Tales From FCBD 2011 - Bought/Thought Special Edition (Spoilers)

[Phaedrus45]

Just what the title says, folks! Tell what your shop did, how many comics you hauled away, what you thought about the comics, or anything else associated with FCBD!!!

 

[Phaedrus45]

I haven't read any of my comics yet; but, here is what happened at the two stores I always attend did for this special day.

First off, I drive an hour just to get to the Tacoma comic shops in Washington state; because, my shop has only allowed one or two comics in the past...then, if any are available the next day, you can get one of any left over. For the second year, I've got a routinue down.

At my first stop, Atomic Comics, I bring along my two kids and my mother. Atomic allows 7 comics per person; so, this way I ensure that I'll get 28 different issues. This is not the best thing about going here, though....It's the wait in line! (Yep, the wait is what you have gotta do; so, I always arrive 30 minutes before store opening, and there is already quite a crowd.) The first item passed out was a "Drawing The Line At $2.99" promotional poster and a piece of promotional material for FF #1, displaying various variant covers. No big deal yet. Next, were a choice between two dollar comics: Thor #7 or House Of M #1. I had them both...still, no big deal. Next, a copy of the free Spider-Man Saga comic...no big deal. I had it already, too. After that, the kids in the line got some free stuff: A grab-bag with a pencil, FCBD tattoos, a lollypop, a "I got a free comic today!" sticker, a Batman Notepad, and a Marvel Superhero Online 50 cent comic book. I thought that was nice; but, it was only for the young ones. (My son, who is 16, didn't qualify as a child.) Those young ones then got a free package of Star Wars Clone Wars trading cards. That was a nice surprise. BUT, the real GEM was each adult (including that forementioned sone) got a hardcover copy of the Captain America: Reborn graphic novel (originally $24.99). I thought that was SUPER COOL!

The store had some nice promotions; and, nearly everyone bought some comics from them. It definitely has to be their best day of sales during the year.


After visiting that shop, my family always eats lunch. (Red Robin this time.) This is for two reasons: One, the kids have been standing in line for about 1 1/2 hours, and they need the break; second, it's best to hit the last comic shop when the crowds will have died down. Once that happens (between 12 and 12:30), you can get a copy of every comic they have got. (THis shop also gets stuff that the previous store didn't offer. Plus, I get an extra stack of comics for my ex's boyfriend, who is also into comics...and, his shop does not get that many in. In fact, he was only able to walk away with 8 of those offered at his shop.)

Here is what I was able to haul in: Civil War Adventure, Young Justice/Batman: Brave And The Bold Super Sampler, Green Lantern: Special Edition, Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America/Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers, Mouse Guard/Dark Crystal, Rated Free For Everyone, Witch & Wizard, The Stuff Of Legend/The Intrepid Escape Goat, Geronimo Stilton/The Smurfs, Avatar: The Last Airbender/Star Wars: Clone Wars, Pep Comics Featuring Betty & Veronica, John Stanley's Summer Fun, Bongo Comics Free-For-All, Kung Fu Panda/Richie Rich, Top Shelf Kids Club, Inspector Gadget, Sonic The Hedgehog, Walt Disney Mickey Mouse, Darkwing Duck/Chip N Dale, Darkness II, Atomic Robo, Silver Scorpion, Super Dinosaur, Magic The Gathering: Path Of The Planeswalker, World Of Aspen 2011, Elric: The Balance Lost, Jake The Dreaming, Top 10 Deadliest Sharks, I.C.E., The Tick, Baltimore/Criminal Macabre, B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth-Seattle, Overstreet: Guide To Collecting Comics, Locke & Key, 2000 AD.

The BPRD is from the Emerald City Comic Con, and not an official FCBD comic; so, that's 34 of the comics offered, I believe...plus, I got the Green Lantern Heroclix Figure. The only comics I believe I missed this year were Oni Press' Spontaneous #1 and Bluewater Production's The Misadventures Of Adam West.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Atomic Robo's FCBD issue is once again fantastic this year. At first, I kept hoping we'd see Dr. Dinosaur in a proper Atomic Robo series, but now I find myself looking forward to FCBD for the continuation of his and Robo's utterly ridiculous rivalry.

I also got a bunch of other stuff, but I haven't read those yet.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Being in a small town, FCBD's aren't that huge usually. I mean, a lot of people come, but it tends to be more of trickle of people by the day. But today, for whatever reason, it was packed. When I first came in I had to bop and weave through several people to get to the table. We've never had restrictions before, but when I was talking to owner he kind of thought maybe he might. He didn't, but by the time I left at around 3 to go watch Thor, over half the stuff was gone. Not sure what was going that day. About the only thing out of the ordinary was some local artists, but this place isn't really one to revere stuff of that nature, but maybe it brought in some excess.

I got basically everything I wanted but haven't read any yet.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Ok, I've read a few comics. One problem in reviewing is that you want to give automatically s, just because you got it for free.

Witch & Wizard

I'm guessing this series is separate from the previous Witch and Wizard comic series, as this is the manga version. That's good, because I read the first issue of the previous series and decided it wasn't even worth sticking around for the first storyline to be finished. It was One And Done! In this, it seems everything starts from the beginning, and the art is so much better than what I remember before. It's black and white..and, maybe that's a good thing, too.

An ok first issue that will give a reader an indication if they'll want to read more. (Personally, I'll just read the original novel sometime in the future.)

Civil War Adventure

This is a promotion for the upcoming graphic novels, designed to get people more interested in history by offering quick short stories from the Civil War. We get two in this issue, and they have a bit of a House Of Mystery/Tales From The Crypt feel to them. You'll learn some facts; but, you'll also be entertained.

I liked this, and I might eventually get those graphic novels, too!

Green Lantern

HUUUUGGGGEEEE disappointment!!!! A few of you know I've been down on DC lately; and, BOY, does this not help their case! I was excited that I might be getting a tie-in story with the current Green Lantern event; but, nope...it's a freakin' reprint!!!!! Is there any new material? Yeah, but it's just going to appear in the first issue of Flashpoint, it seems. So, it's more like those sneak peeks that DC shoves at the end of their regular issues every week, to give the comic a feel like you're getting more than you actually are.

I guess if you didn't buy Secret Origin when it first came out, you might like this comic more than me. Personally, I was offended how little effort DC put in Free Comic Book Day this year. Hopefully, their DC Kids selection will be better.

Amazing Spider-Man

Thankfully, Marvel went all out. Not only do we get a bonus issue of Slott's Amazing Spider-Man, but it's a preview of things to come. It might not have been Slott at his best (I thought some of the jokes fell a bit flat); but, I was entertained, and I'm interested in Spider Island. (Although...now we have people gaining Spidey powers. ANOTHER case of unoriginality. Multiple Hulks..of many colors, multiple Thors, multiple Green Lanterns...of many colors. It just doesn't seem to end with DC and Marvel!!!) (I almost gave it two smiley faces...but, the more I thought about numerous Spider-people, the more peeved I got about the idea.)

Captain America/Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers

This was a pleasant surprise. I SOOO miss Langridge and Samnee's Thor: The Mighty Avenger; and, this is like a free bonus issue to go with my collection! Plus, it's Langridge's new version of Captain America, which gave us a fun one-shot recently.

My complaint: This single issue is not nearly as good as Langridge's previous issues. I still enjoyed it, though.

Rated Free For Everyone

Two kid tales...and, I mean, this book is for the Elementary age kids. The stories just didn't interest me, although the concept might appeal to some young ones. (In the first story, a young gal's art can come to life from her book. In it, she makes a booger-monster. In the second, a young boy can only eat food that is white. Anything else can make him have strange powers...like, eating noodles can make his arms long and wiggly.)

 

[JewishHobbit]

Most FCBDs I come the day after or so due to just not knowing when they fall. I usually just look and see what's coming out and call my shop and ask if they could put the one or two in my file and I pick it up later.

As it turns ut, my kids's dance class is on Saturday mornings now and we get to the comicshop a half hour after they open. That had me curious and somewhat excited for my first real FCBD experience. Eh... kinda disappointed. I came in with my daughters and there was a crowd of maybe 10 to 15 people hovering around the counter talking. They had a rack of about 15 free comics and people just told them which 2 they wanted and the shop guy gave them those two (2 per person). And that was it.

I ended up getting Amazing Spider-Man and the Mouse Guard/Dark Crystal comic. My daughters picked Kung Fu Panda and Betty and Veronica. I've not read theirs or the Mouse Guard/Dark Crystal one yet due to feeling crappy today but I did get to read the Spider-Man issue. Honestly, I enjoyed it for the most part. It wasn't as good as the earlier part of Slott's run but it was a HECK of a lot better than his recent FF stuff.

I'm not sure I much care for Julia Carpenter's portrayal of Madam Webb, but I didn't read Grim Hunt to know why she acts so different now so no bit deal. I've never cared for Shang Chi but he had a decent role here. The part I did like was Spider-Woman and Mandrill. I thought all that was played out well.

It was a decent issue and great for the price. If it were $4 I'd be a little let down though.

Good FCBD issue. At least it put me in a better mood toward Slott's run than his recent issues have. The title is still on the potential cut list, but this issue at least helped it out some.

 

[CrimsonMist]

My shop was packed today as well. They were twice as busy this year than they were last year. What my shop and I have kind of started doing is pretty cool though. My dad works as a librarian in my town's middle school. Last year, he asked the guys in the comic shop if they could spare any extra stuff they've got lying around. So they hooked him up and it was very successful. So they were kind enough to do it again this year. They didn't have too much to give away this time though. Got alot of Archie Digest books, some MAD Magazines. There were a few of those "DC Comics Presents:..." 100 pagers, including the THUNDER Agents book, a JLA one and a Teen Titans book.

I also grabbed whatever free books they had on the tables. Not too much stuck out, but I grabbed one of everything and just decided to throw them in with the stuff the store gave me. The only book I kept was the Captain America/Thor book because it looked awesome(and awesome, it was. I loved it.)

They were also having a sale. All TPBs were 50% off so I grabbed two Hellblazer books: Dangerous Habits and Hard Time. Hard Time was a nice find, as it's out of print and kinda pricey on Amazon.

Two weeks ago, my shop hooked me up with the Dark Horse free comic as I asked for it specifically to see if they could hold it for me for today. But they gave me a copy right then and there. That was nice of them. It was a good book, too. It had a Mike Mignola "Baltimore" story in it and a Steve Niles "Criminal Macabre" story, which was fun.

 

[Dread]

I normally don't just post a link, but...it's better than just copying and pasting. I made my experience into an article:

http://www.examiner.com/comic-books...s-worth-reading-or-propping-up-a-table-review

 

[Drz]

Super Dinosaur's origin was all cool, but i'm really kinda just waiting for the inevitable cartoon, but i really like the Dino-men and the Squid dinosaur looked awesome!

 

[roach]

My local comic shop not only had the free comics but they were doing buy 3 get the fourth for free. I picked up the free Spider-man...my first since before OMD, Venom 1 & 2, Thor #1, Super Dinosaur and The first Uncanny X-force trade

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Captain America and Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers was fun. Loki is surprisingly pathetic in the all-ages universe if he has to resort to stealing the magical powers of Merlin and the Holy Grail, but other than that I liked it. Captain America seemed like way more of a young soldier than the uber-badass leader to end all leaders he's become in the 616 universe, so that was refreshing. Also, Thor and Cap not immediately attacking each other on sight was a nice change from the old superhero crossover formula. Best of all, the story is very much a complete tale that gets wrapped up satisfactorily by the end of the issue. Done-in-ones of this quality are few and far between these days. Makes me really want an all-ages Avengers comic with this version of Cap and Thor.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I'm surprised that these shops don't do special promotions, where if you spend a certain amount of money on back issues or trades, they'll give you a copy of all the free comics. (That may not be a big deal for the smaller shops; but, I'd shell out 50 bucks or more in back issues, just to get a copy of everything..especially if I didn't have the option of dragging my family all over creation getting my comics.)

Jake The Dreaming

Radical, like last year, gives a preview of upcoming comics; but, unlike the previous year, we only get a single comic preview, Jake The Dreaming. This is an illustrated novel; and, this issue gives chapter excerpts and drawings from the forthcoming young adult illustrated novel. (December 2011) I only read about half this preview; because I know I'll be buying this book come December...and, I didn't want it ruined by getting into an excerpt from chapter 7.

What a difference a year makes with this company, though. Whereas they really put out a lot of comics the previous year, things have slowed down. I think they're simply focusing on a couple projects at a time now. Not a big recommendation for this free comic, though. Giving excerpts from a future project in the distant future (8 months!!!) just felt like a wasted effort.

Top 10 Deadliest Sharks/Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Predators

This one surprised me. From the Discovery Channel, we get a good feel to what their comics are going to be like. The provide a nice shark story on their #2 shark, The Great White, that had me captivated. (A true story about one man who survived a horrific shark attack.) The next story was also interesting, featuring a Cape Buffalo attack (probably not a true story); but, it's "to be continued." Finally, the flip side tells about a dinosaur, the "Supercroc," as he hunts for food. It's another good story.

Discovery did a great job of promoting their product. This book was be a HUGE hit with the elementary kids I teach every week...and, while it can be a bit violent, it's not Ennis-over-the-top.

The Tick

For the second year in a row, the makers of The Tick give readers a nice, little free comic. An original story is at the beginning (at least, I believe it's original), and then we get the Marvel Handbook treatment for various characters that's gonna appear in a large Circus book later in the year.

I loved The Tick when he first came out; and, I own the complete original series still. I just don't find his comics that amusing any longer. He's kind of like Groo...once you've read a few Tick comics, it all seems the same. A mild . Other free comics have blown this baby out of the water.

Overstreet Guide To Collecting Comics

I'm sure those with a comic limit passed this baby up entirely. Seriously though, all shops should throw this baby in as an extra to everyone who comes into their shops. It provides an excellent introduction to Free Comic Book Day and why the various companies provide this awesome deal to all us fans and newbies; plus, it gives some great articles each year that are entertaining to read..for old and new readers alike. There is a nice article comparing 1970's price listings to today (for example, Action Comics #1 1970 Mint Price was only $300.00. Today, it's $1,200,000.) Like last year, this gives a good run down on comic grading. (The only problem is they should show examples of a comic, and how a cover should appear for each grade.) Finally, we get some articles dedicated to how people could start collecting comics. I loved the one on "Dead Universes." I think this is a great way to get into back issues, as those dead universes came be bought pretty cheaply. (Valiant is the one example given; and, I've been buying up those same issues in the 5/$1.00 bins at my own shop quite a bit.) It also shows how to collect by going after characters you might like.

In my opinion, this is the most useful comic offered on FCBD. t:

 

[Themanofbat]

I was in the hospital busy watching my new son being born (the same day as Thor makes his North American debut, so I get to say that he and the God of Thunder first appeared at the same time )...

Anyhoo, I didn't get a chance to get to LCS, but the "first" and original Thesonofbat went (along with my parents), and he picked up 2 copies of ASM (one for me) as well as the Sonic comic and the Bongo Simpsons book... my Dad thought the crowd was crazy full in the store and had no clue what was going on and was astonished to hear people paying anywhere between $25 to $100 for "funny comic books"... t:

I haven't read ASM yet... had about 7 hours sleep over a period of 106 hours... will get to it soonish....

Cheers...

Mike

 

[CantThinkOfAName]

TMOB! Congrats! I didn't even know!

 

[JewishHobbit]

Hey, Congrats on Thebabyofbat!

 

[roach]

Congrats...get him some comics

 

[Phaedrus45]

Congrats, TMOB!!!! That's such awesome news. There is a joy that our children bring that cannot be compared to anything else.


On a different note, I went into my own LCS today to pick up a couple of trades I have been holding onto, and asked the lady behind the counter how it went yesterday. This is a small store, and they got around a total of 300 free comics...so, they limited it to 1 per person. She said she was cussed out quite a bit yesterday. One guy told her "This is F*&^n Bu((*#t!!! I want one of every comic!" I guess he came in after 5 PM, even...and she explained that if that was what was allowed, he wouldn't even be getting his single comic.

They do need to limit; but, my only complaint if I didn't drive all the way into Tacoma would have been if I normally get a comic, and I wasn't able to get the free one. I think if you have Amazing Spider-Man on your pull list, you should have the free comic in your box before the day starts. Same with Green Lantern or any other one. I've even mentioned that if it costs these stores around ten cents to buy these books, offer a deal to your regulars. Say, "If you pay me 10 cents a copy, I'll order you whatever you want me to get." I think that's more than fair...and, would take care of a lot of hassle. (Or, as I've said, give incentive for buying stuff. Most people who came into that small shop only came for the free comic. They didn't spend any other money...but, also, the shop didn't have any promotions going on.)

 

[JewishHobbit]

Congrats...get him some comics

(note: change "me" to "him." Thanks... the Jewishment)

 

[Max J Power]

Captain America/Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers

This was a pleasant surprise. I SOOO miss Langridge and Samnee's Thor: The Mighty Avenger; and, this is like a free bonus issue to go with my collection! Plus, it's Langridge's new version of Captain America, which gave us a fun one-shot recently.

My complaint: This single issue is not nearly as good as Langridge's previous issues. I still enjoyed it, though.

What was the one-shot? I don't pay much attention to all the Captain America one-shots (since they are so numerous), so it was completely off my radar. Actually, I didn't even really know about Thor: The Mighty Avenger until recently. I'll have to check it out because the Cap/Thor issue was really, really fun. Langridge writes the characters in very funny ways without making them stupid or too much of a self-parody (I was pleasantly reminded of Slott's Mighty Avengers at times) and Samnee's art style is a nice change of pace from what most of the 616 books look like. Cap/Thor is one of those rare works that is both great and truly for all ages.

More Free Stuff:

Locke and Key was a real disappointment. Those who didn't pick this up didn't miss anything, because it's a reprint of the final issue of the "Crown of Shadows" mini-series. Not only does make little sense outside the context of the rest of the story, but it also will create some spoilers for people who haven't read the books already (which I have, fortunately), should they decide to do so.

Baltimore/Criminal Macabre: The Baltimore story was good and it worked well as a complete story and not just a preview. It made me interested in the Baltimore novel and comic series, so good job, Dark Horse. The much shorter Criminal Macabre story felt more like a preview than a complete story, but it was OK.

Bongo Comics Free-For-All was akin to The Simpsons nowadays: not essential, but worth reading for some good humor.

Geronimo Stilton/Smurfs wasn't anything special. The Geronimo Stilton story was a long preview (maybe the first chapter) of an upcoming book, which looked like something pretty good for kids that wouldn't much interest me as an adult. The Smurfs strips were pretty funny, though.

My other free item was an American Vampire poster. I'll definitely be hanging it up soon.

 

[Tron Bonne]

What was the one-shot? I don't pay much attention to all the Captain America one-shots (since they are so numerous), so it was completely off my radar. Actually, I didn't even really know about Thor: The Mighty Avenger until recently. I'll have to check it out because the Cap/Thor issue was really, really fun. Langridge writes the characters in very funny ways without making them stupid or too much of a self-parody (I was pleasantly reminded of Slott's Mighty Avengers at times) and Samnee's art style is a nice change of pace from what most of the 616 books look like. Cap/Thor is one of those rare works that is both great and truly for all ages.

No, it was an ongoing that got cancelled. It's getting collected in two TPBs

http://www.amazon.com/Thor-Mighty-A...1219/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1304972455&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.com/Thor-Mighty-A...1227/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1304972455&sr=8-4

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Locke and Key was a real disappointment. Those who didn't pick this up didn't miss anything, because it's a reprint of the final issue of the "Crown of Shadows" mini-series. Not only does make little sense outside the context of the rest of the story, but it also will create some spoilers for people who haven't read the books already (which I have, fortunately), should they decide to do so.

I did pick it up, but I'll probably just file it away and forget about it now. I still have to read Head Games, so the FCBD issue would just spoil a bunch of stuff for me.