I went to my secondary store because it is closer. I arrived shortly after opening and the parking lot was packed, only one space left. Lots of customers, but their set-up was efficient. I was in and out in ten minutes. They set a limit of five comics per customer. I chose...
The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Comics (Nexus & Santa Claus on the cover)
Doctor Who
MAD
Stories from the Atlas Comics Library (Fantagraphics)
Jonny Quest (Dynamite)
I would have picked up Flash Gordon as well, but I didn't want to go over my limit. Maybe my primary shop will have one left over on Wednesday.
I'm usually not selective; I just grab one of everything. (There is a purchase requirement, but I usually spend enough to have no limit. This year I got the long-sought Saga hardcover vols. 1-3 and some storage supplies, which put me over $100.)
When I got home, I took stock, and of the 62 books this year, I was missing 23. This is typical, as I usually go in the afternoon, on my way to somewhere else. (This year it was a Kentucky Derby party.) Some of the books with a low order are always already gone.
I found an online shop that was selling them for a dollar or so, and ordered 15 more (including the Atlas Comics Library issue and Overstreet). They were already sold out of seven, some of which I specifically wanted -- Jonny Quest and Flash Gordon leap to mind. I'll see if I can find another online seller for those.
I didn't score very much this time. Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
Since then, I've been mindful of his words. So I tend to hit only one store on the actual day and visit others during the week and see what they have remaining -- and, of course, make a purchase. The store I went to on the actual day was out in the 'burbs (and I think the last time I was there was the last Free Comic Book Day). That place set a limit of five comics per customer, but allowed 10 if you brought a donation of canned food for a charity drive.
So, what I found during the week was a lot of kiddie books. I never even saw many of the comics that weren't for kids, and EVERY place had a surplus of Spidey and His Amazing Friends. One place had a longbox full of them besides the dozens on the shelf. This was anot her store I drop in on only every few months, and I felt a sinking feeling when I saw a new name on it. This store had been there forever. I spoke to the proprietor and he told me he was the new co-owner as the store had shut down entirely last year and he reopened in January ...
... without any of the stock from the previous owners. Consequently, they started over from a completely empty store.
This was distressing news to me, especially as it used to have a bargain basement full of dozens of longboxes with comics for $1 each, plus a wall of bookshelves with graphic novels and trade paperbacks at half cover price. That's why I would drop in only every few months; my wallet couldn't take it if I went there all the time.
No more; down there is still empty and the new plan is to make that a space for gamiing. Can't blame the guy. My regular store long ago determined that it can't survive just being a bookstore; it needs to be a neighborhood gathering place. Many other places do likewise.
I wished him well and may find excuses to get there more often.
Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
Interesting attitude! For years the various shops in town had a "passport" that you could get stamped as you visited each shop to, well, scarf up freebies. They stopped doing that this year because the person running it got tired of setting it up.
Part of the problem is a decline in attendance (though it's still attracts a crowd) since the pandemic and the decline in superhero movies (which, I think, brought in a lot of newbies), and part of it is the closing (over the last decade) of two of the stores. That has left three participating stores (two comic shops and one Anime/Manga shop), widely-separated without so many stops in between. The library also used to host a cosplay competition downtown, and that hasn't returned post-pandemic. Also, this year, the Star Wars group ran events elsewhere for May 4. In other years, they're usually in full force downtown.
I know, I've posted this elsewhere, but here's my video from this year:
I did manage to find online all the books that I missed at the store, and I will post my thoughts after I've plowed through all of them.
I didn't score very much this time. Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
I only go to my regular LCS. The other two are quite a drive, and aren't comprehensive anyway. And I always buy plenty when I go to justify the freebies. I hadn't considered that these events are really geared to newbies and I might be scarfing up stock that would draw them. But as I said, I usually go in the afternoon anyway, after the mad crush.
So, what I found during the week was a lot of kiddie books. I never even saw many of the comics that weren't for kids, and EVERY place had a surplus of Spidey and His Amazing Friends.
My LCS also has a stack of the same Spidey and His Amazing Friends out every FCBD. Everybody must have over-ordered when it first came out, or Marvel ships more every year. I must remember to ask.
Consequently, they started over from a completely empty store.
Yikes!
Part of the problem is a decline in attendance (though it's still attracts a crowd) since the pandemic and the decline in superhero movies (which, I think, brought in a lot of newbies), and part of it is the closing (over the last decade) of two of the stores. That has left three participating stores (two comic shops and one Anime/Manga shop), widely-separated without so many stops in between. The library also used to host a cosplay competition downtown, and that hasn't returned post-pandemic. Also, this year, the Star Wars group ran events elsewhere for May 4. In other years, they're usually in full force downtown.
The local Star Wars club, Midsouth Garrison, usually dons their 501st Legion stormtrooper gear and shows up, but I don't know if they did that this year, or really any year since the pandemic. They come in the morning, so I'm never there to see it -- I just hear about it, if somebody mentions it. Come to think of it, I never know what attendance is really like, unless one of the employees complains or something, because I don't come during the peak hours (morning). I guess I don't really have anything to contribute to the conversation. (Sob!)
FCBD 2024 ONE PIECE ACES STORY & STATUS ROYALE: I'm not a regular manga reader, but I am aware you read back to front, right to left. But this is a flipbook, which thoroughly discombobulated me. I started reading at one end, and when it didn't make sense, went to the middle and tried to read back that way, but it didn't make sense, and I tried it right to left and left to right both ways. Not being famliliar with the premise of the two series, I couldn't tell if I was going the right way or not! I guess I could figure it out if I put enough time into it, but honestly, I'm just not that motivated.
I liked the art on "One Piece." Didn't care for it on "Status Royale."
FCBD 2024 JONNY QUEST: Reading or watching Jonny Quest never fails to thrill my inner 6-year-old. I hit Jonny Quest at just the right age and have loved the strip ever since. The Doug Wildey designs helped a lot, because they were just so superior to everything else on Saturday morning TV. So they could put almost anything on the page and I'd love it. As it happens, what they put there was very much in the spirit of the original and, yes, I loved it.
There was a short Thundercats preview in the middle. I didn't care for that as much. I roll my eyes at the stupid names for the characters ("Lion-O"? "WilyKat" and "WilyKit"? Come on!) but I know it was originally for kids and I grit my teeth and bear it. What I find more troubling is that Lion-O is in charge by virtue of bloodline, not because of any sort of innate competence or leadership ability. In fact, his central dilemma is the reverse: He was aged prematurely, and from what I can tell, still has the mind and experiences of a boy. It's Billy Batson leading the Justice League.
So tell me: Why IS he in charge? Didn't we get rid of that "divine right of kings" nonsense in the 18th century? What sort of lesson is that for kids? The person in charge ought to be the person best suited for it, not someone who was simply born into it. Especially in desperate circumstances. They can't afford for Lion-O to learn on the job.
The last part of the book was a Space Ghost preview, and yes, I will always love Space Ghost for pretty much the same reasons I will always love Jonny Quest. (Substitute "Alex Toth" for "Doug Wildey" and my reasoning is pretty much the same.) My LCS was sold out of Space Ghost #1 on Free Comic Book Day, but I have a DRC and can't wait to get to it. Clearly from the preview we're going to get the origins of Jan and Jace (and Blip, who apparently will be more than he seems) and I wonder if they're going to which existing origin they're going to use for Space Ghost, or come up with a new one.
I mentioned Jonny Quest to my wife and she didn't know who he was. Of all the things that have evaporated from my youth, that These Kids Today (tm) will never experience, it's things like the loss of the Jonny Quest Experience that saddens me the most. I've no love for the rotary telephone dial or TV limited to three channels, although those things shaped generations. But Jonny Quest? Every 6-year-old should see Jonny Quest.
FCBD 2024 ARCHIE HORROR PRESENTS CURSED LIBRARY PRELUDE: You may have noticed that Archie has released a lot of horror one-shots recently. I like 'em, but never thought about it very hard -- especially what an odd publishing strategy it was. Well, Cursed Library ties them all together, and in retrospect, makes for a nifty, ready-made, ongoing "Archie Horror" line. They launched an imprint the hard way! And they will release them all in TPB later this year, says a house ad.
A couple of flaws: This particular book gives such short teases to each of the one-shots that it's really not much of a read in and of itself. And it doesn't explain the premise, of Madame Satan being tied up like a mummy while her captor, Jinx, reads books in her library. Maybe that was set up in the Jinx one-shot. (And, you should know, Jinx is probably the daughter of Satan.)
MAD FCBD SPECIAL EDITION: I remember MAD vividly from my younger days, especially pre-adolesence, when it seemed so transgressive. Which it is: It makes fun of everything, but especially of authority. Since everything else in American life teaches kids to shut up and salute The Man, MAD really is transgressive for the youngs, and I think all the more necessary for it. It should be required reading in middle school.
No, this sampler didn't make me laugh even once. Because I am old. But I know I'd have laughed my butt off as a tweenager.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: BARKHAM ASYLUM: Samples the upcoming GN, which I think is aimed at kids. It's mildly amusing, about class clown Jester (one of Joker's dogs) and a stray, tough-talking cat getting locked up in the eponymous institution, and plotting to escape. I presume in the book itself they do.
There's also a tease to another Wonder Woman-as-a-girl GNs, Diana and the Hero's Journey. I confess to a soft spot for these, even though they're probably aimed at young girls, because they show Themysciran society in depth, which as you can imagine, is vastly different from "man's world." I enjoy the world-building, and the imagination that goes into it. I sometimes get these for review, and I sometimes read them, although I don't think anyone on this site would be interested in a review.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: CLARK & LEX: This teases an upcoming GN for, I guess, midddle school? Not sure. But 14-ish, farm-living Clark gets some kind of contest to be an intern of sorts in Metropolis for The Daily Planet, and so does Lex Luthor, whose father sponsored the contest. Pa Kent (who is suddenly Black here, which I confess took me by surprise, not that it matters) disapproves, and sure enough, Clark is discombobulated by the Big City, but sophisticated, rich Lex takes him under his wing. That's pretty much as far as the teaser takes us. I assume secret identity hi-jinks of some sort will follow.
There's also a teaser to Fann Club: Batman Squad, an upcoming GN for kids about a kid playing Batman who, just before the tease ends, puts out a call for other kids who are pretending to be other superheroes. I assume a club will form, and there will be more hi-jinks. Possibly zany and wacky ones.
FCBD 2024 POKEMON ADV RUBY ALPHA SAPPHIRE & SPLATTOO: This is manga of the big-eyed, cartoony variety, which I do not care for. Also, the premise of Pokemon makes me vaguely uncomfortable, what with the hunting and slavery and what-all.
FCBD 2024 ASTERIX OLYMPICS SPECIAL: I know Asterix is supposed to be funny, and intellectually, I see why it's supposed to be funny. But it simply doesn't amuse me. I can't force myself all the way to the end of an Asterix story. YMMV.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: BARDA: The artwork's a little simplistic for this tease to a young adult GN, but I can't deny the drama of Barda's youth. Living on Apocalypse, being trained by Granny Goodness to be as cruel as possible, leading the Female Furies (all of whom are trying to take her job), being taught Orwellian lessons that bad is good and good is bad. Commiting wholesale murder and torture. And the tease ends with her being told by Granny to break a prisoner who insists on maintaining hope: A hunger dog named Scott Free. Now I kinda want to read it.
There's also a short teaser to an upcoming Dreamer YA graphic novel, a character I had little interest in when she was on Supergirl, and even less interest in as a print character. This teaser didn't change my mind.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: ABSOLUTE POWER: We get an inside look at Amanda Waller's headquarters (massive resources), methodology (lethal, cruel) and plans (kill all metahumans, using metahumans, whom she will then kill). Oh, and Dreamer appears again, this time a captive, who refuses to tell Waller the future she sees -- which is all superheroes in chains. This is pretty chilling stuff, practically Apokoliptian in its casual use of murder and torture.
Then there's a short preview of Absolute Power #1, in which Superman somehow loses his powers, gets shot, and falls from a great height. To be continued!
FCBD 2024 SNOOPY BEAGLE SCOUT ADVENTURES: I've read all the original "Peanuts" -- I've got the whole Fantagraphics collection -- so I've read this before. My least favorite part of the "Peanuts" ouevre is the latter part, where Woodstock and the other birds take center stage, and that's what this is. It's no better (to me) the second time.
FCBD 2024 BLOOD HUNT X-MEN #1: We check in with Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Dracula as the vampire invasion begins. It's unclear to me if this is actually from Blood Hunt #1, or something new. It may be the latter, as we don't really learn anything we don't already know, and we do know how Blood Hunt begins from other previews, and but we get sort of quick glimpses of how widespread and serious this is.
There's also a preview of Jubilee, presumably from whichever of the post-Krakoa X-books she stars in. The one takeaway I had was that her power level has been amped up a bit, which was needful.
FCBD 2024 HELLBOY/STRANGER THINGS: We get a full Hellboy story (set in the past, so, you know, before he died), which I think ought to be the norm for these FCBD books. You want people to follow up and buy more books, right? Maybe give them a full, typical adventure instead of a short preview from a premise they probably aren't familiar with, and can't make head or tail of. My two cents. I did enjoy the story, as I pretty much do all Hellboy stories.
There's also a teaser to some Stranger Things miniseries or other, featuring Jonathan Byers and his stoner buddy delivering pizzas. As much as I've loved the TV show, I don't really think it works in print. The premise doesn't really hold up to extended scrutiny, IMHO, so without the story whizzing by without me having time to think is the way it works. In print, I have too much time to go "wait a minute" and I don't have the actors to entertain me. When the show's over, I'm Strange Things Done. Again, YMMV.
FCBD 2024 ULTIMATE UNIVERSE SPIDER-MAN #1: I was with the first Ultimate Universe from the get-go, until I tired of it. Even Jonathan Hickman couldn't induce me to take a second bite at that apple. But this gave me a nice apple-y taste of what's going on in the new Ultimate Universe, and introduces a classic Golden Age character to the mix. Nicely done.
There's also a partial Spider-Man story, where a Peter Parker date is ruined because he has to run off to become Spider-Man. Been there, done that. There's also some Osborn nuttiness, which is also not new. Osborn Fatigue has long since set in. He's going to go crazy and become the Goblin again, right? Right.
There are some Venom pages in the back. Didn't read 'em.
FCBD 2024 SPIDEY HIS AMAZING FRIENDS #1: What, again?
I stlll haven't read any of them yet, but what I got:
Street Fighter Vs Final Fight: Every year I always seem to get a Street Fighter comic from Udon, and I always like them. Maybe its time for me to give them my hard earned money?
Star Wars: I've enjoyed Marvel Start Wars stories so far, so a no brainer for me. Not sure if this is new stuff or reprints...
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone: Somehow I missed out on Titan's new conan series. I figure this is my chance to check it out....for free.
Energron Universe: Same with Image's new Transformers
Blood Hunt 1: Not my normals fare, but whay the hell. Maybe this will get me excited with what Marvel is doing...
Replies
I went to my secondary store because it is closer. I arrived shortly after opening and the parking lot was packed, only one space left. Lots of customers, but their set-up was efficient. I was in and out in ten minutes. They set a limit of five comics per customer. I chose...
I would have picked up Flash Gordon as well, but I didn't want to go over my limit. Maybe my primary shop will have one left over on Wednesday.
I'm usually not selective; I just grab one of everything. (There is a purchase requirement, but I usually spend enough to have no limit. This year I got the long-sought Saga hardcover vols. 1-3 and some storage supplies, which put me over $100.)
When I got home, I took stock, and of the 62 books this year, I was missing 23. This is typical, as I usually go in the afternoon, on my way to somewhere else. (This year it was a Kentucky Derby party.) Some of the books with a low order are always already gone.
I found an online shop that was selling them for a dollar or so, and ordered 15 more (including the Atlas Comics Library issue and Overstreet). They were already sold out of seven, some of which I specifically wanted -- Jonny Quest and Flash Gordon leap to mind. I'll see if I can find another online seller for those.
Barkham Asylum
Stories from the Atlas Comic Library
An artist friend wasn't coming because he was going with his kids to a Star Wars showing, so I grabbed him:
MAD
Snoopy Beagle Scout Adventures (He's a huge Schulz fan)
Sure, I went to three stores but, as I was filming and socalizing, I didn't grab more comics than that.
I didn't score very much this time. Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
Since then, I've been mindful of his words. So I tend to hit only one store on the actual day and visit others during the week and see what they have remaining -- and, of course, make a purchase. The store I went to on the actual day was out in the 'burbs (and I think the last time I was there was the last Free Comic Book Day). That place set a limit of five comics per customer, but allowed 10 if you brought a donation of canned food for a charity drive.
So, what I found during the week was a lot of kiddie books. I never even saw many of the comics that weren't for kids, and EVERY place had a surplus of Spidey and His Amazing Friends. One place had a longbox full of them besides the dozens on the shelf. This was anot her store I drop in on only every few months, and I felt a sinking feeling when I saw a new name on it. This store had been there forever. I spoke to the proprietor and he told me he was the new co-owner as the store had shut down entirely last year and he reopened in January ...
... without any of the stock from the previous owners. Consequently, they started over from a completely empty store.
This was distressing news to me, especially as it used to have a bargain basement full of dozens of longboxes with comics for $1 each, plus a wall of bookshelves with graphic novels and trade paperbacks at half cover price. That's why I would drop in only every few months; my wallet couldn't take it if I went there all the time.
No more; down there is still empty and the new plan is to make that a space for gamiing. Can't blame the guy. My regular store long ago determined that it can't survive just being a bookstore; it needs to be a neighborhood gathering place. Many other places do likewise.
I wished him well and may find excuses to get there more often.
Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
Interesting attitude! For years the various shops in town had a "passport" that you could get stamped as you visited each shop to, well, scarf up freebies. They stopped doing that this year because the person running it got tired of setting it up.
Part of the problem is a decline in attendance (though it's still attracts a crowd) since the pandemic and the decline in superhero movies (which, I think, brought in a lot of newbies), and part of it is the closing (over the last decade) of two of the stores. That has left three participating stores (two comic shops and one Anime/Manga shop), widely-separated without so many stops in between. The library also used to host a cosplay competition downtown, and that hasn't returned post-pandemic. Also, this year, the Star Wars group ran events elsewhere for May 4. In other years, they're usually in full force downtown.
I know, I've posted this elsewhere, but here's my video from this year:
Thanks for the video, JD!
I did manage to find online all the books that I missed at the store, and I will post my thoughts after I've plowed through all of them.
I didn't score very much this time. Some of you may remember our late legionnaire Dagwan, who was a comics store owner (living the dream!). I recall he often said Free Comic Book Day was to entice new readers into the fold and wasn't for longtime fans. He would complain, sometimes bitterly, about those old guys who would go from store to store and scarf up the freebies.
I only go to my regular LCS. The other two are quite a drive, and aren't comprehensive anyway. And I always buy plenty when I go to justify the freebies. I hadn't considered that these events are really geared to newbies and I might be scarfing up stock that would draw them. But as I said, I usually go in the afternoon anyway, after the mad crush.
So, what I found during the week was a lot of kiddie books. I never even saw many of the comics that weren't for kids, and EVERY place had a surplus of Spidey and His Amazing Friends.
My LCS also has a stack of the same Spidey and His Amazing Friends out every FCBD. Everybody must have over-ordered when it first came out, or Marvel ships more every year. I must remember to ask.
Consequently, they started over from a completely empty store.
Yikes!
Part of the problem is a decline in attendance (though it's still attracts a crowd) since the pandemic and the decline in superhero movies (which, I think, brought in a lot of newbies), and part of it is the closing (over the last decade) of two of the stores. That has left three participating stores (two comic shops and one Anime/Manga shop), widely-separated without so many stops in between. The library also used to host a cosplay competition downtown, and that hasn't returned post-pandemic. Also, this year, the Star Wars group ran events elsewhere for May 4. In other years, they're usually in full force downtown.
The local Star Wars club, Midsouth Garrison, usually dons their 501st Legion stormtrooper gear and shows up, but I don't know if they did that this year, or really any year since the pandemic. They come in the morning, so I'm never there to see it -- I just hear about it, if somebody mentions it. Come to think of it, I never know what attendance is really like, unless one of the employees complains or something, because I don't come during the peak hours (morning). I guess I don't really have anything to contribute to the conversation. (Sob!)
Here's my report on what I've read so far:
FCBD 2024 ONE PIECE ACES STORY & STATUS ROYALE: I'm not a regular manga reader, but I am aware you read back to front, right to left. But this is a flipbook, which thoroughly discombobulated me. I started reading at one end, and when it didn't make sense, went to the middle and tried to read back that way, but it didn't make sense, and I tried it right to left and left to right both ways. Not being famliliar with the premise of the two series, I couldn't tell if I was going the right way or not! I guess I could figure it out if I put enough time into it, but honestly, I'm just not that motivated.
I liked the art on "One Piece." Didn't care for it on "Status Royale."
FCBD 2024 JONNY QUEST: Reading or watching Jonny Quest never fails to thrill my inner 6-year-old. I hit Jonny Quest at just the right age and have loved the strip ever since. The Doug Wildey designs helped a lot, because they were just so superior to everything else on Saturday morning TV. So they could put almost anything on the page and I'd love it. As it happens, what they put there was very much in the spirit of the original and, yes, I loved it.
There was a short Thundercats preview in the middle. I didn't care for that as much. I roll my eyes at the stupid names for the characters ("Lion-O"? "WilyKat" and "WilyKit"? Come on!) but I know it was originally for kids and I grit my teeth and bear it. What I find more troubling is that Lion-O is in charge by virtue of bloodline, not because of any sort of innate competence or leadership ability. In fact, his central dilemma is the reverse: He was aged prematurely, and from what I can tell, still has the mind and experiences of a boy. It's Billy Batson leading the Justice League.
So tell me: Why IS he in charge? Didn't we get rid of that "divine right of kings" nonsense in the 18th century? What sort of lesson is that for kids? The person in charge ought to be the person best suited for it, not someone who was simply born into it. Especially in desperate circumstances. They can't afford for Lion-O to learn on the job.
The last part of the book was a Space Ghost preview, and yes, I will always love Space Ghost for pretty much the same reasons I will always love Jonny Quest. (Substitute "Alex Toth" for "Doug Wildey" and my reasoning is pretty much the same.) My LCS was sold out of Space Ghost #1 on Free Comic Book Day, but I have a DRC and can't wait to get to it. Clearly from the preview we're going to get the origins of Jan and Jace (and Blip, who apparently will be more than he seems) and I wonder if they're going to which existing origin they're going to use for Space Ghost, or come up with a new one.
I mentioned Jonny Quest to my wife and she didn't know who he was. Of all the things that have evaporated from my youth, that These Kids Today (tm) will never experience, it's things like the loss of the Jonny Quest Experience that saddens me the most. I've no love for the rotary telephone dial or TV limited to three channels, although those things shaped generations. But Jonny Quest? Every 6-year-old should see Jonny Quest.
FCBD 2024 ARCHIE HORROR PRESENTS CURSED LIBRARY PRELUDE: You may have noticed that Archie has released a lot of horror one-shots recently. I like 'em, but never thought about it very hard -- especially what an odd publishing strategy it was. Well, Cursed Library ties them all together, and in retrospect, makes for a nifty, ready-made, ongoing "Archie Horror" line. They launched an imprint the hard way! And they will release them all in TPB later this year, says a house ad.
A couple of flaws: This particular book gives such short teases to each of the one-shots that it's really not much of a read in and of itself. And it doesn't explain the premise, of Madame Satan being tied up like a mummy while her captor, Jinx, reads books in her library. Maybe that was set up in the Jinx one-shot. (And, you should know, Jinx is probably the daughter of Satan.)
MAD FCBD SPECIAL EDITION: I remember MAD vividly from my younger days, especially pre-adolesence, when it seemed so transgressive. Which it is: It makes fun of everything, but especially of authority. Since everything else in American life teaches kids to shut up and salute The Man, MAD really is transgressive for the youngs, and I think all the more necessary for it. It should be required reading in middle school.
No, this sampler didn't make me laugh even once. Because I am old. But I know I'd have laughed my butt off as a tweenager.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: BARKHAM ASYLUM: Samples the upcoming GN, which I think is aimed at kids. It's mildly amusing, about class clown Jester (one of Joker's dogs) and a stray, tough-talking cat getting locked up in the eponymous institution, and plotting to escape. I presume in the book itself they do.
There's also a tease to another Wonder Woman-as-a-girl GNs, Diana and the Hero's Journey. I confess to a soft spot for these, even though they're probably aimed at young girls, because they show Themysciran society in depth, which as you can imagine, is vastly different from "man's world." I enjoy the world-building, and the imagination that goes into it. I sometimes get these for review, and I sometimes read them, although I don't think anyone on this site would be interested in a review.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: CLARK & LEX: This teases an upcoming GN for, I guess, midddle school? Not sure. But 14-ish, farm-living Clark gets some kind of contest to be an intern of sorts in Metropolis for The Daily Planet, and so does Lex Luthor, whose father sponsored the contest. Pa Kent (who is suddenly Black here, which I confess took me by surprise, not that it matters) disapproves, and sure enough, Clark is discombobulated by the Big City, but sophisticated, rich Lex takes him under his wing. That's pretty much as far as the teaser takes us. I assume secret identity hi-jinks of some sort will follow.
There's also a teaser to Fann Club: Batman Squad, an upcoming GN for kids about a kid playing Batman who, just before the tease ends, puts out a call for other kids who are pretending to be other superheroes. I assume a club will form, and there will be more hi-jinks. Possibly zany and wacky ones.
FCBD 2024 POKEMON ADV RUBY ALPHA SAPPHIRE & SPLATTOO: This is manga of the big-eyed, cartoony variety, which I do not care for. Also, the premise of Pokemon makes me vaguely uncomfortable, what with the hunting and slavery and what-all.
FCBD 2024 ASTERIX OLYMPICS SPECIAL: I know Asterix is supposed to be funny, and intellectually, I see why it's supposed to be funny. But it simply doesn't amuse me. I can't force myself all the way to the end of an Asterix story. YMMV.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: BARDA: The artwork's a little simplistic for this tease to a young adult GN, but I can't deny the drama of Barda's youth. Living on Apocalypse, being trained by Granny Goodness to be as cruel as possible, leading the Female Furies (all of whom are trying to take her job), being taught Orwellian lessons that bad is good and good is bad. Commiting wholesale murder and torture. And the tease ends with her being told by Granny to break a prisoner who insists on maintaining hope: A hunger dog named Scott Free. Now I kinda want to read it.
There's also a short teaser to an upcoming Dreamer YA graphic novel, a character I had little interest in when she was on Supergirl, and even less interest in as a print character. This teaser didn't change my mind.
DC FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: ABSOLUTE POWER: We get an inside look at Amanda Waller's headquarters (massive resources), methodology (lethal, cruel) and plans (kill all metahumans, using metahumans, whom she will then kill). Oh, and Dreamer appears again, this time a captive, who refuses to tell Waller the future she sees -- which is all superheroes in chains. This is pretty chilling stuff, practically Apokoliptian in its casual use of murder and torture.
Then there's a short preview of Absolute Power #1, in which Superman somehow loses his powers, gets shot, and falls from a great height. To be continued!
FCBD 2024 SNOOPY BEAGLE SCOUT ADVENTURES: I've read all the original "Peanuts" -- I've got the whole Fantagraphics collection -- so I've read this before. My least favorite part of the "Peanuts" ouevre is the latter part, where Woodstock and the other birds take center stage, and that's what this is. It's no better (to me) the second time.
FCBD 2024 BLOOD HUNT X-MEN #1: We check in with Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Dracula as the vampire invasion begins. It's unclear to me if this is actually from Blood Hunt #1, or something new. It may be the latter, as we don't really learn anything we don't already know, and we do know how Blood Hunt begins from other previews, and but we get sort of quick glimpses of how widespread and serious this is.
There's also a preview of Jubilee, presumably from whichever of the post-Krakoa X-books she stars in. The one takeaway I had was that her power level has been amped up a bit, which was needful.
FCBD 2024 HELLBOY/STRANGER THINGS: We get a full Hellboy story (set in the past, so, you know, before he died), which I think ought to be the norm for these FCBD books. You want people to follow up and buy more books, right? Maybe give them a full, typical adventure instead of a short preview from a premise they probably aren't familiar with, and can't make head or tail of. My two cents. I did enjoy the story, as I pretty much do all Hellboy stories.
There's also a teaser to some Stranger Things miniseries or other, featuring Jonathan Byers and his stoner buddy delivering pizzas. As much as I've loved the TV show, I don't really think it works in print. The premise doesn't really hold up to extended scrutiny, IMHO, so without the story whizzing by without me having time to think is the way it works. In print, I have too much time to go "wait a minute" and I don't have the actors to entertain me. When the show's over, I'm Strange Things Done. Again, YMMV.
FCBD 2024 ULTIMATE UNIVERSE SPIDER-MAN #1: I was with the first Ultimate Universe from the get-go, until I tired of it. Even Jonathan Hickman couldn't induce me to take a second bite at that apple. But this gave me a nice apple-y taste of what's going on in the new Ultimate Universe, and introduces a classic Golden Age character to the mix. Nicely done.
There's also a partial Spider-Man story, where a Peter Parker date is ruined because he has to run off to become Spider-Man. Been there, done that. There's also some Osborn nuttiness, which is also not new. Osborn Fatigue has long since set in. He's going to go crazy and become the Goblin again, right? Right.
There are some Venom pages in the back. Didn't read 'em.
FCBD 2024 SPIDEY HIS AMAZING FRIENDS #1: What, again?
More to come!
I stlll haven't read any of them yet, but what I got:
Street Fighter Vs Final Fight: Every year I always seem to get a Street Fighter comic from Udon, and I always like them. Maybe its time for me to give them my hard earned money?
Star Wars: I've enjoyed Marvel Start Wars stories so far, so a no brainer for me. Not sure if this is new stuff or reprints...
Conan: Battle of the Black Stone: Somehow I missed out on Titan's new conan series. I figure this is my chance to check it out....for free.
Energron Universe: Same with Image's new Transformers
Blood Hunt 1: Not my normals fare, but whay the hell. Maybe this will get me excited with what Marvel is doing...