Tag: FCBD 2024

The ‘Conan the Barbarian’ title from Free Comic Book Day unites the ‘Howardverse’

Jim Zub and Jonas Scharf’s story is free to download and kicks off the ‘Battle of the Black Stone’ event.

Last Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, and Titan participated by releasing Conan: Battle of the Black Stone, which was more than just a Conan story. And now they’ve made it available as a free download on their website.

(As an aside, you can find several of the 2024 FCBD offerings on Comixology as free downloads, including those from Marvel, DC and Dark Horse).

The story by regular Conan the Barbarian scribe Jim Zub and artist Jonas Scharf starts out like any other Conan story might begin, with the unruly barbarian slicing his way through his enemies, but it takes a turn when Conan spots a symbol on the necklace of a fallen foe. This symbol:

(If you haven’t read the issue and don’t want any SPOILERS, then I’d suggest clicking the link in the first paragraph before reading on …)

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Can’t Wait for Saturday | Free Comic Book Day brings Absolute Power, Jonny Quest + more

Check out a few of the cool + free comics you’ll find at your local retailer this Saturday.

The comic industry’s biggest holiday returns tomorrow as shops around the world bring you Free Comic Book Day, the annual event that yes, indeed, does offer you free comics.

The annual event started in 2002 based on an idea from retailer Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff in Concord, California. Since then, it’s become a cultural phenomenon, typically coming on the first Saturday in May, though sometimes in the past that wavered based on a new comic book movie’s release date. You can find a participating shop on the FCBD website, and see if any of your local shops are holding special events, sales or creator signings in conjunction with the event.

But of course, the focus is on the free comics. Many publishers use it as an opportunity to reshare a recent favorite 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, and you can find the complete list of what could be available at your local shop on the FCBD site. 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.
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Quick Hits | Free Comic Book Day founder prepares for the last event at the location where the event was born

Plus: The Comics Journal website has new editors! Frank Miller Presents and Abrams ComicArts strike a deal! Aurora Awards nominees announced! Plus news on Marjane Satrapi, Bubbles Con and a controversial ski town comic!

This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, an opportunity for retailers to not only bring new customers into their stores, but also to get media coverage. You can do a quick search of Google News to see all the local coverage the event has been getting, but this story in particular jumped out at me because it involves Joe Field, who came up with the idea of Free Comic Book Day back in 2001.

Field’s store, Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff in Concord, California, has been a staple of the community for decades, but will have to move to a new location early next year after their lease expires — making this Saturday the last FCBD at their current shop.

“We’re very hopeful and now actually pretty excited by what the future of Flying Colors could be,” Field told the San Jose Mercury News. “There are a lot of unknowns — like how many of our faithful customers will want to create a new habit of going to a different spot to support us? How many new customers can we cultivate moving to a different spot? How strong will the market for comics and graphic novels be over the next bunch of years? Can we afford to do this when we are already technically past the standard retirement date?”

Despite those questions, Field says they hope that “we continue to build community and continue to spread happiness through our comic book business. That’s when everything will be a success.”

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Slugfest | X-Men, Terminator, ‘Galaxy of Madness’ + more

Today’s round-up includes news and announcements on ‘Life of Wolverine,’ Gatchaman, the Energon Universe, ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you that we haven’t otherwise covered. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel has revealed the cover and more details on the highly anticipated new X-Men title by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, which is part of the bigger X-Men: From the Ashes line that follows the end of the current Krakoa era.

The new title will feature Cyclops leading a team that handle “explosive mutant-specific issues without restrain,” with the first threat being “an existential new enemy that rises out of the remains of Orchis.”

Both MacKay and Stegman are happy to be here.

“Taking on the X-Men is always a daunting prospect, but I’m extremely psyched to take this team of mutants back into the world with Ryan,” MacKay said. 

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Mad Cave reveals their ‘Gatchaman’ plans

Ken, Jun and the rest of the team will soar in new comics this year by Cullen Bunn, Christ Batista, Tommy Lee Edwards, Mindy Lee and more.

At the ComicsPRO meeting this week, Mad Cave Studios shared more details on their publishing plans for Gatchaman, which they licensed from Tatsunoko Production last year.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, or just Gatchaman, or “G-Force” to those who grew up on the Americanized cartoon, is a popular Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida. It features five “super ninjas” who work for the International Science Organization and protect Earth’s natural resources from a terrorist group called Galactor. Each member of the team wears a winged suit that aligns to a different bird, and has a different vehicle that goes along with their theme.

Mad Cave announced the acquisition of the property in San Diego last July, and have already revealed it’ll debut on Free Comic Book Day. But they have plans that go beyond just a single series, as they’ve also announced a series of one-shots spotlighting the members of the team and a Galactor miniseries focused on their enemies.

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DC announces ‘Absolute Power,’ DC Finest and a return to Wednesdays

DC made several announcements during the ComicsPRO industry meeting this week.

If you’re wondering why so much comic news broke today, it’s because ComicsPRO, the Comics Professional Retail Organization, is hosting its industry meeting over the next three days. As a part of that meeting, comics publishers are presenting some of their future plans to attendees and, in many cases, releasing that news into the wild.

DC was one of many publishers on hand to talk to retailers, and gave several updates on their future plans. But let’s not bury the big news — DC announced at the conference that they plan to move the release of their new issues back to Wednesday. DC moved the release date of their comics from the traditional Wednesday to Tuesday back in 2020, when they moved away from Diamond to Lunar Distribution and other distributors. It was, and remains, a controversial move, and from what I’ve heard retailers gave this news a standing ovation at ComicsPRO today. The shift will occur in July.

In other news …

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Slugfest | Superman’s ‘House of Brainiac’ begins + more new comics coming from DC in April

Read about DC’s Free Comic Book Day plans, the 300th issue of Nightwing, DC’s Spring Breakout and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s April 2024 announcements. Hit the links for more information.

DC’s solicitations for April 2024 arrived this past week — you can find them on The Beat or on Newsarama — and I thought I’d pull out some of the highlights. There aren’t many new first issues, but there is a big Superman-themed crossover event launching, several annuals, some graphic novels and listings for three of their four Free Comic Book Day titles for this year.

So let’s begin …

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FCBD 2024: Marvel’s ‘Blood Hunt,’ Spider-Man India, Dark Horse, Flash Gordon and more

Several publishers have revealed more about their plans for Free Comic Book Day 2024.

As we move into the new year, several companies have revealed additional details on their Free Comic Book Day plans for 2024. This year’s event will be held May 4 and will feature about 50 titles from various publishers.

And those publishers include Marvel, Dark Horse and Mad Cave, who have shared more about what to expect from this year’s titles. Let’s dig in …

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Almost 50 titles announced for Free Comic Book Day 2024

Diamond reveals the silver sponsor titles, which include Star Wars, Doctor Who, Flash Gordon, Monster High and more.

Diamond has revealed the remaining Free Comic Book Day titles for 2024, which, all told, brings the number of titles that will be available to retailers and fans on May 4 to 48.

Earlier this week they revealed the gold sponsor titles, and today brings the silver tier. Some of the highlights include:

  • DC will have a total of four titles for next year, which have not yet been revealed. One of them, though, will be a MAD Magazine title.
  • Marvel has five titles in 2024, including the two revealed earlier this week. Today brings news on a Star Wars book, a collection of Marvel’s Voices stories and a Spidey and his Amazing Friends title aimed at young readers.
  • Mad Cave has two titles focused on their two recent licensed comics announcements for Flash Gordon and Gatchaman.
  • Lots of other notable licenses pop up in the list, from video game Far Cry to Popeye to Monster High, which IDW recently announced a licensing agreement for. Oh, and Alien Books, who acquired the license to publish Valiant titles, will also be featured.

Check them all out below:

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Free Comic Book Day 2024 Gold sponsors include DC, Marvel and more

Free comics featuring Spider-Man, Hellboy, Jonny Quest, Encanto and more will be available next year on May 4.

Diamond has revealed the “Gold Sponsor” comic publishers and titles for Free Comic Book Day 2024, which includes Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and more. A dozen comics from the gold sponsors will be available during next year’s event, which is scheduled for May 4.

“We’re looking forward to another great year of celebrating comic books and comic book shops!” said Ashton Greenwood, Free Comic Book Day spokesperson. “This year’s lineup has a title for everyone. Whether you’re new to comics or a longtime reader, you’re sure to find a title that grabs your attention. And with the event falling on Star Wars Day this year, that adds a little extra excitement to the day!”

Interestingly, DC returns to the list for 2024, promoting an “exciting new project” that’ll be revealed at a later date. Since DC left Diamond back in 2020, they’ve participated in the event, but their books were not promoted by Diamond nor were they included on the Free Comic Book Day website.

Here’s a look at the gold sponsor titles, many of which are teasers rather than actual announcements. The extensive silver sponsor title list will be announced later this week.

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