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A Guide to Free Comic Book Day

Yeah, yeah, Saturday may be Star Wars Day, but it’s also Christmas in May for comic book fans, because it’s Free Comic Book Day! That’s right – we said Free Comic Book Day. Beginning in 2002, the day celebrates independent comic book retailers and, most importantly, fans. Are you a lapsed reader? Been itching to read some Iron Man since you saw the excellent new film? Saturday’s your lucky day, because there are comics a-plenty to be had and it’s hard to argue with the low, low price of free. If for some insane reason you won’t get on board unless it’s endorsed by a major celebrity, here’s a PSA for FCBD by Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s run down some of the free stuff you can look forward to! You can find a complete list of the FCBD offerings on the Free Comic Book Day website.

DC Comics

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With Man of Steel on the way, you’d have been smart to bet that DC’s FCBD offering is Superman-centric. Their FCBD exclusive includes the first chapter of best-selling graphic novel Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner and featuring art from Adam Kubert. Not only does it feature Superman’s slugfest with General Zod and the Phantom Zone baddies, but you also get an exclusive preview of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee’s Superman Unchained, which drops on June 14th.

Need something more geared towards the kids? DC’s also offering up DC Nation Super Sampler #1, which gives the all-ages crowd a sneak peek at Beware the Batman and Teen Titans Go!, based on the DC Nation animated programming block on Cartoon Network. See? FCBD is fun for the whole family.

Marvel Comics

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Not to be outdone by DC’s upcoming Trinity War summer event, Marvel is unleashing one of its universe’s most vaunted villains, Thanos, on the unsuspecting public in Infinity. Tomorrow, you can get a taste of the Jonathan Hickman-penned, Justin Cheung-illustrated FCBD exclusive in Infinity. If nothing else, it will definitely get you jazzed for James Gunn’s forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy.

Marvel’s also got some animation tie-in comics for the all-ages crowd, so if you’re looking for some transmedia bliss, then pick up Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., too.

Image Comics

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Like a little flesh-hungry post-apocalyptic action to go along with your sunny Saturday afternoon? Image has your back (and your brains) with The Walking Dead Special, a collection of fan-favorite short stories featuring the likes of the Governor, Michonne, and Morgan – who you just met in Season 3 on AMC (or you’ve known for a while if you’re a regular reader like me). Best of all? There’s an exclusive Tyreese short story that’s only available in the FCBD issue, which is great news because more Tyreese is always a good thing.

Dark Horse

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Offering up a sampler pack full of Mass Effect, R.I.P.D. and Killjoys, Dark Horse is giving readers a taste of its twisted, awesome offerings. Looking to get acquainted with R.I.P.D. before watching Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds stop supernatural crime this summer? Boom: Free Comic Book Day to the rescue.

And because it’s Star Wars Day after all, Dark Horse has an all-ages sampler with Brian Wood’s Star Wars, Josh Williamson’s Captain Midnight and Gene Luen Yang’s Avatar: The Last Airbender that will delight both you and the miniature version of yourself, too.

 

IDW Publishing

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Straight out of the ruins of Mega City One, IDW is rendering judgment unto you with a brand spanking new issue of Judge Dredd Classics, which offers up classic stories from 2000 A.D. in color for the first time. Fans of the steely supercop won’t want to miss out, because this collection includes one of the coolest moments in Dredd history: the introduction of Judge Death.

And because comics are also the purview of mutants, teens, ninjas and turtles, IDW has an issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles New Animated Adventures for your reading pleasure. A tie-in to the Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, this is the perfect companion to an especially gooey slice of pizza.

Archaia

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Proving that sometimes it’s hip to be square, Archaia is offering up a square flip book with a collection of short stories from its excellent all-ages titles, Mouse Guard by David Petersen and Rust by Royden Lepp.  There are also short stories from Sean Rubin’s dinosaur tale, Bolivar; Jim Henson’s fantasy classic, Labyrinth; activity pages from Yehudi Mercado’s Pantalones, TX, and more!

 

What titles will you be picking up at tomorrow’s Free Comic Book Day? Let us know in the comments below! Need help finding a store near you? Use the handy dandy Comic Book Shop Locator Service!

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Comments

  1. michaelalexkawa says:

    It was an awesome day ,and I got some awesome comics to read . Long live the Comic Book Stores .

  2. Dhruve says:

    Does anyone know if these FCBD comics are going to be released on ComiXology and/or the iOS Apps as I can’t seem to find them there on the website or Apps. I would get these instore but I don’t have a comic book store nearby and have to go digital.
    Thanks