Free Comic Book Day 2015 will be here faster than you know it — on May 2nd to be exact — and now the good folks behind the annual event have revealed the twelve “Gold Sponsor” comics-those titles offered from the biggest publishers in the comic book industry-for next year’s event. For those of you not in the know, Free Comic Book Day occurs every year (usually in May) and is a way for the comic book industry to give potential customers a free preview of what lies ahead in their titles for the following year.

Some of the biggest publishers like Marvel and DC Comics use Free Comic Book Day to tease some of their biggest storylines and crossover events for the year-Marvel will be previewing their big Secret Wars event for example, and whatever DC is previewing is still so hush-hush as to still be under lock and key. Some of the biggest pop culture franchises are also going to be showcased on Free Comic Book Day, such as Transformers, Doctor Who, Spongebob, Pokemon, Fight Club and The Simpsons. So check out the solicitations for the twelve Gold Sponsor books below, and be sure to hit up your local comic shop on May 2nd and support Free Comic Book Day!

DARK CIRCLE 

ARCHIE COMICS PUBLICATIONS

Solicitation: Duane Swierczynski (W), Mark Waid (W), Dean Haspiel (W/A), Michael Gaydos (A), Francesco Francavilla (CA), and Various (W/A)

THE BLACK HOOD! THE FOX! THE SHIELD! Get in on the ground floor of Dark Circle Comics and experience the cinematic and creator-driven reinventions of these iconic properties. Who is the new Shield? How did the Black Hood come to be? Can things get more unpredictable for The Fox? Learn the secrets of the Dark Circle universe from the creators themselves via sneak peeks at the new series, creator interviews and a first glance at the next Dark Circle series—all held together by an eye-popping cover from Afterlife with Archie artist, Francesco Francavilla!

__

2015 COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL

BONGO COMICS

Solicitation: Matt Groening (W/A) and Various (W/A)

Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! When Bart brings one of Professor Frink’s recent discoveries to school, it leads to some hair-raising hilarity! Then, Lisa finds a doorway to an ancient past, Comic Book Guy gets a hip new girlfriend, and Homer tries his hand at some home improvement… and much more! (32 pgs.)

__

BOOM! STUDIOS TENTH ANNIVERSARY

BOOM! STUDIOS

Solicitation: Various (W/A), Cover Artist TBA

2015 is BOOM! Studios’ Tenth Anniversary year, and to help us celebrate we’ve gathered short stories from several current and new all-ages titles for Free Comic Book Day. From Archaia’s Mouse Guard, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, and new title Iscariot; KaBOOM!’s Garfield, Peanuts,Regular Show, and a new Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake story; and BOOM! Box’s Lumberjanes, Munchkin, and Help Us! Great Warrior, there’s something in this free, 48-page issue for everyone! (32 pgs.)

__

FIGHT CLUB/THE GOON/THE STRAIN—FCBD 2015 EDITION

DARK HORSE COMICS

Solicitation: Chuck Palahniuk (W), Eric Powell (W), David Lapham (W),  Cameron Stewart (A), Eric Powell (A), Mike Huddleston (A), and David Mack (CA) 

Dark Horse Comic’s most thrilling FCBD to date! Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart premiereFight Club! Eric Powell serves up an all-new tragedy in The Goon! And Guillermo del Toro presents an all-new chapter from The Strain! Need we say more? (32 pgs.)

__

DC COMICS FCBD 2015 TBA

DC COMICS

Solicitation: (W/A/CA) TBD

A special, Top Secret project too big to announce! Please check back in the February issue of PREVIEWS and at freecomicbookday.com for future updates! (32pgs.)

__

BOB’S BURGERS

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Solicitation: (W) Mike Olsen, Justin Hook, Chad Brewster, (A) Brad Rader, Tony Gennaro, Hector Reynoso, Frank Forte, (CA) Frank Forte

Bob’s Burgers, the hit TV show created by Loren Bouchard, is now a comic book! The Belcher family — parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise — appear in this special Free Comic Book Day edition that collects the “Best Of” in-canon stories from Dynamite’s first-ever Bob’s Burgers comic book series. Thrill to Tina’s “Friend Fiction”, Louise’s “Unsolved Mysteries and Curious Curiosities”, “Gene Belcher Presents: The Musical”, and more! It’s an all-ages extravaganza that captures the feel of Bob’s Burgers perfectly — because it’s a comic 100% created by show writers and animators! (32pgs.)

__

TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE #0

IDW PUBLISHING

Solicitation: (W) John Barber, Tom Scioli (A) Priscilla Tramontano, Scioli 

(CA) Priscilla Tramontano

Optimus Prime is gone — and Decepticons are on the loose! It’s up to Bumblebee and an elite crew of Autobots to track them down before their rampage spreads across Earth! Transformers comics have never been hotter, and the excitement spreads to this all-original comic inspired by the all-new animated series! Plus: previews of IDW and Hasbro unbelievable publishing slate for 2015, including an exclusive Transformers vs. G.I. Joe strip! (32pgs.)

__

SAVAGE DRAGON: LEGACY #1

IMAGE COMICS

Solicitation: (W/A/CA) Erik Larsen

The generational saga of Savage Dragon reaches a new milestone as Malcolm Dragon graduates high school and follows his father’s footsteps to the Chicago Police Department. Every young new officer has a lot to live up to, but for the son of a world famous figure as renowned as he is reviled, navigating the world of law enforcement is especially challenging. The cost of failure is high in a city becoming more dangerous by the day: Can Malcolm step out of his father’s shadow and become the hero Chicago needs, or is he doomed to make the same mistakes? (32pgs.)

__

SECRET WARS

MARVEL COMICS

Solicitation: (W/A/CA) TBD

Prepare yourself for the final days of the Marvel Universe as you know it as the march to the biggest comic event of the year continues! From the ashes of a decimated cosmos rises… Battleworld! Amid the strange, patchwork realm, refugees from thousands of obliterated universes struggle for survival. Even if they can endure the horrors of Battleworld — the home they knew has been destroyed! Time has run out, and the opening salvo of Secret Wars has been fired. But can anything restore the Marvel Universe that once was? (32pgs.)

__

DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL

TITAN COMICS

Solicitation: (W) Nick Abadzis, Al Ewing, Various (A) Various

Take a blistering trip through time and space with three stunning all-new short stories featuring the Tenth Doctor, the Eleventh Doctor and the brand-new Twelfth Doctor, written and drawn by the ongoing Doctor Who comics creative teams. PLUS: A sneak peek of the Top Secret Summer 2015 event! Be the first to get a hint of the epic that will shake the Doctor to his very core! It’s a must-read for fans, and the perfect primer for anyone looking to jump on board the TARDIS! (32 pgs.)

__

SPONGEBOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES

UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES

Solicitation: (W/A) Graham Anable, Various (CA) Gregg Schigiel, Rick Neilsen

This year’s SpongeBob Comics FCBD offering features a 22-page story by Boxtrolls director and Grickle cartoonist, Graham Annable! In “Tangy!” Plankton’s new special sauce made from jellyfish jelly has strange effects on SpongeBob and the rest of Bikini Bottom’s residents. The only one unaffected, the only one who can save them all, is a very reluctant Squidward! Plus, more undersea sequential stories by James Kochalka, Maris Wicks, Gregg Schigiel. and other awesome aquatic artists! (32pgs.)

__

POKÉMON

VIZ MEDIA

Solicitation: (W) Hidenori Kusaka (A) Various

All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen and onto the pages of this action-packed Free Comic Book Day edition comic! Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal’s battle against each other is destroying Vaniville Town. Can X and Y save the town in Pokémon X*Y?! Bonus Feature: More action in Pokémon Adventures andPokémon Adventures Black and White! (32pgs.)

__

Which of these comics has you most excited for next year’s Free Comic Book Day?  Let us know in the comments below.

[HT: Free Comic Book Day.com]