Originally pitched by Joe Field in 2001, the first Free Comic Book Day started in 2002 as a tie-in event for Sony’s Spider-Man, launching a now 22-year tradition in the world of comic book and graphic novel publishing.
Coordinated by Diamond Comic Distributors, each year local comic book stores across the nation participate on the first Saturday in May by supplying the public at large with a selection of comic books (sold to retailers at extremely low costs) as a way of introducing new readers to the format of storytelling.
Year to year, the books that are offered vary based on industry trends, often tied into upcoming comic book-based movies and televisions shows. In fact, several books offered for free on FCBD have gone on to become collector items after the successful franchising of their respective properties. With that in mind, it stands to reason that FBCD is an incredible opportunity for both brand new readers to find stories that appeal to them as well as an opportunity for veterans of the comic book industry to find hidden gems that they might have otherwise missed.
FCBD Bangers (Pick These Up!)
Now that we got all of that out of the way, let’s talk about you should probably be picking up and why.
STAR WARS #1 (RATED TEEN)
Starting out strong, this year’s FCBD happens to coincide with Star Wars Day, an annual holiday for fans (and unwitting spouses and significant others of said fans) to experience the joy of diving headlong into George Lucas’ classic space opera, Star Wars. This title, from Charles Soule and Greg Pak (illustrated by Ibraim Roberson and Ramon Rosanas), is an easy first pick for me: it not only appeals to lifelong fans of Star Wars, but also serves as a great gateway drug (did I say drug? I meant, comic) for anyone who hasn’t ever picked up anything even remotely resembling a comic book before and wants to see what all the fuss is about.
BLOOD HUNT: X-MEN #1 (RATED TEEN)
It truly wouldn’t be FCBD without at least one large Marvel title launching its summer event through a first, free issue. Blood Hunt: X-Men #1 (written by Jed MacKay and Gail Simone; illustrated by Sara Pichelli and David Marquez) might not be a collector item after a few summers, but will likely provide a jumping place for new readers to figure out what has been happening in the world of Marvel’s mutants and vampires, in case they want to begin reading in earnest when the comic book arc kicks off.
ONE PIECE: ACE’S STORY – THE MANGA: EXPERIENCE (RATED TEEN)
This comic is an easy pick to be a collector and fan favorite. Following the success of Netflix’ adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s highly lauded manga, ONE PIECE, this comic book details the origins of the Fire Fist, Ace, the older brother of the manga’s main character, Straw Hat Luffy. Manga (Japanese print cartoons) and manwha (Korean print cartoons) have been steadily making their presence known in the comic book and graphic novel market for the last two decades, with a surge of over 90% of requests being for stories told in this format, according to the School Library Journal. At the astounding price of zero dollars, this is an easy pick for the pile you can pick up on Saturday morning.
THE WORLDS OF JAMES TYNION IV ( RATED TEEN)
Celebrating the ten- and five-year anniversaries of award-winning James Tynion IV’s The Woods and Something Is Killing the Children, respectively, this offering (written by James Tynion IV; illustrated by Eryk Donovan, Michael Dialynas, Werther Dell’Edera) is stirring a lot of buzz in the horror and horror-adjacent comic book collectors. A republishing of Tynion’s best works, the real attention grabber for this book is the exclusive collector’s cover for this years offering. If you’ve been looking to figure out what the deal is about his work (tl;dr: it’s absolutely insanely good), this is an excellent title to pick up.
ENCANTO/TURNING RED (RATED ALL AGES)
This free comic book from Mad Cave Studios‘ family-friendly imprint, Papercutz, this book is a great one to swing by and pick up for any of the little nerds in your life. Containing two new stories (written by Bill Presing, Sloane Leong, and Amparo Ortiz; illustrated by Andrea Greppi and Sergio Algozzino) featuring the characters from Disney’s Encanto and Turning Red, this book will doubtlessly be a fun interlude for little readers as well as a fun collector’s piece for any Disney adults who are fans of the franchise.
ENERGON UNIVERSE SPECIAL #1
Last year, the buzz surrounding the expansion of the GI Joe and Transformers universe (now known as the Energon Universe) was so thick you could have swatted it away with one of those electric bug paddles. You know, the ones that look like tennis rackets? Anyway. This year, the leaders in charge of Free Comic Book Day definitely decided to help add to the hype by printing this title filled with three new stories (written by Robert Kirkman, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Joshua Williamson; illustrated by Lorenzo De Felici), introducing new readers to the amalgam universe, where the Transformers, G.I. Joe, and the lesser-known (but just as good) Void Rivals, all take place. If you like sci-fi, any of the above franchises, or just really enjoy pictures of cool robots fighting each other, this title is for you.
GANNIBAL #1 (RATED MATURE)
Originally published as a manga through Ablaze Publishing, Masaaki Ninomiya’s Gannibal is a dark horror crime thriller that follows a police officer in rural Japan who stumbles into a situation far more gruesome and terrible than the imagination can lend itself to. Already a hit television show on Hulu, Gannibal #1 (written by Masaaki Ninomiya; illustrated by Masaaki Ninomiya) is an excellent grab for anyone looking for a horror title to get obsessed with and also for anyone looking to collect it. Seeing as how AMC’s culture-shaping smash hit, The Walking Dead, began as a comic book, and the investment cost is literally $0, the quick detour Saturday morning to try and snag one is definitely worth fighting traffic for.
FCBD BUSTS
Okay, so I lied: there are no busts. They’re comic books. They’re free. Even if a title isn’t something that you’d normally pick up, even if you end up hating it or it doesn’t become a collectible you can sell on eBay in ten years, your time and patience battling the lines will be paid off by the mere fact that you are supporting a 20-year-old tradition. Comic book stores are, to borrow and mangle the meaning from Marvel Comics, nexus points, places where so many subsections of culture intertwine and meet. From graphic novels and manga, to trading card games and board games, the local comic book store is an American institution that is as risk of going the way of the dinosaurs without our support.
The full list of titles available on Free Comic Book Day can be found here.
The store locator for all comic book stores participating in Free Comic Book Day can be found here.
(And, okay, okay, if there is a bust, for the average person, FCBD 2024 OVERSTREET GUIDE TO COLLECTING COMICS (RATED ALL AGES) isn’t necessarily worth the drive out, if that’s the only title. This book is great for those wanting to learn more about the history of comics, collecting, and preserving the comics they already have, but if none of those topics are of particular interest to you, I’d recommend skipping this one.)
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Featured Image: Free Comic Book Day
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