I had more or less moved to trade waiting last year, given that my nearest comic shop is now over 60 miles away. This meant I was no longer buying new comics on a weekly basis. But I had failed to comment on Free Comic Book day, which took place a month ago.
FP on Schoolhill and Asylum Books and Games in the Adelphi, Aberdeen (above) were taking part- Plan 9 had them on display above and behind the counter. As in previous years, I had one eye on what would be popular in my classroom and on what I might try for the first time.
Riverdale, Overwatch and Adventure Time were definitely on the list of the former: AT had been wildly successful with my Higher class about three years ago. Riverdale made me want to try Mark Waid's Archie stories.I found Overwatch incomprehensible and much preferred the knowing retro homage to the Legion of Super-Heroes in Black Hammer.
I enjoyed seeing Strontium Dog, young Johnny Alpha in 2000 AD but The Tick made me regret passing on a £3 copy of Kyle Baker's Plastic Man: Rubber Bandits ( so I got it a fortnight ago!).
Howard Lovecraft's Big Book of Summer Fun is a tween adventure, re-imagining HP's tales of cosmic horror as JK Rowling pastiche. I enjoyed the Frozen Kingdom freebie from FBCD 2016.
Shadowman was a lavish re-launch of the Englehart/Valiant hero from the 90s; I liked some of Magnus, Rai and Solar stories from those days but this wasn't my thing.
Warren Ellis' version of James Bond feels modern and frightening: I might try Eidolon or the gorgeous Casino Royale hardcover.
DC Nation Zero wasn't a FCBD comic but was given away by FP. It features a sinister Joker hostage drama with a horrible twist. The taster for Bendis' take on Superman had fresh, contemporary dialogue but the classicism of Garcia-Lopez instantly made it look tasteful but dated. Conversely, the fussy contemporary aesthetic of Jorge Jimenez irritated me in the No Justice prelude. The prevalence of 90s icons like Lobo, Deathstroke and Harley Quinn also turned me off immediately.
The Captain America/Avengers spilt book from Marvel was equally unedifying, Coates and Yu delivered fun-free polemic while Jason Aaron mined Kirby Kozmic but Asgardians vs. Celestials felt tired. His take is too cinematic for me: I would prefer a smaller team and more soap opera. But then, I'm from the 70s
DC Superhero Girls was quite charming with tween versions of Batgirl, Catwoman, Lois Lane and a cameo for tv's Ray. Titan's Doctor Who, while a little pedestrian, sported a couple of firsts with the debut of the Seventh Doctor and Ace, as well as a historic cameo for Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor.
However, I was very enthusiastic about Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man. His Ant-Man and Superior Foes of Spider-Man series are hilarious heist comedies about bumbling schlubs and his sardonic observational humour makes me want to buy this in trade format.
But my favourite freebie had to be Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. Devin Grayson of Nightwing and Titans infamy brings charm, freshness and diversity to the Next Generation of Marvel stars. Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl and Spider-Gwen are joined by America Chavez, TV's Quake and Patriot and led by Carol Danvers. A new bad-boy character called Inferno is also in the mix. This is a multi-platform product starring appealing gay, black, Hispanic and Muslim characters who feel set, to me, to replace the whitebread "brah" trio of Evans, Hemsworth and RDJ.
Other purchases- because you can't just take the freebies and not support the businesses- included the very expensive Action 1000. With contributions by Dan Jurgens, Ordway, the aforementioned Garcia-Lopez and the late Curt Swan, it was a very stately and refined product but it felt antiquated. The opening gambit by Bendis and Jim Lee reminded me too much of Doomsday; DC have gone to that well far too many times.
Waid and Samnee's Captain America Home of the Brave began with a back-to-basics approach and gave a contemporary spin to the Swordsman. A homage to The Most Dangerous Game with Kraven then led to a timey-wimey tale of dystopian tyranny. However, a cut -and-shut Kirby vignette made Cap, like Superman, appear an august but outmoded character.
I'm getting the most enjoyment from two titles from the Big Two. The Teenage Wasteland arc continued to deliver a delightful and relatable protagonist in Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel). Busiek's Astro City is moving to original graphic novels but in the last six months has furnished a sweet super-pets story, explored political protest and in a sequel to its Crisis homage, "The Nearness of You", considered support groups for victims of super-heroics.
Elgin Comic Con is coming up this month- financial woes dissuaded me from the Granite City con. I also plan to post about Star Trek fiction ( months in the making!), more Big Finish of course and maybe Barsoom in the Bronze Age.
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