Yes, there are 52 comics being offered this Saturday! (Collect them all!) Some of them are from well-known publishers and characters, others are a bit obscure.
Since most stores limit how many comics you can grab, I’ve compiled a list in three parts, with simple reviews. Here’s the first, featuring the Gold sponsors, which are comics which every participating store receives.
The master list can be found here:
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BONGO FREE-FOR-ALL
Publisher: BONGO COMICS
(W/A/CA) Matt GroeningBongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day…with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gang escalate and elevate their juvenile delinquency to new heights. Stick around for a bedtime tale with the dim but adorable Li’l Homer and go in search of the Happy Little Elves with Maggie.
Bart causes mayhem by being perfectly behaved, Scratchy gets a face lift, little Homer learns the wrong lesson, and Jimbo and Dolph seek advice from Bart. Mindless fun! Read it, then pass it on to a Simpsons fan who didn’t know there were comics!
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DH STAR WARS CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT AVATAR
Publisher: DARK HORSE
(W) Joshua Williamson & Various (A/CA) Ryan Hill & VariousAll-ages adventure! Star Wars joins fan-favorite villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett! Then explore the upcoming Dark Horse series Captain Midnight, where the search for the missing superhero is on! And the smash hit Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Mai as she deals with her broken heart . . .
Boba Fett is involved with the assassination of Darth Vader (before Episode IV), Captain Midnight, and Avatar!
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INFINITY
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Jim Cheung
No preliminary information from Marvel. Maybe it’s to build suspense and excitement, but this is just a prelude, and not too exciting or intriguing.
Thanos’ first appearance is also included. As is a preview of “Avengers: Endless Wartime”, the original graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Mike McKone.
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ITS AN UGLY DOLL COMIC & OTHER STUFF
Publisher: VIZ LLC
(W) David Horvath & Various (A) James Kolchaka & Various
Say, Friend. Do you need a hero? Then this comic isn’t for you. (Though being Ugly is a super power – “ugly” means unique!) Do you need a cookie? Then this is your book! Join OX™, Wage™, Babo™, Ice-Bat™ and all their friends in the Uglydolls‘ first ever comic book adventure. The Uglydolls may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they sure will eat your candy! And don’t miss the bonus features from other famous members of the VIZ Kids family!It’s An Uglydoll Comic will also feature samples of the upcoming Pokemon Pocket Comics [coming Fall 2013] which are a collection of full color, self contained, fun and funny comic strips featuring pokemon from Pokemon Black and White. Also featured are samples of the upcoming Hello Kitty graphic novels [October 2013] which are full color original stories by American artists such as Jacob Chabot [Mighty Skullboy Army]. The last property to be included is Mameshiba, the strange, unique, and absolutely adorable combination of a bean and a dog put together.
Ugly Doll… kinda fun, but not my cuppa.
mameshiba… three pages of teaser.
Hello Kitty… a cute silent story.
Pokemon… eight strips. Too inside baseball?
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KABOOM SUMMER BLAST
Publisher: BOOM ENTERTAINMENT(W/A/CA) VariousAn explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises, these series will keep readers young and old coming back to your comic shop again and again!
Adventure Time (in a mathematical story!), Regular Show, Herobear and the Kid (returning to comics!), Ice Age, Peanuts (didja know Linus is like a baseball mitt?), and Garfield! Chock full of comics!
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SESAME STREET & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Publisher: APE ENTERTAINMENT(W) Georgia Ball, Jason M. Burns (A/CA) Amy MebbersonOn side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It’s GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away!On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures! Includes “The Blue Flu”, “The Hunt for Blackberry’s Treasure”, and “Blueberry’s Book Tour”. It’s a bushel of fun!
Elmo learns what it means to be a hero! Strawberry Shortcake and friends have fun!
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SPONGEBOB COMICS FREESTYLE FUNNIES
Publisher: UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES(W) Derek Drymon, Maris Wicks (A) Graham Annable & VariousUnited Plankton brings you a completely original collection of SpongeBob comics for FCBD 2013. In “Paint Misbehavin'” Squidward teaches SpongeBob and Patrick how to paint realistically–but how did they learn to bring their painted creations to life? Then in “Day of the Free Comic” SpongeBob must foil Plankton’s latest plan: invading the Krusty Krab inside a…giveaway comic book! Will funny books ever be the same? And: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy take on a new villain: the sultry Catfishstress. All this plus facts about the colorful cuttlefish, a fill-in comic, and a preview of this summer’s SpongeBob superhero-themed annual!
Patrick and Spongebob learn to paint, and because they don’t know the rules, turn surreal. Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy battle the Catfishstress! Sheldon gives out free comics to steal the secret of Crabby Patties! (I wonder if Big Boy ever had that trouble?) Then there is a four-page preview of the reunion of the Aquatic Adventurers, who will appear in the upcoming SpongeBob Comics Annual-Size Super-Giant Swimtacular #1! (with flashbacks by Gerry Ordway!)
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SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION
Publisher: DCSuperman: The Last Son of Krypton #1 is a great jumping-on point for fans who can’t wait to see Warner Bros. Pictures’ Man of Steel major motion picture! This issue features the first chapter of the Superman: Last Son of Krypton graphic novel, written by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns and illustrated by Adam Kubert, featuring Superman’s epic battle with General Zod and the Phantom Zone villains. In addition, it includes a special sneak preview of the blockbuster new monthly series starring The Man of Steel by the all-star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee!
What’s this? Superman in red trunks? Oh, it’s a graphic novel. And no, General Zod does not appear in this preview. But someone else does, and he creates some interesting intrigue.
Wait… wasn’t this published in Action Comics back in 2006, completed in 2008? (The cover was drawn in 2011.) Does this trade tie-in to the movie?
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THE SMURFS
Publisher: NBM(W/A) Peyo & Various (CA) PeyoTHE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him- a nasty Ogre? Will the Smurfs let the Ogre destroy Gargamel, or will they decide to help their oldest foe? Find out in “The Ogre and the Smurfs”! Also featuring comics from two of the hottest new Papercutz series-ANNOYING ORANGE and ARIOL, a new series from Emmanuel Guibert!
Gargamel tries to save his skin (literally) from an ogre, by leading him to the Smurfs village. Annoying Orange competes in bowling. And Ariol gets lost in a book!
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TMNT NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES
Publisher: IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC
(W/A) Various (CA) Dario BrizuelaJumping from screen to page, it’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full of action, excitement and laughs, this is the perfect all-ages comic to get you seeing green!!
The turtles step outside their comfort zone, and learn a new lesson.
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WALKING DEAD SPECIAL
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff RathburnThis special Walking Dead issue contains a new Tyrese short story, who made his television debut in The Walking Dead Season 3! It also reprints short stories featuring Michonne, The Governor and Morgan. This special issue is a must-have for Walking Dead fans–none of these stories will be reprinted in the trade paperbacks!
This will probably be collected into a hardcover edition. But it wouldn’t hurt to grab a copy for a friend who watches the show.
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WORLD OF ARCHIE DIGEST
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS(W/A) Various (CA) TBDArchie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead! The world’s most famous teenagers for over seven decades are all here in this FREE digest! Packed with non-stop laughs and gaffs that the Riverdale gang is known for, we challenge you to find a Free Comic Book Day offering with more pages than this! The perfect introduction to the world of Archie and friends, this digest is a great primer to the double digests that Archie Comics are known for. Filled with stories from some of the best creators in the business, this is the one to pick up on Free Comic Book Day!
And Archie wins the prize for biggest (and smallest) comic, with almost 100 pages of comics! Classic and modern Archie stories, plus Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Jughead!
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They’ve said in the solicitation for the FCBD Walking Dead issue (RIGHT ON THE FCBD WEBSITE) that none of the stories within are going to be reprinted in the trades (though three of the four stories ARE reprints themselves. The Michonne story appeared in Playboy magazine, the Governor story appeared in a CBLDF special and I gather the Morgan story was in the regular books…
Actually what it says in the solicitation for the FCBD Walking Dead issue is that none of the stories are going to be reprinted in trade PAPERBACKS. Collecting the stories in future hardcover compilations seems probable.
It seems that the Walking Dead comic is like Fantagraphics’ Peanuts FCBD comic.
That comic featured many early Peanuts strips which had never been collected into a paperback edition.
(But which would be part of the hardcover series published by Fantagraphics.)
For completists and fans, it’s a rarity, something like a Wizard 1/2 issue.
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