Star Wars, Blade Runner, InvestiGators among the 2021 Free Comic Book Day gold sponsor comics

Diamond Comics Distributors has announced the 12 gold sponsor titles that retailers will offer on Free Comic Book Day this year. This year’s event will take place Aug. 14.

“This year’s lineup of titles has something for every kind of comic fan,” said Ashton Greenwood, Free Comic Book Day spokesperson. “We can’t wait to once again share the FCBD experience with fans, especially on our landmark 20th anniversary! We hope fans will safely visit their local comic shops to celebrate and to pick up a few of the great titles available this year.”

Missing from the list is DC Comics, who no longer use Diamond to distribute comics to U.S. retailers. DC has indicated their plans to participate, however.

The titles were curated by more than 20 comic shop retailers who make up the FCBD Selection Committee. The Gold Sponsor titles come from Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Archie Comics, BOOM! Studios, Macmillan/First Second Books, Penguin Workshop, AfterShock Comics, Titan Comics, TOKYOPOP and VIZ Media.

This year’s gold sponsor books are:

WE LIVE: THE UNKNOWN JOURNEY

From AfterShock Comics
Before Tala and Hototo began their long journey, there was the beginning of the end of Earth as we know it. In the days after the bracelets fell to earth, a group of young friends embarked on a journey to find one of their own. In the Broken Lands, on the adventure of their lifetimes, these friends face the seedy world of Bracelet Diggers — the dark underground of criminals dealing life-saving bracelets, to those who can afford it most.

ARCHIE: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE FUN!

From Archie Comics
It’s the Crisis of Infinite Archies! Celebrate 80 years of the Riverdale Gang with this tale featuring a dimensionhopping Archie Andrews in his quest to save the multiverse! Then, witness Archie go toe-to-toe with… himself?! May the best Archie win! Plus, get a preview of the newest Archie One-Shot in shops! This title includes several versions of Archie (from classic to TV to horror) and showcases his evolution as a character over eight decades!

ENTER THE HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER

From BOOM! Studios
Are you ready to enter the House of Slaughter? In 2019, James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera introduced the world to Erica Slaughter, the monster hunter who came to Archer’s Peak, Wisconsin to save the town’s children from the monsters only she can see. But Erica is not the only member of the House of Slaughter… With nearly half a million copies sold, Something is Killing the Children has become a true comic phenomenon, and this Free Comic Book Day you are invited to enter the House of Slaughter… if you dare!

CRITICAL ROLE & THE WITCHER

From Dark Horse Comics
In the twentieth year of free comics, we bring you stories expanding on two epic worlds. In Critical Role, explore a small but important corner from the adventures of the Mighty Nein. Then, in The Witcher, it’s an original tale featuring the iconic witcher, Geralt! Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red!

INVESTIGATORS: ANTS IN OUR P.A.N.T.S. SNEAK PEEK!

From First Second Books
Get a sneak peek at book 4 in the bestselling InvestiGators series! With agent Brash trapped in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have designed the ultimate replacement: RoboBrash! This high-tech replica has been programmed with all the original Brash’s crime-fighting skills and know-how — but it seems he’s got a few bugs in his system! Will Mango and his new partner be enough to stop the giant ants that are on a rampage in the city? Orchestrated by the spaced-out villain, Maestronaut, and Houdino, the dinosaur escape artist, it seems criminals are certainly upping the ANT-e!

STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES

From IDW Publishing
Join Yoda, Buckets o’Blood, and their Padawan learners as they go on an adventure to help maintain peace during the glory days of the Republic, in a prelude to IDW’s Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures series! Written by series architect Daniel José Older, this is the ideal entry into the world of the High Republic-and a can’t-miss story for fans!

LADY MECHANIKA

From Image Comics
A young woman in the Victorian Era searches desperately for the secrets to her past, which resulted in her extraordinary but unnatural mechanical limbs. Lady Mechanika will include the 14-page stand-alone story “The Demon of Satan’s Alley,” which first introduced Lady Mechanika and her steampunk world (Lady Mechanika #0), plus 8 or more pages of excerpts from upcoming and/or existing Lady Mechanika books including “Monster at the Ministry of Health,” the newest story by series creator Joe Benitez which will debut this year at Image Comics.

MARVEL GOLD TITLE

From Marvel Comics
Free Comic Book Day is the perfect chance to dive deep into the Marvel Universe with new stories and exciting adventures alongside some of Marvel’s most acclaimed creators — and this year, Marvel is bringing you the biggest and boldest stories yet!

WHO SPARKED THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT?

From Penguin Workshop
From refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger to sparking civil rights protests across America, explore how Rosa Parks’ powerful act earned her the title “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” A story of resistance, strength, and unwavering spirit, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves in the life of the American Civil Rights leader.

BLADE RUNNER ONE-SHOT

From Titan Comics
This special story connects the Blade Runner Origins and Blade Runner 2029 storylines for the first time! Titan’s Gold-level FCBD title reveals the link between Detective Cal’s actions in Blade Runner Origins and Detective Ash’s story in Blade Runner 2029 #1. Two acclaimed creative teams of Mike Johnson, K. Perkins, Mellow Brown, Andrés Guinaldo, and Fernando Dagnino come together for a spectacular FCBD issue!

ASSASSIN’S CREED: VALHALLA & DYNASTY

From TOKYOPOP
A sneak-peek of two books in the Assassin’s Creed series! Valhalla: Many years before the exploits of Eivor Wolf-Kissed, Jarl Stensson and his younger brothers make their way to England at the behest of Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivarr the Boneless, eager to go to war against Aelfred the Great and his Anglo-Saxon army. But they would do well not to underestimate what awaits them on those green shores… Dynasty: In the 14th year of the Tianbao Era (CE 755) An Lushan, a military governor with ties to the Knights Templar, leads his elite corps to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, and the ill-prepared Tang empire falters under the threat. As the Tang dynasty starts to crumble, Li E, a shady Assassin trained by the Hidden Ones in the far West, teams up with Tang loyalists to turn the tide and save both the dynasty and the country from this crisis.

ZOM 100: BUCKET LIST OF THE DEAD/ DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA

From VIZ Media
Zom 100: When a zombie apocalypse ravages his town, it gives Akira the push he needs to live for himself. Now he’s on a mission to complete all 100 items on his bucket list before he… well, kicks the bucket. Demon Slayer: In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family and transforms his little sister Nezuko into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.