2018 Free Comic Book Day Fall Out!

It took me a little over a week, but I've poured through the 50+ offerings from Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2018, and these, in no particular order, are the top 10 titles that have my interest piqued for the coming year:

Barrier (Image)
I assume the entire series will be printed in the landscape format and I am totally ok with that (as long as I don't have to keep turning the book).  This is a captivating story with a dual perspective across the Mexico/United States border.  The Mexico story is told entirely in Spanish (appropriately) and the American side is told in English.  This will be an excellent opportunity to improve my multi-linguistic abilities!  Events are hurtling toward one another from both sides when an entirely unexpected third party suddenly intervenes.  I'm very excited to see where it goes next!

ShadowMan (Valiant)
Coming off of my enjoyment of the epic X-O Manowar, Valiant has once again stirred up my interest with ShadowMan, another long-lived property I know nothing about.  I'm already in love with the New Orleans setting and all of the voodoo mysticism, so I am excited to find out more about who ShadowMan is and what's going on in the bayou!

The Mall (Scout Comics)
This one was a real shocker.  I was totally ready to toss it into the "nope" pile based on the cover and concept alone.  But then it hooked me with a totally relatable main character and all the 80's Miami mob intrigue you could want.  The main character evokes a young Peter Parker, only his superpowers are video games and sheer chutzpah.  He's left in a world of trouble at the end of this preview issue and I really need to know what happens next!

Die Kitty Die (Astro Comics)
Apparently Die Kitty Die is a thing and I have totally missed it.  But the thing it appears to be is an irreverent, self aware, ironic riff on Archie style comics.  It's poppy, it's goofy, and it looks like a lot of fun.  I need more comics like this in my rotation.

Shadow Roads (Oni Press)
Oni Press has always felt like the "you're not cool enough to read these edgy comics" publisher, so I've not really given them a fair look.  But Shadow Roads is scratching a Western comics itch that I caught back when Marvel did (and then promptly abandoned) Red Wolf a few years ago.  To be sure, there are some supernatural elements at the core of the story, but I really like the diversity of the characters and the way the story is being told.  Let's hope I'm cool enough to keep reading it...

Berlin (Drawn & Quarterly)
At first I thought this was an incredible mini-series about to launch, then I did some research and it appears this comic is actually very old news.  Berlin is a highly acclaimed graphic novel set in Germany in 1928.  It's told from two disparate perspectives and appears to provide a street level view of Berlin in the time between wars.  My wife has a degree in History and we always talk about these sorts of things so I expect this to be a great topic of conversation for us.  It's being recollected in hardcover which is why it's here in the FBCD pile.

Strangers In Paradise XXV (Abstract Studio)
Terry Moore won me over with Motor Girl, and SiP is hailed as his great masterwork.  Now he's dipping back into that world and I'm very curious about it.  This preview issue felt like I needed to already be familiar with the characters and their world, so I feel a bit lost, but I'm going to try to pick up some trades and read the old stuff along with the new.

Maxwell's Demons (Vault)
Child protagonists seem to be hitting a chord with me lately and Maxwell is no exception.  Maxwell seems to escape his miserable home life by traveling to other dimensions and having amazing adventures with a proper father figure.  But, much like with reality, that father figure also turns on him and that's when reality and hyper reality collide.  This looks like it's going to be equal parts dark and fun.

Crush (Yen Press)
Jorge is a pretty chill dude.  He puts an end to static whenever it pops up and he's always a great guy to have as a friend.  But when the artsy and awkward Jazmine comes onto the scene, Jorge is at a total loss.  She's kryptonite in girl form.  How will Jorge deal with this completely alien experience?  This might sound super mundane, but the characters are instantly likable and the story is one we can all relate to.  I expect to thoroughly enjoy Crush.

The Joe Shuster Story (Papercutz)
In the back of the Papercutz FCBD feature, there was a short preview of The Joe Shuster Story, the biography of the artist who created Superman.  While there were only a couple of pages of story, I was instantly enthralled by the simplicity of the storytelling and the quaintness of the art.  I love tales of comics early days, so I am definitely going to check this out when it lands.

Honorable Mentions

The Wormworld Saga (CubHouse)
Theo's dad paints pictures that become portals to other worlds (think Narnia).  Theo shares his dad's secret and often travels with him to these exotic places.  Ever the awkward boy, Theo decides to share this secret to impress his friend Laura in an attempt to avoid losing her to rival Tom.  Upon coming back from a harrowing adventure, an alien bug from that other world sneaks into our world just as Theo and Laura escape certain peril.  That's probably not good.  This series looks and feels a lot like the super disappointing Finding Gossamyr from several years back, so I am interested, but cautiously so.  I don't like getting wrapped up in a beautifully illustrated and magically captivating world only to have the story never be finished.  So I'll keep my eye on this one, but may not jump through the painting just yet...

Disney Princess (Joe Books)
I've seen these on the shelves and passed on them because they are with the "kids" comics, but I was surprised to find how much fun this comic is.  Not a full length story, but instead a collection of comic strip shorts, this has the same quick-hit fun appeal as the Ducktales comic I already get.  While I might not get every issue, if I see one featuring a character I really like, I will probably pick it up.


Another great FCBD in the can and some really exciting stuff coming out this year.  Of course, as I read it, I'll share my thoughts any maybe point you toward some great things you should be reading as well!

This Week's Comics 5.20.15

Two years ago, I stopped buying comic books.  My son was just born, and time and money were in rapidly decreasing supply.  Likewise, the quality of the comics I was buying was also in decline.  So, in a move I couldn't have fathomed a decade prior, I quit buying new comics.  I started living on a steady diet of back issues and that is what lead to my current PURGE project. (see recent entries related to comics)
I kept my eye on the comics scene during my absence from partaking and honestly, I didn't get the impression I was missing much.  Then came Marvel's announcement of their upcoming (now current) Secret Wars event.  Secret Wars promised to fix everything that was wrong with the Marvel Universe and return the Marvel Empire to its previous glory.  Being a die-hard Marvel fan who quit in disgust, this naturally intrigued me, so I started following along by reading great comic book news sites like CBR. At the same time, the lovely wife was really getting into classic Disney Duck Comics, the collected works of Don Rosa and Carl Banks specifically (with big help from CBR Pipeline writer Augie De Blieck Jr.).  As luck would have it, Disney was about to launch new Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck comics.  So I took this as a sign that the universe wanted me to take another look at my beloved hobby once again.

Long ago, I used to do a feature called the Comic of the Week, or something, that no one ever read. In that time honored tradition I am going to start sharing with you the comics that I am buying and let you know how my return to comic readership is going.  I'll likely not buy comics every week as I am only getting a very few, but whenever I pick some up, I'll share my insights with you.  Maybe this will help inform your own comics purchases, maybe not, but either way, my opinion will be out there, which is honestly where it needs to be.

So without further ado, here are the comics I bought this week and some thoughts to go along with them:

First up, is A-Force #1.  Marvel's Secret Wars all female Avengers team!  My fear is that this is a gimmick comic that will sell strong for four or five issues and then vanish, but based on the first issue it is worth at least a look.  I have no idea which universe these characters are pulled from, but it can't be the main Marvel U because there are all kinds of crazy things going on.  So if you aren't overly familiar with She-Hulk or Loki or Captain Marvel, that's ok.  You'll get all you need from the story itself.  The first issue is a better-than-average set-up issue that delivers a full story and does a better job of explaining Secret Wars than Secret Wars #1 or #2 did.  I'll get issue #2 and see where this one goes.




Spawn #252.  I was super excited when Paul Jenkins was named the writer taking over for McFarlene, but he's off to a bit of a slow start.  We are two issues in, and while I get the general gist of the plot, the finer points are being lost on me, mostly because I've been out of the Spawn universe for about 8 years and I'm not sure why he has Venom teeth or what his relationship with Malebolgia and the rest of the cast is.  I'm trying to stick with it because I believe in Jenkins' ability to tell awesome, character-driven stories, but this one needs a kick in the pants to get going.  I'm good for about two more issues if things don't pick up.





Finally, True Believers:  Age of Apocalypse #1.  Marvel is doing something really smart here for once.  The True Believers line is a series of one-shot issues that spotlight some of the biggest storylines in Marvel history.  For instance, this issue, Age of Apocalypse #1 is a reprint of X-men: Alpha #1 which launched the now legendary Age of Apocalypse story.  There won't be an issue #2, but there are smartly placed ads for the trade paperbacks that collect the whole story, so if you like what you see, you know where to go.  The best part:  these comics are just $1.  That's right, $1.  And what's more, there are NO ADS, except for the ones in the back for the trades.  It's a genius way to celebrate the rich history of the Marvel U, introduce new readers to classic stories, and get everyone geared up for Secret Wars.  It is no coincidence that each True Believer comic spotlights a Marvel Era that is represented in that story. Again, smart for once.  I have seen TB one-shots for things like the Infinity Gauntlet, Iron Man: Armor Wars and Ultimate Spider-man.  So I'll probably be picking up a few more of these.