Tag: Queen in Black

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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‘Queen in Black’ expands with Defenders, Venom Unchained + more

Venom, Thor, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man and more will fight back against Hela and Knull’s assault on Earth.

Marvel has revealed more of their plans for the upcoming Queen in Black crossover, which will bring together Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Man, Beta Ray Bill and more to face a two-pronged attack by Knull and Hela.

The five-issue event series by writer Al Ewing and artist Iban Coello will launch July 1, and will be followed by several more tie-in comics in July, including:

  • Queen in Black: Defenders of Light and Dark
  • Queen in Black: Venom Unchained
  • Queen in Black: Hela
  • Queen in Black: Thor
  • Venom #260
  • and the second issue of Queen in Black in July 29.

Queen in Black will bring Hela to Earth with a legion of the galaxy’s deadliest symbiotes, while Knull builds a new army on the edges of the solar system. Spider-Man, Venom, Mary Jane, Eddie Brock and Dylan Brock get caught in the middle of their collision.

Here are more details on each of the July titles:

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Slugfest | Armageddon arrives, the Ultimate Universe ends and the Swimsuit Special returns at Marvel in June

From Chip Zdarsky’s long-building Avengers event to a new Jeff the Land Shark adventure and a 50th anniversary What If? celebration, here’s a rundown of notable items from Marvel’s June 2026 solicitations.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition features new stuff in Marvel’s June 2026 titles, mostly. Click the links for more information.

Writer Steve Foxe and artist Salva Espin, who collaborated on the prelude comic series for X-Men ’97‘s first season, reunite for X-Men ’97: Season Two, a five-issue limited series bridging the gap between the acclaimed animated show’s first and second seasons. The series picks up in the immediate aftermath of Season One’s cliffhanger ending, following the X-Men left behind in a world that hunts and hates mutantkind while the rest of the team is scattered across time. Colors are by Matt Milla.

“Everyone who watched Season One knows the team left us one heck of an era-spanning cliffhanger, and our prequel for Season Two doesn’t take any cheats or shortcuts around that wild status quo,” Foxe said. “We got to work closely with the series team to make sure this comic is a vital, additive experience for our mutants — what’s left of the X-Men, anyway.”

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Slugfest | Civil War turns 20, Rogue One turns 10 in Marvel’s May comics

From anniversary celebrations to a contracting cosmic line, here’s a rundown of news coming from Marvel’s recent solicitations.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s May 2026 titles … mostly. Hit the links for more info.

Marvel not only revealed news on several upcoming comics projects at last week’s ComicsPro meeting, but also released their solicitations for May as well. So here’s a look at several of the new projects they’ll release in May, along with a few other comics for later in the year that have come to light.

Starting off, Marvel Comics will publish Civil War: Unmasked, a five-issue limited series revisiting the 2006 event. Written by Christos Gage with art by Edgar Salazar and colors by original Civil War colorist Morry Hollowell, the series tells previously unseen stories set before, during and after the events of the original crossover, spotlighting Iron Man, Spider-Man, Goliath, Tigra and Captain America.

The first issue sends Tony Stark on a mission into the Days of Future Past timeline, where a glimpse of an apocalyptic future forces him to reconsider everything he believed about the Superhuman Registration Act.

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Al Ewing + Iban Coello pit Hela against Knull in Marvel’s ‘Queen in Black’

The five-issue series launches July 1 with Spider-Man, Venom and the Brock family caught between two cosmic evils.

Marvel’s been setting up and teasing its Queen in Black event for a bit, and this week revealed more information on what we can expect from it and when.

The five-issue event series by writer Al Ewing and artist Iban Coello will launch July 1. The series spins out of Ewing’s Venom run and the current Knull limited series, in which Hela seized Knull’s throne and forced the God of the Void to go on a spirit quest of sorts.

Queen in Black will bring Hela to Earth with a legion of the galaxy’s deadliest symbiotes, while Knull builds a new army on the edges of the solar system — with Spider-Man, Venom, Mary Jane, Eddie Brock and Dylan Brock caught in the middle of their collision. Tie-in series exploring other corners of the Marvel Universe will be announced in the months ahead, but … we all realize Hela’s a Thor villain, right? And the former God of Thunder is also on Earth right now … I’m just sayin’.

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Slugfest | More ComicsPro news from Marvel, Dark Horse, BOOM! + more

With news on He-Man, BRZRKR, Klaus Janson, Queen in Black and more!

More announcements rolled in today from the ComicsPro industry meeting in Glendale, Calif. — here’s a rundown of a few items that caught our eye. For yesterday’s round-up, click here.

Dark Horse and Mattel announce ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate’ comic series

Dark Horse Comics and Mattel have announced He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate, a four-issue series set in the universe of the upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe film from Amazon MGM Studios, arriving in U.S. theaters June 5.

Written by Tim Sheridan and illustrated by Will Sliney, the series launches in comic shops June 10, which is five days after the film’s domestic release. The story follows a refugee who shelters an injured falcon and must journey through the Mystic Mountains to save her life.

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