Silver sponsors are titles which are optional for stores to order.
Not all stores will have the following titles, and many that do will probably order smaller quantities.
Please remember that stores pay for these free copies, so be sure to check out the cool merchandise while you visit, and maybe buy a comic or t-shirt!
FCBD 2015 MERCURY HEAT DEBUT (MR)
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
(W) Kieron Gillen (A/CA) Omar Francia[No summary, age rating.]
Kieron Gillen also wrote Phonogram, and Über, which I recommended last year.
This is hard science fiction, set in a future where Mercury is used as a solar energy farm. Luiza, deemed psychologically unfit to be a police officer on Earth, instead becomes a freelance cop on Mercury.
Half of the book is text and sketches, detailing the creation of this fascinating world. (Did you know Mercury is habitable? But you have to keep moving ahead of the sunrise.) The trade is worth a read.
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FCBD 2015 MOTORCYCLE SAMURAI
(W/A/CA) Chris SheridanLook hard into the storm clouds. You may yet see her, mounted on her electric steed, streaking past. The last hero of the West… THE MOTORCYCLE SAMURAI! It’s been called “the new benchmark for indie digital comics.” Now discover the mad genius of The Motorcycle Samurai for yourself, as Chris Sheridan does the unthinkable: brings his creation to print! Top Shelf celebrates FREE COMIC BOOK DAY with 24 pages of full-color action, whetting appetites around the world for the future release of The Motorcycle Samurai graphic novel. Now saddle up and let’s ride!
Rating: Teen
Yup… the latest iteration of the American Monomyth! Part Western, part Martial Arts, with a straightforward smile reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim. This should appeal to younger and older readers.
FCBD 2015 OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE
(W) Robert M. Overstreet, J. C. VaughnWhen Action Comics #1 sells for $3.2 million, Incredible Hulk #1 sells for $326,000, the original art for Wolverine’s first brief appearance sells for $657,000, and when cosplay has exploded to unparalleled heights, it’s time for a look inside the market. The Free Comic Book Day 2015 issue of Overstreet’s Comic Book Marketplace from the team behind The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and the new Overstreet “How To” series is a perfect introduction to the fun and history of comic book collecting.
Rating: All-Ages
Their yearly magazine, with some interesting articles.
FCBD 2015 PHANTOM SPECIAL
(A) Bill Lignante & VariousThe Phantom, the grand-daddy of costumed heroes celebrates Free Comic Book Day 2015 with a volume showcasing stories by some of the greatest artists to ever create tales for this ground-breaking title featuring The Ghost Who Walks. This 32 page book will feature work from the Gold Key and King Phantom comics created by Bill Lignante; from the Charlton Phantom comics created by Jim Aparo and Don Newton and will offer samples of the newest Phantom story created by Peter David and Sal Velluto. Hermes Press’ Phantom FDBD issue will also offer bonus material and tons of surprises!
Rating: All-Ages
A nice reprint volume of Phantom stories.
FCBD 2015 RABBIDS
(W) Thitaume (A/CA) Romain PujolSpinning Out of the hit videogame and TV series, the Rabbids are taking over FCBD. Their hilarious antics are sure to entertain fans of all ages!
Rating: All-Ages
Publisher: PAPERCUTZThe Rabbids engage in one-page gags. Ariol, collector of sticker albums, meets a disgruntled fan. Gargamel meets his long-lost twin (and we meet Sassette Smurf!) Garfield saves the day.
FCBD 2015 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEGA MAN WORLDS UNITE PRELUDE
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
(W) Ian Flynn (A) Gary Martin & Various (CA) Evan Stanley & Various[No summary. Didn’t they do this last year? Oh, wait… that was World’s Collide.]
First note… this flip cover? It’s one cover. The blast and dimensional ripple continue across the spine!
We get recaps of What Has Gone Before, explaining the villains, and some history.
I think this ties in with the latest Sonic videogame…no idea about Capcom. A 14-issue crossover.
FCBD 2015 STAN LEE CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE
Publisher: GRAPHIC INDIA
(W) Stan Lee & Various (A) Jeevan Kang & Various (CA) Jeevan KangBased on the animated shorts seen on Angry Birds ToonsTV with over 25 Million views worldwide, ‘Chakra The Invincible’ is the latest superhero from legendary creator, Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, The Avengers, X-Men, Iron Man, and more. This all-ages comic features short stories of Chakra The Invincible for kids and superhero fans of all ages.
Rating: All-Ages
Stan Lee creates a young hero! Lots of fun, not too heavy on the message, and multi-platform-ic.
FCBD 2015 STEAMPUNK GOLDILOCKS
Publisher: ANTARCTIC PRESS
(W/A) Rod Espinosa[No summary posted.]
An interesting idea… Goldilocks and Miss Muffett are hired by the Dark Queen to steal a MacGuffin from the Three Bears. Unfortunately, their appetites get in the way.
Fun, cute characters by Rod Espinoza!
FCBD 2015 STREET FIGHTER SUPER COMBO SPECIAL
Publisher: UDON ENTERTAINMENT CORP
(W) Matt Moylan (A) Jeffrey Chamba Cruz & Various (CA) Joe NgFive generations of World Warriors collide in this epic new Street Fighter story for Free Comic Book Day 2015! Ryu, Charlie, Crimson Viper, Ibuki, and more put their martial arts skills to the test as they battle across the globe. A self-contained story, perfect for newcomers to the Street Fighter universe, or longtime fans!
Rating: Teen
A bunch of vignettes. I do love the Tom of Finland physiques, and would love to see a Capcom-sponsored DC superhero comic!
FCBD 2015 STUFF OF LEGEND CALL TO ARMS
(W) Mike Raicht & Various (A) Charles Paul Wilson, Alex Eckman-Lawn (CA) Mike RaichtTh3rd World Studios is proud to announce the triumphant return of The New York Times bestselling series, THE STUFF OF LEGEND. Left scattered across the Dark in the aftermath of the Boogeyman’s deceit, our band of Toys must pick up the pieces or risk losing their boy forever in this Preview of The Stuff of Legend, Volume 5 – A Call to Arms. Also featured is a preview of the brand new all-ages original graphic novel series being hailed as the next Avatar – The Last Airbender: THANATOS DIVER! When Samantha dares to search for adventure in the sunken city beneath her boring island home, she discovers a portal to a world both impossibly exciting and even more dangerous than anything she’d ever imagined. While opening the portal brings Sam to a place full of mysterious creatures, strange cities, and uncharted lands!
Rating: All-Ages
A brief prologue, and then silent pages from an upcoming story?
Thanatos Diver sets the stage, but doesn’t hit the cliffhanger mentioned above in the solicitation. A webcomic, it has an interesting art style.
FCBD 2015 SUPERMUTANT MAGIC ACADEMY STEP ASIDE POPS COMBO
Publisher: DRAWN & QUARTERLY
(W/A/CA) Jillian Tamaki, Kate BeatonDrawn & Quarterly celebrates its 25th year in publishing with this special edition all-ages FCBD previewing two of its biggest books for 2015.
Kate Beaton is back with Step Aside, Pops! her 2015 follow-up to her bestselling debut, Hark! A Vagrant, with more irreverent and hilarious comics on history and literature. Sharing the billing is Jillian Tamaki, best known for co-creating Skim and This One Summer – moody and atmospheric award winners. SuperMutant Magic Academy, which Jillian has been serializing online for the past four years, paints a teenaged world filled with just as much ennui and uncertainty, but also with a sharp dose of humor. Drawn & Quarterly’s FCBD showcases two of the best known women in comics today and is ideal for retailers looking to expand and diversify their customer base.
Rating: All-Ages
For all the cool kids who hang out in the school library! Kate Beaton continues her Hark! webcomic, covering a wide variety of subjects!
Jillian Tamaki, one of the latest greatest cartoonists, offers samples from her new book, available NOW! (Well done, D+Q!)
FCBD 2015 TALES OF HONOR
(W) Matt Hawkins (A/CA) Linda SejicAn original Honor Harrington story! Set in the universe of the best-selling military science fiction novels by David Weber, this self-contained zero issue is the lead in for the new ongoing series also launching in May. On patrol in the Silesian Confederacy, Honor and crew chase a pirate vessel only to have it eject its human cargo of slaves into space. Horrified at the callous disregard for life, the crew of the HMS Fearless investigate and uncover a vast conspiracy by the planet Mesa to provide genetically enhanced slaves to the seedy underbelly of the various Star Kingdoms.
Rating: Teen+
A franchise, set a few centuries into the future, of your typical “space empires go to war” storyline. I liked the map schematics up front, along with the summary. The story was interesting, but nothing special.
FCBD 2015 TEEN TITANS GO SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP
DC Entertainment’s all-ages FCBD special edition has two tales for readers of all ages! The Teen Titans are back in Teen Titans Go! Chapter 10, and Scooby Doo Team Up! #6 features the Super Friends! Readers will want to follow the adventures of the Teen Titans in Teen Titans Go! Volume 1, and Scooby Doo’s adventure with the Super Friends will continue in the forthcoming collected edition of Scooby Doo Team-Up! Super-hero adventures for readers of all ages have never been so much fun!
Rating: All-Ages
Teen Titans Go! is very similar to the cartoon. Scooby-Doo Team-Up is a guilty pleasure, as those meddling kids share adventures with other cartoon superstars! (Superfriends! Johnny Quest! Secret Squirrel! The Jetsons!) If you don’t want to waste your pick on this title, then I STRONGLY recommend you buy S-DT-U#6! Were I editing a collection of the best DC team-ups from the past 75 years, this would be one of the stories included!
dun Dun DUNNNN…
FCBD 2015 TERRIBLE LIZARD #1
(W) Cullen Bunn (A/CA) Drew MossThe touching story of a girl and her T-Rex… with a healthy dose of collateral damage and kaiju fighting on the side! When the scientists of Cosmos Labs punch a hole through spacetime, they pull a ferocious dinosaur into the present. The dinosaur imprints on teenage Jessica, proving to be more mischievous than vicious. But he is not alone, as transdimensional monsters begin attacking our world, and now Jessica and her new friend Wrex have to save the universe! For fans of bad science, dinosaurs, giant monster battles, and friendship, the all-ages friendly and action-packed TERRIBLE LIZARD begins here!
Rating: All-Ages
Jessica’s father, funded by the U. S. military, manages to teleport a dinosaur via time travel. It instantly imprints on Jessica! But… there’s a cliffhanger… what happens next? Find out in the trade paperback, IN STORES NOW! (Well done, Oni! But I’m also curious about those titles advertised in the back of the book. How about some digital downloads online?)
FCBD 2015 THE TICK
Publisher: NEW ENGL(W) Jeff McClelland (A/CA) Duane RedheadTHE TICK returns for FCBD 2015 with 32 pages of FULL-COLOR comic book fun! In the ALL-NEW lead story, The Tick & Arthur’s apartment is haunted by a ghost from The Tick’s mysterious past—an entity who claims to be The Tick’s FIRST sidekick and it won’t rest in peace until… well, we can’t give everything away! Plus more full-color story fun featuring The Tick! Great for fans new and old!
Rating: All-Ages
We learn (maybe) of The Tick’s pre-history. We learn what happens between the panels from an old story. And Art tries to see some art, but real life gets in the way!
FCBD 2015 TMNT PRELUDE TO VENGEANCE
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Tom Waltz, Bobby Curnow (A/CA) Mateus SantoloucoThe Turtles’ final battle with Shredder begins here! This book will take us inside the minds of key characters in the TMNT universe, revealing the epic moments that have led to the present, as well as setting the stage for the biggest storyline yet with all new material!
Rating: Teen+
Wow… the turtles have really changed! Nice bit of backstory and recaps, lots of fighting!
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FCBD 2015 VALIANT 25TH ANNIVERSAY SPECIAL
(W) Jeff Lemire & Various (A) Butch Guice & Various (CA) Rafa SandovalValiant’s 25th year is going to be the biggest one yet! The silver anniversary celebration begins right here on Free Comic Book Day! Bloodshot, X-O Manowar and the rest of Valiant’s fearless heroes are taking center stage for a star-studded, jam-packed anniversary smash celebrating 25 years of Valiant comics!
The year’s can’t-miss celebration officially kicks off on May 2nd in the FCBD 2015: Valiant 25th Anniversary Special – featuring two all-new stories and a myriad of never-before-seen special features chronicling Valiant’s storied place in comics history! First, New York Times-bestselling writer Jeff Lemire and blockbuster artist Butch Guice chronicle the devastating fallout of The Valiant as Bloodshot rises from the ashes to unleash a never-before-seen prelude to Bloodshot Reborn! Then, Valiant superstars Robert Venditti and Rafa Sandoval throw down the gauntlet for an action-packed introduction to the world of X-O Manowar and an all-new tale of Dead Hand! Plus: Ninjak; Imperium; Divinity; Ivar, Timewalker; Rai; special guests from throughout Valiant’s decades-long history; a cavalcade of special surprises!
Jump on board here to relive the ground-breaking journey that established Valiant as the largest and most acclaimed independent universe in comics – and witness the action-packed first steps toward 25 more history-making years!
Rating: Teen
We get a nice interview with Jeff Lemire and a preview of the new, depowered Bloodshot! A short tone piece on X-O Manowar, plus a nice pin-up. Also, a nice selection of reading lists which intrigues me! Valiant seems to be a nice tight universe, without too many complications, even when considering the earlier output.
FCBD 2015 WORLDS OF ASPEN
(W) J. T. Krul, Vince Hernandez (A) Alex Konat, Claudio Avella (CA) Alex Konat[No summary or age rating given.]
Fathom Blue and Eternal Soulfire are introduced in this issue. Soulfire looks interesting, but not my cuppa.
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