Free Comic Book Day 2017

Silver Sponsor Comics, Part One


(W) Matthew J. Smith, Alec Worley, Owen Michael Johnson, Colin Bell, Ned Hartley, Henry Flint (A) Neil Googe, Ben Wilsher, Tanya Roberts, INDIO, Henry Flint, Pye Parr

2000 AD Regened proudly presents a riotous all-ages comic featuring original, full-colour strips packed with thrill-power for Earthlets of all inception dates!
Cadet Judge Dredd upholds the law in a blistering crime caper at an Aeroball game by Matt Smith and Neil Googe! Mutant bounty hunter Johnny Alpha earns his Strontium Dog badge from Alec Worley and Ben Willsher! Tharg’s Futureshocks present the wonderful world of HumanCraft by Ned Hartley and Tanya Roberts! Help Chet Jetstream escape Hell Island by Henry Flint! The teenage alien delinquents return with an eye on causing chaos in ‘D.R. & Quinch Hijack Free Comic Book Day’ from Owen Michael Johnson, Colin Bell and INDIO!
All-Ages.

Young Cadet Dredd must practice crowd control at a hotly contested Aeroball match!
Johnny Alpha, Strontium Dog in training, must pass his final exam while apprehending a perp!
Chet Jetstream is caught in a multi-path maze!
Future Shocks shows what games Minecraft characters play when they aren’t being played!
…and D.R. and Quinch pull off the ultimate retcon to gain fame and fortune! (But have to settle for infamy!)


(W) Jason Lutes (A/CA) Jason Lutes

Drawn & Quarterly presents the first issue of the comics masterpiece twenty years in the making, Berlin by the master cartoonist of his generation, Jason Lutes. A fascinating portrait of the twilight of the Weimar Republic, Berlin intertwines the narratives of communists and Nazis, Jews and gentiles, jazz musicians and swingers, rich and poor amidst the nation’s imminent turn to fascism. This FCBD issue includes exclusive bonus features, including an interview with Jason Lutes looking back on the landmark series, in anticipation of the hardcover release of the entire series in Fall 2018.
Teen Audiences.

Geez… has it really been 20 years since I bought the first issue?! Pick this up, but really, you should probably just read the graphic novels instead! 


Join the Belcher family for the 2018 Free Comic Book Day Bob’s Burgers comic book! Brought to you by the producers and animators of the hit TV show, this series brings back your three favorite Belcher kids, along with some brand-new stories from the minds of Bob and Linda. This comic includes new installments of Tina’s Erotic Friend Fiction, Louise’s Unsolved Mysteries and Curious Curiosities, Gene’s Rhymey Rhymes That Could Someday Be Songs, Linda’s Attempts to Take a Nice Family Picture in Front of the Restaurant (And How It Always Goes Wrong), and Bob’s Fantasy Food Trucks (If Money Were No Object).
Teen Audiences.

I’m not a fan of the show, but if you are, you’ll enjoy this comic! 


(W) Matt Groening (A/CA) Matt Groening

Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! Bart goes in search of adventure one particularly hot and boring summer day; Milhouse exacts revenge on his bullies; Lisa, of all people, gets her own “…the Clown” show; and Kang and Kodos make an ill-advised alien abduction. It’s a fabulous and frenetic funny book for the ages (all of them), and it’s all free!
All-Ages.

Always a fun read! This year, Lisa temps for Krusty the Clown as he recovers in the hospital! Bart must play outside, Milhouse goes Mitty, and Kang and Kodos get their Deliverance when they meet the Spucklers! 


(W) Grace Kraft (A) Christine Larsen (CA) Ayme Sotuyo

What time is it? It’s Adventure Time! As we prepare for the series finale of Cartoon Network’s beloved animated series, everyone’s favorite genderbent citizens of Ooo star in this all-new, original Fionna and Cake story, exclusive to this Free Comic Book Day issue. Fionna and Cake take a look at some of their favorite times together over the years before they jump off into another adventure.
All-Ages.

Fionna and Cake must deliver a bowl of punch to Prince Gumball’s semi-annual Punch Parade!


(W) Alan Martin (A) Brett Parson

Tales from Tank Girl’s past that illustrate how she became the loveable, unhinged idiot that she is today! Written by series co-creator Alan Martin, with artwork by fan-favorite series artist Brett Parson, and friends! Features classic Jamie Hewlett cover!
Teen Audiences.

Wow. A fun introduction! Give it a try, and check out the many graphic novels! 


(W) Svetlana Chmakova (A/CA) Svetlana Chmakova

Following the overwhelming success of Awkward and Brave, Svetlana Chmakova’s award winning Berrybrook Middle School series continues with its next installment, Crush! Jorge seems to have it all together. He’s big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he’s also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends. The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl… But when the group dynamic among the boys starts to shift, will Jorge be able to balance what his friends expect of him versus what he actually wants?
Teen Audiences.

If you haven’t read her books yet, do!  This is a charming introduction to the third volume in the series. 
Included is also the first chapter of W.I.T.C.H., from Disney Italy. The series originally ran from 2005-2012, before the kids graphic novel market matured, so Yen is reprinting the series via their JY imprint.


Kitty is dead… and Free Comic Book Day is just not the same without her! News of Kitty Ravencraft’s unexpected and mysterious demise spreads throughout the Kitty-verse! At Kitty Comix, opportunistic publisher Skip Stone finally has the death of his main character that he always wanted to exploit! Meanwhile, Kitty’s friends are suffering through the worst Free Comic Book Day ever without her… until Kitty’s ex-husband Derek the Warlock arrives in search of answers! When Kitty’s disembodied self rejects his unholy help, Derek decides to show Kitty what life without him would be like by zapping her into one Free Comic Book Day comic book after another!
Teen Audiences.

Kitty is finally dead! [Spoiler warning?] If you haven’t followed the comic, give it a try! It’s “Roger Rabbit” meets “Astro City” by way of Famous Studios!


(W) Sophie Goldstein, Simon Hanselmann, Dash Shaw, Georgia Webber, Carol Tyler, Ellen Forney, Anne Simon, Charles Glaubitz

Much like Fantagraphics’ well-received 2017 FCBD book, they have commissioned over 12 new pieces by their most popular authors, each creating a short comic relating directly to their newest book!
Teen Audiences.

A sampler of some of the most avant garde comics creators out there! Go ahead… I dare you to read this! 


(W) Max Gladstone (A) David Lopez

An exclusive preview of the upcoming Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network anthology featuring Alex de Campi, Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, Max Gladstone, David Lopez, LRNZ, Khoi Pham, Genevieve Valentine, and more talented creators working in the world of Shirow Masamune’s cyberpunk masterpiece. While traveling with a trade delegation to Shanghai, Major Kusanagi experiences a dramatic reunion with a wartime enemy – an American commando unit that shouldn’t exist anymore – and an old friend; a former Chinese agent now making her way as a civilian. With Aramaki kidnapped and the local bureaucrats less than helpful, Kusanagi will have to reckon with how much the city – and she herself – has changed, even as historical patterns repeat themselves like clockwork.
Teen Audiences.

A VERY satisfying chunk of story! You don’t need to know anything about Ghost in the Shell to enjoy this story! (I didn’t!) And then there’s the ad on the back cover…. Golosseum!


(W) Ian Boothby (A/CA) Nina Matsumoto

August is a brilliant inventor who is afraid of the outside. Charlie is a crack pilot who isn’t afraid of anything. Together these pals save lives every day. They also happen to be cats who pilot a powerful, mechanical dog suit! Always eager to leap into danger, this feline duo have their work cut out for them as they try to thwart Princess, an evil alien bent on enslaving mankind. Don’t let the fact that Princess looks like a cute, diaper-wearing baby fool you. She’s clever, determined, and totally ruthless. So when Princess and the browbeaten fools she calls servants enact a brilliant and dastardly plan to conquer Earth, August and Charlie pull out all the stops to save the day.
All-Ages.

Silly and fun! 


Howard Lovecraft stars in an all-new adventure with the events leading up to the animated feature film Howard Lovecraft & The Kingdom of Madness starring Christopher Plummer, Mark Hamill, and Jeffrey Combs. The book also includes a new story from The Steam Engines of Oz that lead up to the events before the animated feature film starring Ron Perlman, William Shatner, and Juliane Hough! And, being a big book of summer fun, there’s also games, puzzles, contests, augmented reality, and animation tips from the pros!
All-Ages.

A recap of Howard’s adventures so far, and an interesting steampunk version of Oz.


(W) Nick Spencer (A) Cliff Rathburn (A/CA) Ryan Ottley

New creative teams. New series. New directions. New beginnings. Fans will be able to read the first Amazing Spider-Man story from Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley in the Amazing Spider-Man/Guardians of the Galaxy Free Comic Book Day issue!
Teen Audiences.

We get a sample of the new creative team on Amazing Spider-Man, as Peter Parker has to balance fighting crime with finding an affordable apartment! With “Parker Luck”, what could go wrong?



1 COMMENT

  1. Some good looking books here, maybe I will see what is offered at my LCS (although not on that day as the crowds tend to keep me away). I’m commenting more properly because of Spider-Man though, because I just finished reading Secret Empire. So, I’m going to segue into wanting to write about that, but I swear it’s relevant to the new Spencer Spidey book.

    I thought SE was a terrific book, and I like it more than all of Bendis’ numerous maxiseries since the House of M, and also Millar’s Civil War. It also offers a conciliation to those series like some obnoxious elements in CW and CW2 (if you want it, which I do). What i really loved about this book though, was Spencer’s 90s sensibility to Marvel. By this I mean there was the Darkforce dimension (reminiscent of the 90s New Warriors story that ended in an annual), and also he used Quasar in the best way I’ve seen by anyone since Gruenwald’s series. Spencer was also imitating the Cap scene from Infinity Gauntlet with Thanos, and he then made it explicit by including those actual panels! So, there was lots of 90s Marvel goodness here and I now peg Spencer as a Marvelite from that era. Which ought to be informative on his Spider-Man take, perhaps.

    Other things to like about SE was its relevance and its being a classic Cap-cosmic cube, old as the hills story. None of the Marvel heroes were fascists, i.e. Danvers or Iron Man, and so i do find conciliation from previous series. The moral position of the fascist Cap to create his strong nation was drawn really well, and the moral positions of Nat and Tony were also well done. Sam had his truly edifying moment as returning as Captain America, which was just awesome. I haven’t read much of any of Sam Wilson: Captain America, but I want to see what I missed more now. And then fascist Cap’s no longer being able to pick up Thor’s hammer… really good, politically astute and smart.

    Totally loved SE and I thought I would like it, even though it hasn’t got much love by fans. I checked out Alex Jones’ reviews and they rate pretty high at 8/10 (a pull quote from The Beat is on the cover of the HC). The various artists on the book work in concert well (unlike AXIS, which is horrible), and Sorentino has some fascist thematic design pages reminiscent/worthy of a Steranko. Lastly, it’s as relevant today in a similar way to one of my favourite TV shows, The Good Fight.

    I don’t get criticism talking about a fascist Cap or that Danvers or Iron Man were made any worse by this series. I couldn’t remember whether The Beat was pro or not, (commentors vs contributors), and that’s why I looked for and found Alex’s reviews. This has me excited to see what Spencer can do for Spidey, and particularly if he is a child of the 90s (may influence, may not).
    [apologies for deviating from main purpose of article, just the Spencer and Spidey provided my prompt and I found it relevant enough]

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