By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Free Comic Book Day is coming, and it’s happening after May the Fourth. Star Wars fans can rejoice as a tale featuring Han Solo is offered. Bounty Hunters Zuckuss and 4-LOM have found these smugglers for hire, and just what happens will require stopping by a comic shop so I can find out! The brief synopsis offered online does not say much, but it’s enough to get me curious.
Fans who are unaware of this saga’s long history in this medium can also talk to the staff of their local comic book store in what else to look at, or pick up. I followed the run back when they started at Marvel. Dark Horse continued the love a decade later with a terrific Dark Empire saga (and much more), but these days they are back with Marvel. Other chapters include a Star Wars: Rebels tie-in with Kanan. I miss this computer-animated series and honestly, the poster tease for the new Resistance looks too bright and colorful. With IDW on board to publish tales from the Forces of Destiny line, no shortage is planned as long as Lucasfilm/Disney is involved! Just how well received it will be depends on the story direction.
At least there are other franchises to consider on Free Comic Book Day. Teasers to Overwatch, Riverdale, Street Fighter and Transformers are just a sample of what people can find at their local comic book store.
These works are usually one-offs. Some have even become collectibles because of the extra work put behind releasing them. Gold Comics are titles which the publishers put a touch more work behind to release “free,” and those Mouse Guards I have from previous years will forever be treasured.
The following are my top ten picks of what must be considered. They are not necessarily collectible, but as a primer for what’s planned by the big publishers, to start here is a must!
TITAN COMICS
DOCTOR WHO #0
Three tales are offered instead of one in this work, and the bonus for picking this publication up is that it will debut the Doctor #13! Plus, a complete reader’s guide to the Doctor Who comics is being offered!
IDW PUBLISHING
TRANSFORMERS UNICRON #0
This introduction to Unicron the Destroyer has me considering getting back to reading the comics. I read specific parts of IDW’s saga, and not all of them are terrific. A few arcs, like Megatron Origins and Dark Cybertron were huge turning points which got me interested, but others, I did not have to follow.
This mighty titan (sorry Thanos) is hungry for Cybertron. He’s been referenced in the past here and there, but to see him as the primary villain has me excited. When considering Michael Bay’s Transformers is not going to continue, any reference to this planet eater is not likely going to happen anytime soon. I might as well turn to IDW Publishing to get my Unicron fix.
TITAN COMICS
BRIEF HISTORY OF TANK GIRL
I enjoyed the movie and read the odd published work, but to keep up with everything is tough. Lately, I have been looking at Tank Girl again when I just want some craziness in my life. She helps! The work blends surrealism and punk in a way which I adore. I admit it, she lights my heart on fire!
CHAPTERHOUSE PUBLISHING, INC
DIE KITTY DIE I LOVE YOU TO DEATH
With this one-off, she’s dead… but you can’t kill the lead character! This series is a unique one which I have been noticing a lot of at the comic book conventions I attend. I never know where to begin. With this work, the eulogy should help summarize what she means to her friends and perhaps gain new accolades too.
For those wondering why this work looks familiar, that’s because Dan Parent (cover artist for many an Archie comic) is behind this work.
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
WORLD’S GREATEST CARTOONISTS
This compilation celebrates the medium of cartooning, and with more than a dozen talents involved, this product should make for a terrific introduction.
ARCANA STUDIO
HOWARD LOVECRAFT’S BIG BOOK OF SUMMER FUN
This work recaps everything this publisher has done so far, and offers to newcomers a primer in where it all began… in Arkham Asylum! Young Howie is going to meet his father …
MARVEL COMICS
INFINITY WATCH AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
I’m not saying what happened to Spidey in the Infinity War. That’s a different universe altogether. With this comic book, it’s building to another countdown which involves this wall-crawler, and one huge arc which I will wait for a trade paperback for.
TOKYOPOP
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ZERO’S JOURNEY #0
I’ve been craving something new with this property and it’s always been fun to watch over the holidays. This time, the pup Zero is getting into some crazy misadventure which I feel Jack is going to pop his head over. I’m hoping this will lead into a regular work, as I’m sure Skellington has Easter to turnover somehow…
BENITEZ PRODUCTIONS
LADY MECHANIKA
Fans of Lady Mechanika will want to pick up this short story. I’ve been picking up this Steampunk series ever since I first discovered it, and the tales are top notch. The artwork is solid since day one. Highly recommended!
ONI PRESS INC.
SHADOW ROADS #1
The Weird West is the spotlight here. At the Crossroads, a mythical plane serves as a doorway throughout the universe and this work looks at a group of heroes working to save Creation. This work is set in the universe that exists after the apocalyptic events of The Sixth Gun series.
