Free Comic Book Day!

   So many Free Comics, so little time!

   Here are some of the comics I picked up today:

Secret Empire (Marvel)

   A special gold star to Marvel as we get new stories here - one tied into the Secret Empire event (with terrific art) , and another previewing the new Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man title (which brings back a familiar villain and introduces a new one).

Guardians of the Galaxy / The Defenders (Marvel)

   This other twofer from Marvel focuses on the new creative teams handling these titles. Both have something of a “back to basics” feel to them, as the GoG are configured more like the film cast, and the Defenders are styled after the TV version, with Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist. Both are promising (though GoG is a bit more violent than necessary).

Wonder Woman (DC)

   This is a direct reprint of the first issue of the most recent reboot of Wonder Woman - and it’s a very good issue, no doubt intended to promote the new movie coming out in a month. But it's still a reprint.

DC Superhero Girls

   While this comic is obviously not aimed at a geezer like me, I’ve very happy to see it, because we need comics for every age group - and ones that reflect the growing diversity of fandom. It’s a fun adventure (or part of an adventure) about the cast and their summer plans away from school.

X-O Manowar (Valiant)

   This is what FCBD is all about - a collection of short stories teasing the upcoming series from Valiant, including Bloodshot and Secret Weapons. Excellent art and intriguing stories - lots of promise!

Bongo Comics Free-For-All! 

   Bongo always brings its “A” game for FCBD, and this issue is further proof, as it’s loaded with stories about Bart, Homer, Milhouse, Radioactive Man and the Flanders family. What’s not to like?

Buffy The High School Years (Dark Horse)

   There’s a lot to like here, as we return to Buffy’s earliest days as a Slayer of vampires. She meets a new friend and gets to demonstrate how a real hero behaves. Throw in a backup story featuring a Plants vs. Zombies story (one of my favorite mobile games) and you have a real treat!

Descendants (TokyoPop)

   Based on a Disney feature, this comic focuses on the children of Disney villains - which is a good trick, since most of them were killed by the end of the film they were featured in. Weren’t they? At any rate, this comic teases their latest adventure.

Riverdale (Archie)

    This version of Archie is based, of course, on the new live action series that  bears little resemblance to the original version (other than the names of the characters).  But it’s a hit with young viewers, so here’s a comic adaptation of the TV show - warts and all. (Archie gets, uh, cozy with… Ms. Grundy? Yikes!)

Street Fighter V: Wrestling Special (Udon)

   Well, this is... different. It combines the Street Fighter characters (mostly women fighters are in the spotlight here) with a unique “inside wrestling” storyline that would fit in with the World Wrestling Entertainment shows. Like I said - different.

World’s Greatest Cartoonists (Fantagraphics)

   One of the bigger Free Comics in the stack, this all-new issue contains previews for (by my count) 16 different cartoonists and their creations / comics / graphic novels. Amazingly diverse, fascinating and not for kids!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Viz Media)

   Being a fan of the Zelda series, I was happy to see this issue (which, true to the Japanese format, is read in the opposite direction from the usual English language format - back to front, right to left). It begins the adaptation of both Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, which is my personal favorite of the Link adventures.

Grimm Fairy Tales (Zenescope)

   As an introduction to the Grimm Universe, this issue follows three beautiful women as they fight, utilize, or try to outwit mystical forces. That includes Jasmine, who goes on Arabian Knight-type adventures, Skye Mathers, who guards the nexus / library at the heart of the Grimm Universe, and the Ice Queen, who doesn’t exactly fight fair. There’s also a short werewolf story that I didn’t understand at all. Nice art, though.

 Monster High (Titan Comics)

   This issue has a new story previewing the upcoming Monster High comic. Based on the toy line, it’s an Archie-esque gathering of the daughters of famous Universal-type monsters, including Draculaura, Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf - you get the idea. There are guy monsters there, too, but it’s not their comic book.

    And that’s it for me! Hope your FCBD was a great one!