Bought/Thought FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Edition (SPOILERS)

[Phaedrus45]

That was a good idea. Mine was the worst. Comic shops are cramped as it is, but I had to wait in a line all the way around the shop (with the back-issue bins in the middle as a divider) just to get my regular pull. On the bright side the guy doubled my regular discount

That sounds like the first shop I went to in Tacoma!

 

[Artistsean]

I got Atomic Robo, the Tick, War of the Superman, Iron Man/Thor, and Iron Man/Nova

 

[Vartha]

I got these,
Mouse Guard
Iron Man/Thor
war of Super Men
Doctor Solar and magnus
G.I. JOE
Fractured Fable
Yow
Archie
Sherk
Toy Story

and also got the Hero Clix War Machine free

 

[JewishHobbit]

Dang it, I didn't know it was FCBD! I mean, there wasn't any that I was DYING to have or anything, though I didn't know anything about the Iron Man/Nova one, which I'd like to have. I'll have to call on Monday to see if they have any of those left to put in my file.

Did I read above that they had a Green Lantern issue, or was that supposed to be Green Hornet?

 

[hippie_hunter]

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The one thing that sucks is that my primary comic book shop is pretty bad with FCBD. Last year I had to wait a couple of weeks for Blackest Night #0 and Avengers: FCBD and before then they really didn't do anything.

I'm glad I found this place for my secondary shop (which is also much, much, much closer than my primary shop) because now I can actually enjoy FCBD.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I don't think there was a Green Lantern one, but I did see a Green Hornet one.

I should have picked up the Iron Man/Nova one. I still dont appreciate the smaller size Marvel makes its comics. I'm sure if Marvel didn't have any competition, it would make all comics that size

 

[hippie_hunter]

Dang it, I didn't know it was FCBD! I mean, there wasn't any that I was DYING to have or anything, though I didn't know anything about the Iron Man/Nova one, which I'd like to have. I'll have to call on Monday to see if they have any of those left to put in my file.

To tell you the truth, I didn't care for Iron Man/Nova all that much. I only really liked the ending.

Did I read above that they had a Green Lantern issue, or was that supposed to be Green Hornet?

I think it's Green Hornet. There was no Green Lantern to my knowledge.

 

[Dread]

My full reviews of FCBD are here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-19829-Bro...s-Better-than-Free-or-Benefited-From-Being-So

 

[hippie_hunter]

My full reviews of FCBD are here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-19829-Bro...s-Better-than-Free-or-Benefited-From-Being-So

I'm sorry Dread, but I have to completely disagree with your War of the Supermen review.

The point of the issue was to build up to the War of the Supermen event, and along with the fact that it is well.....FREE, you shouldn't expect a full finished story. It's meant to be a sample of what's to come.

Although, I think the only way someone can enjoy it is if they spent the last couple of years being on track with the Superman mythos.

Also, Zod's rise to power on New Krypton is nothing at all like Norman Osborn's rise. Norman's rise to power and popularity is the result of the constant ******edness of the populace of the Marvel Universe. General Zod, on the other hand, has legitimate reasons for being in power and legitimate reasons for his immense popularity that go beyond just simple stupidity.

Zod has been portrayed excellently over the past couple of years.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ok, time for reviews my first bunch of reviews. They won't be that lengthy.

Doctor Solar/Magnus Robot Fighter

This is what a free comic on FCBD should be. It nicely introduces your new character or new direction for the title you are promoting, making readers interested in picking up the next issue that comes out. I had absolutely zero interest in either character...but, now I think I'm going to give them a try. This is a retelling of the origins of both characters; so, if you never followed them back in the Valiant days, it's no problem at all. Another good point, you get a complete story for both characters; but, which still leaves some mystery as to what happens next.

The Library Of American Comics

This IDW comic just gives readers a taste of many classic comic strips that used to run in the newspapers many, many years ago. Featured are Archie (his first meeting with Veronica), Polly and Her Pals, Blondie (meeting Dagwood's family and talking about their upcoming marriage), X-9, Rip Kirby, and Li'l Abner. It was kind of nice to see these old strips, especially Archie's first meeting with Veronica...and, the humor still holds up in the funny ones. The action/adventure strips didn't hold as much interest, because I never heard of X-9 or Rip Kirby. In the terms of FCBD, my rating is just . In actuality, pretty much all of these comics would rank higher, simply because they were free. But, I want to let people know which ones aren't worth their time.

The Puppy Sister/Fame: Lady Gaga

The Puppy Sister would be perfect for my 7 year old daughter. It's very cute, sends a little message, and what kids doesn't like animal adventures. Heck, even I was a bit interested in seeing what happened next.

Lady Gaga was ok. I mean, I've read MUCH worse comics featuring a rock star. (Some of those Kiss comics are pretty awful.) There is even a humorous part where the geek pretends this CD he's buying is for his niece, because he's too embarrassed to admit he's listening to Lady Gaga. I just don't see me ever buying the comic, though. (There is also a Taylor Swift preview of her biography, which I have NO interest in. YAWN.)

Puppy Sister is a ; but, Lady Gaga gets a .

Owly And Friends

Ok,this is really designed for VERY young comic readers. Owly has no words. Johnny Boo's feature was a bit funny, though, as he decides to have a very boring adventure. Finally, Korgi (a dog) was very cute. I won't buy another issue of Owly, and the only ones I own are from FCBDs. Still, rating this for it's intended audience, I give it a .

Green Hornet

Blah! Big BOO for Dynamite, who simply gives the reader 4-6 page previews of the first issues of their various Green Hornet comics. I did like seeing the preview of a couple that I haven't seen before...but, it's a waste of my FCBD! It's also extremely lazy on their part, especially for the fans who have been buying all their GH books. Not even a full reprinted story. It's the worst kind of free comic you can get in your pile. I feel sorry for people with limits on their free comics, and they get stuck with a bad promotion that should be free every day in their shops.


Ok, I had seven more to review...but, that will have to be for later. Right now, it's time to get my daughter to church.

 

[Tron Bonne]

There was a Lady Gaga book? Is it suppose to spin into an ongoing series? My shop must of not gotten that one :/

 

[El Bastardo]

I'd be surprised, but there was a Jenna Jameson comic awhile back, too.

And no, it wasn't comic porn. I don't think it was, anyway.

 

[Themanofbat]

I had Jean-François Beaulieu make an appearance at my shop (the colorist for Marvel Zombies 3 & 4, Dr. Voodoo & DoomWar), and I got him to sign my 5 issues of Dr.Voodoo.

He couldn't believe somebody had all 5 issues... t: t: t:

 

[Phaedrus45]

More reviews.

Weathercraft and Other Unusual Tales

"Unusual" is the key word here. There are no words in this extremely strange comic, except on the page which explains who these characters are. All I could think while looking through these pages is "this must be what it's like if you drew comics while on LSD." It was interesting to look at, and I had to look through this comic a few times in order to get some kind of understanding of what the heck the writer was telling the reader. But, I would never pay money to buy this book. Kudos for this comic company for giving a comic full of short little stories, letting someone decide if this is their kind of thing. It just wasn't mine. Still, I would sooner have gotten this than what Dynamite put out for Green Hornet.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I was at a con all day, so hopefully someone hooked me up like they were supposed to. My regular shop wasn't doing it, just their subsidiary. Bastards.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I was at a con all day, so hopefully someone hooked me up like they were supposed to. My regular shop wasn't doing it, just their subsidiary. Bastards.

 

[Phaedrus45]

oops....accidentally hit submit before doing more reviews.

Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics

Nice promotional piece for Overstreet's Guide, and kind of a way to tell new readers about what they should look for in reading and collecting comics. There is a good few pages that explain the various conditions when grading comics, and some other things, like restoration, too. It's what you expect to get from that comic. I'll give it a for presenting some good information, but if I had to be picky and choosey on free comics to get, I'd pass it by.

Irredeemable/Incorruptible

Wow! Boom! did an awesome job on FCBD. How could I not be getting these titles??!!?? Yep, I never read either, but reprinting both comics has hooked me in. THIS is how you do a free comic day, if you don't have new material to give to your readers. It's a full first issue (I think) for both comics, and it makes me want to get the back issue RIGHT AWAY! I'm simply kicking myself for not getting Waid's books from Boom!. t:

Storm Lion #0

Ok, what Storm Lion (which it seems is also the name of the comic company) does right it give the readers a Zero issue that is suppose to hook them into this new comic by giving a prologue to the first issue yet to come out. Sadly, I did not like the story at all, and have absolutely no interest in getting the next issue.

Del Rey Showcase

Del Rey is a fairly new company, whose only comic currently being put out (which is on a short hiatus currently) is The Talisman. (That's the classic Stephen King/Peter Straub novel.) This is Del Rey's nitch, it seems, as this showcase gives readers a first look at the comic adaptation of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies. It's a nice nine page preview, and has me wanting to get the Graphic Novel, when it comes out. The black and white art looks good, too. Also included in a preview of The Talisman, which did nothing for me, since I had already seen those scenes. Still, it was a decent advertisement of their collected first volume of this comic.

Fearless Dawn

Asylum Press gives us just bits and pieces to various titles they are putting out...none of which seemed any good. Like with Green Hornet, this is the crappy way to treat possible new readers on FCBD. At least present a full story of your best product, instead of a few pages of these many crappy looking titles.

Fractured Fables

This was a surprise. We get 5 short stories that give a new twist on classic fairy tales...and, they did make me chuckle quite a few times. It actually made me think that I might be interested in getting this graphic novel when it comes out. Bravo to Image, as they did FCBD in the correct way. (Not the first time they did such a brilliant move. Two years ago, they gave the first issue of Umbrella Academy to us for free, which made me sign up automatically for that series.) t:

 

[Dark Victory]

Just read the free Irredeemable issue and $1 Thor. Really need to go pick up the trades!

 

[Dread]

I'm sorry Dread, but I have to completely disagree with your War of the Supermen review.

The point of the issue was to build up to the War of the Supermen event, and along with the fact that it is well.....FREE, you shouldn't expect a full finished story. It's meant to be a sample of what's to come.

Although, I think the only way someone can enjoy it is if they spent the last couple of years being on track with the Superman mythos.

Also, Zod's rise to power on New Krypton is nothing at all like Norman Osborn's rise. Norman's rise to power and popularity is the result of the constant ******edness of the populace of the Marvel Universe. General Zod, on the other hand, has legitimate reasons for being in power and legitimate reasons for his immense popularity that go beyond just simple stupidity.

Zod has been portrayed excellently over the past couple of years.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY I see as a promotional event day. DC should be trying to hook in people who either haven't read a Superman book in years, or ever, to want to give them a try. As someone who barely reads DC books (I read BOOSTER GOLD, and that's it; I read BLUE BEETLE until they canceled it, and DETECTIVE COMICS during the Dini run until it got lose in crossovers), trying to get me to bite for a pay comic should have been a priority. For me it didn't work. It didn't give me a whole story, it buried me in exposition, and while Zod's rise to power may make a lot of sense, it doesn't if you hadn't have been reading the books. Which I and, judging by Superman's recent sales, many people hadn't.

Marvel's IRON MAN/THOR, while some could claim is a shameless way to milk movie fame, at least gets it right. You don't need to know anything about Thor or Iron Man to get the story, beyond who they are in general (Thor is a godly hero, and Iron Man is a rich guy in armor). You don't need to know what has happened to either in the last 1-4 years. It doesn't end things on a cliffhanger and go, "wanna see the rest? Give us $3!" Marvel assembled A-List talent (Fraction & Romita Jr.) for a free one shot. I was actually impressed. My only quibble was the story offered no real villain, and it gets a little mundane watching Thor & Iron Man smash machines. It's like a one shot that starred Wolverine and Spider-Man, but all they did was fight muggers armed with baseball bats. Beyond that, I was pleased.

ARCHIE'S SUMMER SPLASH #1 was about what you could expect from Archie. Simple, straight forward story that probably won't dazzle anyone unless you're a nostalgic fan of Archie, or in second grade. Still, at least it was a complete story. It didn't demand I plunk down $2.50 to see what happens between Blossom and the Archies.

You could argue all comic companies on FCDB are trying to promote and thus sell their wares. I just thought as a non-DC buyer, WAR OF THE SUPERMEN didn't impress me. On the other hand, I thought it was trying too hard.

That...and Ursa's goggles are a little silly. How would she use her heat-vision if she wanted to?

Still, though, if you're a hardcore DC fan or long time Superman reader, you probably loved the free teaser and probably think I'm just misinformed. My question is; is it wise to merely preach to the choir for a FCBD give away? It is...if you don't care about attracting new readers.

 

[Tron Bonne]

and DETECTIVE COMICS during the Dini run until it got lose in crossovers

I know it's futile to ask since you never acknowledge this when someone points it out, but Dini's Detective run didn't get lost in crossovers. It had like one tie-in to Countdown and an arc tie-in with RIP, but anyone who read it knows it was in name alone. So, what are you referencing, when did Dini's run get lost in crossovers?

 

[VictorETM]

First, I would like to say that it's interesting how many people have not read Irredeemable or Incorruptible. Fantastic series that all superhero-comic-fans should be reading.

Second, I understand why LCS limit the amount of free comics. There are people that would grab stacks of them just because they're free. Why is that bad? Because the stores actually pay money for the "free" comics AND the more customers that get some free comics the better. It does them no good to have only 50 people grab comics and the other 200 get nothing.


Here's how the day went for the Exploring The Multiverse crew.

I went to 2 different local shops. At comics Connection in Mechanicsburg, PA, some of the 501st Legion were there to support the store. Brought in lots of people.

Later in the day, my crew went to Comics World in Chambersburg, PA. Who did we meet there? No other than WAR MACHINE!



We actually did an interview with War Machine while we were there. I should have the video online later this week. You'll be able to view the whole FCBD video on our website OR do a youtube search for "War Machine Interview." I should have the video online in a day or so. So that you know that you have the right video, my youtube tag name is QuasiFlawless.


What free comics did we get?
Mouse Guard
Atomic Robo
Green Hornet
The 6th Gun


Other books that we got? Well, I picked up my pull list that I haven't had the chance to get lately. Had some new stuff waiting for me; Choker, Doc Savage, Flash #1, and some others. comics Connection had some $0.10 boxes sitting outside. Got some Madman, DMZ, and Noble Causes. My co-host Lucas picked up some cheap trades. I can't remember which ones though. And my co-host Bill picked up some books from Comics World.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Some more reviews.

Iron Man/Thor

Aside from the smaller size of the Marvel Comics free books (a HUGE BOO to that, Marvel!), this was a very nice, single-issue story. Heck, I liked this Iron Man story by Fraction more than his Invincible Iron Man stories of late. How nice not to get a dragged out story for once...and, the Romita art looked great.

War Of The Superman #0

I can see both sides of the argument about whether this was a good free comic or not. Now, I've been reading all the Superman titles with the whole New Krypton storyline that has been simply dragging for over a year....and, I'm excited to finally seeing it come to an end. For a couple weeks, I had all of the titles taken off my pull list; but, after hearing that many DC comics were getting new writers, I put it right back on. I did like this issue quite a bit; because, it picks up right where last week's final issue of Last Stand Of New Krypton ended. Things have definitely picked up with this storyline!

Ok, complaint time. Seeing all the Supermen attacking Earth is just too memorable of all the Black Lanterns attacking Earth a couple months ago.

Back to the nice things. Current readers get some new action, which gets us excited about the next chapter in War of the Supermen this Wednesday....and, new readers get a nice recap of everything that's happened before with the second feature, where Lois gets everyone up to date. Plus, we see the return of Jimmy Olsen! (Ok, I hate Jimmy Olsen...but, it was kind of neat to see his return on the final page.)

For me, this comic was a home run for DC. I see Dread's point; but, I think the inclusion of new material with the recap for new readers was a very smart move on DC's part.

Radical: Welcome To R Universe

I did like the preview for the four upcoming Radical comics, especially Driver For The Dead and The Rising; but, if you're like me and get these Radical comics anyway, it's nothing that special. I'll have the same material in the first issue of each of these title's first issues.

The Sixth Gun

Excellent use of FCBD! I don't buy any Oni Press titles, and would have skipped over this comic when it was released in July. Well, not now! I'm hooked with this full issue preview of this upcoming book. It's Jonah Hex meets the supernatural! I love a good western story, and seems to have heroes, villians, and a neat anti-hero. Wow, I cannot wait for this book, and have to tell my comic shop to get it on my list right away. t:

Archie's Summer Splash

Seriously, who in the world is still buying Archie comics??!!?? The writers don't know whether to be modern or stay true to the classic stories; and, all it does is make for some unfunny stories. When I brought my daughter along to pick out comics she might like, twice she refused to pick up this book. Even when I tried to put it in her stack of comics, she yelled "NO!"

What I think the writers should do (which will NEVER happen) is go totally modern with the characters. It might be a great way to appeal to female readers; but, like with Degrassi High, you have to make these teenagers realistic to them. We're in a different era of comics...and, frankly, this squeeky clean group of teens just doesn't cut it any longer.

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

I know it's futile to ask since you never acknowledge this when someone points it out, but Dini's Detective run didn't get lost in crossovers. It had like one tie-in to Countdown and an arc tie-in with RIP, but anyone who read it knows it was in name alone. So, what are you referencing, when did Dini's run get lost in crossovers?

There was that Return of Ras'al Ghul crossover. But that was like 2 issues. Other than that I don't think there were any crossovers. Although there were a lot of fill-ins.

 

[Tron Bonne]

There was that Return of Ras'al Ghul crossover. But that was like 2 issues. Other than that I don't think there were any crossovers. Although there were a lot of fill-ins.

You're right, I do stand corrected there. Like one for Countdown, two for Resurrection and that 5-arc for RIP (but I don't count that). Maybe if it had all happened in rapid succession or something, but that relatively scattered over 3 years isn't much at all

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

Yeah, the Countdown and RIP ones aren't really crossovers, they stood on their own. Hell, Heart of Hush didn't really have anything to do with RIP at all.

But the fill-ins...oh god, so many