My favorite retail holiday is just a few short days away, and I'm excited about it! Since you're a die-hard who subscribes to the e-mail list, I'll spare you the full story for an 18 millionth time. But Free Comic Book Day is what got me into comics 6 years ago, and it's probably the best chance we have all year to add new fans to our numbers. Besides being a fun, family friendly way to spend your Saturday morning; Free Comic Book Day also gives established readers their first glimpse at upcoming comic events so you can better plan out your Pull List for the next few months.

This year's Free Comic Book Day offering is pretty strong, with titles every age group can enjoy. The top of my list this year includes Speed Racer #0 from Mad Cave Studios, followed closely by Demona #0 from Dynamite Entertainment. A little birdie told me that Demona issue will give us the first glimpse of the Gargoyles/Fantastic Four crossover, so you might want to put that one on your list as well! The Absolute Universe at DC has been expanding lately, and their FCBD offering promises even more. And at Marvel, we're gearing up for Ultimate Universe: Incursion to give us our first Ultimate crossover with the Marvel 616.

Sadly, I'll be missing Free Comic Book Day for the first time since I started reading thanks to prior commitments. But you can find a local comic shop in your area for a guaranteed good time! If you happen to be in the RDU area, my LCS and channel sponsor Fight or Flight Comics is throwing a great event with $1 comic deals & local artists there to do quick sketches and show off wares. Just head to Triangle Town Center mall around 10am for the festivities!

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, there are some great comics coming out this Wednesday ahead of the big party on Saturday. Among them are Lost Fantasy #1 from Image Comics, written by Curt Pires. I had Curt on the show to talk about his journey in storytelling, bringing something new to every project, and why original stories matter so much to him. Check it out, then grab Lost Fantasy #1 in stores Wednesday.

Kickstarter Spotlight: The Antagonists

I want to spotlight a Kickstarter campaign that will be ending pretty soon. The Antagonists is written by Tyler Martin and published by his imprint, Godhood Comics. The series follows Tonya and Calvin Eval, a retired supervillain couple. Though they've lived under the radar long enough to raise two kids, recent events have them being tracked by A.C.T.I.O.N., a supervillain hunting organization. I'm about 4 issues into the digital release, and it's been really engaging so far. While the language and gore take it to mature readers territory, it's a very multilayered reading experience, and I recommend it. It like The Boys meets Robert Townsend's Disney Channel Original Movie Up, Up and Away. You can get all 7 issues in a trade paperback via the Kickstarter campaign. But hurry, this one ends Wednesday evening!

Back to the Salt Mines

Monday, May 5th marks my official return to the day job after several weeks of parental leave. This means I'm cramming to fit in all the projects I said I'd have completed -- the biggest of which is hanging all the art in my comic room and filming the new Room Tour. As you can probably tell by my channel output, the transition to three kids has been tougher than I expected. Most days, I'm walking around feeling like that Mr. Krabs meme. But bear with me. It's all coming, eventually. If nothing else, you'll always get the latest episode of The Pull List. And if I can only make one video a week, I'm gonna do my best to make it as dope as possible.

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Read Something Dope Today,

BJ KICKS

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