FCBD 09'  

Free Comic Book Day 2009 has now come and gone. It was a lot of fun for me and my family and I hope it was fun for all of you. Picked up some great stuff today and was impressed by a couple titles I don't usually read but may just have to check out. Also, my 8 month old son was able to get some comics of his own from FCBD as was my wife. So all in all a great day where the sun was shining bright here in Anchorage, AK.

So what did we pick up today? Well here's the list of books my family collectively brought home:

-=Laura=-
Love and Capes (Maerkle Press)
Archie presents The Mighty Archie Art Players ( Archie Comics)
-=Dex=-
DC Kids Mega Sampler (DC)
Star Wars Clone Wars (Dark Horse)
-=Myself=-
Atomic Robo (Red 5)
Blackest Night (DC)
Avengers (Marvel)
The Stuff of Legend (Th3rd World Studios)
Attack of the Alterna Zombies (Alterna)

So a nice mix of books with something for everyone. Can't really speak on my wife's selections as I have no interest in reading either of those titles. I really dislike Archie, always have, and while I have heard some great stuff about Love and Capes it just isn't my bag.

Dex's books that we grabbed him were pretty cool. The DC kids sampler is great cause it has a little of everything. While all the books, no matter how kid friendly they are, are over my 8 month old sons head he'll get them eventually and this is a great starting point for him. The Tiny Titans stuff is awesome I really do enjoy those quite a bit despite the younger market it is aimed toward. I'm pretty sure i'm not alone on that either.

The Star Wars one I thumbed through but didn't read. It had some other stuff in it besides Star Wars as well like Usagi Yojimbo and Emily the Strange. A nice sampling but nothing so compelling I felt the need to read them. Again great stuff for him at some point though and while he couldn't read them once I bagged and boarded them he sure enjoyed them as you can see.

Now the books I got had some things I have never read, some things I have read a little of and some things I follow consistently. All of them were very good and presented themselves in a way to hook new readers but yet not alienate the long termers. So here is a break down.

Atomic Robo - Great fun title. Will probably get the trades of these. Nothing I need to pick up each month but would probably be a great read in trades. The art was clean and as I said the story was fun. A dinosaur vs a robot is always fun. When the dinosaur has a Coleman cooler strapped to his back it's even better! The extra content was cool too but would have preferred more Atomic Robo.

Avengers - This was pretty cool. The small size of the book was really odd to me at first but as I was reading it I kinda grew to enjoy the smaller book size. It would really fuck up the bag and board system if they switched permanently but it was kinda cool. Maybe a way to help keep prices low? I enjoyed the story and the art but one thing I really would have enjoyed more of is THOR! He's front and center on the cover but inside he is relegated to getting his ass kicked and verbally bitch smacking Norman Osborn. The last part is cool but getting his ass kicked is soooo below the god of thunder.

Blackest Night - This was pretty damn awesome. It hinted at some serious stuff. Bat Zombie potential?! Dibney Zombies?! Aqua Zombie?! This is going to be fucking crazy people and I am not sure I can wait until July 15th! The art was a real seller on this super free book. The back section detailing the different Lanterns was also very helpful and cool. Especially if this whole story was new to you and this was your first shot at it. Oh yeah and lets not forget the Black Lantern Oath. That was pretty awesome.

The Stuff of Legends - Honestly never heard of this but the cover drew me in and I took it home with me. I wasn't disappointed one iota. This is a title I intend to pic up when it hits shelves. It was like Toy Story goes to hell to save the toy owner. Looks pretty rad. Dark yet charming is the best description I can give it.

Attack of the Alerna Zombies - Haven't had a chance to read through it yet but it looks cool. I had seen the solicitation for Jesus Hates Zombies but wasn't sure about it so didn't get it. Que FCBD 09' now I can try it for free and maybe go pick it up afterwards. What is really great about this FCBD offering is the unique format. It is built like a trade and not a standard comic. Nothing else available today looked anything like it which is a great marketing strategy on the part of Alterna. I'll let you know what the inside of this bitch is like when i'm done.

So there you have it my FCBD booty. My favorite of the day would probably have to be Blackest Night as it actually tied into continuity in a meaningful way. Sure Avengers tied into continuity as well but it was more a one in done which could be ignored in the future. Blackest Night had some new stuff that moved us forward and clsoer to that event.

Well i'm now looking forward to FCBD 10'! What did everyone else get? Anything I should have got that I didn't? Let me know on twitter or just rant below.