Free Comic Book Day 2026 Preview
By Dan Brown It lives! Free Comic Book Day will return May 2 at L.A. Mood Comics & Games. I got my hands on some of the freebie sampler comics that will be handed out, so here are a few preliminary thoughts for those preparing to attend the event otherwise known as Geek Christmas. And remember, these mini-comics will be around only while supplies last, so be sure to get to 100 Kellogg Lane early on the first Saturday in May for the best selection! I think the big headline this spring is that many of the FBCD comics have a special focus on comics literacy. What I mean is, they are aimed at young readers and include helpful information about comics lingo, how comics are structured, and so on. The whole point of FCBD is to create new fans while giving existing fans reasons to be pumped about new stories that are coming soon from your favourite publishers. So if you’re the parent of a budding comics fan, you’ll want to pick up these books in particular. I wish I had had this kind of resource when I was eight years old! The Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch fame) booklet, titled Best Food Forever, includes a two-page spread showing how an unfinished comics page goes from rough sketch to line art to a finished inked page. With gorgeous illustrations by Nao Kodaka, the Stitch sampler comes in manga form and also includes a back inside cover that answers the question, “How do you read manga-style?” for those who have never encountered the Japanese storytelling format before. The Marvel comic featuring Spidey and His Amazing Friends gives definitions for industry terms such as panel, word balloon, and caption. It also provides proof that the days of Peter Parker being the only Spider-Man are long gone! The chibi cast includes Spin, Ghost-Spider and Symbie, all different versions of the character that has been around since 1962. The FCBD Pizza and Taco floppy goes an additional step by having the two characters create a comic of their own. “Panels are the boxes that break up a comics page,” one footnote explains. The anthropomorphic food items instruct readers how to fold three pieces of paper to construct a homemade comic. Speaking of young readers, one of the highlights among all of this year’s freebies is the Whole Wide World of Mabel Mulligan. It’s about a fourth-grader who would rather be alone with her stuffy Badger than with so-called friends who call her “weird.” As her summer vacation beckons, Mabel is excited to learn her family plans to renovate their attic, so Mabel can at last have her own room, separate from her tyrant little sister. It’s an enchanting story. Every fandom under the sun is represented this FCBD. There’s one starring He-Man, as well as comics featuring the Avengers, Garfield, the creature from the Alien franchise, Predator, the Planet of the Apes gang, Archie and his friends, Jem and the Holograms, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Power Rangers, Street Fighter, and Megaman. In my eyes, the best of the lot is the one based on the 1980s superhero TV series The Greatest American Hero. Readers with long memories will remember this show about an ordinary guy who gets an alien supersuit but misplaces the instructions. It has gorgeous art from Alper Gelcel with strong writing by Don Handfield. The story picks up when the hero returns to Earth after decades spent off-world. The intuitive panel sense the creative team displays is the strongest I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a slick little book. I hope to see you at L.A. Mood in early May! Don’t forget the store is partnering with the London Children’s Museum, also housed in the historic Kellogg’s factory. The museum promises a “celebration of storytelling and creativity through hands-on activities, special guests, and a special gift from our friends at L.A. Mood Comics & Games!” Plus, as in previous years, there will be sales galore! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly Graphic-Novel Group book club.
Enjoy Free Comic Book Day
By Dan Brown Here’s some free advice. Do yourself a favour this weekend and make time on Saturday to head down to 100 Kellogg Lane for Free Comic Book Day at L.A. Mood Comics & Games. It’s the annual event held at comic stores everywhere when retailers offer freebie sampler comics to their customers, as well as putting on sales that include some outrageous discounts. It kicked off in 2002 and quickly became an institution among those whose who have nerdy tastes. It grew into what some have dubbed “geek Christmas.” “This event celebrates the independent comic book specialty shops, thousands of which exist in North America alone,” organizers explain on Free Comic Book Day’s official website. And here in London, it’s always had its own flavour with store owners marking the day in their own distinct way. At L.A. Mood, for instance, local comic creator Eric Olcsvary will be holding court. “Eric is an extremely talented indie comic creator and an all-around delightful human being. Make sure you stop by his table to say ‘Hi’ and check out his comics,” the folks at L.A. say. Olcsvary is known for his AllsCherryComics line, including his Wendy series. The store is also teaming up with Shaw’s Ice Cream, located on the second floor of 100 Kellogg, for a contest that will test the creativity of comic-book fans, who are asked to rename an existing Shaw’s ice-cream flavour using a comic book or superhero reference (without using trademark names). I know my favourite is maple walnut. Now how could I make that into a comic-themed flavour . . . The publishers giving away samplers of their titles this year include Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Random House Children’s Books, Boom! Studios, and Archie. The one title that caught my eye on the FCBD site is Marvel’s Fantastic Four offering. “(Writer) Ryan North and (artist) Humberto Ramos craft an unusual story in which the Fantastic Four respond to a most unusual interdimensional summons!” the bumpf for the issue exclaims. Sounds like classic FF! The freebie comes, of course, as Marvel Studios prepares to launch Fantastic Four: First Steps on the big screen at the end of July. What I love about Free Comic Book Day, apart from the deals, is the feeling that’s in the air as comic fans travel to the Forest City’s comic stores. Spring is arriving, university classes are over, the world is just coming back to life after the winter. Comic fans are getting primed for the summer’s big movie releases, and cosplayers often have new outfits to wear. The first Saturday in May wouldn’t be the same without it. You may have heard how the owner of the Free Comic Book Day brand, the comics distributor Diamond, entered Chapter 11 earlier this year. I don’t think there’s any need to fret. The day has become its own special thing, and if Diamond doesn’t survive I have no doubt that comic stores would step in to keep the tradition alive, even without the distributor acting as coordinator. I hope to see you on Saturday! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
