It’s that time of year again where comic book enthusiasts get to celebrate their love for the genre! For the past 15 years, the first Saturday in May has been Free Comic Book Day, a day where participating brick and mortar shops comic book shops around the world open their doors and give away free comics. The catch? There is none! You just need to come in.
It seems that each year the comic book shops have been upping their game for this special day and many are making it a great event with guest artists and writers in attendance, offering other specials beyond free comics and even having cosplayers come in to entertain the crowd!
With 50 books being offered for free, the choice can be a bit daunting on which ones you should pick up, so we decided to poll our ScienceFiction.com comic book experts to help you with your pull list so you’ll be raring to go when the doors open bright and early tomorrow morning!
Here’s what our writers suggest:
Brian Tudor:
Archie #1: The modernized reboot of Archie has drawn loads of adult fans and charmed critics. This issue sets up the new status quo in a modern day Riverdale and may influence this fall’s new CW series.
Avengers #1 (Civil War II): The first Civil War was one of the most popular comic book storylines in years, if not decades. With the new ‘Captain America: Civil War’ movie coming out, Marvel is revisiting the concept and this free comic will get you up to speed before the big event.
Doctor Who Four Doctors Special: All four modern era Doctors in one original story? What else do you need to know?
DC Super Hero Girls #1: The new toys are selling like hotcakes! This new spin on the DC Comics roster geared toward young girls is an unprecedented effort to reach a new audience and so far has proven successful.
Ben Silverio:
Spectrum #0 (Automatic Pictures Publishing): Without a doubt, I will be picking up Dark Horse’s FCBD offering since there is a story featuring the crew from ‘Firefly’ following the hit series ‘Serenity: Leaves On The Wind’. However, stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion went on to create a nifty web series called ‘Con Man’ that features a sci-fi show called ‘Spectrum’ that has a cult following and was cancelled too early by the network. Sound familiar? And just as Joss Whedon’s acclaimed series did in real life, ‘Spectrum’ will find new life in a brand new four-issue comic series written by Tudyk and novelist/producer PJ Haarsma with artwork by Sarah Stone. And rather than giving you a glimpse or a preview featuring Captain James Raaker or another character from the show, Automatic Publishing is giving fans the first issue absolutely free.
FCBD Captain America #1 (Marvel Comics): Naturally, the opening shots of ‘Civil War II’ in Marvel’s other FCBD offering is enticing, but I’m actually looking forward to the House of Ideas’ Captain America book instead. Steve Rogers has been restored to his former glory thanks to the events of ‘Avengers: Standoff’ and he’s ready to take up a shield once again and join the fight. And ahead of his new solo series coming out later in the month, we get an all-new story featuring the original Star-Spangled Avenger. And on top of that, there’s a prelude to the upcoming ‘Dead No More’ event, which is something that has been shrouded in mystery since it’s announcement.
Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises #1 (Darby Pop): When I was growing up, there weren’t too many Asian role models in the media. But even though he was long gone by the time I was born, Bruce Lee was still a pop culture icon and prominent figure in film, television, and beyond. And now, the legendary martial artist returns in an all-new comic book written by his daughter Shannon Lee to introduce a whole new generation to his badassery that had a part in changing the way Asians are portrayed in the media. And if you’re not sold, the story kind of sounds like Captain America’s return to the world, except with more martial arts and 70s vibes.
Jason Bowles
Archie #1 The modernized reboot of Archie has drawn loads of adult fans and charmed critics. This issue sets up the new status quo in a modern day Riverdale and may influence this fall’s new CW series.
Avengers #1 (Civil War II):The first Civil War was one of the most popular comic book storylines in years, if not decades. With the new ‘Captain America: Civil War’ movie coming out, Marvel is revisiting the concept and this free comic will get you up to speed before the big event.
Doctor Who Four Doctors Special:All four modern era Doctors in one original story? What else do you need to know?
DC Super Hero Girls #1: The new toys are selling like hotcakes! This new spin on the DC Comics roster geared toward young girls is an unprecedented effort to reach a new audience and so far has proven successful.
Ali “Boom: Baumgartner
Civil War II: Civil War may not have been my favorite Marvel arc because it was literally dealing with the same issues the X-Men had been for decades, but the new movie is coming out… so I’m interested to see what this will add to the story.
Spectrum: Hey. Nathan Fillion and Alan Tydyk are behind it, and it’s sci-fi. I definitely want to see what this is about.
Assassin’s Creed: So the games are almost uniformly amazing (we’ll ignore III for now), but their comics are usually hit and miss… but I’m still interested in their offering for free comic book day. It also looks like it features Charlotte de la Crus from the current running series, and I’m very fond of her… so, definitely getting this.
Legend of Korra: I have never ever been disappointed in an Avatar series offering, so I am definitely picking this up.
Serenity/Hellboy: This is more of a “why the hell not?” pick. Serenity is awesome, and so is Hellboy. I maen, have I been following either in recent years? No. Maybe this will get me back into the fold.
Ross Wolfe:
The Stuff of Legends: An excellent graphic novel with an untapped setting.
The Tick: I still don’t understand how The Tick isn’t one of the most popular comic books of all time. It’s hilarious.
The Phantom: Maybe it’s the nostalgia goggles, but this was my favorite comic ever when I was five years old. It got me into reading comics.
Dark Horse: It’s got Aliens, Firefly, and Hellboy. What more do you need?
Strawberry Shortcake: Not normally a choice I’d make, but I have a young daughter who adores Strawberry Shortcake.
Tony Schaab:
Serenity/Hellboy/Aliens: As if a new ‘Serenity’ story wasn’t enough of a draw, how about a new ‘Hellboy’ tale from creator Mike Mignola himself, and a new ‘Aliens’ story to boot? Three comics properties that are also movies, contained in one book? Sign me up!
Doctor Who: The Four Doctors Special: Whovians need look no further than this book containing four different stories from four different Doctors to find a perfect jumping-on point for the fabulous TARDIS tales being told monthly by Titan Comics.
ROM #0: Two words only are needed to describe ROM: space knight. He’s a friggin’ knight from outer space, what more do you really need to know in order to ascertain how awesome he is?
Valiant 4001AD: Valiant has been doing comics the right way for a long time, and their newest story arc – their most popular characters, set in the 41st Century – begins here!
2000AD Special: Every year, 2000AD puts out a special FCBD edition that tells awesome tales of Judge Dredd and company; this year’s 48-page whopper also includes digital download codes for music to boot!
The Tick Special: The “Big Blue Defender of Justice” is back, baby! One of the most delightfully-random heroes of all time gives you a much-needed dose of his patented brand of zaniness – for free! SPOON!
And there you have it! The top picks from our very own ScienceFiction.com comic experts. Whether you are a long time comic book reader or new to the world of comic books, Free Comic Book Day is a great event and one that shouldn’t be missed!
For a full list of books that will be available for the taking and to find a comic book store near you that is participating in this event, head to the Free Comic Book Day site.
Let us know what you picked up and whether you thought our recommendations were spot on!
