Free Comic Book Day will return in 2026

Comics’ favorite day returns, and one publisher has already announced the first title that’ll be offered.

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.

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Exclusive | George Northy + Rachele Aragno unleash holiday havoc in ‘Yuletide’ #3

Check out our exclusive preview of the final issue, which arrives in stores Dec. 17.

If you like your holiday comics with a splash of folklore, chaos and unapologetically weird energy, then we have a great gift for you today.

Here’s your first look at Yuletide #3, the oversized 40-page finale to the festive miniseries from writer George Northy and artist Rachele Aragno. The comic will hit shelves Dec. 17 from Oni Press, tying a bow on the series.

After centuries trapped inside a sacred relic, the Yule Witch Perchta has been accidentally unleashed by three Pennsylvania teens just days before Christmas. And she’s brought a monstrous entourage that includes the infamous Yule Cat and the ghostly Meri Lywd on her mission of revenge.

Issue #3 brings all that chaos to a head. As Perchta’s creatures overrun the streets, it falls to a ragtag band of the town’s brightest, oddest and most underestimated kids, along with an ancient warrior elf, to pull off a Christmas miracle.

Check out the preview below.

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Cullen Bunn + Christopher Mitten return to ‘The Autumn Kingdom’ next year

Sommer and Winter’s quest to rescue their parents brings them in contact with ‘The Wraithbound Queen.’

Cullen Bunn and Christopher Mitten’s Autumn Kingdom, which came out last year, is getting a sequel. Oni Press has announced Autumn Kingdom: The Wraithbound Queen will kick off in February, continuing the story of two girls, Sommer and Winter, who seek to rescue their parents from a realm ruled by faeries, monsters and demons.

“When I started writing Autumn Kingdom, I knew I had a big, epic story to tell,” Bunn said. “I also knew that I needed to break it into easy-to-digest chapters. In a lot of ways, it’s like the classic dark sword and sorcery tales of old. You can jump in with Wraith Queen and easily follow and enjoy the story. You’ll know there’s a bigger world to explore, but that only adds fuel to the world-building fire!”

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Exclusive | Oni Press serves up another helping of ‘Chef’s Kiss’ in 2026

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez teams with artist Irene Flores for the next chapter in the culinary love story.

Love is in the air—or is that the aroma of garlic and butter sizzling in a pan? For fans of culinary romance, it’s about to be both: Oni Press will publish Chef’s Kiss Again!, the sequel to the Alex Award-winning graphic novel Chef’s Kiss. The new volume arrives in stores next August.

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez returns to write the continuation of Ben and Liam’s love story, this time teaming with artist Irene Flores (Heavy Vinyl, Disney’s Mirrorverse: Belle).

“The response to the first volume of Chef’s Kiss was better than I ever could have dreamed,” Melendez said. “I knew right away I wanted to pick up where our dear crew leaves off. Now we get to see the aftermath of Ben’s article, what that does for the restaurant, Watson’s ego, and the relationship between Ben and Liam. Like the first volume, this chapter is deeply personal to me, and I hope it will resonate with readers as it deals with all sorts of new universal problems: how to balance life and work, the horrors and delights of a new relationship, and the many varied flavors of anxiety. This volume is bigger, gayer, and has what volume one was missing: DRAG!”

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NYCC | Rock out with ‘Superpunk’ next year

Oni Press will publish the punk-rock graphic novel by Guilherme Petreca and Mirtes Santana next year.

Lace up your Vans, charge your walkman and get ready to crank the volume: Oni Press has announced Superpunk, a new middle-grade graphic novel from artist Guilherme Petreca and writer Mirtes Santana, and it looks like pure punk rock comics in the best way possible.

Superpunk follows Violeta, a 13-year-old skateboarder and podcaster who discovers her grandfather’s old cassette player…and decides to play a tape backward. Naturally, that gives her musical superpowers and accidentally unleashes a horde of monsters on her hometown of Hollow Hills. Just like the 1980s warned us about.

“We wanted to make a comic that feels like a punk mixtape – loud, full of heart, and carrying you until the very last beat,” Santana said.

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NYCC | Nick Cagnetti + Daniel Ziegler rise from the grave with ‘Spirit of the Shadows’

The five-issue miniseries debuts in January.

Oni Press has announced Spirit of the Shadows, a five-issue supernatural superhero series from writer/artist Nick Cagnetti and co-writer Daniel Ziegler. It marks Cagnetti’s first full-length art project since his breakout Pink Lemonade.

The bold, neon-hued dive into the afterlife will debut in January.

“This series goes to a lot of crazy spooky places,” Cagnetti said. “It’s an intricate web of revelation, revenge, and redemption that constantly leaves you gasping at the moral quandaries. I can’t wait for readers to see this book finally!”

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NYCC | Dave Baker brings ‘Halloween Boy’ to Oni Press

The ‘Mary Tyler MooreHawk’ creator brings his self-published pulp epic to Oni in 2026.

Cartoonist Dave Baker is teaming with Oni Press for a new edition of his underground hit Halloween Boy.

Announced at New York Comic Con, Halloween Boy Vol. 1: Last of the Halloween Boys arrives in May 2026, collecting the first five self-published issues of Baker’s duotone sci-fi pulp adventure in hardcover for the first time, complete with a new cover.

The Mary Tyler MooreHawk creator described Halloween Boy as “a two-fisted adventurer for the post-superhero age.” It’s a high-concept, meta-pulp romp that mixes cosmic quests, interplanetary warfare and pulp heroics with a personal story about family and legacy.

“Does the book feature megalomaniacal villains, inter-planetary warfare, and classic pulp-inspired escapades? You bet,” Baker said in Oni’s announcement. “But it’s also a deeply personal reflection on family, fraternity, and purpose… I really wanted to re-construct the heroic iconography that lured me into this great medium as a child. To repurpose, remix, and rebuild the best aspects of these types of stories in a hyper-earnest and sincere way.”

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Exclusive | Unwrap an advanced look at ‘Yuletide’ by George Northy and Rachele Aragno

‘Tis the season to be terrified.

While most holiday tales focus on sugarplums and goodwill toward men, Oni Press is bringing something darker down the chimney this year with Yuletide, a horror-tinged holiday adventure from writer George Northy and artist Rachele Aragno.

This three-issue series of double-sized issues counts down to Christmas with a story that’s more interested in the eerie, ancient roots of the season than its twinkling lights and festive cheer. And we’ve got an exclusive look at some pages from the first issue.

Set in Christmas, Pennsylvania—a town that bills itself as “the merriest place on Earth”—Yuletide follows a group of teens who find themselves caught between their town’s obsession with America’s biggest holiday and something far more sinister lurking beneath the tinsel and tradition.

“I’ve long been fascinated by the dark, strange, obscure Yuletide monsters from various cultures, from Germany to Iceland to Wales. The way these demons have been buried and forgotten felt like the perfect metaphor for how we often bury our own darkness and personal demons throughout the holidays,” Northy said. “If Buffy taught us ‘High School can be Hell,’ then Yuletide will show that the best way of dealing with our own holiday demons isn’t by pretending they aren’t there, it’s by facing them together.”

Check out the preview and the solicitation for the first issue below, and look for it to arrive at your local comic shop Oct. 15.

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Oni Press launches Kickstarter for ‘Carbon-Based: The Art of Lewis LaRosa’

Check out some exclusive artwork that’ll appear in the oversized hardcover art book.

A new artbook from Oni Press will spotlight Lewis LaRosa’s 20+ year career in comics, as the publisher launches a Kickstarter for Carbon-Based: The Art of Lewis LaRosa.

The 250-page volume will feature LaRosa’s raw line art, along with rarely seen covers, character designs, concepts and more from his work for Marvel Comics, Valiant Entertainment, Epic Games, BOOM! Studios, Creative Beast Studio and more—including Bloodshot Reborn, Divinity, Harbinger, Punisher MAX, Savage, Shadowman, Uncanny X-Men, A Vicious Circle, X-O Manowar and more.

“It’s happening, guys! Thanks to the fine folks at Oni Press, a retrospective of my art spanning over 20 years is in the oven,” LaRosa said. “What an incredible honor. From my early days at Marvel launching Punisher MAX to my years helping relaunch the Valiant Universe, this will showcase some of my best work in one lovely tome. I’m making sure to include some rarely seen odds and ends, as well as insight into my old school analog process revealing how the sausage is made. Whether it’s the muscly figure work, sleek robots or prehistoric dinosaurs, hopefully these images will inspire you to pick up the pencil and DRAW!”

Here’s a look at the cover:

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SDCC Slugfest | ‘Ultimate Endgame,’ ‘Cult of the Lamb,’ ‘Die!namite’ + more

The Ultimate Universe heads toward its ‘Endgame,’ ‘Cult of the Lamb’ returns and when Ahoy Comics invites you over for ‘Thanksgiving,’ politely decline the invite …

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

The annual San Diego Comic-Con will kick off later this week, and publishers have been releasing announcements in the lead-up to the event. We’re also in the middle of monthly solicitation time, where publishers are revealing what’s coming out in October. In an effort to keep up with all the madness, here’s a round up of recent announcements as we prepare for the big show.

Let’s start with a Marvel teaser for something coming late in 2025, Ultimate Endgame. Readers of Marvel’s Ultimate titles know that the clock is ticking on the return of the Maker, a.k.a. the Reed Richards from the original Ultimate Universe, and Marvel teases his return with a nod to the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

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EC Comics draws down on the Western genre in ‘Outlaw Showdown’

Oni Press will publish the one-shot anthology in October.

John Arcudi, Brian Azzarello, David Lapham, Tony Moore, Ann Nocenti, David Lapham and more will saddle up for Outlaw Showdown, a one-shot anthology coming in October from EC Comics and Oni Press.

While the Western genre may not be the first to come to mind when you think of classic EC Comics, the notorious publisher did release several titles featuring cowboys and outlaws.

“Ever since we first began drawing up plans for the return of EC Comics at Oni Press, we knew there were genres and stories that would fit EC like a glove – and westerns were always close to the top of that list,” said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson. “It’s no secret that classic Golden Age series like Gunfighter and Saddle Justice have always been integral – if somewhat under-considered – components of EC’s destructive DNA. But, with Outlaw Showdown – and the other forthcoming genre specials that will follow in its wake – we’re aiming to enhance and amplify the combustible combination of ingredients that has made EC’s stories sing – or scream! – across 70-plus years of comics history. These are stories that will grab you tighter than a hangman’s noose . . . and leave you kicking and screaming for more before the last page is through.”

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Guest Column | Meredith McClaren on ‘Meat Eaters,’ health, identity and transformation

In advance of her new graphic novel ‘Meat Eaters’ arriving in stores, the creator shares a personal essay about her health struggles and how they relate to her protagonist’s journey.

Today we welcome Hinges creator and Black Cloak artist Meredith McClaren to the blog, where she shares her deeply personal reflections on health, identity and transformation.

These themes also appear in Meat Eaters, her new graphic novel from Oni Press that arrives in stores July 7. It follows Ashley, a young woman looking to escape her stagnant small town life, but whose carefully laid plans are shattered when she wakes up one night covered in blood—and discovers she’s dead. As Ashley grapples with this shocking transformation and the changes happening within her, McClaren weaves a powerful story that resonates with her own experiences of unexpected life upheavals.

My thanks to the author for sharing this with us. It’s a wonderfully written essay with illustrations in the same style that I see on her Tumblr, which I recommend you follow if the essay resonates with you. You can also check out her travelogue on visiting Greece.

FUN TIMES
By Meredith McClaren
Author and Illustrator of MEAT EATERS

Your body will betray you.

(That’s a bummer of a starter sentence. Sorry. But stay with me, I have a point.)

Your body will betray you. It’s a universal human experience. I’m sorry. There’s no getting away from it. Some of us get there faster than others but we all eventually find ourselves in the unenviable position of feeling truly, utterly, devastatingly betrayed by our bodies.

For me it started with a tickle at the back of my throat that never went away.

I tried describing it to people. ‘You know how it feels when you suck in a big breath of cold air?’ It’s the way your throat feels tight. Constricted.

‘Sounds like asthma.’ One of my friends said.

But I wasn’t coughing. Yet. It was just a tickle. And it was always there.

The coughing came later. Over months. Over a year. Just one or two. A day. Everyday. Then it was a couple of times a day. Every time I woke up. Every time I went to bed. Sometimes an extra one somewhere in the middle.

It wasn’t until a friend’s wedding that I really reconciled that there was a problem. And I couldn’t really ignore it anymore. 

‘You cough a lot.’ My Dad said.

‘I know.’ I said.

Destination wedding in Flagstaff. A higher elevation. I was coughing. And I knew it wasn’t just the thinner air.

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