Last week DC Comics announced Dark Crisis, their latest event spinning out of the events of Justice League #75’s “The Death of the Justice League”, which will kick off with a Free Comic Book Day special issue in May. Today the publisher has unveiled their full slate of Free Comic Book Day offerings, with Dark Crisis #0 FCBD Special Edition joined by a pair of sampler comics for young readers.
Joining Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Jim Cheung, & co.’s Dark Crisis on Free Comic Book Day from DC Comics are Galaxy: The Prettiest Star FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1, which features a preview of the young adult graphic novel starring a new transgender superhero from writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Jess Taylor, as well as DC League of Super-Pets FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1, a sample of writer Heath Corson and artist Bobby Timony‘s young readers graphic novel tie-in to the forthcoming animated movie.
Here are the full solicitations with cover images, including a first look at the Dark Crisis special with trade dress:
DARK CRISIS #0 FCBD SPECIAL EDITION
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON and more!
Art by JIM CHEUNG, DANIEL SAMPERE, and more!
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
32 pages | Standard periodical 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
ON SALE 5/7/22
Witness the rise and fall of the Justice League! The event years in the making is here with Dark Crisis. The Justice League is comics’ greatest super-team—made up of DC Comics’ legendary Super Heroes, they have saved the world countless times. No crisis was too much for them to handle…until now! The Justice League has been defeated by the Great Darkness and its army of DC’s most dangerous villains—now a new generation of heroes must rise to protect not only the Multiverse…but also the legacy of the DC Universe! A prelude to DC’s biggest story of 2022!
Includes a preview and art from Dark Crisis #1, coming in June! Don’t miss out on this Free Comic Book Day special featuring the blockbuster talents of Joshua Williamson, Jim Cheung, and Daniel Sampere! For free!
GALAXY: THE PRETTIEST STAR FCBD SPECIAL EDITION 2022 #1
Written by JADZIA AXELROD
Art and cover by JESS TAYLOR
$.30 NET per copy | 32 pages
Standard periodical
6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
ON SALE 5/7/22
IT TAKES STRENGTH TO LIVE AS YOUR TRUE SELF, AND A NEW CHARACTER IN THE DCU IS ABOUT TO TEST HER POWER.
Every day in Taylor Barzelay’s life might seem perfect—but every day is torture. Taylor is actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien princess from the planet Cyandii, and one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war. For six long, painful years, Taylor has accepted her duty to remain in hiding as a boy on Earth. But that all changes when Taylor meets Metropolis girl Katherine “call me Kat” Silverberg, whose confidence is electrifying. Suddenly, Taylor no longer wants to hide, even if exposing her true identity could attract her greatest enemies.
This Free Comic Book Day special edition is a standard periodical size and features an excerpt from the upcoming original graphic novel.
DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS FCBD SPECIAL EDITION 2022 #1
Written by HEATH CORSON
Art by BOBBY TIMONY
$.30 NET per copy | 32 pages
Standard periodical
6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″
ON SALE 5/7/22
There is nothing the Super-Pets love more than spending time with they’re heroes, but are finding it difficult to be taken seriously as members of the team when their humans just don’t understand them. But when Mr. Mxyzptlk (a magical imp from the fifth dimension) arrives in Metropolis with a plan to wreak a little chaos and destruction, the Justice League are caught in his trap! The Super-Pets will need to come up with a plan to prevent Mxy’s mischief from destroying the city—while somehow trying to rescue their human counterparts. The only problem is, they may need to recruit their greatest enemy in order to defeat him. This Free Comic Book Day special edition is a standard periodical size and features an excerpt from the upcoming original graphic novel DC League of Super-Pets: The Great Mxy-Up, which picks up immediately from where the movie leaves off!
DC’s three FCBD offerings are pared back this year from last year’s four titles, which is somewhat representative of the publisher’s output as a whole. Still, the three books on offer are a solid showcase for their full publishing spectrum, from the main line of monthly periodicals to the successful young adult and middle-grade graphic novel lines. The fact that the younger reader titles outnumber the traditional periodical offering also seems like a strong indicator that DC is focused on bringing in new readers, and in finding them where they live: in the graphic novel format.
The spotlight on Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, a book which according to author Jadzia Axelrod is about “about how being trans is beautiful and how queer love is transformative,” also feels particularly significant, and representative of DC’s overall trend over the last year-plus toward increased inclusivity in all of its books, from periodicals to original graphic novels.
Look for the trio of Free Comic Book Day titles from DC Comics to arrive in stores on Saturday, May 7th, 2022.
