On a personal note, I haven't contributed to Collector Times for the past few months. I was in a local play which consumed a lot of time and put me behind in my comics reading. I also got an email from Collector Times reader Jeff Valentine regarding my last column with the top comic book catch phrases/sound effects who thought Wolverine's "I'm the best at what I do" should've made the cut. Great point, Jeff and thanks for the email! Free Comic Book Day was this past May 5, 2007. Most major comic book publishers supplied shops nationwide with some titles. Of the shops in the Chicago area, stores permitted patrons to choose up to 3 free titles. So for something different, I decided to review 12 of the many free titles that one could choose from and give them letter grades. While one could argue it's not fair to judge something, or it's harsh to review something that's "free," I think some publishers are raising the bar with their offerings. Also, I don't think I've ever reviewed comics that are now not readily available, but I think I'll be more prone next year to go after free title released by publishers that made more of an effort with their "freebies" opposed to those that didn't. Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel) -- I thought this was Spidey at his wise-cracking best. This was an all-new story with art by Phil Jimenez. The cameo as Mary Jane as a heroine called Jackpot was priceless. This was definately more than I expected! Grade: A. Battlestar Galactica #0/Lone Ranger #0 flip-book (Dynamite) -- I liked the Lone Ranger story (which was self-contained) better that the Battlestar Galactica story which was a prequel of sorts. Still, I was entertained. Grade: B. Unseen Peanuts (Fantagraphics Books) -- Though I didn't count them, the cover boasts that there are over 150 Peanuts comic strips in this free comic book, with some of them NEVER reprinted before. There is some insightful editorial commentary accompanying some of the strips to boot. I would not have felt guilty actually paying for this free comic! A lot of fun material! Very enjoyable even if you're only a casual Peanuts fan. Grade: A+. Hack/Slash-Family Guy flip-book (Devils Due Publishing) -- I presume this was original material. The Hack/Slash material had a bit of gore and didn't quite work me as I wanted more details (maybe that was to entice me to buy the new title). The Family Guy story captured the characters spot-on and I was a great read. Grade: B-. Mickey Mouse (Gemstone) -- This was a brilliant collection of strips reprinting Mickey's "Robin Hood" adventure from 1936 in color! The color separation and Floyd Gottfredson's artwork are both magnificent. A treat for comics fans of ANY age! Grade: A. The Astounding Wolf-Man (Image) -- From my free comic jaunting, I observed that this was the most requested title by comic shop patrons. I do like writer Robert Kirkman's work, and I confess this was a "freebie" that I did seek out in particular. I only wished I enjoyed it more. I didn't think there was anything unique by story or artwork that was new or unexpected pertaining to a Wolf-Man. Grade: C. Comics 101 (TwoMorrows Publishing) -- A fantastic "comic" with an array of rich text pieces by comics professionals: writing tips, figure drawing tips, articles on comic book history and more. Good, fresh insights. Grade: A. Justice League of America #0 (DC) -- This was a previously published story which was a prequel to the current series. It's not a bad story with snippets of the past, present and a possible future, but nothing new or special, comparing it to other publisher offerings. At least DC came out with another selection if you didn't want a comic aimed at kids. Grade: C+. Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #1 (DC) -- Yet again, DC slaps the "Free Comic Book Day" banner on a kids book its previously released. The story was recycled from the series pilot as well. Grade: C-. Marvel Adventures Iron Man & Hulk (Marvel) -- No, not a team-up, it's shades of the '60s with two stories a 'la the old Tales to Astonish, Tales of Suspense titles when two characters would share the book. I liked the Hulk story a little better than the Iron Man one. Both original stories are kid-friendly, but not in an obvious way as DC's kid titles are. Grade: B. Little Archie "Legend of the Lost Lagoon" (Archie) -- Archie Comics always seems to go out of there way to put out original material for Free Comic Book Day; this year was no exception and I think they did even more. This new story was by Bob Bolling who worked on Little Archie decades ago putting the title character in imaginative adventures. This was a win-win for Archie in my opinion; something for nostalgic Archie fans, and a great new story for young readers. Grade: A. Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2007 (Bongo) -- Another publisher that consistently puts out original material for Free Comic Book Day. This is a pure comic book with Simpsons and Futurama material and an infinity cover. Fun stuff! Grade: B+. Who Wants to be a Superhero? Preview (Dark Horse) -- If any of the day's offerings looked like a "free" comic, this was it - very thin page count, and comes off like a "teaser." Yes, the cover (with the character Feedback on it) said it was only a "preview," but there didn't seem any more here than bare bones. Compared to other publishers offerings, this was very disappointing. Grade: D.

[Back to Collector Times]

[Prev.]

[Return to Comics]

[Disclaimer]

[Next]