by 
Updated on December 10, 2021
This year’s Free Comic Book Day takes place on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Free Comic Book Day, of course, is the annual day where publishers and comic shops offer free “FCBD”-labeled comics as a way to get the general public interested in their books. While there’s been much debate on how effective this has been (given declining pamphlet-comic sales/the lack of comic shops in many areas), it’s still a much anticipated day for many comic fans. It also doesn’t hurt that it usually falls on a day when the first summer blockbusters open. On top of that, this year, Free Comic Book Day comes on the weekend after Chicago’s C2E2 comic show (which I’ll be attending again this year).
Here’s this year’s list of free comics being offered. Keeping in mind many shops limit the number of free copies, I thought I’d list which ones I’m interested in:
- Kaboom! Summer Blast: a compilation of various comics by Boom! Studio’s kid-oriented kaboom! division, including “Peanuts,” “Adventure Time,” “Regular Show,” and “Garfield.”
- Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1: not sure how great a “jumping on” point for fans this will be, as it includes one issue of a Superman vs. General Zod story from before the current New 52 reboot (which is far from being a bad thing). For the New 52 elements, besides the cover, there’s a preview of the now-named new series “Superman Unchained.” Perhaps including a Silver Age/Bronze Age Zod story (or an issue of “Superman Family Adventures” featuring Zod) as well might’ve been appropriate, to A) tie into the upcoming movie, B) have at least one completely kid-friendly Superman story, and C) provide at least one story that’s “done in one issue,” versus “part 1 of whatever.”
- World of Archie #1: a reprint of “World of Archie Double Digest” #1 is this year’s Archie entry.
- Atomic Robo & Friends: another adventure featuring the titular robot.
- Avengers Assemble/Hulk: Agents of S.M.A.S.H.: two comic stories based on the upcoming new Marvel superhero TV cartoons. The latter features the Hulk and his fellow family of gamma-irradiated heroes—plus Devil Dinosaur for some reason—as part of some sort of team.
- Beware the Batman/Teen Titans Go: another comic based on a TV cartoon, in this case the upcoming CGI Bat-series “Beware the Batman” and the comedic “Teen Titans” revival “Teen Titans Go.” Not to be confused with the original “Teen Titans” series’ spinoff comic, which was also named “Teen Titans Go.”
