ALL STAR COMICS RECOMMENDS: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2026 REVIEW BONANZA
By Cameron and Edgar Ashley
Hello! Welcome to the 2026 Free Comic Book Day…er…Comics Giveaway Day…er both… Review Bonanza.
That magical first Saturday in May is upon as and so is a veritable bounty of free comics. Sweet, free comics…
You may notice, as badly joked about above, that this year as a result of The Distributor Wars that continue to plague retailers and readers alike, that both ‘Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) and ‘Comics Giveaway Day’ are in play based on which side any given publisher has chosen in this ongoing debacle. As ‘Comics Giveaway Day’ both sucks and sounds like a supplement when you force it into an acronym (CGD), we, and your fine friends at All Star, are sticking with the tried and true FCBD nomenclature.
I’m in the middle of quite possibly the busiest period ever in my professional life (please forgive any typos!), but ever the masochist, you’ll be pulling this column in which I review every single comic on offer from All Star Comics from my cold, dead hands. This does not preclude me from seeking assistance, however, and, boy, did I find some in the form of my eight-year old, Edgar.
Edgar is joining me for all titles found in the kids pack and quite a few others as well. He has been looking at/reading comics since he was crawling and cut his funnybook teeth on his first favourite, 1970s Man-Thing (no, really), which led him to discover Howard The Duck (no, really), and then Spider-Man and then…everything. If you want to foster a love of this stuff in your kids, let them have their pick of the shelves - just maybe put your collections of erotic Guido Crepax comics a little higher up out of reach.
I hope you find his input useful - he’s got pretty good taste, he’s thoughtful and I think is amiable enough to not be overly critical…most of the time.
Comics are listed alphabetically as always. Ratings for all comics are in parentheses after publisher name, if no rating is provided, that’s a NR. Have a wonderful time this Saturday. Choose your freebies wisely. I hope this helps make your selection a little easier - there are a lot of really great comics on offer.
Here we go!
ALIEN / PREDATOR / PLANET OF THE APES
Written by Saladin Ahmed / Jordan Morris / Greg Pak
Illustrated by Emilio Laiso / Roland Boschi / Alan Robinson
Marvel (Parental Advisory)
I am bound to begin with a reminder before continuing that any views expressed in this column are the author's alone and do not represent the Eisner Award-winning retail outlet hosting them.
Proceed with that in mind, please.
It is almost a crime how bland these three pillars of 20th Century Studios science fiction have become since the comics moved back to Marvel. Yes, Aliens vs Avengers was great, but outside of that and perhaps a few of the other crossovers, it’s all felt pretty flat to me.
This FCBD issue in particular highlights the problem: how none of these stories are actually any good, outside of a potentially fun but inevitable twist in Planet of The Apes I'll not spoil, is actually shocking.
Dark Horse gave us creators like Richard Corben, Kelley Jones, Kllian Plunkett, Jeff Vandermeer, Tristan Jones, Jan Strnad, Andrew Vachss, Sam Keith, Jim Woodring, Doug Moench, so many, many more.
Those stories ultimately varied in success, sure, but with so many bangers by highly creative and interesting voices it's incredible to look back at them now in contrast.
Marvel is treating these licenses like a chore, like something they are bound to deliver by the overlords at Disney to pump out. The writing is poor, the art is beyond bland. This, frankly, is so unremarkable I can't even be bothered talking about them individually as they all blur into one homogeneous blob of poor comics.
These should be Vertigo-esque: bold, brave SF comics for grown-ups and young adults, not poorly-made books that read like fan fiction for kids but come with a parental warning. It’s insulting.
Forgive me, but what has happened to the House of Ideas to allow this to actually walk out the front door and into the world?
Thinnest of silver linings: If you’re an Apes completist, you’ll want this for the very last page.
It’s upward from here (mostly) I swear!
AQUAMANATEE / SUPERGIRL’S ZOO-PER HEROES: KRYTO’S BIG BREAK
Written by Ben Clanton / Rob Justus
Illustrated by Cassandra Federman / Rob Justus
DC (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Cam says:
Sea puns abound in Ben Clanton’s pretty joyous Aquamanatee, which sees Marlow the manatee joining the King of the Seven Seas as his new sidekick. Aimed at readers five and up, this is a great comic for the little reader in your lives with simple art, clear storytelling and large, legible lettering. Clanton, an old hand at sea-set kids comics with his previous bestselling Narwhal and Jelly, aims his work squarely at his target audience and the gags will get your little ones giggling.
Rob Justus’ Supergirl’s Zoo-per Heroes: Krypto’s Big Break rounds out this delightful little freebie, with a cocktail of cosmic rays, solar winds, radiation and Eclipso’s magic infusing some Justice League costumes with the DNA of their owners, meaning whoever wears them will get the respective powers imbued within.
Krypto gets in Supergirl’s way, deciding that this is job for him, but when the costumes land in a rundown zoo staffed by a horrible zookeeper who mistreats her animals, well, you probably can see where this is going. Very fun.
Edgar?
Edgar says:
I really really like the Aquaman costume for Aquamanatee, and the colours and drawings are really cool. I like how Aquaman is drawn - he has little scales on him. He is looking for a new sidekick and he wants it to be Aquamanatee because he thinks that Aquamanatee has super powers. It doesn’t say in the book if Aquamanatee has powers. Maybe yes, maybe no.
Aquaman used to have different sidekicks like the megalodon, AKA Mega, and Super-squid and LobSTAR but Aquaman didn't want those guys to be his partner because they did something wrong. Like, LobSTAR kept pinching Aquaman in the butt and Super-squid kept on accidentally tripping Aquaman into an electric eel pit, and Mega accidentally ate Aquaman.
It’s very good.
There’s a preview of Supergirl’s Zoo-per Heroes: Krypto’s Big Break. In that preview there’s some magical costumes of the Justice League that are flying straight towards a zoo and Supergirl is trying to stop the costumes. Krypto stops Supergirl and is going to fetch the costumes and there’s these four animals at the zoo - a rhino, a lion, a sloth, and…this weird grey animal, I have no idea what it is, maybe a seal, and they get the costumes that give them the powers. For example, the Superman costume goes onto the lion and gives the lion all the powers of Superman, and the rhino gets the Batman costume, whatever this grey thing is gets the Wonder Woman costume, and the sloth gets the Flash costume.
I really like it.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN / QUEEN IN BLACK / THE INFERNAL HULK
Written by Joe Kelly / Al Ewing / Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Illustrated by John Romita Jr. / Iban Coello / Nic Klein
Marvel (T+)
Cam says:
Let’s begin this one by giving cover artist Dike Ruan, who has turned in what appears to be a very nice colour pencil image of Spider-Man, Venom and Hulk, a decent shout-out. This is likely digital, as it’s 2026, but this is such a unique and striking image - proof that sometimes we don’t need the typical sizzle of flashy digital colouring to make something truly eye-catching. It’s great.
Joe Kelly shows just want a pro he is, encapsulating everything newbies need to know about current Spider-Man goings-on in, like, two small captions. From there we dive on in with some typically great John Romita Jr. Spidey art as our hero fights The Answer, a mercenary who “spawns new powers to answer any problem he faces.” Clearly he’s a tricky one for Spider-Man to handle, but the beauty of this character is just how often he is overmatched and just how often he’s able to problem-solve his way to a win.
Spider-Man fans take note: there is a cliffhanger here you will not want to miss. And that’s all I have to say about that. We’re off to the races with this one, a great little Spider-Man short getting us all up to speed, giving us some lovely Romita Jr. action and dangling important plot threads right in our faces to get us to come back. Well played, team.
Queen in Black is up next, with Hela as new Queen of the Symbiotes leading the Legions of The Symbiote Alliance into an invasion of Earth. Armies of symbiotes descend on the Earth in all their many forms, hellbent on conquest. Luckily, Spider-Man has assembled the Spider-Friends, including Venom, Black Cat, Flash Thompson and …is that Tarantula up the back?
A lot of sizzle here from artist Iban Coello - who has improved immensely in recent years. This is exciting stuff; I was not enthused about any of this going in, the blind bag program surrounding this event seemed more geared to pushing a trading card than any storyline and that’s a shame - but there’s meat on the bone of this event. I should not have doubted writer Al Ewing and, if you’re on the fence about all of this, you shouldn’t either - quite strong.
Cards on the table - The Infernal Hulk is the one Marvel title I read monthly. We are five issues deep and I’m still not sure if I’m completely enjoying it, but the team (writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Nic Klein) are clearly putting everything they have into it. We are heading towards the culmination of this team’s work in 2027 with Hulk War, where the evil being known as The Eldest, occupying the body of The Hulk, creates monsters from heroes to finally bring about the return of the age of monsters.
I may not be fully onboard with this series as yet, but if you’re after a fresh and nasty take on The Hulk, you should give this a look - this teaser makes it clear Johnson and Klein have every intention of making Hulk War as giant in scale and mad ideas as possible - Klein in particular is really going for it, with some great monster design and a suitably grotesque but detailed style, perfect for the horror vibe Johnson’s injecting.
Edgar says:
The three stories are really good and the art is very beautiful and lovely in them all. I like drawings - the front cover is really cool and detailed.
All three stories have different artists and this is very fun.
The best story is Queen in Black.
AVATAR LEGENDS / MINECRAFT
Written by David M.Booher / Andrew Clemson
Illustrated by Bailie Rosenlund / Jeremy Lawson
Dark Horse (A)
Cam says:
I’ll quickly focus on the Avatar portion of the two-hander as Edgar really enjoyed the Minecraft story. David M. Booher scripts a good little short featuring Master Sude teaching pupil Roku the art of Earthbending. What starts as a simple training session turns into something of a relief effort as a rockslide strikes. Our Earthbenders rush to help and stop the damage - creating a huge stone wall to prevent falling rocks from pulverising their town, but the real issue is water contamination and some new tricks must be learned by our pupil to freshen up the supply.
This is wonderfully environmental in tone, from earthquake/rockslides to water purification, there’s a lot for younger readers to take in here, not just about environmental disaster and rescue efforts, but also about the kinds of ‘quiet’ heroism that first responders and relief workers deal with daily. Bailie Rosenlund delivers serviceable work, telling the story clearly throughout.
Edgar?
Edgar says:
I really like the two stories and the art in both is great. The characters are all cool, but my favourite was the Minecraft one - I really like Minecraft.
The stories are really good. There’s three main characters in Minecraft, two boys and a girl. The girl accidentally destroys her village’s bell and goes on a quest to find a new one and it takes a very long time and one of the boys, her friend, tells her that she needs coal to trade for a village bell. So she went to look for coal and found lots and lots of coal and grabbed lots of it. She went to different towns, but none of them had a village bell. She finally found another town that has a village bell and she gave lots of coal to the village and they gave her a bell. And then she gets another bell, so she has a spare if one goes missing!
I really like the drawings and colours in Minecraft.
AVENGERS ARMAGEDDON / X-MEN / DOOMQUEST
Written by Chip Zdarsky / Jed MacKay / Ryan North
Illustrated by Frank Alpizar & Delio Diaz / Frederico Vincentini / Franscesco Mobili
Marvel T+
If you're locked in to the inner workings of the Marvel Universe in 2026, Chip Zdarsky and Delio Diaz's prelude to their Avengers Armageddon event will already be a must have. If you’re not, well…Edgar didn't even give this a second glance, and I thought he would’ve been all over it.
Flashing back and forth through time and (I think) various potential futures, Red Hulk (general Thunderbolt Ross) has created the Red Tower, “the authoritarian head of the world” - a global watchdog “protecting” a new global democracy. He is opposed, of course, by various characters and we catch glimpses of Captain America, Iron Man and Mister Fantastic resisting this new world order… and failing.
This is not the most effective tease for newer readers in particular and actually highlights the unflattering perception of just how impenetrable Marvel can be - I know my stuff and I found this largely impossible to follow. Not good. Also, with One World Under Doom recently wrapped up, it does feel perhaps a little soon to be retreading the ‘single dominant evil dictator’ event.
It is, however, slickly made with all the artistic superhero sizzle you could want, and with this event appearing to be the first step towards major changes at the House of Struggling Ideas, those keen to get in at the beginning of hopefully something special should pay attention.
Up next are the X-Men from regular writer Jed MacKay and artist Frederico Vincentini, who are leading readers right into DNX, the forthcoming X-Men event (yes, another event). Our mutant heroes have their hands full, as usual, taking down a Hydra base producing bioweapons. The wrinkle here is that Cassandra Nova is controlling our Hydra agents, helping 3K - presumably Nova's organisation, arm itself with Hydra tech. Fists and telepathic thought balloons abound, all nicely rendered by Franscesco Mobili, whose work kind of resembles a Chris Bachalo, Andy Kubert and Ryan Stegman mashup - perfect for the modern era of our mutant friends.
I don't have too much more to add, if you're enjoying current X-Men titles, this will be a must for you, if you are not a regular reader, I'm not sure how effectively this will onboard you. Once again, a lack of a text page briefly getting readers up to speed on both Avengers and X-Men hinders this effort from being new-reader friendly.
Bringing us home is a tease of Ryan North and Francesco Mobili's Doomquest and this team well and truly understand the assignment. Yes, exposition can be boring, but at times it is necessary and North does a solid job laying the groundwork for newer readers and keeping things moving. If you're a Doctor Doom fan, this one's for you.
I would love to finally rave about a Marvel FCBD title, one that takes full advantage of the promotional aspect of Free Comic Book Day. Ultimately, however, this one is for the hardcore Marvel Zombies only. The rest of us may well find that this is, mostly, just a bunch of stuff happening and feel no real investment from either a character or story standpoint.
I will say though that the teasers for the Armageddon event are intriguing and while this comic may not capitalise on them, it may very well mark the start of a creative renaissance at Marvel. If you want the company to succeed in this effort as much as I do, you should pick this one up.
BLUE LOCK: FULL COLOR SELECTION / DRAGON CIRCUS
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro / Eiichi Shimizu
Illustrated by Yusuke Nomura / Tomohiro Shimoguchi
Kodansha (T)
There's a real dearth of manga for this year's FCBD, which is quite the bummer. At least we have a slice of Kodansha's Blue Lock by writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro and artist Yusuke Nomura, however, backed up by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi's Dragon Circus.
A soccer manga and a manga about Dragons appearing over Tokyo - this in itself highlights just some of the endless diversity you find in Japanese comics, and we are so fortunate to have truckloads of translated manga on everything from a guy with a Chainsaw demon inside of him to a guy who just likes to go on quiet walks available to us.
I've not read Blue Lock before, and Kodansha showcases not just the popular sports manga this FCBD but pulls it from its Full Color Selection edition. It's a befuddling concept to me, these Full Color Editions, where selected chapters from the Blue Lock series are included, colourised and collected in comics-size rather than typical manga format.
This is honestly the kind of thing that drives me crazy as a reader - random chapters smashed together - and I'm not sure why when we are living in a time where the digest format is so red hot that American comics are copying the size in rapidly increasing numbers, that Kodansha made this comic-sized. Pretty weird.
Still, it's nice to read a slice of Blue Lock, even if I kind of hate these lazy colours. We join protagonist Yoichi Isagi as he streaks across the field in pursuit of another of his many goals. True to sports manga form, the inner monologue is intense and analytic - problem-solving on the fly via old memories and creeping doubts leading to a realisation, a new angle, a new technique to once again quiet the inner doubt.
There's a pretty terrific panel of Yoichi being intensely pursued. His chaser, a cloud in the shape of a screaming skull trailing behind him, in place of what would normally be speed lines, is pretty awesome - he looks like the Black Flash - and there's quite a bit of artistic flair on display. Shame it's crippled by some really awful colouring.
My advice? If you're curious, pick this up. If you like it, buy the black and white versions - they will be much more cost-effective and will look so, so much better.
Dragon Circus wraps this odd pairing up, giving readers the chance to visit a Tokyo ravaged by dragons. Humans are clearly not doing so well in this war with dragons, however a mysterious helmet hero appears, able to decapitate a massive dragon with a single sword-stroke.
The art is on the rough side, especially for a story with so much epic scope and requiring so much design. Shimoguchi appears out of his depth (contrast this with Evan Cagle on Deicidium below for an example of someone more than holding their own amongst the weight of many ideas) with this one, although the dragon decapitation spread is nicely thought out. I'm in no rush to keep reading this, but if a human vs dragon war is something that has your eyeballs widening, you may want to check this out.
CONAN: TIDES OF THE TYRANT KING
Written by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Jesus Merino
Titan (M)
Many enemies are crushed and driven before us once again this FCBD, as Titan provides a fun little teaser for an upcoming time-spanning Conan event, this time with another two-fisted Robert E Howard character, sailor and boxer Steve Costigan, fighting similar battles across very different times - from the savage Hyborian Age to the trenches of France in World War One.
The similarities between our two war-scarred heroes is made quite clear, although Costigan clearly enjoys the battlefield far less (and who can blame him?). It's clear both warriors will face the same immortal foe across this story, separated by centuries, and writer Jim Zub and artist Jesus Merino are having a blast telling it.
Another solid FCBD Conan effort from the crew at Titan.
DC x SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Written by Ian Flynn
Illustrated by Adam Bryce Thomas
DC (13+)
Cam says:
In the right hands, you really can mash two different properties together and make them cohere. If you read the review of this year’s Sonic The Hedgehog FCBD below, you’ll note I make a particular point about praising how not just coherent it is, but how great of a superhero comic it is.
Given that Sonic’s writer Ian Flynn also scripts this crossover with DCs heavy-hitters, it’s unsurprising that this comic is quite good. Flynn knows his characters, he knows DC’s characters, and he wastes no time at all getting things moving as a huge spacecraft shaped like Darkseid’s head descends on Sonic’s world. The master of the Anti-Life Equation himself is aboard, and he’s come for the chaos emeralds, which will give him incredible power. Sonic and friends are there to stop him, but luckily they have allies as parademons rain down from the skies - the Justice League is here.
Great fun to be found here, brought to incredible life by artist Adam Bryce Thomas, who somehow is as at home with all these super-powered hedgehogs as he is with Superman and co. These are two creators to watch, for sure, and with this series already collected and a sequel underway, now is as good a time as any to try this out.
Sandwiched in the rear are a few pages from writer Brian Buccellato and writer Christian Duce’s sequel to Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong, and it’s a worthy inclusion. High-concept craziness abounds as a giant, mutated King Shark battles Godzilla and Batman dons an equally huge Bat-mech to join the fray. Duce is well suited to the book, drawing the hell out of his kaiju and heroes alike.
Quick note to parents: this is somehow labelled ages 13+. I have no idea why. Unless your child is scared of big shark monsters found in Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong, you should disregard that.
Need a second opinion? Let’s hand it over to someone who has read both series.
Edgar says:
I’ve read the whole thing and it’s very good. The artist is very, very good - the drawings are very detailed and the colours are great. I really like the characters, and it’s great there’s going to be another DC x Sonic series.
First, Darkseid comes into Sonic’s world and Sonic, Amy and Tails battle parademons and run away from them. Sonic runs super fast, Knuckles is fighting parademons and protecting his big chaos emerald which is made up of all the different chaos emeralds and Darkseid destroys the chaos emerald and gets one blue chaos emerald and Sonic runs into a city and leaves Amy and Tails behind and then runs into the Flash - they sort of have a race and Sonic wins! Just joking, nobody won.
Silver, the hedgehog from the future, is also fighting parademons and Green Lantern, John Stewart, comes along and he helps Silver fight. Then this lady with her baby, this possum lady, is being chased by a parademon and then Batman throws a big knee in its face!
I like how they introduce themselves. Superman tells Sonic and his friends who all the Justice League are and how they help. Sonic introduces his friends and that’s very funny - “And Shadow, who says he’s the ultimate lifeform.”
I’ve read the whole Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong, like the first one, and I really like it. Then they made this one, and this is a preview of that first issue. It’s where, whatever they’re called, because bad guys like to call themselves Sudicide Squad or Task Force X, or Legion of Doom, whatever. I’m just gonna call them the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom want to defeat Godzilla and Kong and all the big monsters out there, so they turn Killer Croc, Cheetah and King Shark super-sized into, like, massive mutant monsters.
In this preview, King Shark is a massive shark monster and is fighting Godzilla. I really like the drawings - they are super detailed and the colours are bright and nice. Godzilla looks awesome!
This is very good.
DEICIDIUM: OMENS
Written by Ram V.
Illustrated by Evan Cagle / Anand RK
Image (M)
I’ve been looking forward to this one. Fairly fresh off a run on inarguably the best New Gods comics since King Kirby himself, writer Ram V and artist Evan Cagle (along with another frequent V collaborator, Anand RK) drop a preview for their new creator-owned series, Deicidium.
Any reader familiar with Ram V’s work should know to expect a huge world-building effort, dollops of complex philosophical thought and minimal spoon-feeding. I won’t lie, this is one of those FCBD that really would benefit from an introductory text page from the writer to better lay the groundwork of this new world - this feels a bit fractured as is - but ideas are bursting out of this thing. Returned gods, new mythologies, guerrilla fighters and more - Deicidium feels appropriately epic from the jump.
The show-stopper here, however, is Cagle’s art - black and white with greytones (hopefully this is the final art), who ups his game to a crazy new level here. It's one thing for Ram V to build all of this in series bibles and descriptive behind the scenes pieces, it’s another thing entirely for an artist to realise it. This is amazingly confident, assured, patient and gorgeous work - this world feels rich and alive. From the clothing to the architecture, to the tech - it’s all here, all well thought out and all part of an astonishing artistic whole.
All the gods are back, and they must be killed. Pick this teaser up and get ready for September’s Decidium: Returned.
DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL
Written by Teuagah (adapted from the novel by Matt Dinniman)
Illustrated by Kuzomari (and possibly Laurel Pursuit - the credits are weird)
Vault (N/R)
Matt Dinniman's massively successful Dungeon Crawler Carl series of books has made the inevitable transition into comics adaptations, brought to vivid, manga-esque life by the crew at Vault comics.
If you, like me, have never read any of these books but are curious about all the ballyhoo, you should absolutely pick this up. It's lively, (too) colourful and joke-filled. With its promise of the Earth turned into a Dungeon Planet players must make their way through for the entertainment of alien spectators, the choice to make this look and feel very much like manga is a smart one - this feels like a manga, with its video game level structure, its violence, its gags, its potential to exponentially expand.
The colour work here does my head in a bit - so. much. computer - and as a result there's a warmth lacking that would help when dealing with a character as, on the surface, as obnoxious as Carl, but there's some wonderful expressiveness here in the character work and Princess Donut, the cat, steals the show. For the Carl-curious amongst us, this should be given a look.
ENERGON UNIVERSE 2026 SPECIAL
Written by Dan Watters / Robert Kirkman / Joshua Williamson
Illustrated by Pye Parr / Jason Howard/ Conot Hughes / Tom Reilly
Image (T)
Another year and I still haven’t gotten around to hopping aboard Image/Skybound’s Energon books (Transformers, Void Rivals, GI Joe and now MASK). One of the great things about FCBD is that it always serves to remind us all just how much good stuff there is to catch up on.
I don’t have much historical affinity for MASK (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) for some reason, even though I do recall that sweet theme song. A real GI Joe (good covert organisation - MASK - fighting evil covert organisation - VENOM) and Transformers (shape-shifting technology) mash-up, on the surface seems a bit lazy, but seeing as MASK is also a Hasbro toy property, it may have originally been simply an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it pitch from some executive.
The excellent Dan Watters and Pye Parr are tasked with upgrading this 1980s kids cartoon into the 2020s and these guys are very much up for the challenge. With the evil Miles Mayhem beginning to form VENOM, an organisation of deadly criminals he leads to take over the world, former friend Matt Trakker activates his MASK network to stop him.
I won’t say too much more about the plot, but it really is all you could want - dollops of exposition to get us up to speed, goofy codenames, high octane violence, augmented vehicles and pulpy thrills - this is great fun and even slightly transgressive, exactly the kind of thing my parents would have given a second look at if they saw me reading it as a kid. Pye coats all of this in explosions and roaring vehicles and eye-popping vibrant colours. It’s kind of awesome - the kind of summer blockbuster-vibe the Energon books are notable for.
Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard deliver four silent pages of Transformers as a palette cleanser. This one’s clearly for regular readers, so I will not outline anything here, suffice it to say that Howard’s work has never looked as dynamic and fluid.
Man, I really need to start reading these books. Argh. I would advise regular readers to not even flip through this before reading, as page four, the final page, is clearly something important. I will also add that if you’re going to drop four context-less pages of anything into an FCBD book, they should be this strong and packed with enough intrigue and flavour to get newbies in the door, but with something that makes regular readers' eyeballs pop at the end.
Kirkman’s back again, with Conor Hughes on art chores, for a slice of Void Rivals, the book that kicked off this whole new Hasbroverse. Kirkman really likes to snatch up all the best artists that fit his propulsive, action-first approach and Hughes is no exception - the art here is just excellent. I’m assuming regulars are up to speed on events in the title, so here we have young Ultum crash-landing on planet Junkion alongside “deadly warrior” Proximus.
The duo needs to repair their ship to head to Earth, and with Junkion being a literal planet of tech refuse, they could have found a worse place to unexpectedly end up. An unexpected ally makes their acquaintance, and the next big ark of Void Rivals is set to launch. Once again, very strong. These books all know what they are doing, where they are headed and, most importantly, how to get you to join them and lock in for the journey. This may seem easy, but it’s not, just ask Avengers Armageddon and quite a few others scattered through this column.
I’m going to assume the sure hand of veteran editor Ben Abernathy hovers over all of this, not only keeping the wheels spinning (pardon the slight pun) but also ensuring creators are given a sure sense of exactly what they need to provide in terms of briefing. I may be overstating Abernathy’s influence here, but I doubt it - this is all too focussed and aligned to not be the case.
The excellence continues with GI Joe by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Tom Reilly. We open with a man tied to a chair. The villainous Zartan generously spilled out his origin - experiments with the mysterious substance Energon, up until then used for weapons and fuel, led to him infusing himself with this comics universe’s titular stuff, leading to the emergence of Zartan’s shape-shifting abilities. Who he has tied in the chair, and why, I’ll not ruin, but once again this is a home run.
From this outsider’s perspective, everyone involved on the slowly growing line of Energon titles is not just having the time of their lives, but is investing a huge amount of passion and care into properties that, realistically, could just be throw-away income generating IP (see Alien etc above). None of these books should be this good. The fact that they are is a testament to the creators, to Robert Kirkman, to Ben Abernathy and, credit where it’s due, to Hasbro, who clearly have loosened the leash on Kirkman and pals to enable these vibrant and enjoyable books. I don’t know about you, but I’m in. Seriously this time!
One of this FCBD’s absolute best offerings. Don’t miss out.
FLASH GORDON
Written by Jeremy Adams
Illustrated by Will Conrad
Mad Cave (T+)
Writer Jeremy Adams, notable for his ability to blend Silver Age fun with modern sensibilities has, in many ways, is a perfect fit for a potentially musty property like Flash Gordon. Readers will find themselves thrust right into Adams’ narrative, with Flash imprisoned on Planet Death, shackled down and unsure of not only what is happening in the wider universe, but where his beloved Dale Arden is.
The mystery is quickly solved thanks to the convenient placement of a knowledgeable cell mate, and an escape plan is quickly hatched.
A slight quibble - the dark grey caption boxes with black text are not particularly easy to read, kind of ruining the smoothness of this experience. I thought it might just be my tired old man eyes, but the whole family agrees - no good.
Will Conrad's art, however, really pops in black and white - it's striking, detailed stuff. As with Terrorbytes below, it's clear that Mad Cave is saving some coin printing their FCBD books in black and white, but the art for both looks great in this format.
All round, this is solid stuff and with Adams giving readers a new status quo and a kind of Star Wars vibe to the whole endeavour, readers keen for new pulpy SF thrills should definitely take note of this. Three trade collections of this story are available, meaning this is also immediately bingeable for those who find its charms as hard to resist as Flash does Dale's.
A few pages from the first issue of The Phantom (a character surely needing no introduction to Australian readers) are included as a bonus. Veteran scripter Ray Fawkes is aboard, and, a solid hand, and it's clear he knows his stuff.
The art by Russell Olsen is perfectly serviceable but it's clear he needs some room and time to progress. Phantom fans should find this the perfect opportunity to check this out and see where their guy is at, at least as far as his American publishers are concerned.
THE FUTURE IS ******
Written by Fred Van Lente
Illustrated by Juan Gedeon / Chris Johnson
REKCAH Comics (NR)
I made a terrible mistake.
I’ve been doing these FCBD columns long enough now that I have developed a strategy - I have to review nearly 40 comics in a couple of weeks during the insane peak of my day job workload for the year. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I do not leave the comics I think I won’t like until the end, it will only sour me even more when the burnout begins to hit and further ruin any pretense of objectivity I have. And the burnout, it has hit.
I saved The Future Is Going To Be ****** until very near the end as I was intrigued. I was not prepared to be completely overwhelmed. This review is going to be completely inadequate as a result.
Sorry about that.
To clarify, this is not the best comic on offer this FCBD, far from it. However, as a package, this is hands-down the best FCBD offering that I have seen, ever. Ever. EVER. And I’ve been doing this for, I dunno, a decade or something?
REKCAH Comics is owned by Black Hills Information Security Limited. Who are these people? From their website:
“At Black Hills Information Security (BHIS), we strive to strengthen our customers’ information security infrastructure and employees through penetration testing, consulting, and defensive security services. Since our founding in 2008, companies of all sizes, from small community banks to Fortune 100 companies, have entrusted us with their business.”
Black Hills Information Security Limited also makes comics, under the name REKCAH Comics.
“We are REKCAH Comics, a new comic book publisher creating comics to help you save the future.” Well. Hell, yeah.
As REKCAH, they also now give comics away for FCBD: it’s a ****ng double-sized Annual of a planned 60-issue cyberpunk jaunt called The Future Is Going To Be ******, about “a group of ronin hackers who are fighting back against a world that relentlessly wants to end them.” Or, as the opening tells us, “The Hacker Wars are over. The Black Hats won. You no longer have any rights. Only terms of service.”
QR codes and website links abound, taking you to all sorts of places, including pay what you will cybersecurity courses. I actually screenshot some of this stuff for inclusion, but no, no. You discover on your own time.
This thing is drawn by Juan Gedeon, who is of course very good, and written by journeyman veteran scribe Fred Van Lente, who is totally the writer nobody would put money on having two FCBD books in 2026, but here he is. Good on you, dude.
I enjoy William Gibson, and I like cyberpunk but the amount of cyberslang thrown around by our ronin hackers visiting a virtual version of Wild West Hackin’ Fest (which appears to be a REAL ACTUAL ****ING THING) does get off-putting, but goddamn tech nerds will have an absolute feast here - there’s slices of code you can obtain via links, songs characters hear…there’s so much stuffed into this thing, I can’t even begin to unpack it or we’ll be here until FCBD 2027.
I just can’t. This is too much in the absolute best way. There’s even a short back-up beautifully drawn by Chris Johnson that gives us all cybersecurity tips….
I have to stop. I have one more comic to review before my Mitchell-imposed deadline and I need to go to bed. But, wow, just…goddamn guys.
I know all of these comics are free, but for value for…uh…nothing, this is just astonishing. I’m getting the first trade collection just because this right here, this is some activist ****. Please get this, you’ll spend ages unpacking it in ways I do not have the time to do right now.
GARFIELD
Written by Mark Evanier / Michael Northrop
Illustrated by Gary Barker / Rob Justus
Boom! (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Cam says:
Opening with a really fun, Kirby-inspired dream sequence (unsurprising as writer Mark Evanier was one of the King's personal assistants for many years), ‘Collectors Classic’ is a great little short, quickly transitioning to a clever skewering of the mentality of comics collectors.
When kitten Nermal finds a copy of the incredibly valuable Ultra-Powerful Guy #1, John, Nermal, Odie and Garfield set off to make a mint. They soon learn about restored and slabbed comics, a practice that offends John, and hijinks ensue. Gary Baker's art is spot on, nailing the classic Jim Davis likenesses.
‘Big Mouse Meal’ is next, again by Evanier and Baker, and it's nearly as good, with Garfield, surprisingly, being protective over some mice he refuses to eat.
Finishing us off is an excerpt from Baby Garfield's First Hairball by writer Michael Northrop and artist Rob Justus. The art here is way off model, not sure how Garfield purists (hey, there must be some around), but this is undeniably adorable, with kitten Garfield doing all he can over several pages to avoid getting brushed by John.
I thought this was good stuff all round, and I find Davis’ original 'Garfield material quite painful to read.
Thoughts, Edgar?
Edgar says:
I really like the art and how there were three stories, two where Garfiled was normal and old and the other being him as a baby. Baby Garfield is very cute, and the stories are very funny. I love the art and the characters are great and cool.
THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO (N/R)
Written by Dan Handfield (from a story by Tawnia McKiernan & Dan Handfield)
Illustrated by Alper Gelcel
AMP (NR)
Let’s be real for a moment - is there any license/property/pop culture nostalgia act that a comics company somewhere will not swoop in and snatch up? AMP Comics grabbing the license to TV show The Greatest American Hero (1981-1983) may, on the surface, represent the scraping of the very bottom of the barrel holding the treasured memories of middle-aged people everywhere.
However, as much as I personally internally grapple with the pros and cons of licensed comics on an unnecessarily regular basis, readers of Greatest American Hero may well be as surprised as I am to find it not only entirely readable, but actually quite solid. Featuring a cover by the great David Mack (presumably a fan), this bizarre entry into FCBD 2026 not only manages to convincingly drop both old school fans and total newbies into the world of this series, but actually do it so earnestly and thoughtfully, you’d have to be a total cynic to not at very least acknowledge that this effort is much better than it has any right to be.
Much of this is down to writer Dan Handfield (also CEO of AMP Comics) who turns in an entertaining script with some solid dialogue, some good character moments and a clever (if unoriginal) set-up. We are reintroduced to Ralph Hinkley, a teacher once given a superhero suit that grants him special powers, as an old man trying to reconnect with his estranged son, Kevin, and granddaughter, Maya. Through a series of perfectly acceptable contrivances, Hinkley discovers that his suit still actually works and his powers not only kick back in, but de-age him, reopening the character for a series of new, modern, adventures. This is a spoiler, sure (sorry), but c’mon, it had to happen.
Alper Gelcel turns in artwork partway Jacob Phillips, partway Leomacs and while he may skimp on backgrounds here and there, the character work (with likeness granted by original actor William Katt) is good enough to heighten Handfield’s banter-filled dialogue quite a bit.
I doubt this will set the comics world on fire or anything, but I came in prepared to rip this to bits - the last thing I expected was to be pretty much won over by it. Colour me shocked.
GUN HONEY
Written by Charles Ardai
Illustrated by Ace Continuado & Juan Castro / Ang Hor Kheng
Titan (M)
“The finest kind of pulp noir.” That’s a quote from none other than the great Ed Brubaker for, apparently, Titan Comics’ Gun Honey. I’ve seen that a few times on various promotional material and I refused to believe it. This FCBD issue does absolutely nothing to change my mind as, filled with literally every spy cliche in the book and art as flat and packed with badly referenced cheesecake as Greg Land’s work on a bad day, it’s pretty poor.
Leading into the news series, Gun Honey: Doubles Down, “international weapons expert” Joanna Tan infiltrates the Kremlin “to get a gun somewhere impossible.” Writer Charles Ardai, publisher of Hard Case Crime (the book imprint now dabbling in comics, both of which are published by Titan) is an accomplished author - his pulp novels for the line are solid hardboiled fare. But this, this ghost from the bad girl craze from the 90s? This is rough.
Adding to the woes is the aforementioned art by Ace Continuado and Juan Castro, which alternates between middling and (sorry) ugly. There’s a preview of pages from #1 of Gun Honey: Doubles Down included at rear and, while an improvement, can’t elevate this concept much at all. Sorry to be a downer, hey, it had to happen at some point - they can’t all be winners.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS / MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC FLIPBOOK
Written by Kelly Thompson / Katie Cook
Illustrated by Sophie Campbell / Katie Cook / Andy Price
Boom! (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Cam says:
Giddy-up! (sorry….) It’s flipbook time!
I preface this with my annual reminder that I know nothing about the world of My Little Pony, which shouldn’t be a problem, but I do wish the creators and publishers here had let me in to the world a little bit…a few more character names wouldn’t hurt, along with maybe a little character breakdown - who they are, what…uh…pony-powers they have, that kind of thing. It’s this kind of stuff that year in, year out, bugs me about some of the FCBD product.
Despite feeling a bit like I’ve been left out of the cool Bronie club, Katie Cook otherwise does a bright, fun, lively job on two tiny little short stories that bring the fun and set the tone for our colourful equines. As they are two pages a pop, I really don’t have too much more to add - they look good and read well, not sure how much more a two-pager can achieve.
Katie Cook stays on for our final Pony adventure, but hands over art duties to Andy Price for “The Return of Queen Chrysalis” which sees a herd of ponies attempting to rescue their sister from the castle of an evil Queen as a magic-disrupting comet is about to pass through the sky above. This is a fun one, as our ponies wander their way through spooky room after spooky room to find their lost sibling. Those looking for a complete tale beware, however, as “The Return of Queen Chrysalis” is cut well short - just as things begin to heat up.
We flip the comic over and say hello to an excerpt from Kelly Thompson and Sophie Cambpell’s much loved run on Jem and The Holograms from a few years back - soon to get a complete compact collection. Anyone familiar with the work of Sophie Campbell will not be surprised to learn that this is colourful, attractive comics - she’s such a great artist; always-expressive characters, terrific costuming and settings, clear visual storytelling.
Thompson’s script tweaks the original origin of Jem, as seen in the much-loved 80s cartoon, but keeps the core premise alive - Jerrica Benton is transformed into the ‘life-like hologram’ Jem thanks to her late father’s ‘holographic computer’ Synergy. Newly confident and glamorous, Jerrica and friends - in a struggling all-girl band - look set to take over the pop world. Bright, fun, energetic stuff that takes the 80s aesthetic to the next level - big hair, big colour, but punk-infused. Smart move by Boom! to try and lead new readers to a complete, affordable collection.
Edgar says:
I really like that there was both Jem and the Holograms and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I really like the art for both and my favourite one was My Little Pony. It’s about some little ponies who are saving their sisters from an evil pony. I like the front cover for both of the comics and the stories are really good and so are the characters. It’s very good!
JOURNEY TO THE WEST
Written by Char A (adapted from the classic by Wu Cheng’en)
English adaptation by Jim Zub
Illustrated by Julien Choy with K.K, Kaka and Kit
Manga Classics (NR)
Edgar says:
This is my favourite out of all the Free Comic Book Day comics.
At first, reading right to left was confusing and hard and I didn’t like it, but I got it. It;s not usual for me to read that way, because I usually read from left to right and it was very confusing, but Dad showed me and I got the hang of it fast.
This is about Tang San-Zang, Bai Long-Ma, a horse, Zhu Ba-Jie, a pig monk, and Sha Wu-Jing, a sand monk, who are travelling in the desert.
Tang San-Zang is a monk? What’s that?
Cam: Kind of like a priest.
Edgar: Ah, okay. They are traveling through the desert and Zhu Ba-Jie, who’s not always a hog, drank all their water and the monk was angry at him. Then the pig smells some strange and sinister smells and went to go look for them, but really he was going to look for water and food with Sha Wu-Jing goes with him.
In a town, some kids want the Monkey King to do some magic. Something is wrong with the town and it’s so dry. The kids say to Monkey King, if you do magic we will tell you why the town is so dry. Monkey King makes a fire dragon and he has so many moves - Mega Monkey Staff, Multi Monkey Split, Monkey Moving Cloud, and 72 Monkey Magic forms. He asks, “Why is this village so freakin’ hot?” All of them say, “It’s all Bad Luck Boy’s fault”.
Monkey King goes to find Bad Luck Boy. He goes into the woods and find him. He got the name Bad Luck Boy because the night he was born, the whole town was suffering and drying out. Everyone thought it was his fault.
There was a well providing lots of water for that little village, there was no more water and everyone thought it was Bad Luck Boy’s fault. He got left, even by his parents, and he’s just left with the grandpa.Monkey King makes his Monkey Moving Cloud, goes into the well. Then he goes back to his friends, the priest, the horse and the other guy.
Monkey King wants the well to have water, but the villagers start whacking Bad Luck Boy and his grandpa with rocks. Monkey King stops this nonsense. Bad Luck Boy touches the well and makes a wish and the horse makes water appear - the horse is like magical - and everyone is happy.
This is the best because of the drawings and the colours and characters are the best. The story is really good, everything is really good. My favorite thing is the emotional expressions. I really like Monkey King’s staff and the action is good. It’s funny and I think kids should get this because I think they will find it funny and very good.
KEENSPOT SPOTLIGHT
Written by Various
Illustrated by Various
Keenspot (T)
Hoo boy. Even Mark Spears completists will have a hard time swallowing the bulk of the content in Keenspot Spotlight, collecting a bunch of amateurish, stoner/horror comics with a few Spears pages and a fairly vapid interview with the man who loves ‘drawing’ monsters to make this all somehow appealing.
I’m sorry if this offends any Keenspot freaks, but man, the bottom of the barrel - we have reached it.
Moving on.
THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE ZOMBIE PARADE
Written by Andy Rogers (from the book by Max Brallier)
Illustrated by Brian Churllia with Victor Alpi
Penguin (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Edgar says:
I love the monsters in this and the front cover is very cool. This is about four kids who are the last kids on Earth and they are fighting lots of monsters who are destroying the town they live in. I like the names of monsters, like one they fight in this story is called Wormungulous, and how they look. Wormungulous is like a giant worm with massive tusks and teeth on its forehead and orange spikes and massive razor-sharp teeth and a massive tongue.
And the Last Kids on Earth have a monster dog named Rover. I really like the art.
Cam says:
Edgar’s not wrong here; the monsters are really cool, and I can’t believe he didn’t mention the exploding boomerang used to fight Wormungulous! I haven’t seen much of Brian Churilla in years, and it's fascinating to see an artist I recall from the very good The Secret History of DB Cooper years back now working on all ages material. His style may have shifted, but his energy remains. Ending on a cliffhanger, teasing you to pick up the full graphic novel adaptation, this is one post-apocalypse your young ones might be dying to get back to.
LOCKE & KEY #1
Written by Joe Hill
Illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
IDW (M)
Much like Nice House on The Lake, reviewed below, this is a terrific example of just a simply excellent first issue. Perhaps one of the true home-grown perennials IDW has ever managed to pull off, the series is told over six volumes published between 2008 to 2013.
Written by the wonderful novelist, and son of Stephen King, Joe Hill with knock-out art by Gabriel Rodriguez, this dark fantasy about a family who move to a small town, into an old house that contains portals to other dimensions immediately found acclaim and popularity upon release. Hill, many were familiar with. But this Rodriguez guy, he seemed to come right out of nowhere and his stylised, thick-lined cartooning along with incredible world-building ability was the visual draw this title needed.
Keys to secret locked rooms, mesmerist demons, escaped criminals and more await new readers in this richly developed and executed series, turned into a TV series I never bothered to watch. I don't know why I would when the comics were this good.
Newly available in a series of super fashionable compact editions from IDW, it's a smart move on the publisher's part to try and put the eyes of a new generation of readers looking for new self-contained worlds to explore on this title. If you've never read this before - get in on it, you won't regret it.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE / DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Written by Tim Seeley / Colli Kelly & Jackson Lanzig
Illustrated by Andrew Krahnke / Alessandro Miracolo
Dark Horse (N/R)
Writer Tim Seeley and artist Andrew Krahnke deliver a thorough recap of the goings-on in Dark Horse’s Master of The Universe comics in ‘Telling Tales’. Effectively a massive information-dump, there’s no denying Seeley is doing all he can to get potential new readers up to speed quickly. It’s an admirable effort, framed around Prince Adam telling epic stories in an effort to pick up a comely maiden, and I’m not sure how many issues get summarised here but there is a lot of backstory crammed in.
Truthfully, this does not make for the most exciting read of the day, but if the agenda is onboarding, it’s hard to complain. Also, younger readers, who this is chiefly aimed at, care way less about exposition than grumpy old armchair critics, but hey, that’s why I’m here.
Krahnke’s art is serviceable, but man I wish the publishers would take this to the next level with someone more John Buscema or Alfredo Alcala-styled (who remembers those awesome old Alcala-drawn comics that came with the toys? That was the good stuff).
Shoutout to Dark Horse who also include a full range of collections for both series available and even include a little note that, if you’re so inclined, you thank your store for their efforts on this day, and every day, to get you the comics you love. “Be sure to thank this comic retailer for hosting this amazing event - without them, there would be no comics for you.”
If you knew half of what Mitch, Troy and crew have to do to ensure your books are in stock and put away for you each week, you’d be surprised. Give ‘em some love.
Over to Dungeons & Dragons by the team of writing duo Jackson Lanzig and Collin Kelly and artist Allesandro Miracolo, who turns in some sharp, slick work. If you love a good Doctor Strange-style magic battle, this one’s for you, as Mordenkainen, Archmage of Cosmic Neutrality, squares off against Radiant Zael, Grandmaster of Flowers, Fist of the Dragon God. The plot here is a bit difficult to grasp, with the battle seeming to be more one of philosophical differences than actual good vs evil, but time will tell as the series unravels.
What’s clear is that Mordenkainen seeks a kind of cosmic balance - “Good is a lie” and “Evil is an excuse,” and this mage’s power lies somewhere in-between. Banished from his realm and stripped of his power, there is intrigue being set up by the writers, as it’s clear the series will explore Mordenkainen’s journey to reclaiming all that he’s lost. This is perfectly fine stuff, if slightly unclear.
MEGAMAN: SHOWDOWN SPECIAL / MEGAMAN BATTLE NETWORK
Written by Daniel Arseneault / David Oxford
Illustrated by Mic Fong / David “Chamba” Cruz
Udon (A)
Cam says:
Two fun Megaman stories await readers of all ages and we really should commend the folks at Udon for how good this comic looks - it’s super appealing for children, as you’ll see below. In “Rival Robots”, Dr Albert Wily has broken out of Mega City Prison and has loosed evil robots all over the world. One such robot is Bass, who Megaman has to battle. The problem is both robots are equally matched, how will Megaman topple this latest foe?
And, heck yeah, we have no Chamba art this year on Street Fighter (a big personal disappointment) but here he is illustrating a kind of Megaman goes Tron story in “A Different World”. It looks great, Chamba bringing the 8 bit vibes but maintaining his slickness. Edgar loved this, so I’ll hand it over.
Edgar says:
I like both of these stories and I really like the cover - it’s so cool, and the emotional expressions on the characters are great - the faces! I really like how, in the second story, it’s like a video game style.
In the first story, a scientist creates a robot that he wants to be good, but the robot’s actually evil, straight away. The robot blows up the scientist’s lab and then he fights Megaman, who’s losing! Megaman goes to grab his shield from his back, but he forgot he gave it to Rock, which is like another Megaman.
He has an idea, he tricks the robot and hides in the trees, then flies down to punch him in the face.
This is one of my favourites, because everything is just so good. This video game theme one, there’s like little…squares. It’s kind of like…pixilated kind of, but it looks so good.
You should get this because the characters are really good, the art is really good, the stories are really good, the emotional expressions are really good, the settings are good, the ideas are good. Everything is good, except for this guy who is missing an eye on the other side. I don’t like how he doesn’t have an eye here…
MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED / FORT PSYCHO (FLUX HOUSE DOUBLE FEATURE)
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Matt Kindt / Brian Hurtt
Oni (T 16+)
If I had to pick a single FCBD comic I was most looking forward to, it would be this.
The prolific Matt Kindt has secured his Keanu Reeves BZRKR bag and returned to his epic, paranoid, mind-melting, genre-hopping, metafictional world of Mind MGMT, with a retooling of the concept and ready to bring a new swath of readers into his trippy world of counter espionage. Not only is he bringing Mind MGMT to Oni from Dark Horse, but he’s bringing all his forthcoming work with him, including the much-anticipated Fort Psycho. But, argh, I get ahead of myself.
I’m thrilled with the return of Mind MGMT, frankly. In the space of nine pages, Kindt breathes new life into his modern classic, playfully reassuring readers both new and old that he has their back.
These nine pages are hands-down the most inventive of any book on offer in terms of sequentials - we can debate the overall effect here vs The Future Is ******, but the inventiveness of the latter is largely external to the content. In terms of pure inventive in-page work, Mind MGMT must be read to be fully appreciated.
I don't want to say too much, but there’s a camera within camera within camera effect that Kindt plays with perfectly, knowing, of course, that as his story zooms ever outward, that the reader is the end of this, holding the comic in their hands and probably wondering if we ourselves are to be zoomed out on, witnessed by whatever lies beyond us. It’s fantastic and I urge any adventurous reader looking for something to outdo their wildest formalist dreams to give this a shot - if you dig Deniz Camp’s work, for example, this right here, this will make your 2026.
Finishing this off is, of course, an exclusive prelude to Fort Psycho, which I’ve been jazzed about for months already, ever since it was announced with the tagline of ‘Watchmen for GI Joe.’
Fellow St Louis native (Hi, Jed!) Brian Hurtt joins Kindt on this wild 12 issue spy-fi trip, coming in August. This doesn’t completely set the table for the series, but readers get a taste of what’s in store, with Shiv, Lycan and Dragonfly taking down terrorist Red Lion prior to the events of Fort Psycho #1.
It’s not the most effective set up narratively, but it’s fun and Hurtt draws the absolute shit out of this - this is the best work I’ve ever seen from him and I have an ARC of his Vertigo Crime OGN, Cowboys, which he’s signed calling me a cheapskate (Thanks, Jed!)
This is a must have.
MINOTAUR
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Mike Dowling
Ignition (M)
Fans of dark, smart techno-thrillers like W0rldtr33, get ready to add another dense piece of paranoid SF noir to your pull lists.
Minotaur by Simon Spurrier and Mike Dowling gets the full package treatment from publisher Ignition in a clever move that both allows this complex new ongoing to get off to its best possible start and also maybe alleviate any potential fears readers may have (as I did) that this is just yet another IP-farming publisher.
Spurrier, as always, expects his readers to be both brainy and patient - if you are both of these things, Minotaur will appeal to you. We are five years after the government triggered a supercomputer that brought about the singularity, “an explosion of technological superintelligence heralding an unimaginable tomorrow”. Shut down almost as quickly as it booted up, the world is now left dealing with the ramifications of this event - monsters, miracles and ghastly harbingers of a potential apocalypse abound.
Fortunately, there still remains at least one decent journalist (!) - Gloria Monday, who will tour Spurrier and Dowling's new world, snapping pics and writing down all that she sees for a mysterious masked benefactor.
Readers are given an opening exclusive to this issue, along with nine pages from issue one, certainly enough content for you to make up their minds on this dense new title.
Spurrier isn't playing here, and Monday's world already feels full and ripe for exploration of a ‘new folklore’. Dowling's work is scratchier than his elegant art on the sadly cancelled Unfollow of a decade back, but he is a great choice for the title, providing both grounded realism and inspired creature and tech design.
Readers may be left puzzled by this, but not a bad thing in my opinion - I respect the lack of spoon-feeding - and there’s more than enough content provided for readers to decide whether this is a title for them.
As an object, it's also a win - blurb on the back cover outlining the series, an outro from spurrier unpacking what he is going for and how the series is way more than just a riff on AI, and plenty of finished, colour pages putting the series’ aesthetic on full display.
Intriguing stuff for readers looking for quite a bit of story-meat on the bones of their books.
MISTER MAGIC
Written by Scott Peterson (from the novel by Kiersten White)
Illustrated by Veronica & Andy Fish
Ten Speed Graphic (T)
Heyyyyy, look at this - a seemingly pretty well-made adaptation of a 2023 horror novel I always meant to get around to reading.
If the above sounds dismissive, it’s not meant to be - Mister Magic, the book by Kiersten White centered around a group of former child stars reuniting many years after the eponymous TV show they starred in ended and nobody quite remembers in the same way, has a premise ripe for comics adaptation and the fine folks at Ten Speed Graphic appear to have put the right team in place to adapt it.
Part Channel Zero, part Nice House by The Lake, this preview of Mister Magic is well put together, with art by Veronica and Andy Fish clearly influenced by everyone’s fave Javier Rodriguez, and author Scott Peterson, who cleverly uses Wikipedia pages, google searches and text message threads to flesh out his exposition.
There’s a lot going into this comics gumbo - you may also get X-Men Krakoa-era text page vibes from this - including the Stephen King It ‘kids-get-back-together’ trope and a clear Berenstain Bears Mandela effect riff along with the obvious nod to season one of the aforementioned first season of Channel Zero, ‘Candle Cove.’ This mish-mash of influences does not detract from the intrigue at play here - who was Mister Magic, the star of the kids show nobody remembers the same way, how and why did he vanish and why does nobody know what happened? Yeah, not bad, if the worst thing here is letterer Greg McKenna’s fairly generic work, you can’t ask for too much more for zero dollars. Curiosity piqued? Give it a shot.
THE NAME SHE LOST: IANNA
Written by Ianna Sarkis & Tim Seeley
Illustrated by Ademir Leal
Vault (NR)
I get very nitpicky, I know this, if you've suffered through these columns over the years, you know this too, but surely we all agree that this would be better titled Ianna: The Name She Lost, right?
It's difficult not to be cynical about these projects, brought to publishers by people who have been in movies you may or may not have seen (I have seen Seance, that's all I've seen that Ianna Sarkos has been in, I gave it three stars on Letterboxd, not bad).
The heart is very much in the right place here, however - it's clear from the very welcome text piece by Sarkis. The art by Ademir Leal is crisp and slick and will appeal to many. Tim Seeley is onboard to make this comic the best comic it can be, as opposed to a movie pitch in comic form.
The problem is just how generic everything feels. I love the idea of a diverse Wonder Woman, and we need more Middle Eastern superheroes, especially right now, but there's a real blandness to this despite all the effort clearly put into it.
We open 5000 years ago in the city of Uruk, ancient Sumerian city, in the middle of a siege, prayers to the Goddess of love and war, Ianna, are answered - in person..uh..godliness?
Anyway, we then cut to modern San Francisco and Inanna emerges from the sea, naked, vaguely amnesiac and very, very angry.
I wish this was better than average, and maybe it will be when the whole thing is out, when its examination of political injustices, poverty and the general bullshit of life in 2026 is examined. Based on this, however, I'm not sure how far they will get.
THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
DC/Vertigo (M)
Vertigo is back!
I’m not sure how much work I need to do to get you in the door on a quite successful, critically- tested, and stunningly drawn comic by one of the medium's most currently popular writers, but if you have never read The Nice House on The Lake by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno now is very much the time.
Another possibly interesting element of this FCBD inclusion for new writers is that, if you listen to some of Tynion's interviews with David Harper on Off Panel, you'll hear him speak about the amount of sheer work that goes into a debut issue of anything he touches. Consider this an invitation to examine that.
Writers aside, I also recommend this for process nerds - this is an opportunity to pick up the first issue of something quite special and pull it apart, learn its tricks, see the plotlines being seeded. Shit, you can write notes in the margins, cut pages out and shuffle them around. This comic could very well be a practical exercise in comics writing. I have the feeling Tynion would approve.
The only problem here with treating this like a university text is, perhaps, how beautifully drawn it is. But that, I guess, is what the collected editions are for.
What's it about? Here is DCs excellent marketing for it, I'll lean on them for this one:
“Everyone who was invited to the house knows Walter—well, they know him a little, anyway. Some met him in childhood; some met him months ago. And Walter's always been a little…off. But after the hardest year of their lives, nobody was going to turn down Walter's invitation to an astonishingly beautiful house in the woods, overlooking an enormous sylvan lake. It's beautiful, it's opulent, it's private—so a week of putting up with Walter's weird little schemes and nicknames in exchange for the vacation of a lifetime? Why not? All of them were at that moment in their lives when they could feel themselves pulling away from their other friends; wouldn't a chance to reconnect be…nice?”
Dense with text pages of emails and messages between characters, symbols and nicknames given to each protagonist, rich in WTF moments, The Nice House on The Lake is something of a Swiss watch in construction. It's very clever and, my God, the art. Make the most of this opportunity if you’ve either not read it before or want to learn from its extremely popular writer.
PIZZA AND TACO: COMICS ARE THE BEST
Written & Illustrated by Stephen Shaskan
RHCB (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Cam says:
Yes, comics are the best, and this is actually one of the best kids comics, maybe even one of the best comics, period, you'll be able to pick up this FCBD.
Supremely enjoyable stuff from creator Stephen Shaskan, as Pizza and Taco (literally best friends who are a pizza slice and a taco) talk about how much they love comics, then make their own comic, then we get to also read the comic they make! This is super educational for young readers too, as our foodie besties tell us all how to make comics and even teach us some terminology along the way (Edgar said aloud, ‘Ahh yes, I love a splash page!'). This is almost impossibly charming and disarming - seriously, don't miss it. I honestly loved it.
Edgar says:
This is one of my favourites so far.
I really like the art and the front cover is really good. The drawings are really good and I like how they use kind of real food pictures to make Pizza and Taco. It’s about Pizza, who’s reading a comic and Taco wants to join him and Taco says they should make a comic together. So they make a comic together called Super Awesome Team-Up, with Super Slice and Taco Awesome. They team up with robot wrestlers who are in their own comic that Pizza was reading at the start.
POWER RANGERS #0
Written by Marguerite Bennett / Joey Esposito & Kenny Porter / Paul Allor
Illustrated by Andrew Lee Griffith / Alessio Zonno / Gustaffo Vargas
Boom! (A)
I’m not sure they ever went away, but the Power Rangers are back! Boom isn’t playing around either as we’re provided with previews of three new Power Rangers series, debuting in June, July and August 2026. That honestly sounds like a little much, no? But if you’re a Rangerphile (do Power Ranger fans have a special name? Rangerites?) you’ll be happily morphin’ all the way to All Star Comics mid-year.
I mostly know the Rangers from when that Green Ranger guy challenged CM Punk to a legit fight and a handful of these FCBD issues over the years, so it’s always a curiosity to see if I can follow what’s happening in this extremely niche (to me anyway) slice of fandom.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is up first, debuting in June. Marguerite Bennett and Andrew Lee Griffith kick off the flagship title with Rangers grown up and reassembled to battle the returning threat of a villain probably known to fans, so I’ll not spoil that just in case. There’s not a lot to go by - I’m not a fan of Griffith’s overly posed art - but I honestly hope this one resonates with regulars, as I’m not here to yuck anyone’s Ranger yum.
Power Rangers Unlimited is up next and if I had to pick one Power Rangers title to read based on this comic, it would be this.
Kenny Porter, I’m sorry I was mean to your Predator comic in this column’s first review but this is much better. Maybe it’s working with co-writer Joey Esposito, maybe it’s the energy brought to this by your artist, Alessio Zonno. Whatever it is, there’s a real sense of fun here as Yellow Ranger Trini Kwan leads a heap of new young Rangers into battle against a powerful new threat. The closing spread here, Ranger leaping out at us in a barrage of colour and fancy animal-themed masks, is great.
Veteran writer Paul Allor handles Power Rangers: Green, starring Tommy the Green Ranger, conspicuous by his absence in Bennett’s key title. “The greatest Ranger” gets his own series, distinctly drawn by Gustaffo Vargas, of Image’s Nullhunter. He’s the perfect choice for this title - rough astound the edges, slightly punk, able to handle not just the grime of the world Tommy finds himself on, but also the distinctive alien life surrounding him. It’s a solid tease.
It’s at this point we once again need to give an editorial shout-out, this time to Executive Editor Tea Fougner who has assembled incredibly distinct creative teams for each of these titles. This really does feel like its own micro-line (think Energon or Absolute): small, manageable, connected comics that also can be read alone. Well done, Tea - you’ve put together a good crew.
And you know I’m a happy camper when we get some back matter in our FCBD material. Here it comes in the form of a good little creator roundtable chat, where the crew flex their Power Ranger love, tease what’s ahead and genuinely seem to have a good time doing so.
If you’re a Rangers fanatic or a curious newbie - this is more than worth your time.
SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN: ROAD TO SLAUGHTER
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Werther Dell’edera
Boom! (T)
This fine example of ongoing American comic book personally annoys me because I read the hardcovers and thus am behind on it, and this is very much like peeking around 20 issues ahead. Grrr.
I also wonder, despite the immense popularity of this series, if this is a mistake. There is both a live action and animated version of SIKTC, and you’d think Boom! Would be prepping for something similar to the Invincible effect - where new readers join in droves after experiencing the property in another medium - by giving away #1 again, or a medley of its spin-offs. Having said that, if you are up to date on this series, Road To Slaughter is a must-have.
Werther Dell’edera is just such a fantastic artist, his distinctive scratchy lines marrying so well with the athletic, sinewy litheness of his characters. Tynion, well, this was the series that launched him into the big time and his dedication and fondness for the world he has built remains - the man is committed.
If you are new to Something Is Killing The Children, I honestly recommend skipping this - the curtain is pulled back way too much for newcomers. Just go in and grab volume one or the first omnibus or the hardcover. Whichever is your preferred format, just pick it up. It’s a very good example of propulsive yet artful American comics. If you are a monthly reader, however, I’ve avoided all plot not just because I am annoyed, but because I will not spoil what this has in store for you.
Also - quick shout-out to Dell’edera’s cover homaging the classic Amazing Spider-Man #50, where Spidey is walking away, back to us, with his costume in the bin. It’s a really clever take on a frequently homaged cover.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Written by Ian Flynn
Illustrated by Tracy Yardley, Jim Amash & Bob Smith
IDW (A)
Cam says:
I always find it kind of amusing when titles like Sonic The Hedgehog do a much better job of telling stand-alone stories that deftly compact ongoing continuity into bite-sized pieces than, say, those put out by Marvel for FCBD.
Writer Ian Flynn knows the assignment and nails it - giving readers some fun Sonic action while simultaneously ensuring no new reader is left behind. I’m sorry, I just have to say it - this is a way better superhero comic than Avengers Armageddon, particularly for a free issue designed to hopefully onboard truckloads of new, young readers.
Doctor Eggman has been defeated and has disappeared, leaving Sonic and friends to battle his robot army, who still pillage the land. Joined by Tails, Sonic battles these hammer-wielding baddies, gaining the admiration of by-standers he saves along the way. Penciller Tracy Yardley and inkers Jim Amash and Bob Smith deliver some really energetic and inviting artwork - the opening page alone is so dynamic, I’m sure readers who give this chance will fall right into the panels.
Great stuff.
Edgar?
Edgar says:
I really like the colours and the drawings and the characters are really cool. The places are also really cool - this is one of my favourites. It’s about Sonic who runs past a nearby town and sees there’s chaos in it, so he goes to the town to help the people and there’s Eggman’s robots destroying the town and Sonic helps the animal-people there. He almost dies, but Tails saves him and…..(one minute of spoilers follow - redacted for your benefit)
SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS
Written by Various
Illustrated by Various
Disney Jr. (A)
This comic is part of the FCBD kids pack.
Cam says:
Another year, another charming free Spidey and his Amazing Friends comic.
Writer Danielle Kreger and artist Goodman Yamada kick us off with ‘Symbie Plays Chase-Chase’ featuring Spidey, Ghost-Spider, Spin playing keep away with Jeff the Land Shark in the park. Naughty Symbie the symbiote wants to join in, stealing Jeff's favourite toy and taking the idea of keeping away a little too far. Goodman is a perfect artistic fit, providing super expressive characters - his facial expressions for Jeff are particularly great.
Two shorter tales ‘Light It Up’ and ‘It's a Puzzle’ by writer Steve Behling, layout artists Antonello Dalena, Massimo Asaro and Gianfranco, and inks by Cristina Stella bring us home. These are two simple little tales, one featuring the Sandman ruining a barbecue and the other featuring Spin and the gang trying to solve a particularly vexing puzzle. They are fine, not a patch on the opener, but simply told and your youngsters will find this easy to read and follow which is mission accomplished for a comic like this.
Edgar says:
I like how at the end there is a dot-to-dot and I like how there are three stories in it. I love the characters and it has lots of action and it’s very fun.
It’s about Spidey, Spin and Ghost Spider playing with Jeff, who has a toy they are playing with. Symbie, a little symbiote, steals his toy and they’re trying to get it back. I like the art a lot.
STREET FIGHTER FOREVER
Written by David Lumsdon
Illustrated by Mike Bowden
Udon (NR)
Cam says:
I’m going to bow out of this one, except to just say that it is kind of weird there’s no Street Fighter movie hype attached to this comic. Anyway, as much as I enjoy reviewing my annual free Street Fighter issue, I’m going to let Edgar take this one as his inner critic is beginning to emerge.
Edgar says:
I didn't like how there are two spelling mistakes in this. This editor is sloppy, man! [they are actually word omissions, but I’ll let my boy cook here - Cam] I did like the two different stories and the colours were really good and I really like the emotional expressions.
The characters are really cool, and the setting is really cool in both stories. In the first story, it’s about Ryu who is doing meditation and the title is called ‘Lost in Thought’ because he meditates so, like, well that he gets lost in meditating and then just dreaming about different things happening to him. Like fighting with his best friend, giving up fighting, and his master dying from a bad guy, and then he’s fighting his old partners that he used to fight with and then he just wakes up and everything is back to normal.
And then the second story is about two guys who are going to do something, then one of the guys betrays the other guy and hires an assassin to kill the other guy, then the other guy who’s about to get killed hires another assassin who is trying to kill the other guy. But the two assassins are teaming up and they are the good guys and so they grab the bad guys' phones and they, like, make them have no money in their bank account. And then they just have some super funny emotional expressions.
It’s one of my favourites.
TERRORBYTES / HONOR & CURSE
Written by Mark Russell / Mark London
Illustrated by Felix Ruiz / Jaime Infante
Mad Cave (T+)
For anyone bummed about whatever the hell happened to that unfinished Black Mirror comic weirdly teased last FCBD, never fear, Terrorbytes is here to give you some twisty SF-horror thrills.
Mad Cave's anthology series of self-contained stories will be written predominately by Mark Russell, one of comics’ sharpest satirical minds, and his wit and bite is on pretty good display in this complete, black and white presentation of issue #1.
I'll not spoil proceedings, but this centres around awful tech investors buying into a memory recorder called Final Daze, designed to make your probably awful death much more pleasant by playing key selected memories as you pass.
“I know this subject is dicey, maybe even off-putting”, says our tech scumbag presenter to a packed house of wealthy douchebags, “but like it or not, each and every one of us will die. And the sad reality is…we can only make money off that fact while we're still alive.”
The art by Felix Ruiz is suitably realistic - reminiscent of Steve Yeowell's work in quite a few places (deep cut!) - perfect for this nasty, blackly humorous tale of tech overlord comeuppance.
All in all, it's really nice to have a complete stand-alone story here, my only real complaint is it's very weird there's no mention anywhere that this is an anthology series (I know because, a bit confused, I looked it up), potentially befuddling unaware readers.
Bonus back up feature! Mark London (also a Terrorbytes writer) and artist Jaime Infante's Honor and Curse is previewed - a tale of ninjas and possession. I dunno, this didn't do much for me with some pretty clunky exposition and dialogue spread over the few pages we see. Bit of a buzz kill after the very solid main story.
ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE
Written by Fred Van Lente and Larry King (not that Larry King)
Illustrated by Mike Deotato Jr
AWA (T)
The good: this is a very professionally constructed comic with real thought into bringing Frank L Baum’s meticulous series of Oz novels to new life in comics form. It’s solid, dialogue is good, Van Lente knows his craft, there’s real care put in here on the world-building and story sides.
The bad: well, aside from AWA’s association with the Murdochs, there’s the AI accusations hurled at veteran artist Mike Deodato Jr. and, try as he might to protest, he doesn’t make it easy to believe him. Ozma, Princess of Oz has detail change on her huge tiara in the space of a single panel. It’s not subtle. There’s no way that’s an accident, right? I don’t quite understand how editorial is cool to just let this stuff through the gates.
It’s a shame, as there’s a lot to like visually here, huge canopies of trees, ornate castles, thoughtful (if shifting) character design. There’s also a lot to like story-wise, as mentioned above - Van Lente is a solid pro. We have maps of Oz, redesigned versions of characters you know and love. There’s a nice text piece from Chief Creative officer Axel Alonso outlining the project - something more FCBD offerings could use.
If you’re curious, and the possible AI use and/or affiliation with the family poisoning western minds through tabloid papers and right-wing TV propaganda for multiple decades doesn’t put you off, seek this out. I find it hard to recommend, but you may really like this.
WORLD OF ARCHIE
Written by Various
Illustrated by Various
Archie Comics (A)
I’m going to let Edgar take the reins again with this one - I’m not sure how much anyone needs me to unpack five Archie stories by Dan Parent and friends. My time is getting short and you have some FCBD choices to make.
I will quickly add that there’s a good range of Archie stories here, featuring Betty and Veronica, Cassie Cloud, Daisy Thunder, Jinx, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and, of course, Archie and pals. This is a really solid crop of stories, with a big spotlight on the girls. Helpful character biography pages are also included. Good stuff.
Edgar, a little help?
Edgar says:
I really liked it because there are five different stories in it and the characters are really good and the colours are really cool. My favorite character is Archie because he’s the coolest.
My favourite story was the racing car one. Archie and his friends have a really cool car and they were racing Archie’s old nemesis Daisy Thunder.
There was this one page where Betty’s eye is all weird. I didn’t like that. See? That’s creepy!
CONCLUSION
Cam says:
That’s it from us! Wishing you the happiest of Free Comic Book Days, enjoy your picks, pick up some discounted books and maybe take a chance or two on some comics you’ve never read before. You never know, your new favourite comic may just be sitting on the shelf waiting for you.
Any final thoughts, Edgar?
Edgar says:
I think people should go to Free Comic Book Day and get comics because if you like comics and you don't have any, then you can get some for free! All the comics are really good. You can dress up like a character from a comic or a movie or a TV show.
Happy Free Comic Book Day! Enjoy Free Comic Book Day and have fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment