The Free Comic Book Day website has sprung back to life with an announcement that says the annual promotional event will return on May 2, 2026.
Universal Distribution, one of the suitors as Diamond Comics Distributor and its many businesses went up for auction following Diamond’s bankruptcy, now owns Free Comic Book Day and its branding. In addition to comics, they’re a major game distributor, and they plan to expand the day into “friendly local game stores” as well.
Not every publisher has signed up for FCBD, however; right now the site lists Archie Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Image Comics, Mad Cave Studios, Oni Press, Titan Comics, Udon Entertainment and Vault Comics have signed on, all publishers who fall under Lunar Distribution. According to ICv2, Universal has partnered with Lunar and Diamond UK to distribute titles. On the games side, Upper Deck and Wizards of the Coast are also getting involved.
So what about Marvel, Dark Horse, BOOM! and the other publishers who signed on with Penguin Random House as their distributor? According to the Beat, Penguin is planning their own event, “Comics Giveaway Day,” which let’s hope is just a working title. The parallel event will also run on May 2.
While the Free Comic Book Day site hasn’t started revealing the titles that’ll be available just yet, one publisher is getting a jump on the rest. Oni Press announced today that they’ll offer Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT / Fort Psycho FCBD 2026 Special on May 2, through both Universal and Lunar. Oni recently announced that Kindt’s Flux House imprint will move from Dark Horse to Oni next summer, and it looks like you can get free preview of two of the titles they’re launching. The comic will feature two new stories — one written and drawn by Kindt, and one written by Kindt with art by Brian Hurtt.
“Like a contraband weapon smuggled into a deep-black, off-the-grid prison under the cover of darkness, Matt Kindt, Brian Hurtt, and even more collaborators yet-to-be revealed have been methodically sharpening the first new titles under the Flux House banner at Oni Press into a fine point for maximum impact,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “Whether blasting open a brand-new frontier for one of this century’s most acclaimed and rightfully influential independent comics series in Mind Mgmt: New & Improved or creating one of the New Year’s most white-kuckle entertainment experiences in the pages of Fort Psycho, this is a line of books that is bold, experimental, and fearlessly creative in the service of telling the most gripping story possible. The clock starts ticking on Free Comic Book Day… and the even bigger bombs start to drop when these series’ new #1 issues hit stands in June and August, respectively.”
It’ll be fun to see what the other publishers offer, as Free Comic Book Day — and, I guess, “Comics Giveaway Day” — typically offer a look at each publisher’s biggest releases for the coming year.