Local Mini-comics Are Where It’s At!
By Dan Brown It’s been a month since Free Comic Book Day. So the time is right to go over the freebies handed out at local comic stores like L.A. Mood on May 2 to put a spotlight on the ones that stand out. What really jumped out at me this year are the mini-comics from local creators, more on that in a moment. There were more than 40 titles in all, with something for members of every fandom. Such heroes as the Hulk, Spider-Man, Judge Dredd, Archie, the Thundercats and the Transformers show up. Publishers from Dark Horse to IDW to Image to Boom! are represented. Off the bat, I noticed how Titan Comics extended its streak for having the best cover of the FCBD lot, with the Scourge of the Serpent preview featuring a Roberto De La Torre rendering of everyone’s favourite barbarian, Conan, almost being swallowed by a giant snake. It’s a dynamic image and recalls the glory days of the Cimmerian over at Marvel, when he was drawn by John Buscema. And no surprise, Marvel put out a Fantastic Four sampler – the new FF movie, First Steps, comes out July 25, so expect lots more hype. The story concerns a group of bored teenage aliens who summon Marvel’s First Family by occult/scientific means. The Thing even gets to bellow, “It’s clobberin’ time!” but I’m not a fan of Johnny Storm’s handlebar moustache. (Nor Pedro Pascal’s, as regular readers of this column are aware.) There is a symbolic passing of the torch in I Hate Fairyland, with Byron illustrator Derek Laufman taking over art duties from Skottie Young. You can’t help but dig the four-page splash section Laufman supplies, including a glimpse at Hellicorn – his spoof of a certain demonic anti-hero. London/L.A. writer Sam Maggs is also part of the local contingent, handling script duties on Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins. The backup story is a Black Hammer prologue written by another Southwestern Ontario comic creator, Jeff Lemire. Now, about those mini-comics . . . They are not to be missed! Many of them were published by Kitchener’s Studio Comix. There’s a horror offering from Becka Kinzie titled Gehenna: Death Valley in which the characters recognize they are not acting wisely: “This is the stuff from horror movies! Stupid people doing stupid things!” one proclaims when they ignore warnings not to trespass In Wendy and the Sprite, Eric Olscvary sets himself the challenge of writing and drawing a comic about . . . a pile of snow. He more than rises to the occasion. Craig Ferguson and Alfonso Espinos offer readers a tale of the Night Spike, which has a Spy vs. Spy flavour and is also self-aware. At one point, after some back story is related, the Night Spike’s sidekick admits she embellished saying the duo had fought in the Secret Wars: “Well, I just said that to make the flashback a bit more dramatic!” I greatly enjoyed Scott Wojcik’s Cereal Box Time Machine, which tells the story of a trio of young siblings who get their hands on an all-powerful magic wand. They wish for a time machine – in the form of a cereal box – and are transported to a magical setting where they must rid a far-off land from a dragon who looks suspiciously like an overgrown version of their own cat. And I was utterly charmed by The Mini-Fridge Space Adventures from Roxy Reed Creations. It features a spaceship in the shape of a kitchen appliance with a penguin piloting the craft. The whole thing reminded me of Bob Burden’s Flaming Carrot. It also appears the mini-fridge of the title is larger on the inside. Hey, if it worked for a police call box, then why not? 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.
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.
Free Comic Book Day 2024 is Saturday May 4th
Save the date and celebrate at L.A. Mood 100 Kellogg Lane, suite 5, London. We will be open 10 am till 6 pm. There will be free comics, sales, costumes, guest artist Eric Olcsvary, random draws (including an unopened copy of Deadpool The Adamantium Collection (MSRP $240)), enter Shaw's name that flavour contest for their newest ice cream creation, spend over $20 to get a special discount on Shaw's super hero sundae, enter our Deadpool selfie contest by taking a photo with Deadpool and using the hashtag #LAMoodDeadpool, and more! Come early as we will have limited comics available (while supplies last!). For more details please check out www.freecomicbookday.com. There is plenty of free parking at 100 Kellogg Lane. If you don't see an available spot across from the atrium there is plenty of parking north of Dundas St. behind the old Emco building. Don’t miss out! Book Saturday May 4th in your calendar now! L.A. Mood Comics and Games100 Kellogg LaneSuite 5London ON N5W0B4Canada
On Free Comic Book Day, Something For Everyone
I don’t know what kind of comics you like. But I can say this much with certainty: When you visit your favourite comic store on Free Comic Book Day (which lands on May 4) you will find a veritable horn o’plenty to pick from. That’s right. There’s something for everyone. It’s an old-fashioned cornucopia. Or maybe a comicopia? What I mean is, whatever publisher, fandom, character, creator, title you favour, you will find something to scratch that particular itch. I say this after getting a sneak peak of the bulk of the freebies that await you at stores like my preferred comics haunt, L.A. Mood Comics & Games. Fandoms like Star Wars, Stranger Things, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Planet of the Apes are represented by offerings from publishing houses such as Marvel, Dark Horse, Titan, Fantagraphics, and IDW. Here are a few highlights from my reading to help inform your FCBD excursion:*For a sentimental old fool like me, the title that jumps out is Snoopy: Beagle Scout Adventures, a sampler with strips pulled from the collection of the same name landing in bookstores at the end of April. What ‘s better than Snoopy and Woodstock camping in the woods? Snoopy and a whole troop of little Woodstocks camping in the woods! *Marvel is putting on a big push on a couple fronts. One is this year’s companywide crossover, called Blood Hunt. The premise is that perpetual night has fallen on the Marvel Universe, which means it’s feasting time for vampires, including the hungriest bloodsucker of them all, Dracula. The other front is Marvel’s Voices line, which features characters and creators aimed at the queer, Indigenous and Latino communities. *The best cover may be the one on Tons of Strange, a child-friendly homage to the EC horror titles of the 1950s. Inside, you’ll find Jawas playing dice in the sands of Tatooine! *Speaking of the 1950s, Stories from the Atlas Comics Library includes a Stan Lee-penned piece in which the then-unknown creator took aim at Fredric Wertham. He’s the crank psychiatrist who provided the anti-comics crowd with pseudo-scientific cover for their crusade to ban comics, which included comic burnings, back in the day! *Also in the running for best cover is the one for Conan: Battle of the Black Stone, which features everyone’s favourite barbarian hefting a bloody axe. It comes from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics. Is there a comics company out there that hasn’t published his adventures? The difference this time is the current licence holders are trying to situate Conan within a larger Robert E. Howard universe of characters. *Perhaps the broadest sampler pamphlet is the one featuring Asterix and Obelix, which includes episodes culled from seemingly every one of their books. Oh those wacky Gauls! *The Kill Shakespeare universe makes a return with Romeo Vs. Juliet, which imagines the star-crossed lovers crossing swords! How is this possible? It turns out Juliet faked her own death. No word in this promo pamphlet on how Romeo managed to shuffle back onto this mortal coil. *The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle handout includes a slice-of-life tale in which Master Splinter has a rare evening of quiet away from his adopted mutant sons. All I will say is that the rodent sensei doesn’t spend all his free time meditating!*The Cursed Library Prelude takes place in the Archie Horror world, so for those who prefer the dark side of Riverdale, prepare to meet Jinx, the daughter of Satan himself! It also features a snippet of a ghost story starring Archie’s favourite blond, Betty Cooper! So if you’re a fan of Venom, Flash Gordon, Johnny Quest, ThunderCats, Hellboy, Frankenstein’s wife or Mei-Mei the red panda, there’s something for you this FCBD. And that’s just the free comics . . . I hope you’ve been saving your shekels because the annual event is also a great excuse for London’s comic retailers to offer customers some outrageous deals!I love FCBD, dubbed Geek Christmas by some, for the feeling that’s in the air around town. It’s kind of like a moving fan convention as Forest City comic enthusiasts, cosplayers and pop-culture followers travel around our community, checking in at all the different stores. There’s a rare convergence this time as FCBD and May the Fourth (the day unofficially set aside to celebrate all things Star Wars) coincide, so there’s bound to be the waft of bantha steaks in the air. Don’t miss it! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 31 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Meet Local Artist Eric Olcsvary at Free Comic Book Day
L.A. Mood is excited to announce local artist Eric Olcsvary will be doing a meet and greet on May 3th from 10 am to 3 at this year's Free Comic Book Day at L. A. Mood. Eric is a comic book creator working under his own label "Alls Cherry Comics". He is currently working on two series, "Wendy and the Sprite", and "Overflow", each with their own unique story about otherworldly characters on an adventure to uncover the secrets of an ancient land. “My stories and comic book label were created to bring a sense of wonder, and a crave for adventure to the reader, and to spread the love for comics/stories as an art form!”Don’t miss out! Save the date and celebrate with us.We will be open May 3rd from 10 am to 6 pm.There will be sales, prizes, and more!Come early as we will have limited comics available (while supplies last) For more details please check out www.freecomicbookday.com L.A. Mood Comics and Games100 Kellogg LaneSuite 5London ON N5W0B4Canada
Free Comic Book Day Is Coming Soon!
Free Comic Book Day is Saturday May 6th.Save the date and celebrate atL.A. Mood100 Kellogg Lane, suite 5, London We will be open 10 am till 6 pm.
