In a lot of ways, Free Comic Book Day is better than Christmas. Like Christmas, you get free stuff, but unlike Christmas, you don't have to spend a week trapped with your family and drink more beer than usual to make the time go by faster. Or maybe that's just my Christmas and my family.
Regardless, this year's line-up of Free Comics looks pretty good, and there's bound to be something for everyone. Here are my recommendations:
Archie's Summer Splash! #1: Yeah, I know. But these comics have a certain nostalgic value that make them at least somewhat fun. Also, Archie Comics have gotten more progressive recently. Archie's dating a black chick (you have to figure that in a racist haven like Riverdale, Betty and Veronica are just furious) and there's even a gay character (who apparently doesn't want to bang Archie, but everyone else seems to, so it's probably only a matter of time).
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #155½ See, the great thing about living in America is that you can have an issue number that ends in ½, no matter how little sense it makes. Anyway, hard as it may be to believe, back in the 80s, a guy named Larry Hama took on a comic book based on a toy line and against all odds, managed to produce some really, really great stories. 15 years after the series was cancelled, Hama's picking up right where he left off.
Iron Man/Thor: It's Iron Man! Next week, you'll be paying $10 to see his movie, so don't fucking tell me you don't dig Iron Man. Why not read his comic for free?
War of the Supermen #0: A free Superman comic would be good enough. But Supermen? Like, more than one? And hey, remember General Zod? He's back, too.
Fearless Dawn #1: I know nothing about this, but it sounds good. Don't be put off by the cover. It's not porn. It's just that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between comics and porn.
FAME: It's a comic book about Lady Gaga. Well...I know that has to appeal to some of you.
Irredeemable #1: This is a great, great comic, about a superhero gone insane. Some dork named it one of the best comics of 2009.
Oni Press Free-For-All! #1: Over the past several years, Oni has released some of the best independent comics around. Even not really knowing what's in this, it's still worth picking up.
Now, you're probably wondering where you can find all this awesome stuff tomorrow.
Big Planet Comics is in Georgetown, right off of Wisconsin Ave. (They also have locations in College Park and Vienna.)
Fantom Comics has two Meto-accessible locations at Union Station and Pentagon City. Here's a description of their plans:
Both Fantom Comics locations will be participating in Free Comic Book Day, but only the one in the Pentagon City Mall (our flagship FCBD shop) will have the following events:
-Two 30 minute sequential art classes taught by Marvel Comics editor and art professor Mike O’Sullivan. You’ll start with a 6-panel comic strip and, using your own creativity (and artistic ability), finish with a comic of your own. All-ages event, to be held at noon and 2pm.
-Prize Wheel to be spun (at least) once an hour from 11 – 8. We’ll ask a geek trivia question, and the winner gets to spin for prizes.
-Lots and lots of $1 comics.
-Local creator/writer Jeff Howe and his illustrator Sam Phillips will be there to give away the first issue of his comic, Polis.
-Oh, and Star Wars characters all over the place! From 11-6, over a dozen members of the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion will be patrolling the mall and posing for pictures. These are the guys that volunteer for official Lucas events…the real deal! We look forward to seeing you on FCBD!
Dollar comics! Star Wars characters! Prize wheel! My mind just exploded.
And as a reminder, the inaugural D.C. Comic-Con is on Sunday.
I don't want to oversell this thing, but this could be the best weekend in D.C. since the Japanese surrendered in World War II.
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