Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is by far one of the best annual events on the calendar, even possibly on par with Steam’s Summer Sale.
Held on the first Saturday of May and running internationally since 2002, FCBD is a way to introduce new readers to the wide world of comics, by doing exactly what is says in the title: giving away free comics on that day!
This year I was extremely excited to attend FCBD at my local comic shop and these are the great titles I picked up:
- Secret Wars #0
The end of the Marvel Universes is coming! Secret Wars is supposedly going to be Marvel’s way of aligning all of their expansive series and universes, ending some completely, merging others and starting up new ones.
Secret Wars 0 serves as a prelude to this major event and there’s even a little crossover, between the Avengers and a certain popular Anime, included at the end of the issue…
- Gronk
This was the comics I was possibly most excited for. It may appear childish, but Gronk by Katie Cook is exceptionally well written and amusing for all age levels (similar to Disney’s appeal to multiple generations). It’s a perfect mix of cute and entertaining, making it a great mix up if you’re wanting a break from gritty doom and gloom.
Gronk started its life as a webcomic and has since grown in popularity. If you have ever read the My little Pony comics by IDW, Gronk is written by one of lead writers on that team. Last year at Supanova in Brisbane, I was even lucky enough to meet Katie Cook and commission some artwork!
- Comics Festival 2015
I was going in blind with this one, never having heard of any of the illustrators or writers in this compilation of short one-shots, but I was incredibly glad I picked it up.
Comics Festival features 7 short stories, each incredibly fresh and with beautiful artwork. One follows the story of a gamer exploiting item farming in an MMO to make real life money for his struggling family. Another focusses on a pony who wanted to draw comics… Diversity! Definitely worth a read.
- Kondansha Comics, Featuring: Attack on Titan
Another compilation volume, however this time in manga form instead of being a regular western comic. Clearly trying to gain attention with the giant Titan on the cover, there are a couple of hidden gems in here too beyond an Attack on Titan feature, my favourites being “Inuyashiki” and “Your Lie in April”.
If you’ve never read manga before, this is a great place to start, giving you a little bit of a taste of multiple genres without having to commit to a whole series.
- Steampunk Goldilocks
The last title I picked up. I was going out on a limb when I picked up this one as the name suggested it was possibly geared towards a younger readership, but it had “Steampunk” in the title so, come on, it’s steampunk! The story was a little dull, however, it was still an interesting concept and has a nice looking cover.
mechanicalpen 