Free Comic Book Day 2016 Comics Announced

The Free Comic Book Day folks have announced the 2016 free comics lineup, and as always, there are some awesome kids’ titles in the mix.

For those not quite in the know, Free Comic Book Day is a promotion held the first Saturday in May in which comics retailers offer a selection of free comics and often other events, sales, cosplay contests, etc. Next year’s FCBD is May 7. For more information, check out the FCBD FAQs. There’s also a comic shop locator on the site that will tell you where your nearest comic shop is.

There are 50 2016 Free Comic Book Day comics; here’s a look at some particularly interesting ones that caught our eye, with info on each from the Diamond Previews catalog and some links to coverage of the comics here and elsewhere.

Archie #1, by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples

Comic superstars Mark Waid and Fiona Staples reimagine an icon in this special FCBD reprint of the best-selling first issue of Archie! Change has come to Riverdale in the can’t-miss kick-off to Archie’s new ongoing series! As the new school year approaches, you’d think Archie Andrews would be looking forward to classes and fun – but nothing is as it seems in the little town of Riverdale. Is this a one-off, or a sign of bigger changes awaiting America’s favorite teens… and the entire town? Find out in this exciting, remarkable and critically acclaimed first issue!

Comic Book Resources article on the Archie reboot
GC4K Roundtable on Archie #1

Bongo Comics Free-for-All, by Matt Groening

Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! Pieman and the Cupcake Kid take on a new crime team, Glutenus Maximus and his sidekick Gluten Tag, whose pastry-related misdeeds have led to a ban on all baked goods in Springfield! How will the heroic duo battle their foes without their arsenal of pies and cupcakes, and what’s worse…what will Homer do without his daily dose of donuts? Then, after an unfortunate trip to the dentist, Principal Skinner is mistaken for a vampire. It doesn’t help that Bart fuels the fire (and supplies the pitchforks) to an unruly mob uprising. All that and much, much more – and it’s all free!

BOOM! Studios FCBD 2016 Summer Blast, by Box Brown et al., cover by Kat Leyh

In the BOOM! Studios 2016 Summer Blast, read all-new, original short stories of David Petersen’s Mouse Guard and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. Plus, get sneak peeks of the upcoming new Adventure Time: Comics series, the Lumberjanes: Don’t Axe, Don’t Tale special, and this summer’s highly anticipated original graphic novel from Archaia, The Cloud. As a bonus, we’ve included preview pages from Goldie Vance, our newest BOOM! Box debut. There’s something in this Free Comic Book Day issue for everyone!

Lori Henderson’s Review of Lumberjanes, vol. 1

Camp Midnight #1, by Steven T. Seagle and Jason Adam Katzenstein

Add a touch of spooky to your Free Comic Book Day this year with the first chapter of Ben 10 and Big Hero 6 creator Steven T. Seagle and New Yorker Magazine cartoonist Jason Adam Katzenstein’s Camp Midnight! Not wanting to please her “step monster,” reluctant Skye is dead-set on not fitting in. But when she’s accidentally sent to the wrong summer camp – Camp Midnight, where everyone attending is a full-fledged monster – Skye realizes that not fitting in will be the very least of her challenges! Camp Midnight is the perfect book for readers who love Raina Telgemeier’s Smile but wish it had more bowls of gooey eyeballs in the lunch scenes.

Pokemon Pocket Comics, by Santa Harukaze

To the forest! To the sea! To Legendary Island! Join our Pokémon pals on a quest through Unova for the Legendary joke – while testing your Pokémon knowledge and laughing all the way!

We recommended the graphic novel version of this as part of our 2015 Gift Guide
Lori Henderson’s review of Pokemon Black and White Pocket Comics

Attack on Titan Anthology, by Hajime Isayama et al.

Titans of Comics+Attack on Titan! The biggest manga of the decade, reinterpreted by the top talent in comics! Get a taste of this fall’s upcoming Attack on Titan Anthology, a collection of original stories set in the world of Attack on Titan, from creators including Scott Snyder, Gail Simone, Michael Avon Oeming, Tomer Hanuka, Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr, Faith Erin Hicks, Kate Leth, Kevin Wada, and many more!

Comic Book Resources article about the announcement of the Attack on Titan Anthology

Dark Horse All-Ages Sampler, by Michael Dante Dimartino, Brian Churilla, et al.

Avatars, Dragons, and Zombies? What could be more friendly for all-ages than original tales from these prime Dark Horse worlds? Nothing. For Free Comic Book Day 2016, take a journey with the Avatar from The Legend of Korra, the dragon riders from How to Train Your Dragon, and the fundead of Plants vs. Zombies!

Dream Jumper, Book One: Nightmare Escape, by Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnboom

Trapped in a neverending nightmare… Ben has a gift. He can jump into other people’s dreams. So when his classmates start falling victim to an evil dream monster, he knows he has to do something. But can he get to them in time? With help from a mysterious companion, Ben just might be able to defeat the monster and save his friends… if he can harness the power within! Created by actor Greg Grunberg (Heroes, Alias, Felicity).

Hilda and the Stone Forest, by Luke Pearson

In the first Free Comic Book Day offering from Nobrow, the Eisner-nominated Luke Pearson tells the story of intrepid young Hilda’s first adventure in the mysterious Stone Forest. Get ready for the body-swapping-est adventure this side of Freaky Friday! And keep your eyes peeled for Wiz and Mug, on their way to their next round of Fantasy Sports!

Pearson’s Hilda and the Black Hound won the children’s category of the British Comics Awards

Junior Braves of the Apocalypse, by Greg Smith, Michael Tanner, and Zach Lehner

The Junior Braves Free Comic Book Day edition features a 24-page excerpt from Book 1 of the hit Oni Press survival horror Young Adult series! Perfect for readers who are a little too young for The Walking Dead, this zombie apocalypse epic follows a plucky band of scouts as they navigate the end of the world with only their combined smarts, teamwork, and good old fashioned camping skills at their disposal. And even then, they’ve still got other survivors to contend with! Will Tribe 65 make it out alive?

March Trilogy Sampler, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

Top Shelf celebrates Free Comic Book Day with 32 pages of excerpts from March Book One, Book Two, and Book Three (coming summer 2016). The first graphic novel from a sitting member of Congress, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and American icon. John Lewis rose from humble beginnings to become a national leader of the civil rights movement. This is his story, from an Alabama farm to the March on Washington and beyond, co-written by Andrew Aydin and brought to astonishing life by Nate Powell in a graphic novel trilogy.

Esther Keller’s review of March: Book One
Esther Keller’s review of March: Book Two
Brigid Alverson’s review of March: Book Two

Oddly Normal, by Otis Frampton

Explore the magical land of Fignation this Free Comic Book Day with Oddly Normal, a ten-year-old girl with pointed ears and green hair – a half-witch who will be the first to tell you that being a little different doesn’t make it easy to make friends at school! On her 10th birthday, Oddly blows out her cake’s candles and makes a disastrous wish. Now, she must travel to Fignation to uncover the mystery of her parents’ disappearance. Join beloved cartoonist Otis Frampton and the delightful Oddly as she navigates a strange new school, monstrous bullies, and Evil itself on an unforgettable fantasy adventure through this vibrant world!

The Pink Panther #1, by S. L. Gallant

He’s been the coolest cat in all of cartoondom for over 50 years! The Pink Panther is back in brand new adventures to tickle your funny bone and test the sanity of The Little Man. Join all of Pink’s pals from the DePatie-Freleng stable including The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark as we welcome The Pink Panther to 21st Century comic books in style! This special FCBD issue is chock full of fun with new and classic Pink Panther adventures including the hilarious antics of The Mighty Pan-Thor! 2016 is the year of the Pink Panther and it all starts here on Free Comic Book Day!

Science Comics, by Maris Wicks and Jon Chad

Get to know your universe with Free Comic Book Day’s Science Comics! Do you want to know more about how the world works – what’s going on under our feet and in our oceans? With two action-packed, full-color non-fiction science stories – one by Maris Wicks (author of Human Body Theater and Coral Reefs) and one by Jon Chad (author of Leo Geo and the upcoming Volcanos), Science Comics shows off what’s fun, weird, and crazy about the Earth we all inhabit!

Spongebob Freestyle Funnies, by Evan Dorkin, Israel Sanchez, Ramona Fradon, Gregg Schigiel, and Rick Neilsen

32 pages of all-original comics from United Plankton Pictures! In “Renegade Arms,” SpongeBob must grow extra appendages to deal with a huge influx of Krabby Patty orders. But without the proper training, the new arms are wreaking havoc! Then, in a brand-new Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy adventure – “Bedlam! In Bikini Bottom!” – the diluvian duo faces a fish egg… from space?! All this, plus deep truths about sea trenches from Maris Wicks, SpongeFunnies from James Kochalka, and more!

Stan Lee’s The Unknowns/Howard Lovecraft, by Sean Patrick O’Reilly

Comic book legend Stan Lee’s newest creation, The Unknowns, makes its world debut on Free Comic Book Day! Two average teens help alien protectors disguise themselves as a touring rock group in order to take out undercover cells of invaders! Also included is the next chapter in the Howard Lovecraft series (just in time for the animated feature film, Howard Lovecraft & The Frozen Kingdom), as everyone’s favorite Cthulhu teams up with young H.P. Lovecraft in Howard Lovecraft & The Squid Kids! 32 pages of all-ages animated fun!

One Punch Man/My Hero Academia, by One, Kouhei Horikoshi, and Yusuke Murata

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem – he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on! He is the One-Punch Man! Also: What would the world be like if 80% of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20% percent who were born Quirkless?

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