Tag: Comics Giveaway Day

Can’t Wait for Saturday | Free Comic Book Day + Comics Giveaway Day edition

See what’s available at your local comic shop this Saturday.

Comicdom’s biggest day of the year returns on Saturday, albeit in a new form. As Mark Briscoe might say, the word of the day is “bifurcation.” The event we once knew as Free Comic Book Day and was run by Diamond Comics has been split into two as a result of their bankruptcy and the sale of their assets.

In one corner, you still have Free Comic Book Day, with new owner Universal Distribution and their partner, Lunar Distribution. In the other, you have Comics Giveaway Day, an upstart that came into being when Penguin Random House decided they wanted to participate in giving out free comics, but apparently not in the official “Free Comic Book Day” event. Net-net for fans, there will be free comics on Saturday from a host of different publishers at many comic shops, some with one logo, some with another. Either way, free comics!

So where do you get these free comics? At your local comic shop, of course — if they are participating. The Free Comic Book Day website still has a store locator you can use to find a participating retailer. Comics Giveaway Day does not have a dedicated website, but you can find more details on the PRH website, which has a Google Maps link detailing participating stores.

Many publishers use the event as an opportunity to reshare a recent favorite title or offer a prelude to an upcoming storyline or crossover. Still other will produce something wholly original or introduce a brand new title. I’ve pulled out a few that look interesting to me below. Some things to keep in mind:

  • Not every retailer may have every title. Depending on their shop, they may elect to only have titles they think will excite their clientele.
  • Some retailers may limit the number of free comics you can take, while others may require a purchase.
  • Speaking of which, while titles are free to consumers, they are not free to retailers. So you may want to think about buying some other comics while you’re there regardless.
  • Some of the titles will also be available digitally, in case you can’t make it out on Saturday. So be sure to check your favorite digital comics site on Saturday as well.

Here a few highlights to look for:

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Ignition Press officially announces ‘Minotaur’ by Si Spurrier + Mike Dowling

The new title gets a preview this Saturday on Comics Giveaway Day.

The new series Minotaur by Si Spurrier and Mike Dowling will launch from Ignition Press in July, following a sneak preview that will arrive this Saturday on Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day. The series features colors by Sofie Dodgson and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

The series combines magic, technology, horror and capitalism in a story about a near-miss apocalypse that might have been more of a “hit” than people realized.

“Minotaur begins with Arthur C. Clarke’s timeless observation that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’ – then runs with it,” said writer Si Spurrier. “What’s emerged, as we put this book together, is a strange and beautiful tonal confection. On the one hand it’s intimately concerned with superintelligence and emergent technologies, but it feels like nothing so much as a fusion of Hellblazer and The X-Files. Mike Dowling’s the perfect artist for this unique fusion of subject and mood, dancing between Mignola-esque horror and glittering capitalist modernity with equally chilling aplomb.”

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The X-Men + Fantastic Four team up to save mankind from becoming mutants in ‘DNX’

Marvel’s next big X-Men event by Jed MacKay and Federico Vicentini begins in September.

Marvel has announced their next big mutant event, following the poorly received Age of Revelation event late last year. DNX, which will kick off in September, will spring from the pages of Revelation as Cyclops tries to prevent the Age of Revelation from happening, while the Chairman (aka an evil version of the Beast) wants to make it all come true. Their respective factions will clash, and the X-Men will reach out to the Fantastic Four for help.

Current X-Men scribe Jed MacKay will work with artist Federico Vicentini to bring DNX to life.

“DNX is the next big milestone event of our X-Men run,” MacKay said. “Age of Revelation showed the future, and DNX shows that future’s impact on the present! The X-Men and 3K are on a collision course that has been set since issue one—and only one will survive. And with the Fantastic Four joining the fray, this is going to be an event that will transform the X-Men dramatically.”

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Penguin Random House officially announces Comics Giveaway Day for May 2

The first ever Comics Giveaway Day will coincide with next year’s Free Comic Book Day.

Comics distributor Penguin Random House has officially announced Comics Giveaway Day, their competitor/compliment to Free Comic Book Day, the annual comics event that is now owned by Universal Distribution.

Last week we learned that Universal Distribution and Lunar Distribution had teamed up to bring Free Comic Book Day back to comic shops in 2026, following the bankruptcy and dissolution of Diamond Comics Distributors. They announced they would offer free titles by the various publishers they distribute, including DC, Image Comics, Archie, Dynamite and more.

Missing from the list were any publishers that are now distributed by Penguin Random House, and now we know why — titles by Marvel, BOOM!, Dark Horse and others will be released on Comics Giveaway Day, which just so happens to fall on May 2 as well.

So, everyone wins, right? Free comics for everybody, even if some of them will have a different events log on them.

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