The very best of FCBD 2026
By Dan Brown Free Comic Book Day came and went on May 2. Before the annual giveaway unfolded at L.A. Mood, I published a preview of some of the freebies that were going to be handed out to customers. Now that the event has passed, I’ve had a bit of time to sort through the rest of the sampler comics I picked up on the weekend. Here are a few additional thoughts, including my very fave of the bunch! That would be Tales of a Gen-X Nothing, which comes from London creator Jeff McClinchey. It is a slick, entertaining mini-comic about . . . how to make mini-comics. The art is vivid. The writing is funny and crisp. Even better, it might inspire some youngster in Southwestern Ontario to try her or his hand at creating their own comic stories. You might recall in my preview column I mentioned how, among this year’s free comics, there was a strong theme of comic education. That is, as a group, the books handed out this year were designed to help new readers understand how the conventions of comics work – with the unabashed goal of making kids into fans. In his own eight-page, black-and-white sampler, McClinchey goes one additional step by showing readers how they can take an idea, then turn it into a piece of sequential art with all the requisite beats. “Hi, I’m Jeff and I make comics,” his cartoon self (who looks kinda like the Dude from The Big Lebowski) explains on the introductory page. McClinchey’s goal, he tells readers, is to “create a series of zines to encourage making comics.” Borrowing from comic pros like Brian Azzarello and using cinematic lingo (wide shot, full shot, close-up, et cetera), McClinchey gets into basic panel theory. “Pro tip: Ask creators how they create,” he advises in one square box with a block border. Tales of a Gen-X Nothing (a borrowed title that echoes Judy Blume, a Generation X touchstone if there ever was one) is clean and expressive. I’ve been collecting comics for decades but even I got excited by McClinchey’s advice. He also preaches patience, telling young creators not to try making an epic in the first go. “Give yourself a fighting chance!” he cautions. I look forward to future releases with more of McClinchey’s advice! Other notable FCBD titles include: Conan: Tides of the Tyrant King: It feels like there’s an FCBD tradition in recent years of publishing one freebie with an evocative cover featuring Conan. This year, it comes from Roberto de la Torre and shows our favourite barbarian baptized by a waterfall in which the bodies of recently dispatched enemies float. The Cimmerian: Kuthal of the Dusk: I recommend this one for the precise lines from artist Stevan Subic that put me in the mind of Esteban Marato. What is the difference between this title and the Conan comic mentioned above? The stories under the Cimmerian banner include more adult content with uncensored violence and sex. Flash Gordon: If you liked Princess Leia’s torture droid from the first Star Wars movie, you’ll dig this issue, which sees the storied pulp hero busting out of a prison on Planet Death manned by many-armed synthoids, who keep Flash docile with forced injections. Artist Will Conrad’s lines convey action better than almost every other creator involved with FCBD this spring. This one is jumping! Aquamanatee: Aimed at early readers (5-7 years of age), this DC joint is mostly a goof on all of Aquaman’s previous sidekicks. There’s Meg the Megaladon, Super Squid, Clawdius the Lobster and on and on. I guess no one takes Aquaman as a superhero seriously, so why should kids? Let's start the scorn early! I would love to read your mini-reviews of this year’s FCBD releases, and hear your thoughts about the upcoming stories being teed up in these mini-comics. Meet you in the comments! 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.
The Year in Comics, 2025 Edition
By Dan Brown Another year gone! That means it’s time again to pick out the highlights from the last 12 months in the comics and graphic-novel world. As I always say when introducing the annual list, the categories are entirely my own invention, the choices reflect my tastes and no else’s, and I would love to see you chime in with your own picks! Best graphic novel of the year: Contenders include Jeff Lemire’s 10,000 Ink Stains (more of a memoir than a graphic novel, I know), Guy Delisle’s Muybridge and David Petersen’s Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe (yes, I know it will be several weeks before it appears in collected form), but I am going with D. Boyd’s Denniveniquity, which recounts the creator’s misadventures growing up in 1970s New Brunswick. I was transported back in time to a different Canada, and the book’s central character made me laugh! Best comic of the year: I’m going to say the J.Michael Straczynski-written Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon No. 1, in which the Latverian ruler drafts the genetically engineered rodent to help him travel back to a time before the Big Bang to understand the purpose of the universe. It includes a Jack Kirby-inspired collage, which got me excited. Local comics coming on strong: With offerings like Scott Wojcik and Jeff McClinchey’s Probed and Loaded, as well as Jeff McClinchey and Scott Brian Woods’ Black Helm Saga, it was a strong year for local creators. Speaking of which, Byron comic creator Jeff Lemire took over art duties on Skottie Young’s I Hate Fairyland this year! Best graphic novel I read this year not from this year: The second volume of Chip Zdarsky’s Public Domain came out in February, collecting previously published issues. As I wrote, “it’s a sophomore collection that enriches the storyline of an ongoing comic series, putting the characters in new and surprising situations.” Best comic adaptation of the year: The Sook-Yin Lee version of Chester Brown’s Paying For It came to London in 2025, and it stayed with me long after I saw it last winter. Brown himself sat a couple rows over. Most underwhelming comic adaptation: This is a tie between this summer’s Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps. There, I said it. These movies were popular for about one second, and consider this: The best character in Superman is Krypto, the superdog. The most intriguing character in Fantastic Four is Doctor Doom, who is in the thing for like half a second. Blerg. Comic adaptations still hanging in: Despite all the talk of superhero fatigue, there were four such motion pictures in the domestic box office’s Top 12 for 2025: Superman (No. 3), Fantastic Four (No. 7), Captain America; Brave New World (No. 10), and Thunderbolts (No. 12). What was cool for comic fans is that for Superman and the FF movie, magazine-sized digests were published showing the stories that inspired each movie. Most confusing comic marketing: As part of the industry crossover involving the two biggest comic companies, DC released the one-shot Batman Deadpool and Marvel released Deadpool Batman. Got it? These were two different things. Creators involved with the making of these titles had to take to social media to combat the resulting confusion. Best local comics-marketing move: Joe Ollmann helped put together Bonk’d Volume 1, which collects work from Hamilton-based and -connected comic creators (Ollmann also has The Woodchipper coming out next year, his latest collection of short stories, which I am eagerly anticipating). Comic villain of the year: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took aim at graphic novels in school libraries, particularly the ones depicting LGBTQ relationships. I thought we were done with comic witch hunts in the 1950s, but apparently not. Biggest comics-adjacent development of the year: Netflix’s animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters has caused quite a stir, although I have yet to see it. Now, it’s over to you! Tell me in the comments about your picks for this year! 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.
Autumn Mini-reviews
By Dan Brown Here are brief reviews of a some of the comics I’ve been reading this fall. As always, there’s no logic to these selections, other than each cover caught my eye on the new-releases shelf at L.A. Mood. Alien Vs. Captain America No. 1: The result of a partnership between Marvel and 20th Century Studios, this miniseries takes place during the Second World War. Last seen on the big screen in Alien: Romulus, the xenomorph is the weapon Nazis hope will turn the tide as the allies march closer to Germany. Best moment is when Cap uses his shield as a Frisbee to decapitate a baby alien that has just burst out of a chest cavity, about to jump Nick Fury. Herobear and the Kid: What can I say? I’m as much a sucker for a cartoon polar bear as the next guy. This all-ages book taps into the Calvin and Hobbes vibe with the young protagonist alluding to the final Bill Watterson strip by declaring, “We’re going explorin,’” in one of the opening panels. Also, the bear exists as a stuffed animal until he is bopped on the nose, which brings him to full-sized life. Fun. Binary No. 1: One of the big events happening over in the Marvel Universe these days is its Age of Revelation crossover, which takes place a decade into the future in an alternate North America where a virus has killed millions and turned the survivors into mutants. Oh, and Carol Danvers is once again Binary, but a Binary on steroids. “I have the powers of the Phoenix,” she explains. No biggie. Cloak or Dagger No. 1: Cloak and Dagger are also caught up in the Age of Revelation event. They seem to be government/military operatives. This story also has a marauding hippo, which I did not have on my bingo card. Probed & Loaded: Love the heedless energy of this Scott Wojcik/Jeff McClinchey joint. Our redneck heroes are abducted by a UFO, which is bad news for their alien captors. It’s a weird situation. “Lucky for me, weird is where I shine,” the Elvis-esque Gunny narrates. McClinchey’s art calls to my mind classic Mad Magazine stuff. Black Helm Saga No. 1: My favourite of the bunch. Created by Jeff McClinchey and Scott Brian Woods, it takes place in the interregnum between Ragnarok and the coming of a new world in a snowy forest. SBW’s pencils remind me of Jeff Lemire’s expressive lines. And the idea of a many-eyed, fanged monster lurking beneath the snow, waiting to push its way up like a great white shark, actually makes a lot of sense to me this dreary fall. Fantastic Four No. 4: A thought-provoking one-and-done story about aliens that appear to be cute, harmless puppies, but are actually many-tentacled beasts with jagged teeth. The only problem is that Alicia, Ben Grimm’s blind partner, is the only one who can perceive them in their true form. Loved the Skottie Young cover featuring H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, who was last seen on the big screen this summer in First Steps. The Amazing Spider-Man No. 15: With a cover that riffs on Peter Parker’s first-ever glimpse of Mary Jane Watson, this story finds our arachnid hero having deep-space adventures which involve a sentient costume. “I have a complicated history with alien suits,” he deadpans at one point. This suit, called Glitch, is mechanical in nature, not organic like Venom. He also gets to kiss an alien with yellow skin and cat’s ears. Absolute Batman No. 1: This one actually came out a few months ago, and imagines a Gotham City in which Bruce Wayne is of humble means while the Joker is a billionaire. It has apparently generated quite a stir among fans of the Dark Knight. With Alfred as a traveling mercenary, it doesn’t lack action! What comics or graphic novels have you picked up this fall? If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them in the comments! 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.
