Free Comic Book Day is the annual event that nerds across the globe look forward to each and every year. Not only is it a great way to get prospective readers into their local comic book shop, but it’s also a great opportunity to see what new and exciting books are out there featuring great stories and awesome art! Basically, Free Comic Book Day is the coolest day ever.
This year, Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday May 4th 2013 and will feature an insane amount of great free books for the general public to eagerly consume. As a general rule of thumb, comic book stores allow customers to choose 3 free books out of the wide variety available from an assortment of publishers.
For a complete list of Free Comic Book Day 2013 titles click HERE.
If you are in the San Francisco area and planning to head on over to MISSION: COMICS & ART (which you should!), you will have a whopping 33 comic books to chose from! Besides the free books, customers going to Mission: Comics & Art can expect a lot of 50 cent comic books, 20% off everything in the store (excluding gallery artwork), and a chance to win some cool prizes. Sounds like the place to go to me. Lucky for you, below is a list of what you can expect come May 4th.
BONGO FREE-FOR-ALL
(W/A/CA) Matt Groening
Bongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day…with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gan… >>
Publisher: BONGO COMICS
INFINITY
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Jim Cheung
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Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
ITS AN UGLY DOLL COMIC & OTHER STUFF
(W) David Horvath & Various (A) James Kolchaka & Various
Say, Friend. Do you need a hero? Then this comic isn’t for you. (Though being Ugly is a super power – “ugly” means unique!) Do you need a cookie? Then this is your book! … >>
Publisher: VIZ LLC
KABOOM SUMMER BLAST (NET)
(W/A/CA) Various
An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of… >>
Publisher: BOOM ENTERTAINMENT
SESAME STREET & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
(W) Georgia Ball, Jason M. Burns (A/CA) Amy Mebberson
On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It’s GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away! On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and frie… >>
Publisher: APE ENTERTAINMENT
SPONGEBOB COMICS FREESTYLE FUNNIES
(W) Derek Drymon, Maris Wicks (A) Graham Annable & Various
United Plankton brings you a completely original collection of SpongeBob comics for FCBD 2013. In “Paint Misbehavin'” Squidward teaches SpongeBob and Patrick how to paint realistically–but how did… >>
Publisher: UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES
SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION
Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1 is a great jumping-on point for fans who can’t wait to see Warner Bros. Pictures’ Man of Steel major motion picture! This issue features the first chapter of th… >>
Publisher: DC
THE SMURFS
(W/A) Peyo & Various (CA) Peyo
THE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But w… >>
Publisher: NBM
WALKING DEAD SPECIAL (Net) (MR)
(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
This special Walking Dead issue contains a new Tyrese short story, who made his television debut in The Walking Dead Season 3! It also reprints short stories featuring Michonne, The Governor and Mo… >>
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
WORLD OF ARCHIE DIGEST
(W/A) Various (CA) TBD
Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead! The world’s most famous teenagers for over seven decades are all here in this FREE digest! Packed with non-stop laughs and gaffs that the Riverdale gang is known f… >>
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
APHRODITE IX #1
(W) Matt Hawkins (A) Stjepan Sejic
Aphrodite IX returns for Free Comic Book Day! This first free issue launches a new ongoing series of Top Cow’s fan favorite, memory challenged, green haired, questionably human heroine.&… >>
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
ATOMIC ROBO & FRIENDS
(W) Brian Clevinger (A/CA) Scott Wegener
Unanimously heralded by fans, creators, retailers and critics as the perfect first comic to give to a non-comic-reader. It’s a robotic experiment gone wrong, and only Atomic Robo’s brand of violent… >>
Publisher: RED 5 COMICS
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HULK AGENTS OF SMASH #1
(W/A/CA) TBD
It’s out action featuring the newest stars to be of Disney XD: Avengers and the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.! Featuring art pulled directly from the animated series, this sneak peek at the two… >>
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
DH STAR WARS CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT AVATAR
(W) Joshua Williamson & Various (A/CA) Ryan Hill & Various
All-ages adventure! Star Wars joins fan-favorite villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett! Then explore the upcoming Dark Horse series Captain Midnight, where the search for the missing superhero is on!… >>
Publisher: DARK HORSE
TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES
(W/A) Various (CA) Dario Brizuela
Jumping from screen to page, it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full o… >>
Publisher: IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC
DC NATION SUPER SAMPLER #1
This super sampler is the perfect place to check out two sensational series from the DC Kids line, Beware The Batman and Teen Titans Go!, based on Warner Bros. Animation’s new animated series comin… >>
Publisher: DC
HARBINGER WARS SPECIAL
(W) Joshua D. M. Dysart & Various (A) Clayton Henry & Various (CA) Clayton Crain
Everything you need to know about the Valiant Universe in 2013 happens right here this Free Comic Book Day! The critically acclaimed, best-selling comics launch of the decade throws it into high ge… >>
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
MASS EFFECT KILLJOYS RIPD
(W) Jeremy Barlow & Various (A/CA) Garry Brown & Various
Three blockbuster titles fill this FCBD offering! In R.I.P.D., a séance goes terribly wrong! Then, in Mass Effect, follow a flight-school grad as he breaks the rules to prove himself in space!… >>
Publisher: DARK HORSE
MOLLY DANGER / PRINCELESS
(W) Jamal Igle, Jeremy Whitley (A) Jamal Igle & Various
Two complete stories! She’s Strong, She’s smart, and she’s incredibly brave. She’s the protector of Coopersville, the Princess of Finesse, the petite powerhouse known only as Molly Dange… >>
Publisher: ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT
RATED FREE FOR EVERYONE CROGAN ADV & MERMIN
(W) Chris Schweizer, Joey Weiser (A) Joey Weiser, Chris Schweizer
Oni Press: Rated Free for Everyone returns for 2013! Featuring two stories by two incredibly talented creators, a new Crogan’s Adventure by Chris Schweizer, and an introduction to Mermin, a new sto… >>
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
MOUSE GUARD / RUST FLIP BOOK
(W/A) David Peterson & Various (CA) Royden Lepp, David Peterson
For Free Comic Book Day, Archaia is proud to present a square flip book containing a collection of original short stories from some of its all-ages-friendly titles! In David Petersen’s Mouse Guard… >>
Publisher: ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT LLC
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEGA MAN FLIPBOOK
(W) Ian Flynn (A) Ryan Jampole & Various (CA) Ben Bates
“Worlds Collide: PRELUDE” – It’s TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, “Worlds Collide,” comes a primer issue exclusiv… >>
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
STRANGERS #1
(W) Chris Roberson (A/CA) Scott Kowalchuck
“The last thing you want to see is my hands.” They’re called the Strangers. They’re deadly. Dangerous. And you’ll never see them unless they want you to. But now they’ve come up against something b… >>
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
THE TICK
(W) Jeff McClelland (A) Pietro, Duane Redhead (CA) Duane Redhead
This FCBD, NEC Press offers fans—both old and new!—a FULL-COLOR 32-page comic book with an ALL-NEW FULL-LENGTH Tick story! Plus exciting all-new backup features as well. “A Day at the Beach” st… >>
Publisher: NEW ENGLAND COMICS
TOP SHELF KIDS CLUB
(W/A) Andy Runton & Various (CA) Rob Harrell
Here at Top Shelf, we’re celebrating FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 with friends old and new — the latest lineup of the Top Shelf Kids Club! This FREE comic book contains not one, not two, but SIX diffe… >>
Publisher: TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
VALIANT MASTERS SHOWCASE ED
(W) Jim Shooter & Various (A) Barry Windsor Smith & Various (CA) Barry Windsor Smith
This Free Comic Book Day, dive deep into the greatest stories of the original Valiant Universe — remastered and collected together for the first time anywhere! Relive the best-selling adventures o… >>
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Wow that’s a lot of great stuff to choose from. I’d say now would be a great time to scour the list above and decide what your top 3 choices are going to be. Personally I am looking forward to the new MOUSE GUARD book, The SUPERMAN book (including a sneak peek of SUPERMAN UNCHAINED), and of course the new WALKING DEAD stories that will not be reprinted in any trade paper backs.
You can head on over to the MISSION: COMICS & ART facebook event page to RSVP. Happy reading!
