Comments on: Free Comic Book Day Superheros

By: ashutosh

ashutosh — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:47:55 +0000

please make available free comics online for viewing

By: James Schee

James Schee — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:45:41 +0000

Thanks, I’ll make sure to do that as I’ve loved the books.

By: Thomas Zahler

Thomas Zahler — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 23:40:56 +0000

If you can’t find the FCBD version of Love and Capes #4, there will the a cover-price one with a variant cover a month or two afterwards. But, if you’re such a fan, drop me an e-mail closer to May and I’ll make sure you get one.

By: James Schee

James Schee — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:30:14 +0000

Some of those sound fun, I wish the shops in my area did the FCBD stuff. I’d love to get the Love and Capes one especially.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:17:15 +0000

I know people keep asking for DC to demonstrate the variety of their line by doing a Vertigo FCBD book, but I’d rather see the focus on their superheroes.

Last I heard, the minimum buy-in was only $50 worth of comics.

By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:28 +0000

There’s a minimum buy-in on the Gold level titles in order to participate, but I’m not sure what that exact number is. The Silver titles are optional, though, and as such, some retailers don’t bother with them, or only get certain ones.

By: Alan Coil

Alan Coil — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:51:19 +0000

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez posted:
“Participating retailers have to order the Gold level books,…”

I didn’t know this. Do they have to order the same number of each? It seems that this might lead some dealers to just ignore FCBD. My LCS did the last couple years.

By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:45:07 +0000

On Marvel vs. DC, I think Marvel erred by making the Spider-Man title the Gold offering and Adventures the Silver, though kudos to them for both being new content. Participating retailers have to order the Gold level books, not the Silver, and way more of them would have gone the extra mile for Spider-Man, what with the movie opening that weekend, than will for Adventures. So, lost opportunity there, I’d say.

And yeah, instead of a Justice League reprint, DC would have been smarter to put a Vertigo, Wildstorm or Minx preview in the mix instead.

By: Ed Sizemore

Ed Sizemore — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:18:19 +0000

Phrases like “steeped in continuity” remind me why I’m sticking with Owly and Amelia Rules! for FCBD.

By: Randy Lander

Randy Lander — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 06:37:07 +0000

I dunno, Johanna, I thought both DC and Marvel (and everyone, really) had some good offerings this year.

Looking at the solicits, the Marvel Three-in-One is in fact new stories, one of them written by my good friend Paul Benjamin, and the Marvel Adventures line is (in my opinion) generally stronger than DC’s Kids’ imprint in terms of appealing to both adults who want all-ages friendly comics *and* actually kids.

Plus the Marvel books are new, the DC books are reprints, and I have more faith in a Slott/Jimenez Spider-Man book being accessible than the damn near impenetrable Justice League #0. I’m no Marvel fan these days in general, but I think Marvel has the edge on Free Comic Book Day offerings.

Although I do think the all-ages Legion is a *great* offering, to be fair.

By: caleb

caleb — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:13:46 +0000

JLA#0 seems weird to me because it’s not terribly accessible (it splits it’s time between referencing 40 years of continuity, remixed especially for the occasion AND flashing forward to scenes that we’ll probably never see anyway, like the aftermath of Batman’s death of Wonder Woman’s wedding), JLoA is probably the only title they’re currently publishing that DC doesn’t need to interest more readers in and, finally, if it grabs you and you want to read more of Meltzer’s comics work, it won’t take you long before you find the most controversial story DC’s published since, I don’t know, ever? Given how many kids love the FCBD, I don’t think any road that could lead to IDENTITY CRISIS is a wise one.

By: Chris Galdieri

Chris Galdieri — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:38:59 +0000

Does the cover of the Spider-Man giveaway book remind anyone else of the first All-Star Superman cover?

By: ~chris

~chris — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:24:57 +0000

If J. Torres and Chynna Clugston-Flores did a Lady Death vs. Razor comic, I would still want it. :)

By: David Welsh

David Welsh — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:18:47 +0000

It would have been neat if DC had put together some sample pages from their Minx books for FCBD.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 21:14:56 +0000

To be fair, if I’m going to yell at them, I should probably also mention the FCBD visitors who come in, grab as many free comics for their kids as you’ll let them take, and then disappear, only to be seen again at next year’s FCBD. I emphasize the all-ages thing because it’s much harder to interest non-reading adults in stapled comics.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:34:12 +0000

I am excited for both offerings. That PR is tired and darn near sickening, but I have thought Spider-Man and Dan Slott since I first read one of his books. The other stuff said in the PR is like annoying buzzing. I hope the Spidey book is a sign that there might be an ongoing in Slott’s future.

And I really think the three in one is aiming in two very strange spots. Franklin Richards is right on the money, my boy loves that title. And I suppose Iron Man and Hulk could be hitting the Marvel Adventures Avengers crowd, but why not put out an issue of that?

I keep hoping for FCBD to move out of the already reading audience, but there just has to be more. I can remember my first comic coming from my grandmother, she picked it up at the grocery store with my brother…. wouldn’t it be nice to think someone’s grandmother could do that now, or even feel safe doing that?

By: Lisa Lopacinski

Lisa Lopacinski — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:28:45 +0000

There never was a Marvel Adventures Iron Man or Hulk – so I’m thinking they HAVE to be new.

Personally, I don’t like the JLA #0 as being on there. We have a TON of them left over and were going to give those away anyway. I don’t really like DC’s reprinting for FCBD thing myself.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:13:25 +0000

Didn't Dan Slott write a miniseries with Spider-Man and the Human Torch previously? Oh, right, here it is. That bodes well. Re the new audience issue: comic companies are notoriously bad at reaching outside of their comfort zone. That's why so many of their sales increases are made by cannibalizing the existing direct market audience, switching them from one book to another.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:32:26 +0000

Jer: Totally agree. The single most important thing is entertaining readers to bring them back for more, whatever more turns out to be. And Marvel has the advantage of putting out a Spider-Man comic when a Spider-Man movie is launching, so there should be LOTS of interest in that comic. I hope that my concerns turn out to be a misinterpretation of the PR instead of a problem with the comic.

By: Jer

Jer — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:08:03 +0000

Eh. I’m more excited about both LOSH and Marvel Three-In-One that I really should be. I’m hoping that 3-in-1 is a new ongoing title kicking off with FCBD and not just a one shot – it sounds like fun (though Hulk+Iron Man is admittedly a bit weird). The PR blurb quoted above doesn’t say it, but at the Beat it says that one of the writers on 3-in-1 will be Fred van Lente, who’s work on the MA:Spider-man title I’ve been enjoying.

If Swing Shift ends up being accessible (and Dan Slott might pull it off) then Marvel will get more kudos for me than DC this year. JLA #0 wasn’t very accessible to ME, and I’ve been reading Justice League for over two decades now. I understand what you’re saying about having a reprint of a book that can be quickly jumped on by folks who might get interested, but you need to actually have material that will get folks interested in the book.