Comic Book Journal

How it works - at least at my store - is everyone gets to pick 3 free comics. I don’t know if this limit was imposed by the store or by the FCBD folks. If this was done differently at your store, let me know.

First pick was Image’s The Astounding Wolf-Man, done by comic’s resident horror buff Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies). First off, this book looks great. The style is very cartoon-like, very stylized, with gray-on-red coloring scheme that gives it a very unique flavor. Its one of those few comics that doesn’t wuss after the turn the cover page. I’m curious where this thing is going - our hero gets savagely mauled and turns into a werewolf. Yet the kinetic style and proportioned pencils seem to be more indicative of a superhero book rather than a straight-up horror. And lastly, how does a vampire just stroll into someone’s house? I thought they had to be invited! Regardless, I’m really looking forward to seeing what this one has to offer.

Next, we have Dynamite Entertainment’s Lone Ranger/Battlestar Galactica flipbook. For clarification, no, this isn’t a crossover (but how cool would that be?), but half a comic devoted to one title and another half - flipped over - centering on the other title. The Lone Ranger absolutely rocks. Its packed with great art, humor, pathos and everything else we read comics for. Battlestar Galactica, not so much. Its not bad, but it ends on a cliffhanger, and there’s not really much in the immediate characterization or interaction that keeps us coming back for more - especially since its a prequel.

And finally, there’s Twomorrow’s Comics 101: How-To & History Lessons from the Pros. This one’s the most meaty - you learn a lot in a short amount of time about everything from proportion and perspective to story and style. It’s extremely informative - though perhaps too centered on superheroes in its history to be considered a bias portrait of comics. Still, it acts as a window to a number of comic book magazines - including Alter Ego and Write Now! - which I was never aware of.

And really, that’s what Free Comic Book Day is all about - exposing ourselves to different titles, different publishers, and different genres.

So does anyone else have any Free Comic Book Day picks or stories? My local store went all out - with a Stormtrooper standing outside with an Imperial Officer and a working R2-D2 droid (operated by remote control instead of by vertically-challenged individuals).

And when I left Batman was standing with them, skulking in the shadows.