Free Comic Book Day Review Part Two

Free Comic Book Day Review Part Two

I have been lackadaisical in my reviews lately and did not do a Free Comic Book Day overview this year. Rather than do one at this late date, I'm just going to list two stores with each batch of Free Comic Book Day comic reviews. Please note that the comics reviewed did not necessarily come from the shop listed in this review, nor does the shop endorse these reviews.

Not all of the comics that I'll be reviewing over the three parts of my Free Comic Book Day reviews will be FCBD editions. Some are singles that I paid for on FCBD while others were offered for free as part of the FCBD festivities. 

My hatchlings.

In part two of three of my overview and review of this year's FCBD festivities, I'll go over the next two stores that we hit on our journey across two counties as well as review for another eight comic books.

Warp 9 Comics in Clawson, MI had a huge line wrapped around the building even though they had been open an hour by the time that we arrived. They once again offered their incredible ten free comics per person. There was a guy in a Spider-Man costume who actually knew some character history. He was friendly and my kids loved him. I told him that he hasn't gained a pound since I met him (along with the Hulk and Firestar) at Wonderland Mall in Livonia, MI in October of 1983.

Free Comic Book Day 2017- Secret Empire #1 (Marvel, cover date, July, 2017)

My son is ten and thinks that all of these comics are great, whereas my vibe on Secret Empire is that it is lame. Maybe I am an old dinosaur, or maybe this just plain ol' sucks. You can't even tell what this so-called event is supposed to even be about judging by this preview alone. The sneak preview of Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man is good and I can see me picking it up...for free from my local library. Everything is slick and professional but I can't buy everything. Lord knows I've tried.

Wonder Woman #1: Free Comic Book Day 2017 Special Edition (DC, cover date May, 2017)

Christ on a stick, how many times is DC going to retell and reinterpret Wonder Woman's origin??? Each time there are elements which contradict all previous versions. This time out it also flies in the face of the origin that civilians who only know the new movie continuity would understand to be true. Not syncing up your stuff across all platforms seems inefficient as well as a wasted opportunity.

This wasn't a bad read by any stretch, but endless reboots and retellings only muddies the water. This reprints #2 of the 2016 DC Universe Rebirth relaunch of the title. As a comic it reads well enough, but the point of these FCBD titles is to lure in new readers. On that count it might not work.

Free Comic Book Day 2017: All-New Guardians Of The Galaxy #1 (Marvel, cover date, July, 2017)

Not a huge GOTG fan but this was fun and reads close enough to the characters as the mainstream moviegoers and kids know and love them. It's not for me but it does what it's supposed to do. My son loved it.

And then the train goes right off of the rails and into the ravine with the wretched Brian Michael Bendis' Defenders, which has been rebooted for the thousandth time. It's your usual steaming pile of Bendis, and, like the rest of his work, stinks to high heaven. Go away, Bendis. Nobody likes you and you couldn't write a coherent superhero comic book to save your life.

Steam Wars: Strike Leader FCBD Edition (Antarctic Press, cover date April, 2017)

Next we have this...this...I don't know what this even supposed to be. Loving homage to Star Wars filtered through steam punk and WWII sensibilities? Calculated but poorly executed “IP” done in hopes to get “optioned”? Derivative, inbred drivel done only to kill trees and hopefully make some money? I suspect it's a bit of all three. The only purpose this comic serves is a recycle bin liner or to be used to prop up comics that are actually good in your boxes, protecting the ones by the finger holes in your boxes by taking the brunt of the wear.

The fourth out of the five shops that I hit this year on FCBD was Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, MI. I got there a bit late, as we stopped off for lunch with friends and it wound up taking a while. Green Brain has now expanded across the entire store. Dan and Katie are like the Captain and Tennille of comic shop owners, so stop in and say hi.

FCBD 2017 Catalyst Prime: The Event (Lion Forge, cover date, 2017)

This was well done on all levels (writing, art, and color) and has a solid concept that is intriguing enough. It is certainly worth a read.

Attack On Titan (Kodansha Comics, cover date, 2017)

I'm not the world's biggest Manga fan, but this was good stuff with an interesting message. It's probably worth a read if your library has it or if you are into Manga.

Free Comic Book Day 2017: The Looking Glass Wars- Crossfire (Automatic Pictures, 2017)

Wow. There are comic companies who over promote, and then there's this one. So modest are the publishers of this comic that not only is there no indicia indicating copyright or cover date, there is no name of the publisher found anywhere in the entire comic book. It wasn't very good, so maybe the publisher didn't want to sign it's name to it.

Malika- Warrior Queen: Chapter One (Youne3k Studios, cover date, 2017)

Polished and professional stuff. Production values on par with any of the larger publishers. I can see school age kids buying graphic novels of this at those Scholastic Book Fairs if they could get this book in front of them. It's good, but it's not my cup of tea. 

Free Comic Book Day Offerings Part 1

 Free Comic Book Day 2015 Avengers #1 (Marvel, cover date June, 2015)

Affirmative Action Avengers assemble! Marvel has become the latest victim in a politically correct mad gone world, chasing focus group numbers and listening to the vocal minority, namely the “outrage culture” championed by the Social Justice Warrior. Their pandering has alienated many longtime fans. The question remains: Will this influx of new readers stick around long-term? Will the gamble pay off? The culture war rages on...

There was one Avengers team for over 20 years. Then we got the West Coast Avengers. A few years ago Marvel launched several Avengers titles, diluting what was once an honor into something meaningless. Marvel has also gone DC over the past decade, having multiple incarnations of every hero. Take this group of doppelgangers for example.

The story in and of itself wasn't horrible, but Marvel is too DC for my tastes anymore. Having multiple versions of every hero to try and appease every person dilutes the brand for me. The Affirmative Action Avengers will be dispensing social justice to an offended person near you!

There is an Inhumans story, as I guess that Marvel is hyping them up for a future film. Then there is a Max Ride: First Flight three page preview in the back. None of these things made me wretch, but then again none of them are going to make me part with one thin dime, either.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2 out of 5. 

Hatter M: Love Of Wonder (Automatic Press, 2015)

Regurgitated public domain concept (Alice In Wonderland) meets a rebranding to score some “IP” for a hopeful film or television option. The writing and artwork were decent enough to hold my interest until I saw...this.

Sorry, but this writer sucks ass. If you use text speak or acronyms like this in actual writing then you blow.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 0.5 out of 5. 

Free Comic Book Day: Dark Circle Comics #1 (Archie, cover date June/July, 2015)

Archie Comics have been doing a bang-up job reinventing their brand and shaking things up. Once the squarest square that no self-respecting comic book fan would look at, they have done things to make people look seriously upon them for the first time in 40 years. Younger fans don't realize this, but Archie had a superhero line going back to their MLJ days in the 1940s into their Mighty Comics Group in the 1960s and a Horror line in the 1970s under their Red Circle imprint.

This is a split book introducing two reinvented characters, The Black Hood and The Fox. Both of these are terrific reads and I would even consider buying them. I know that I would be all over a collection of vintage material, especially 1940s Black Hood stuff. As it stands, these reinventions are well done and are worth a look.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day 2015 Secret Wars #0 (Marvel, cover date June, 2015)

Marvel has two FCBD offerings this year, this one for the reboot that's supposedly not a reboot (but we all know it'll be a reboot), Secret Wars. Marvel has crapped up their continuity so bad over the past decade that they have no choice but to burn it all down and start over. This is page after page of talking heads doing a long-winded explanation about what is going on, and is enough to make me keep my money in my wallet. There is also a reprint of a Manga Avengers crossover from Japan which is published in English for the first time. Manga sucks and so does this.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2 out of 5.

Captain Canuck FCBD Edition #0 (Chapter House, cover date May, 2015)

I have heard of Captain Canuck but have never read anything with him in it. Everything is competently done but I won't be buying it. I have too many irons in the fire.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3 out of 5.

Neil Gaman's Lady Justice (Papercutz, cover date 2015)

I was reading this and enjoying it but couldn't get over the fact that this comic felt very throwback, almost too much so. This was confirmed on the inside cover (which I read afterward), as this was a reprint of a 20 year old comic by the defunct Tekno Comics and will be collected in a trade paperback.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Review- FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2014 offerings, Episode I

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2014 offerings, Episode I

I get emails with links to review PDFs all the time, but to be honest with you, if it is not a dead tree edition I will likely not review it. I have read a few comics on my computer but nothing compares to holding a comic in my hand and reading it. It is one of life's simpler pleasures. I don't own a tablet and have no desire to read comics on my phone. In short, if someone wants me to review something for them, give me a physical copy...like publishers do on Free Comic Book Day every single year!

Mouse Guard, Labrynth And Other Stories: A Free Comic Book Day 2014 Hardcover Anthology (Archaia, cover date May, 2014)

The winner for the fanciest Free Comic Book Day offering once again goes to Archaia with their beautiful hardcover with sewn binding (Smyth sewn binding with 5 stitches per signature for you OCD types out there). This features samplings of six different Archaia titles: Mouse Guard, Rust, Labrinyth, Bolivar, Will O' The Wisp, and Farscape. My wife and kids enjoyed them all, especially Mouse Guard. She has talked about dipping her toe into the collected editions of that title. These titles were all tolerable to me but I won't be picking any of them up.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

Red Giant Entertainment Free Comic Book Day four pack (Red Giant Entertainment, cover date May, 2014)

The winner for the most bang for your FCBD buck goes to Red Giant. I thought that this comic which was shrinkwrapped to a piece of cardboard maybe had explicit content or something, but once I set out to crack it open I soon realized the truth: It had four split/flip comic books in it! So you get introduced to eight new titles all for the same low low price.

Giant-Size Action #0 features Tesla on one side and Wayward Sons on the other. Tesla features the heroic exploits of Nikolai Tesla. While well done, it was not my cup of tea. Wayward Sons is highly entertaining and might bear further investigation when the eventual collected edition is released.

Giant-Size Adventure #0 features The First Daughter on one side and Magika on the other. The First Daughter is comic book amateur hour and a complete waste of time. Magika has that highly polished, all ages, aimed at Scholastic Book Fair “graphic novel” vibe to it. Go where the cash is, I suppose. It's not horrible but it's not something that I would ever pay for.

Giant-Size Fantasy #0 features Pandora's Blogs on one side and Duel Identity on the other. Both of these are well written and well drawn ready for prime time concepts.

Giant-Size Thrills #0 features Darchon on one side and Shadow Children on the other. Darchon is the winner out of all eight of these concepts. A marriage of Doctor Strange, Doctor Spektor, Nightmask, and The Phantom Stranger, this has stuck with me a week or so after I read it. I will definitely pick up a trade paperback of this if it ever surfaces. Shadow Children has that all ages vibe and, like most of these Red Giant concepts presented here, has good production values.

I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this line of comics. Now I have one, possibly two more books to pick up in the future. Dear publishers: Stop making appealing new comic books! You are killing me (and my wallet)!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The Intrinsic: Singularity Zero Free Comic Book Day (Arcana, cover date 2014)

Hey, it's The X-Men featuring Hellboy! Fail.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 1 out of 5.

Free Comic Book Day 2014: Sherwood, Texas & Boondock Saints (12-Gauge Comics, cover date May, 2014)

Another split book. Sherwood, TX was forgettable while Boondock Saints was enjoyable enough that I might check out a trade paperback if one ever surfaces.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Ipso Facto Free Comic Book Day Issue One (Automatic Press, cover date 2014)

Interesting well polished and entertaining stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

Fubar Free Comic Book Day MMXIV (Fubar Press, 2014)

This comic features two comics: The Ace Of Spades by Chuck Dixon and Zero Dead Thirty. While mildly entertaining and most certainly readable, there is nothing here that would make me buy either one of these black and white zombie mash-ups. Quite frankly, all of these zombie themes are getting tired.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 2.75 out of 5.

I will have plenty more FBCD reviews in the weeks and months ahead. Stay tuned!