Shopping holidays. We all love them, right? Valentine's Day, Black Friday, Mother's Day... Days set aside on the calendar specifically to throw money at the people and things we love. My favorite is the first Saturday in May, which since 2001 has been known in comic circles as Free Comic Book Day! Comic Publishers, Retailers and Distributors get together each year to select a group of titles designed to represent a wide variety of what's available in the overall comic market, and offer special edition issues for free! The goal is to stir up excitement around the comics medium, provide a boost for local comic shops, and hopefully, create new comics fans.

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It was this exact event that turned me into a die-hard Wednesday Warrior 5 years ago. I took my daughter to a local event featuring live artists, cosplayers and a storefront full of dollar bins. My goal was to show her all the practical things she could do with her budding passion for art. Somehow, the two modest stacks we grabbed (pictured above) turned into everything you see from me today.

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Of course, the publishers treat Free Comic Book Day as their opportunity to hook you into their upcoming Summer events and comic launches.. and I'm ALL THE WAY here for it. Here are a few I'm really excited about.

Over at DC Comics, the focus is on Absolute Power, a summer event helmed by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. During last year's Dawn of DC initiative, I checked out on Mark Waid's World's Finest line, and the community keeps screaming about how big a mistake that was. I'm excited to see how Mark and Dan tell the story of Amanda Waller, and an apparent team-up with Failsafe? Man. That sounds like fun.

Marvel seems to have a Red Pill/Blue Pill offering this year. Blood Hunt is the main event taking over the 616 universe. The sun has been extinguished, and the Vampire Nation is having a field day. Horror comics have been all the rage lately, and Marvel is leaning into the blood and gore with special Red Band Editions that ratchet up the violence even more. This year's Free Comic Book Day preview also includes a first look at Gail Simone's post-Krakoa Uncanny X-Men title.

For the Blue Pill crowd, the Ultimate Universe has been firing on all cylinders. Easy jumping-in points. Familiar heroes. Dramatically different circumstances. This summer, we get our first look at an Ultimate universe Avengers team as The Ultimates #1 drops from Denis Camp. This weekend's Free Comic Book Day Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man Special is your first look at what's coming, and perhaps the first appearance of Ultimate Dr. Doom? Count me all the way in.

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While I love Big Two superhero comics, I'm REALLY loving the year that licensed comic properties are having. This weekend, Dynamite is offering a first look at the new Jonny Quest title. Massive is reprinting Marcus Williams' Eye Lie Popeye one-shot, and we're getting a sneak peek at Mad Cave Studios' new Flash Gordon comic, written by Jeremy Adams! And how could I forget Skybound's foray into the Energon Universe? I've been hooked on Daniel Warren Johnson's Transformers title, but hadn't gotten into the G.I. Joe side of things until recently. This new Energon Universe 2024 Special should have some exciting ramifications for both.

As you can see, I'm really excited about Free Comic Book Day. It's my favorite day to be at the LCS. Kids come in cosplay. The lines are out the door, and I'm usually walking around trying to make comic fans out of everyone I see. This year will be no different, but extra special, since it's my comics anniversary!

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On The Podcast

This week sees the release of Space Ghost #1 from Dynamite Entertainment. To get you excited, I spoke with series writer David Pepose about his inspirations, the premise of the series, and why this is the perfect time for you to try a Space Ghost comic. If you listen closely, you may even learn a fun fact or two about Batman. Take a listen, and if you're enjoying the podcast, do me a favor and share it with a friend!

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What are your plans for Free Comic Book Day? Join the Comics Are Dope communities on Facebook or Discord to show off your bounties. I'm excited to see them!