tease and build excitement for great stories on the horizon. I believe it will.
Jess’ Pick: Dark Circle Comics #1
Archie Comics is having a moment. The success of their horror titles “Afterlife With Archie” and “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”, has led more eyes are watching this publisher for reasons other than nostalgia. This FCBD, Archie Comics will put out a teaser of their newest titles under their revitalized Dark Circle Comics imprint. Archie Comics is hoping that lightning can strike twice and that their superhero line will be just as well received as their horror line. If the first couple issues of “The Black Hood” are any indicator then they might just see that success again. They’re doing something different and it’s so far a very good attempt to separate themselves from DC and Marvel. This sampler is perfect if you’re still on the fence about what they’re doing. I know it’s the first one I’m going to try and get my hands on.
Matt’s Pick: Cleopatra is Space
“Cleopatra in Space” — I think Scholastic’s Graphix imprint carries a similar weight as the Disney logo. When you see it, you know you’re going to get some vibrant, fun, and with plenty of appeal for any reader of any age. Like Disney, they run the gamut from best comics you’ve ever read (“Bone”) to maybe something not-so-great (the collected works of Doug TenNapel) and everything in-between (“Amulet,” “Smile”). Graphix’s books are consistent, solid, and always worth a look. For Free Comic Book Day, they’re releasing the first part of Mike Maihack’s “Cleopatra in Space,” a series of original graphic novels that follows legendary Cleopatra as she stumbles on an ancient artifact and gets zapped into the far future. The adventure is romantic. The action exciting. Cleopatra herself is great. And the second volume just came out (which is probably why the FCBD book is dropping).
Leo’s Pick: Motorcycle Samurai
As someone who’s basically 100% digital when it comes to reading comics, I have a special love for those digital-first and Guided View Native comics that so often appear on Comixology. One such series is “Motorcycle Samurai”, written and drawn by Chris Sheridan and published by Top Shelf. After two years of of digital-only issues that followed the motorcycle-riding, katana-wielding White Bolt as she traversed the desert with a hostage and fought various battles, the first print appearance of “Motorcycle Samurai” is coming for FCBD. We finally get to see some of Sheridan’s energetic artwork on the printed page rather than the backlit screen in this FCBD issue as a leadup to the release of the printed trade collection in July. I know I’m super excited to see what is easily one of the best digital comics out there coming to print. Outside of a couple Thrillbent titles, we haven’t seen too many Guided View comics come to print yet, so this should be especially interesting to see how it transitions to print and to see how much of the kinetic energy of the digital comic the print edition is able to maintain.
Mark’s Pick: Fight Club
There’s three in here: “The Strain, based on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s novel trilogy; “The Goon,” which I’m rather curious about considering the developments in the the latest (and possibly final) arc; and “Fight Club,” the one I’m most excited about. The Fight Club story will be recapping the finale from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, which is different from the way the film adaptation plays out. This’ll set the scene perfectly for Fight Club 2, kicking off in late May from Palahniuk and artist Cameron Stewart. Stewart, I might add, got this job in large part due to his work on Sin Titulo, and I loooooove that book. Add Dave Stewart’s colours into the mix, and this book couldn’t sound any better. This is one FCBD book I won’t be missing.
Greg’s Pick: March Grand Prix
As you’ve no doubt figured out if you’ve read this far down the page, free comics are awesome. As a working adult, getting for free what I’d normally have to pay my hard-earned money for is fantastic. But I’m not the target audience anymore; comics already hooked me long ago. It’s the kids, Marty (or whoever’s reading this)! Something’s got to be done about the kids! And that something is having comics that appeals to them AND their gatekeeper parent (otherwise known as an all-ages comic) at a price-point that said parent can feel good about fitting into their budget. And with a price like zero dollars, I think that mission’s accomplished. Which is great, because even just from what I can tell just from the online preview, “March Grand Prix” is a real winner of an all-ages comic.
The story of a young girl racing rabbit, “March Grand Prix”‘s clean and expressive linework teams up with bold coloring to look as inviting as anything else on the stands this Saturday. With a style that open, you’d think that things like facial expressions might be a problem with so little to work with. but cartoonist Kean Soo has March switch from excitement to embarrassment to worry to adoration in just as many panels, so any fears are completely unfounded. Soo’s design work is wonderful as well, including cutaways of the racing cars so detailed even I learned a thing or three about them. Oh, and there’s a wonderful nod to Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” that made me laugh out loud. And any comic that has something for readers aged 8 to 38 to 88 is one that you don’t want to miss!
Brian’s Pick: Hip Hop Family Tree Two-in-One
Fantagraphics is putting out this unbelievably dope release, collecting a self-contained story from each of the first two volumes of “Hip Hop Family Tree.” For those that aren’t familiar with the book, it is exactly what you’d think: Ed Piskor tells stories of hip hop’s glory days, showing the continuity between disparate rap acts and telling some incredible stories. This isn’t only reprint material, as there are some new pin ups and mini stories as well.
I’d recommend this for fans of music, comics, documentaries, and just about anything. Piskor’s work is incredibly creative, and he finds ways to make even the most routine stories interesting. Luckily for us, few of these stories are routine.
So that’s what we’re looking forward to, but how about you? Let us know in the comments if there’s something we haven’t mentioned! The complete list of this year’s comics can be found right here.
