Diamond Distributors have announced the Gold tier of Free Comic Book Day offerings for 2023, releasing Saturday, May 6, 2023.
The top publishers’ offerings include:
– AfterShock Comics: “Seismic Stories,” which will contain a preview of the newly announced original graphic novel “The Darkness We Fought Back,” by writers Rex Ogle and Alex Segura, and artist Joe Eisma. It is about “a ragtag group of teens accidentally release an unknown darkness from an abandoned house,” and will be released a few weeks later. The comic will also feature a new “Animosity” story, ‘Animosity Tales: One Day More,’ which follows Jesse and Sandor the day after the Animals gained sapience.
– Archie Comics: “Archie Horror Presents: The Cursed Library.” Few details were given on the comic, which will have a cover by Robert Hack, but it “aims to get to the bottom of why and how Riverdale has been such a hotbed of cruel monsters, unusual events, and terrifying tales.”
– BOOM! Studios: “Ranger Academy,” a new installment of the Power Rangers universe, created by novelist Maria Ingrande Mora (Fragile Remedy), artist Jo Mi-Gyeong (“Eve,” “Beastlands: Keepers of the Kingdom”), and colorist Fabiana Mascolo (“Shifting Earth”).
– Dark Horse Comics: “The Umbrella Academy/The Witcher.” The synopsis states “The Umbrella Academy” story, by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba, will see the Hargreeves “stave off a universe-shattering cosmic horror,” while The Witcher segment (by an unlisted creative team) has “Geralt set out to uncover why women are turning into frogs.”
– Scholastic Graphix: “Dog Man and the League of Misfits,” by Dav Pilkey, starring Dog Man, Captain Underpants, Petey the Cat, and more of his bestselling children’s characters.
– IDW Publishing: “Star Trek,” a prelude to IDW’s “very first Star Trek summer crossover event,” between the publisher’s newly relaunched ongoing series, and the upcoming “Star Trek: Defiant.”
– Image Comics: “Fishflies,” a print edition of Jeff Lemire’s Substack series, in which “a child running away from home befriends a monster, [and] sets off a chain of strange events and bad omens.”
– Kodansha Comics: “All-Ages Gold Sampler,” containing “a sneak preview of the manga adaptation of a worldwide Netflix hit, which will be announced [this weekend] at Anime NYC, plus a back up story of the adorable, all-ages manga, ‘Lovely Muco!'”
– Titan Comics: “Conan the Barbarian,” a prelude to Jim Zub and Roberto De La Torre’s upcoming relaunch, beginning in June. The FCBD issue itself “focuses on a young Conan, as he dreams of a life of adventures and envisions all of the future journeys that he will eventually encounter throughout his fabled career.”
– Viz Media: “Choujin X/Rooster Fighter,” showcasing the respective new manga series by Sui Ishida and Shū Sakuratani. “Choujin X” follows “two inseparable best friends” after they “are attacked by a superhuman mutant, leaving one of them to transform into a Choujin,” or supernatural human; while “Rooster Fighter” follows (surprise) “a determined rooster” as he “fights to save humanity from roaming monsters.”
The line-up also includes Marvel’s previously announced “Avengers/X-Men” and “Spider-Man/Venom,” both offering an insight into the company’s major 2023 storylines. As with this year’s FCBD titles, DC did not join the main announcement, and will presumably announce their offerings at another time.
In the meantime, Diamond will announce the Silver tier of FCBD 2023 titles on Thursday, November 17.
