Free Comic Book Day is a single day – the first Saturday in May each year – when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. In preparation for this national event, Archaia Comics is offering a flip book aimed for an All Ages audience–a demographic whom comics were originally created for but are now often overlooked in mainstream comics publishing. As the father of a 3.5 year old little guy who loves his funny books, this comic will not disappoint. And yet, in spite of the appeal to an All Ages audience, this book will still be one adult readers will likely enjoy as well.
Two stories that are particularly well-suited to this one-shot format are “Bolivar,” by Sean Rubin, and David Petersen’s “The Tale of Thane and Isla,” which is set in his Mouse Guard world. “Bolivar” tells the story of a boy’s question to find out about a particular dinosaur that is near to his heart, and it manages to capture some of the same innocent whimsy fans of Calvin and Hobbes, albeit a far less-devious Calvin. Petersen once again puts his skills on display in the intricacies of his art as he crafts another instant classic, where readers will somehow feel as if they’ve heard the story many, many years ago; yet, the retelling is completely fresh and new. These two stories alone will leave fans feeling as though they’ve certainly received something special tomorrow from their local comic stores; the additional three stories simply make the experience all the more sweet.
If your LCS has a copy of this book, I highly recommend you get a copy for yourself, and more importantly, a child who loves a good story. And don’t forget to thank you store owner by buying one or two other books as well. This is a day to celebrate both our hobby and the stores who makes these books available for us to enjoy.
Free Comic Book Day: Archaia
Mouse Guard: “The Tale of Thane and Isla.”
Story and Art by David Petersen
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: “Sir Didymus’ Grand Day”
Story and Art by Cory Godbey
“Flip the Cowby”
By Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos
“Boliver”
Story and Art by Sean Rubin
An Excerpt from Rust
Royden Leppp
*Check with your local comic book shop for their participation and rules.
Need a local comic shop to visit on May 4th? Use the FCBD “shop locator.”
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator