After being canceled last year due to the pandemic, Free Comic Book Day makes a triumphant return this Saturday, August 14. The day famed Marvel scribe Dan Slott once described as “Geek Christmas” is back with an array of comics for readers of all tastes and ages. There will be over 50 free comics handed out at participating comic book stores around the world.
FCBD first debuted on May 4, 2002, so this year’s event is being marked as the 20th anniversary. The event is typically held the first Saturday in May but because everything remains in a state of flux due to Covid-19, this year’s day was moved to August in the hopes that more people would feel comfortable going to comic stores.
For FCBD, various comic publishers send comic shops a curated selection of comics to give away for free. Often, customers are given a limit on how many free floppies they’re allowed to take, so here’s a list of the FBCD titles we recommend you pick up. Use the Comic Shop Locator to find a store near you, and get yourself some free comics!
Avengers/Hulk #1 (Marvel)
Marvel Comics has a couple of titles on offer for FCBD, including this behemoth of a book that debuts a new era for its biggest team and greenest hero. If you’re excited to see where the all-star creative team of Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley take the Emerald Giant when their run begins this November, you’ll want to grab a copy of this freebie on Saturday. You will also see what Jason Aaron and Iban Coello have cookin’ for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!
Enter the House of Slaughter (BOOM! Studios)
There is perhaps no hotter name in the comics business at the moment than James Tynion IV. A big reason for that is the blockbuster success of his and artist Werther Dell’Edera’s creator-owned series Something Is Killing the Children. Enter the House of Slaughter, due out in October, is set to expand the mythology of the book’s protagonist and Wisconsin’s number one monster hunter, Erica Slaughter, so pick up this teaser issue for a taste of what Tynion and Dell’Edera have cooking.
Batman FCBD Special Edition (DC Comics)
This free Batman issue features a pair of stories. The first is an early look at the upcoming Bat-titles crossover Fear State which is built around the Scarecrow’s rise to power in Gotham. The second story, by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley and artist Travel Foreman, showcases Jace Fox, son of Lucius, as he puts on the cape and cowl in the new series I Am Batman.
Archie Comics: Past, Present & Future Fun (Archie Comics)
If you’re bringing a youngster to FCBD, then consider picking up some all-ages fare like Archie Comics: Past, Present & Future Fun. Archie is out to save the multiverse and along the way, he runs into all the different versions of himself we’ve met over the past 80 years – even those we’ve seen on TV! We are firm believers that there is no better gateway into comics than an Archie comic, and this one lets you see just how far the character has evolved over the decades.
Allergic (Graphix)
The kids graphic novel market has been booming, thanks in part to the sheer volume of great stories being released. Allergic by writer Megan Wagner Lloyd and artist Michelle Mee Nutter is one example. The coming-of-age GN about a girl dealing with her allergies is a deeply personal story of learning how to figure out where she belongs and navigate life’s constant changes. If your child is a fan of The Baby-Sitter’s Club series or Raina Telgemeier’s books, make sure to grab a copy of this preview comic.
InvestiGators: Ants in our P.A.N.T.S. (First Second Books)
Here’s another kid-friendly preview. The InvestiGators series by John Patrick Green is incredibly popular with young readers. The silly title tells you what it’s all about: two alligator super-spies who travel by toilet to solve crimes. This freebie gives you a taste of the fourth book in the series, and there’s a bad guy named the Maestronaut and a dinosaur escape artist named Houdino. We defy you to find a kid who doesn’t want to read that kind of comic!
Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins/The Witcher (Dark Horse)
Two massively popular IPs in one comic! The Critical Role chapter dives into the backstory of the adventuring party known as the Mighty Nein. The Witcher story features a brand-new tale involving the iconic witcher of the School of the Wolf, Geralt!
Red Room (Fantagraphics)
Maybe the wildest and most inventive offering of FCBD, Red Room is a cyberpunk extravaganza with dark web conspiracies, crypto, live-streamed murders. In some ways it is to comics what Natural Born Killers was to movies. Ed Piskor, from YouTube’s Cartoonist Kayfabe and the guy behind the stellar X-Men: Grand Design books, masterminded this wild read. It’s a 12-part series featuring all self-contained chapters. This free version isn’t just a preview or a rehash; it features 33 pages of ‘new’ material. You will not regret it.
