Here we go! The following twelve titles are the ones you’ll find at all comics shops participating in Free Comic Book Day this Saturday!

Are they better than the Silver titles? Not necessarily, although many publishers will use the Gold title to push their bigger property, since that will get seen by more people. How many? Nobody really knows, but back in 2002, when nobody knew how successful it would be, Diamond did release figures for the Gold titles:

 Comic-book Title  Issue  Price  Publisher  Est. sales
*  FCBD Edition Ultimate Spider-Man   1   $0.12  Marvel  631,990
*  FCBD Edition Star Wars Tales: A Jedi’s Weapon   1   $0.12  Dark Horse  389,260
*  FCBD Edition Justice League Adventures   1   $0.12  DC  310,643
*  FCBD Edition Tomb Raider   1/2   $0.02  Image  238,679

Comic Book Resources reported that “more than 2 million comic books were given away” in 2002. So, would a million copies for the #1 title be possible this year?  5.6 million copies were ordered in 2015!

There are a few reprints below, but that’s not uncommon (see the above list!). Sometimes, it’s the first issue to introduce new readers to an ongoing series, like Archie.

Which are the best? Read on!


FCBD archie 2016ARCHIE #1 FCBD 2016 EDITION #1

Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
(W) Mark Waid (A/CA) Fiona Staples
Comic superstars Mark Waid and Fiona Staples reimagine an icon in this special FCBD reprint of the best-selling first issue of Archie! Change has come to Riverdale in the can’t-miss kick-off to Archie’s new ongoing series! As the new school year approaches, you’d think Archie Andrews would be looking forward to classes and fun – but nothing is as it seems in the little town of Riverdale. Is this a one-off, or a sign of bigger changes awaiting America’s favorite teens… and the entire town? Find out in this exciting, remarkable and critically acclaimed first issue!
Rating: Teen
 The first issue, reprinted, setting up the ongoing arc. Plus Jughead finds a cause as the new principal (!) changes the cafeteria menu! Fun stuff!

DYNAMITE-BOBS-BURGERS-FCBD-2016.jpgBOB’S BURGERS FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
(W/A) Various (CA) Sara Richard
The Belcher Family proudly celebrates this year’s Free Comic Book Day event with three wild and zany adventures featuring those lovable scamps Tina, Gene, and Louise, plus guest stars Bob, Linda, and all your favorites from Bob’s Burgers! It’s the official Bob’s Burgers comic book based on the fan-favorite (and Emmy Award-winning) Fox animated sitcom, jam-packed with the mouth-watering flavor that longtime fans and curious newcomers can enjoy!
Rating: All Ages
I’ve never seen the cartoon, so I’m the “new reader” that FCBD caters to! This is quirky. Not something I’ll buy, but I didn’t feel like I wasted time reading this. Fun stories, plus pin-ups!

BONGO-FREE-FOR-ALL-FCBD-2016.jpgBONGO COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: BONGO COMICS
(W/A/CA) Matt Groening
Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! Pieman and the Cupcake Kid take on a new crime team, Glutenus Maximus and his sidekick Gluten Tag, whose pastry-related misdeeds have led to a ban on all baked goods in Springfield! How will the heroic duo battle their foes without their arsenal of pies and cupcakes, and what’s worse…what will Homer do without his daily dose of donuts? Then, after an unfortunate trip to the dentist, Principal Skinner is mistaken for a vampire. It doesn’t help that Bart fuels the fire (and supplies the pitchforks) to an unruly mob uprising. All that and much, much more – and it’s all free!
Rating: All Ages
Bongo never disappoints on Free Comic Book Day! Pieman and Cubcake Kid are disarmed by the police! A PSA from Evan Dorkin! Principal Skinner faces an angry mob!

BOOM-SUMMER-BLAST-FCBD-2016.jpgBOOM! STUDIOS SUMMER BLAST FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
(W/A) Box Brown & Various (CA) Kat Leyh
In the BOOM! Studios 2016 Summer Blast, read all-new, original short stories of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Plus, get sneak peeks of the upcoming new Adventure Time: Comicsseries, the Lumberjanes: Don’t Axe, Don’t Tale special, and this summer’s highly anticipated original graphic novel from Archaia, The Cloud. As a bonus, we’ve included preview pages from Goldie Vance, our newest BOOM! Box debut. There’s something in this Free Comic Book Day issue for everyone!
Rating: All Ages
SIX stories! Nothing mind-blowing, but beautifully drawn! (Well, except for Adventure Time, and that’s okay for the story.) The Lumberjanes hear a ghost story, and Goldie Vance charms! Grab a copy!

IMAGE-CAMP-MIDNIGHT-1-FCBD-2016.jpgCAMP MIDNIGHT #1 FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
(W) Steven T. Seagle (A/CA) Jason Adam Katzenstein
Add a touch of spooky to your Free Comic Book Day this year with the first chapter of Ben 10 and Big Hero 6 creator Steven T. Seagle and New Yorker Magazine cartoonist Jason Adam Katzenstein’s Camp Midnight! Not wanting to please her “step monster,” reluctant Skye is dead-set on not fitting in. But when she’s accidentally sent to the wrong summer camp – Camp Midnight, where everyone attending is a full-fledged monster – Skye realizes that not fitting in will be the very least of her challenges! Camp Midnight is the perfect book for readers who love Raina Telgemeier’s Smile but wish it had more bowls of gooey eyeballs in the lunch scenes.
Rating: All Ages
A normal girl gets sent to the wrong camp, and she REALLY doesn’t fit in! Simple abstract illustrations, and it’s got a Man of Action writing! Grab it, then hand it to a weird kid on Halloween!

FCBD Marvel civil war 2016AVENGERS #1 FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: MARVEL COMICS

Marvel peels back the curtain on their can’t miss FCBD 2016 title, CIVIL WAR II #1!Before hero stands against hero, Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung bring you a snapshot of the conflict that will split the Marvel Universe in two!

But that’s not all! Beware the sting of the All-New Wasp! FCBD CIVIL WAR II #1 will also feature a special second story from All-New, All-Different Avengers writer Mark Waid and legendary artist Alan Davis. Be there as this mysterious new character makes their big debut! Are they friend or foe? How will their coming impact on the lives of the All-New, All-Different Avengers? The answers may surprise you, True Believer!

Not only do you get a lead in to the escalating conflict of Civil War II, but you’ll also be introduced to a big new character as the All-New Wasp rockets into the Marvel Universe.

Rating: T+

The Avengers beat-down Thanos! Mark Waid and Alan Davis (!) introduce the Wasp (with crazy Kirbyesque locales! Grab a copy!


DARK-HORSE-SER_HB_ALIENS-FCBD-2016.jpgDARK HORSE SERENITY/HELLBOY/ALIENS FCBD 2015 EDITION

Publisher: DARK HORSE COMICS
(W) Mike Mignola & Various (A) Tristan Jones & Various (CA) Sean Cooke
Need a reason to pick up Dark Horse Comics’ 2016 Free Comic Book Day offering? Here’s three: From Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, a lesson from Hellboy’s past is shared. From Brian Wood, a peek into the Aliens: Defiance series with an original tale. And from the world of Joss Whedon, a glimpse at the crew of the Serenity, following the film and the smash-hit series Leaves on the Wind!
Rating: Teen
A bedtime story from River! Hellboy reflects. And Aliens! Fun stuff!

TITAN-DOC-WHO-SPECIAL-FCBD-2016.jpgDOCTOR WHO: FOUR DOCTORS SPECIAL FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: TITAN COMICS
(W) Nick Abadzis & Various (A) Eleonora Carlini & Various
Jump on board the TARDIS with FOUR all-new short tales of the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors! Whether you’re a whizz with a Sonic Screwdriver or completely new to Who, this is the perfect Free Comic Book Day adventure for SF fans of all ages! Written and illustrated by the creative teams of the regular comics, this is the ideal place to start reading!
Rating: All Ages
No… not together!  #12 was okay, with the Doctor fighting a giant robot. #11… WOW. That’s a good story! #10 has Cindy getting a tour of the Tardis, and #9 deals with a geohacker, with some interesting tech!

IDW-PUB-ROM-SPACE-KNIGHT-0-FCBD-2016.jpgROM #0 FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Christos N. Gage, Chris Ryall (A) David Messina, Paolo Villanelli (CA) Zach Howard

He strikes from outer space… hurtling Earthward on his dead mission of cosmic vengeance! Rom is back for the first time in decades, and nothing can stop him! This introductory story re-introduces the character and leads into July’s all-new, ongoing series! Plus, in an exclusive prologue to June’s debut issue, the U.K.’s greatest weapon is on the warpath-and the fate of the world is in Action Man’s hands… as usual.

Rating: Teen

Ol’ Toaster Head is back! Your basic zero-issue introduction, with some extras. Action Man? He’s the British version of G.I.Joe (AKA Joe Colton) from the 70s, but this version is a one-man fighting force. Looks like fun!


FCBD DC Suicide Squad 2016SUICIDE SQUAD #1 FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: DC
Harley Quinn, Deadshot and King Shark lead a lethal team of death-row Super-Villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous – they’re sheer suicide!
Don’t miss this first issue of the hit series before the upcoming major motion picture, SUICIDE SQUAD!
Rating: Teen
Actually, “Teen Plus”. But you knew that already, didn’t you, since this is a reprint from 2011. (Although the indicia states “1987”.) Now… I realize there’s a big movie coming out in a few months, but why didn’t DC reprint the Palmiotti/Conner version of Harley Quinn instead? You know… the one that viewers of Deadpool might enjoy?
“Did you see Deadpool? Remember Harley Quinn from the Batman cartoons? Well get this… she’s dumped the Joker, inherited a freak show on Coney Island, is trying to help people, and she does roller derby on the side. Oh, and she’s got her own crime-fighting team!”
See how easy that is, DC? You avoid repeating the mistakes made with Starfire and Red Robin, which you might make again if fans from The Animated Adventures, when they see Harley being tortured, and then doing very bad things in the New52 trades.

FCBD_2016 Cover Final Final.inddVALIANT 4001 A.D. SPECIAL FCBD 2016 EDITION

Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
(W) Matt Kindt & Various (A) Clayton Crain & Various (CA) Clayton Crain
The most ambitious Valiant event yet starts right here on Free Comic Book Day with a shocking new vision of the future in 4001 A.D.! The war for the fate of the 41st century begins here with an exclusive, never-before-seen prelude to the blockbuster comics event of the summer by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt and superstar artist Clayton Crain. Rai! Eternal Warrior! X-O Manowar! Bloodshot! Geomancer!Armstrong! And more! The future of the Valiant Universe begins here! Plus: An all-new look inside Valiant’s next hit ongoing series, A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong, from Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente; Divinity II from Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine; plus an all-new slate of top-secret teasers, special features, surprises, and a newly added excerpt from the series that has everyone talking – the one and only Faith!
Rating: Teen
A five-page teaser to 4001 A.D.  Six pages of Divinity II, which features cosmonauts marooned on a distant planet. Five pages from the new Archer & Armstrong. Five pages of Faith. Six pages teasing Bloodshot Island, which is intriguing, even if I’m not familiar with the characters.  Valiant seems to be publishing superhero titles which are accessible and intriguing, without being typically “superheroic”.

VIZ-MEDIA-POKEMON-POCKET-COMICS-FCBD-2016.jpgFCBD 2016 VIZ PERFECT SQUARE POKEMON POCKET COMICS

Publisher: VIZ MEDIA LLC
(W/A/CA) Santa Harukaze
To the forest! To the sea! To Legendary Island! Join our Pokémon pals on a quest through Unova for the Legendary joke – while testing your Pokémon knowledge and laughing all the way!
Rating: All Ages
Lots of short, four-panel strips about Pokemon. I don’t get it, but fans might…


10 COMMENTS

  1. Considering those of us that live in a fake country, ‘USA’, how long until we start getting charged for ‘free’ comics on FCBD? Start it off 25 cents for the ‘alternative’ covers, right -like good consumers/’Americans’ while we purchse it we will just tell ourselves to Think Positive and Pray, instead of just not paying for the same regurgitated predictable censored crap. As long as we cater to the largest markets, India, and China, is all that matters, and regardless of the ‘plot’ ‘Americans’ will keep spending… Lets all just nod our head like the NYC radio hip hop talk show Alonso was on when he said Rawhid Kid had to be ‘gay’ since his hair was red… Not like any other superhero wearing his underpants on the outside of skin tight tights would not fit in a gay pride parade, but Rawhide Kid is gay, according to Alonso, because he has red hair… I get attacked on the reg, the last time was by rednecks that called me a red headed faggot… Gotta keep perpetuateing the ‘Ameican’ anti-culture in comics, and keep spending yall…, right????

  2. Hey Aaron, how about not participating in free comic book day if it upsets you so much. The issues you are ranting about should be reserved for a therapist, not the small slice of pop culture that is the American funny book.

  3. Hey, how about acknowledge that Free Comic Book Day is a joke, considering the rest of the days in this year, in this fake country ‘USA’, are all about having pepole spend over $3.50 on a ‘comic book’ that is mainly about brand identity, merchandising advetisements disguised as entertainment, predictable censored social engineering crap originating from stories based on four things mainly
    1, homoerotic power fantasy fulfillment,
    2. christian/conservative-extermist censoring AKA the Comics Code Authority,
    3. Speculator’s bubbles =look Wolverine (today DeadPool) is on the cover! Look it says FIRST ISSUE! Gotta pay extra for the variant edition,
    4.and branding, like the only reason Wolverine and Spider-Man joined the Avengers is for cross branding character-based asset awareness to setup for the Disney buy-out, and now for the movies

    -All nothing to really do with maintaining consistent quality creative forms of sequential, but everything to do with Will Eisner having that puke crawl up his throat, he was not fond of the ‘American’ super hero, and here we are using his name to award super hero creators that churn out the same predictable social engineering crap that people are PAYING FOR. I do not fit in people’s comfort zones, I have red hair and I am not 110% into American bigot culture -things like guns, trucks, sports (how does sports breed ‘team work’ yet if you are not able to talk about sports ‘Americans’ are ‘entitled’ to make you a target for abuse? -teamwork?), bilble thumping, or the military- so that makes me automatically a target for abuse, and alienation, and then to hear someone like Alonso, whom I used to admire, expect pepole to pay for this crap, and then refer to all homosexuals as having red hair, or people w/red hair are all supposed to be gay; youtube “”Editor Of Marvel Comics Talks Hip Hop Variants & Comic Book Culture” at two minutes (total of 21:50 minutes) he talks up his b.s., and as long as the culture he is talking to, in this instance hip hop culture, they will just nod their heads -cuz all they are both looking for is not to think critically, but just to advertise -here they are talking about ‘street culture’, then they stry to legitimize being part of corporate/foreign culture -while still trying to represent ‘street’ (last time I checked street is ‘street’, because of the bigotry perpetuated w/in corporate ‘culture’/anti-culture =it is all total b.s. -it is. Think people = Respond to me = there has got to be somebody out there knows what Im sayn.. but then again…

    We need to acknowledge the USA is a fake country for consumers, not real people. We are constantly overcharged for crap, and different variations of crap all made to break down, nothing else but crap makes up our traffic, asphalt, strip malls and parking lots (our typical ‘American’ anti-environment), and the rest of our fake ‘culture’. We have free comic book day, and just because I say something that does not fit your comfort zone, -actually yeah, it does mean you should be mean, and alienating, and respond w/out ever an ounce of understanding: this is ‘the USA’; hate, alienation, bigotry, consumerism, be mean to those that do not fit your comfort zone, or make a joke out of types of people that do not fit your ‘culture’ and your ‘people’ -have PRIDE, right, America!: people spending on overpriced crap, and act ‘grateful’ for a free ‘comic book’ =hey how about a $2.00 per comic book month?!?!?!, instead of just one FCBD? Have pride in ‘street culture’ (in reference to the youtube video I referenced), and do not spin records that have nothing to do with selling drugs, pimping, and acting like a money gubbing self centered consumer -Grand Master Flash “The Message” will never be rep’d in sequential, since it would bring awareness to how real ‘street’ life is -the hell it is, and the pride you gain from surviving in it, and how that can bring one to an edge -well then create music and culture that will bring someone over the edge to peaceful protesting (civl right movement never existed???) and commutity organizing , instead of singing about being a ‘hater’, or calling women ‘b*+ches’, -or instead of chruning out the same ‘comic book’ crap, and give me a Marvel version of a Contract w/God, instead of marketing b.s. based on -duhhh, im alonso red hair means ‘gay’ yall- which are meant to hook in ‘comic book’ readers, instead of any real *sequential*, or thought process behind the marketing.

    Here we go Americans making an effort to be mean and their remarks followig below -Dont think, just go U! S! A!:

  4. Yaaay Free Comic Book Day: for the rest of the days, please frequent you local used book stores, and flea markets, and avoid paying cover price for anything… PLEASE.

    Please repsond w/suggestions on how to avoid paying cover price for this b.s.: Thanks!

  5. Aaron Browne’s comments provide more free entertainment than any free comic book ever will. He is by far the most interesting contributor to this site.

  6. Word to yer mutha, Roto13: KEEP SPENDING ON CRAP, Rotoa]13. You da roto-man, Roto’route yo money straigt into the till, and keep that emulating machine o’ yours working those stigmas, and roles, and brand identities… OR STOP SPENDING ON ADVERTISEMENT RIDDEN MERCHANDISING MAXIMIZATION MACHINATIONS, and work yo’ brain into MAKING YOUR OWN SEQUENTIAL IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM -leave a panel open for advertising though, right… LOL (Willie E.’s all rolling over in his grave =what does Dennis Kitchen think of all this)!!! Do you *really* still think the USA still exists, consumer…??? Lets bring it back…

    Here we go: create some sequential that could be used to teach students how to be involved, and how to enhance involvement in democracy and goverment, i.e. how to be involved in town hall meetings, how to meet your congressmen, and city council members, how to contact and make a case for journalists, and business ‘leaders’/anti-leaders, and how to find out which non-violent peaceful protestors are full of b.s. and which ones will not have you end up with a police officer peeling back your gas mask while your arms are hooked together with other non-violent protestors, and spray pepper spray in your gas mask, or how to deal w/your emotions during said process -yes, consumers CAN have emotions, instead of making an effort to act dry, and passive aggressively pretentious about flicking your finger at a screen instead of respectfully acknowledge anyone ‘different’-. Do it. Do it-Do it… Do it. -to paraphrase Ben Stiller in his Starsky and Hutch remake (yes I just went there…). AND THEN have your work of sequential be just given away, not even on FCBD -oh, yeah, and I went there, too… “Inbetween the cover of another perfect wonder, and its so white as snow…” RHCP -and I know you wanna get in dat cover, yo -heeeyyyyy yoooo, whoooaaa-ah

    THEN, make a work o sequential that will let high school senior students know how valuable their work could be making sure every new senior class is able to know about participation in governement, and democracy -but then here is your twist right, you make the sequential real, you show how there is no way in hell a ‘society’ that breeds consumers willing to pay $4.00+ for a ‘comic book’ are going to be able to have their emulating machings / ‘brains’ perpetuate any level of cooperation, tolerance, willingness to learn and train others different, -and then conclude the story, or like maybe have a final ‘one-shot’ issue depicting why you think Free Comic Book Day does not already have comics that would show people how to meet their congressmen, and city council members, go to town hall meetings, or be involved in non-violent protesting (you know! those things that are part of an ‘American’ woman’s legacy, as if women in ‘the USA’ would ever be able to work and vote otherwise, for example… or how about the lessons to be learned from the actions of Aaron Schwartz, anyone???).

    Wake up, Roto13k and let me know of ways you can avoid paying full price on a ‘comic book’…. Hey, maaaaan, yo -check out NuMarvel -that sweet spot when Marvel had nothing to lose and could churn out real sequential content (for the most part -there were still ads, and alot of decompressed stories that demanded you buy another issue to compensate -for the smaller number of titles they had us buy more comics in long run…, and Quesada would sometimes switch up the art quality pull the ol one’two switch like on ‘e is for Extinction’, which was total b.s. and he ended up being worse a huckster than Lee, like The Return was going to ‘break the Internet in half…’ -there is hype, and then there are plain outright lies, and I am sick of lies), just after the speculators bubble got everyone all sticky and caught w/their pants down, and before the scramble to take advantage of all that money to be made from the dot com, and housing ‘bubbles’/scams so that Disney could muster up the 8.5 BILLION to conglomerate Star Wars and Marvel, ya’know that same time banks were absorbing other banks, and while livability still degrades… -WTO sets a standard of centralization and monopolization, not propagation and democratization, and Permutter is no fool to that fact, shiiiii-iiit, man -the USA dont exist no mo’ -we consumers, and FCBD is a joke, just like our fake lives. Asphalt, grueling traffic, junk food, getting cancer is matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’, no cooperation, over priced everything, and a FCBD that should give away their crap sure, but also throw in something real -or MAKE SOMETHING REAL YOURSELF AND JUST GIVE IT AWAY GIVE IT AWAY GIVE IT AWAY NOW…!

  7. I hope you realize nobody is actually reading your weird manifestos. And changing your name doesn’t make it any less obvious that it’s you posting.

Comments are closed.