With the 15th anniversary of Free Comic Book Day rapidly approaching (it’s this Saturday, May 7th), it’s getting to be time to whittle down the list of books you’ll be picking up. There are plenty of excellent comics to choose from this year, and this may sound like a cliche, but there truly is something to suit everyone’s taste. I mean, that’s true of the comic book industry in general these days. So whether you’re a grizzled veteran, or just looking to dive into the greatest storytelling medium humanity has ever crafted, make sure to check out our reading guides, and then go grab some free comics this weekend.
Interested in super weird, high concept stories?
Check out the preview of Grant Morrison and Jeevan J Kang’s Avatarex. In addition to containing the opening pages of the new ongoing, this issue also features a preview of 18 Days Volume One, which came out in December of last year. For those familiar with Morrison’s other work, each of these are fairly typical Morrison fare, however, he doesn’t seem concerned at all with appealing to a mainstream audience. The result is two glimpses into high concept science fiction stories, neither of which I have read. However, this issue left me wanting more. If that sounds even remotely interesting, give this a shot – it’s a free way to test the waters.
For the Anime Fans
Despite being based on the anime, the Attack on Titan Anthology is very much a western book. It contains six different previews of the full anthology, which comes out later this year. These components range from eleven page short stories to concept art combined with a brief interview. As someone with only a passing familiarity with the show, I can’t necessarily speak to how much interest fans will have in this. That being said, it definitely seems like something crafted for fans, by people who actually do enjoy the show or the manga upon which it is based. There are certainly some interesting things going on here, and if you’re on the fence about the full anthology, this should serve as a decent preview of the final product.
Looking for previews of big events in the Marvel universe?
Not only does this contain a preview of Steve Rogers: Captain America #1, it also contains a preview of the first issue of Dead No More, the upcoming Spider-Man event. So if you want a glimpse into either of those early, this might be worth picking up. Unfortunately, neither the writing nor the art is particularly strong in either preview. Both are just major exposition dumps, and nothing particularly interesting happens. This is free, so it may warrant picking up, if only to reach a final verdict as to whether or not you want to buy the actual series when they start. My advice? Skip it, and grab something else.
For Those Looking Forward to the Suicide Squad Movie
If you’re interested in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie and want to familiarize yourself with the characters, this may be the place you want to start. It is an odd choice, though, considering The New 52 Suicide Squad was renumbered last year, and has seen an uptick in quality since the renumbering. This issue is a reprint of the series’ debut back in 2011, and kicks off a run that I don’t remember particularly enjoying. Sure, this is free, so if you’re interested, pick up a copy, by all means. It just may seem like a waste, in retrospect, considering the quality of what follows. This issue’s case certainly isn’t helped by the fact that it actually does very little with the characters – it’s an introduction, and kind of assumes a familiarity with the universe as well.
I’m not really sure how to categorize this but I really, really liked it
Based on the cover, I expected this to be a dedicated Judge Dredd issue. Which, you know, is never really going to be a problem for me. I’m not the biggest Judge Dredd fan, but I love the movie, and have enjoyed what little exposure I’ve had to the comics. As it turns out, this is an anthology that contains only one story about everybody’s favorite Judge, and a second that takes place within that universe. The rest of the stories are samplers of new series to come from 2000 AD, and all of them seem worth getting excited about. There’s some really cool stuff in this issue, and there’s a solid amount of variety in the types of stories. This may actually be one of the books I most recommend you pick up.
You must be logged in to post a comment.