This Saturday (May 7th, 2011), the tenth annual Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) event will be held in comic shops across the country. In the past nine years, scores of free comic books were given away by participating retailers to not only thank comic book aficionados, but to introduce the wonderful world of comics to new readers and fans as well! You can learn more about the event at the official FCBD site by clicking here.
Among the comics being given out this year are few that should appeal to “Scared Silly” fans. “John Stanley Summer Fun” from Drawn & Quarterly is a compilation of all-ages comic stories from one of the all-time masters of the genre, John Stanley (not to be confused with the horror movie historian-author and TV host of the same name). Included in this free edition is a story featuring Melvin Monster.
This year Melvin is joined by a couple of newer characters that seem mighty intriguing. With apologies to Godzilla, Super Dinosaur may just be the most stupendous dino that ever lived… and he just so happens to have lived through the ice age and made it to modern times! With awesome powers and even more awesome tripped-out armor, Super Dinosaur more than lives up to his name!
Kiddie cryptozoologists are going to have a field day with "The Intrepid Escape Goat!" Just check out this description from the Free Comic Book Day site: "It is the dawn of the 20th Century, and one brave soul dares to walk the line between the worlds of science and the arcane; he is Thomas Fleet... The Intrepid EscapeGoat! Touring with his ward and assistant Isis (a 2,000-year-old mummy girl), EscapeGoat performs to sold-out crowds around the globe... but it's what happens offstage, when locals call upon him to solve the paranormal mysteries plaguing their cities, that provides the most peril!"
Thomas Fleet sounds like he’d be right at home hanging out with Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and their pals as they encounter “Archie’s Weird Mysteries.” That’s the comic series I wrote, and while it’s not a part of Free Comic Book Day, if you’re going to the comic shop anyway, I politely request that you consider asking them to pre-order a copy of the upcoming book collecting my stories, “ARCHIE ALL-STARS”: ARCHIE’S WEIRD MYSTERIES.” I’ve written about it a few times recently – just click here to get all the details.
In addition to Melvin Monster, Super Dinosaur and The Intrepid Scapegoat there will be several other great FCBD offerings featuring the likes of Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America, Spider-Man, The Tick, The Simpsons, Inspector Gadget, Kung Fu Panda, Betty & Veronica, Batman, Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog and many more. And this post wouldn’t be complete without a shout-out to my pal Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics of Concorde, CA – Joe was the guy who came up with FCBD in the first place! He’s one of the sharpest comics retailers out there, a champion for great comics and literacy and a heck of a nice guy.
I’ll leave you with this promotional clip that Merlyn’s Comic Shop of Washington put together – it’s their spoof of a famous modern-era horror-comedy, called “The Spokane Ghostbusters” – enjoy!
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