FCBM4 Day 31 part 11

This is it, the finale of our fourth annual Free Comic Book Month!

Our final selected entry is from Jim Greene, whose lists his five comics as:

1. All Star Superman
2. Agents of Atlas
3. Metal Men
4. Thunderbolts
5. House of Mystery

For Jim I have X-Men: First Class #6, with the main story by Jeff Parker & Roger Cruz, and the incredibly awesome five-page back-up Marvel Girl & Scarlett Witch story by Parker and our fave artist Colleen Coover!

For Jim's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Jim's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

That's it—we're done! Everybody who entered got a free comic! Sometime next week I'll have the customary FCBM wrap-up, but for now here are the final totals:

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
106 free comics sent
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 10

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our penultimate selected entry is from H. G. "Hal" Turner, whose lists his five comics as:

1. Manhunter
2. Tom Strong
3. Battle Girlz
4. Strangers in Paradise
5. Powers

Hal would seem to be the perfect person to enjoy the first issue of My Faith in Frankie, the fantastical & funny romance by Mike Carey, Sonny Liew & Marc Hempel.

For Hal's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Hal's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's just one more entry to go, so come back later on this evening for the finale!

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
104 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 9

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Nic Schweitzer, whose lists his five comics as:

1. Criminal
2. Doktor Sleepless
3. Casanova
4. Madame Mirage
5. X-Factor

For Nic I have Desolation Jones #3, the five-minutes-into-the-future spy/noir by Warren Ellis & J. H. Williams III.

For Nic's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Nic's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
102 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 8

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Leland Parsons, whose five comics are:

1. V for Vendetta
2. Barefoot Gen
3. Maakies
4. Buddha
5. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

For Leland I have the first & third issues of Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, the sci-fi western by Flight mastermind Kazu Kibuishi.

For Leland's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Leland's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
100 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 7

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Edgardo Ortiz, whose five comics are:

1. Dynamo 5
2. Paul Moves Out
3. All Star Superman
4. Midnight Nation
5. Invincible

For Edgardo I have She-Hulk #14, the spotlight issue on Awesome Andy by Dan Slott & Rick Burchett.

For Edgardo's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Edgardo's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
97 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 6

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Travis Zandi, whose five comics are:

1. Spider-Man
2. Animal Man
3. The Tick
4. Squadron Supreme
5. What If...?

For Travis I have the first issue of Silver Surfer: Requiem, the mini-series by J. Michael Straczynski & Esad Ribic.

For Travis's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Travis's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
95 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 5

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Matt Golec, whose five comics are:

1. Marvel Zombies
2. Astro City
3. Sleeper
4. Top Ten
5. Girl Genius

I'll be sending Matt the first issue of Enigma Cipher, the conspiracy thriller by Andrew Cosby, Michael Alan Nelson, and Greg Scott.

For Matt's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Matt's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
93 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 4

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Myles Kleeman, whose five comics are:

1. Planetary
2. Fables
3. Criminal
4. We3
5. The Umbrella Academy

For Myles I have issues #3 & #4 of Paul Grist's stylish crime comic Kane.

For Myles's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Myles's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
91 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 3

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our next selected entry for today is from Mike Thompson, whose five comics are:

1. Daredevil
2. The Twelve
3. Fantastic Four
4. Conan
5. Avengers

I'll be sending Mike The Invincible Iron Man #1 by Matt Fraction & Salvador Larroca.

For Mike's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Mike's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
88 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 2

It's the final day of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving away free comics all day long!

Our second selected entry for today is from Terry Flora, whose five comics are:

1. Marvel Adventures The Avengers
2. Justice League
3. She-Hulk
4. Walking Dead
5. Annihilation

I'll be sending Terry Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #34 by Paul Tobin & David Hahn, as I think he'll get as big a kick out of it as I did.

For Terry's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Terry's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
86 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 31 part 1

It's day thirty-one of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month! Our final day, so hold on tight as we'll be giving away a bunch of comics all day long!

Our first selected entry for today is from Steve Wilcox, who listed his five comics as:

1. Criminal
2. 100 Bullets
3. Captain America
4. Supernatural
5. Hellblazer

Steve recently experienced a tough break, as last week over half of his comic collection was stolen! While I cannot replace his Frank Miller Daredevil collection, I can offer all six issues of the vampires-meet-organized crime saga mini-series Bite Club by Howard Chaykin, David Tischman, & David Hahn (with covers by the awesome Frank Quitely).

For Steve's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Steve's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Stay tuned, because I'll be giving away free comics all day long...

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
84 free comics sent so far
0 days remaining

Friday Night Fights: Meriem vs. Velociraptor

From Cavewoman: Pangaean Sea #1 (2000). Story & art by Budd Root. (click pic for larger)

A classic? SCREEEE!

FCBM4 Day 30.5

It's still day thirty of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month; let's give away more free comics!

Our next selected entry is from Andrew Wales, who listed his five comics as:

1. Omega the Unknown
2. Iron Fist
3. Captain America
4. Avengers Classic
5. Phase 7

With Omega, I see that Andrew likes at least some of his super-hero comics with an indy flavor. So I'm sending him Superior Showcase #1, with stories about super-heroes by Nick Bertozzi, Mike Dawson & Dean Trippe.

For Andrew's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Andrew's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
77 free comics sent so far
1 day remaining

FCBM4 Day 30

It's day thirty of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Jeff Erhart, who listed his five comics as:

1. Midnight Nation
2. The Witchblade
3. Sandman
4. Strange Detective Tales
5. Batman: Dark Victory

Jeff says that he's new to comics, so I'm betting that he hasn't yet read Brian K. Vaughan & Tony Harris's Ex Machina. So I'm sending him issue #21, the start of the "Smoke Smoke" story arc.

For Jeff's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Jeff's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
75 free comics sent so far
1 day remaining

FCBM4 Day 29.5

It's still day twenty-nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm still giving away free comics!

Our second selected entry for today is from Christopher Miller, who listed his five comics as:

1. Iron Man
2. Iron Fist
3. Secret Six
4. Platinum Grit
5. Defenders

For Chris I have Manhunter #15, the stand-alone issue featuring the secret origins of Manhunter's costume and weapons by Marc Andreyko with artists Javier Pina & Fernando Blanco; Stephen Sadowski & Andrew Pepoy; Sean Phillips; and Rage Morales, Bob Petrecca & Shawn Martinbrough.

(Remember, Manhunter gets a new lease on life next week when the acclaimed super-hero comic resumes with issue #31.)

For Chris's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Chris's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
73 free comics sent so far
2 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 29

It's day twenty-nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Enrique Saldivar, who listed his five comics as:

1. Superman
2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
3. Swamp Thing
4. The Authority
5. Daredevil

Since Enrique is a Swamp Thing fan, I'll send him the first two issues of the Swamp Thing spin-off The Un-Men by John Whalen & Mike Hawthorne.

For Enrique's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Enrique's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
47 entries
71 free comics sent so far
2 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 28.5

It's still day twenty-eight of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, and I'm giving out more free comics!

Our second selected entry for today is from Franco Ippolito, who listed his five comics as:

1. New Avengers
2. The Boys
3. B.P.R.D.
4. Incredible Hercules
5. Mighty Avengers

For Franco I have the first two issues of the Boom! reboot of Keith Giffen & Ross Richie's Dominion , the alien invasion/super-powers comic by Michael Alan Nelson & Tim Hamilton.

For Franco's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Franco's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
46 entries
68 free comics sent so far
3 days remaining

New This Week: May 29, 2008

I've gotten out of the habit of doing these, but I'll try to do them more often. But especially this week I couldn't miss it, because there's a lot of great comics hitting the shelves on Thursday!

There are a couple of large omnibuses (omnibi?) this week: The first hardcover omnibus of James Robinson's Starman, one of the best super-hero comics of the past twenty years (and, we should add, a series that launched as part of the oft-maligned Zero Hour). Fifty bucks might seem steep, but that for seventeen issues—448 pages— which works out to about $3 each, and you get it in a handsome hardcover.

If you're looking for an even bigger bang for your omnibus buck, you might take a gander at the massive (900+ pages!) Nearly Complete Essential Hembeck Archives, featuring three decades worth of work by the humorist. There's also the first volume of John Byrne's Next Men, which features the first twelve issues of that comic plus the 2112 graphic novella.

Other collections of interest include the hardcover of Joshua W. Cotter's offbeat Skyscrapers of the Midwest; a paperback of Jessica Abel's La Perdida; and a new Hellboy trade, Darkness Calls.

In floppy-land, it's a huge Grant Morrison week; Of course there's the debut issue of Final Crisis, but there's also the penultimate issue of All-Star Superman and the second chapter oof "Batman RIP" in Batman #677. Marvel have–finally–the conclusion of Joss Whedon & John Cassaday's X-Men in Giant Size Astonishing X-Men; Paul Tobin & David Hahn bringing the fun in Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #36; and Jeff Parker's X-Men First Class #12 is an all-Angel issue, so I'm really hoping that it includes the previously-bumped Colleen Coover-illustrated "Warren Worthington III, The Poor Little Rich Mutant."

Outside of super-heroes, there's the final issue of Nightmares and Fairy Tales; and new issue of Sabrina (#94); and Dave Sim's Judenhass, which however it turns out will surely be interesting.

FCBM4 Day 28

It's day twenty-eight of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Michelle Miller, who listed her five comics as:

1. Super Spy
2. Why Are You Doing This?
3. Sloth
4. After School Nightmare
5. Nana

For Michelle I have the first three issues of Debbie Drechsler's coming-of-age comic Nowhere.

For Michelle's bonus comic, I'm sending her the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Michelle's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
45 entries
65 free comics sent so far
3 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 27.5

It's still day twenty-seven of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month, but we're running out of time. So I'd better give away more free comics!

Today's second selected entry is from Dina Greenberg, who listed her five comics as:

1. Walking Dead
2. Fables
3. Locke & Key
4. DMZ
5. Doktor Sleepless

Since I think she'll enjoy it, I'll send Dina the first two issues of Tag, the zombies-with-an-Internet-twist comic by Keith Giffen & Kody Chamberlain.

For Dina's bonus comic, I'm sending her the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Dina's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
45 entries
61 free comics sent so far
4 days remaining

Four to Read for Tuesday, May 27

* New York Times: This Is Funny Only if You Know Unix

* comiXology: To All the Manga I've Edited Before (via Dirk)

* The Beat: 2008 Friend of Lulu Nominees

* Queenie Chan: Sleeping Chick (via Dirk)

FCBM4 Day 27

It's day twenty-seven of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Jeff Brister, who listed his five comics as:

1. The Immortal Iron Fist
2. Daredevil
3. New Avengers
4. Justice League of America
5. Starman

For Jeff I have the first issue of the super-trippy Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan by Zeb Wells and Seth Fisher.

For Jeff's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Jeff's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
44 entries
58 free comics sent so far
4 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 26

It's day twenty-six of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month! It's also a holiday, so we're giving away comics to three people!

First up is Kristin Munson, whose five fave comics are:

1. ElfQuest
2. Wonder Woman
3. Top Ten
4. Kabuki
5. anything by Joann Sfar

Next is Daniel Monson, who listed his five comics as:

1. Y, the Last Man
2. Ex Machina
3. Watchmen
4. Bone
5. Sandman

And finally Francene Lewis, whose gave her five comics as:

1. Amy Unbounded
2. Finder
3. Grey Horses
4. True Story, Swear to God
5. Curses

All three, Kristin, Daniel and Francene, will be receiving copies of the trade collection of Bombaby: The Screen Goddess by Antony Mazzotta.

And for their bonus comics, they'll all get the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Their comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
43 entries
56 free comics sent so far
5 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 25

It's day twenty-five of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Tom Mott, who listed his five comics as:

1. All-Star Superman
2. Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
3. The Incredible Hercules
4. The Mighty Avengers
5. Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane

Remember when Sundays used to mean Monkey Covers here at YACB? Don't worry, they'll be returning soon... In the meantime, Tom can celebrate early with the first issue of the very fun and very funny Banana Sunday by Paul Tobin & Colleen Coover.

For Tom's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Tom's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
43 entries
50 free comics sent so far
6 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 24

It's day twenty-four of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Bill Doughty, who listed his five comics as:

1. Blue Beetle
2. All-Star Superman
3. Johnny Hiro
4. The Brave and the Bold
5. The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury

For Bill I have the first issue of Nicc Balce's Random Encounter.

For Bill's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Bill's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
42 entries
48 free comics sent so far
7 days remaining

Friday Night Fights: Little Gloomy vs. An Alien

From The Super-Scary Monster Show featuring Little Gloomy #1 (2005). Story by Landry Quinn Walker. Art by Eric Jones. (click pic for larger)

A classic? Gahg!

FCBM4 Day 23

It's day twenty-three of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Jonathan Rakestraw, who listed his five comics as:

1. Wolverine
2. Deadpool
3. Justice League
4. Nextwave
5. The Punisher

I suspect that Jonathan will enjoy the first issue of the Wolverine: Soultaker mini by Akira Yoshida & Jason Nagasawa.

For Jonathan's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Jonathan's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

Time is running out, but you can still send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
42 entries
46 free comics sent so far
8 days remaining

Final Crisis Fever - Catch It!

We're just a week away from the debut of the first issue of Final Crisis, and I must admit I'm a bit stoked. By all indications I shouldn't be, what with Countdown being so hugely, um, disappointing; and the whole 'heroes will face their darkest hour and bad things will happen to them' theme is not the way I'd want to see things go. But I have faith in Grant Morrison running the show, as he rarely disappoints and even his disappointments are interesting. We recall that Morrison was also the front man on the DC 1,000,000 event from a few years ago, which turned out to be one of the better line-wide crossover events that DC has done.

I'll be following Douglas Woulk's Final Crisis Annotations as my guidebook. Even though I've been steeped in DCU lore for many years, I'm sure there will be plenty that I'll miss. Woulk's analysis of DC Universe #0 showed that there was a lot more going on in that preview/tease than most cursory reviews gave it credit for.

FCBM4 Day 22

It's day twenty-two of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Brian Dertel, who listed his five comics as:

1. Scalped
2. JSA
3. Northlanders
4. Ex Machina
5. Fear Agent

For Brian I have the first issue of the stylish and violent Killing Girl by Glen Brunswick & Frank Espinosa.

For Brian's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Brian's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
41 entries
44 free comics sent so far
9 days remaining

Four to Read for Wednesday, May 21

* Bully Says: For Your Eyes Only: Recent Book Cover Designs of the James Bond Novels

* Bully Says: Lions and tigers and bunnies, oh my!

* Progressive Ruin: Sometimes there just isn't an explanation

* Flipped!: David Welsh On More Of The 2008 Manga-Related Nominees

FCBM4 Day 21

It's day twenty-one of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Cody Dolan, who listed his five comics as:

1. Blue Beetle
2. Thunderbolts
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
4. The Punisher
5. Invincible

Cody will likely enjoy the first issue of the new mini-series The War That Time Forgot by Bruce Jones, Al Barrionuevo & Jimmy Palmiotti.

For Cody's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Cody's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
41 entries
42 free comics sent so far
10 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 20

It's day twenty of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Jesse Irwin, who listed his five comics as:

1. The Invisibles
2. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
3. Little Lulu
4. Herbie
5. Green Lantern

Another submissions that's kind of all over the map. I'll take a wild stab this time out and guess that Jesse might enjoy the retro-future tales in Dan Norton's Space 1958 #1 by Dan Norton & Mike Hawthorne.

For Jesse's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Jesse's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
40 entries
40 free comics sent so far
11 days remaining

Paul Hornschemeier Interview - Audio

Here's the raw audio of the on-stage interview I did with creator Paul Hornschemeier (Mother, Come Home; Let Us Be Perfectly Clear; etc.) at Saturday's Ann Arbor Book Festival:



(If the embed doesn't work, here's the direct link: download. It's about 64 MB.)

I unfortunately had the levels set too low, so you may have to turn your sound volume up pretty high to hear it.

It's over an hour long. I've done a few interviews in the past, but this was the first time I ever interviewed someone live and at length. As such, the topics of conversation kind of bounce around, but I still think it went well.

A big thanks to Paul, who was a great interview subject, interesting and entertaining, able to take my questions and run with them. If you're ever looking for someone to invite as a speaker, I can recommend him heartily.

FCBM4 Day 19

It's day nineteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Thomas Jenkins, who listed his five comics as:

1. Blue Beetle
2. Green Arrow
3. The Incredible Hercules
4. Booster Gold
5. Avengers: The Initiative

Thomas is obviously a super-hero fan, so I'll send his the first issue of the recent Captain Marvel mini-series by Brian Reed, Lee Weeks & Stefano Gaudiano.

For Thomas's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Thomas's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
40 entries
38 free comics sent so far
12 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 18

It's day eighteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Shane Windsnes, who listed his five comics as:

1. X-Men
2. Spider-Man
3. Y, the Last Man
4. Fables
5. Runaways

Shane likes the mutants of X-Men and the young heroes of Runaways, so he may also enjoy the first issue of Young X-Men by Marc Guggenheim & Yanick Paquette.

For Shane's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Shane's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
39 entries
36 free comics sent so far
13 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 17

It's day seventeen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Iris Krus, who listed her five comics as:

1. Jonah Hex
2. Criminal
3. Casanova
4. Futurama
5. Gødland

Isis says that she likes "heroes, guns, funny, scary." I'm pretty sure that she will enjoy the action and energy of the first issue of Cover Girl by Andrew Cosby, Kevin Church, & R. M. Yankovica.

For Iris's bonus comic, I'm sending her the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Iris's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
39 entries
34 free comics sent so far
14 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 16

It's day sixteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Rob Monroe, who listed his five comics as:

1. Yotsuba&!
2. Batman
3. Battle Angel Alita
4. Uncanny X-Men
5. Invisibles

For Rob I have the first issue of Eat-Man, the futuristic manga by Akihito Yoshitomi that's been describes as Battle Angel Alita with super-powers.

For Rob's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Rob's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
39 entries
32 free comics sent so far
15 days remaining

30,000 Comics!

It may not surprise you to know that I keep track of which comics I have (and how many) in a couple of database files. It may surprise you to find out—as it certainly did me—that a couple of weeks ago I passed the 30,000 mark in the number of comics I own!

Also interesting is that with a week of passing that milestone I also hit round-number counts on three publishers:

• 12,000 DC Comics
• 6,000 Marvel Comics
• 1,000 Dark Horse Comics

I should note that it took 28 years of comic book collecting to reach that number. It is surely too many. I'd like to cut that number down at least in half, but I can never find the time to go through the many boxes to figure out which to divest from the collection.

FCBM4 Day 15

It's day fifteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Steven Zacks, who listed his five comics as:

1. Criminal
2. Kick-Ass
3. The Boys
4. Iron Man
5. Batman

Steven seems like the right person to appreciate the first issue of Terror, Inc., the recent MAX series by David Lapham & Patrick Zircher.

For Steven's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Steven's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
39 entries
30 free comics sent so far
16 days remaining

New Library Comics: Week of May 5, 2008

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Baltazar, Art. The cray-baby adventures / Chicago, Ill. : Electric Milk Comics, 1993- no. 1

Barrett, John. Gold digger : edge guard / San Antonio, Tex. : Radio Comix, 2001-2002. nos. 1-7

Bonzer : Australian comics 1900-1990s / Redhill South, Vic. : Elgua Media, 1998.

Marcy, Jason. Jay's days : my life as a cartoon / Frederick, Md. : Landwaster Books, c2001- vols. 1-2

La porte de l'amour. / Bruxelles : Siréas, 2004. nos. 1-2

Porte de l'amour. English. La porte de l'amour. / Bruxelles : Siréas, 2006. no. 3

Sensation comics. / New York, N.Y. : National Periodical Publications ; Secaucus, N.J. : Distributed by Lyle Stuart, c1974. No. 1. (Famous 1st edition : limited collectors’ bronze mint series ; no. C-30)

Spider-Man and Power Pack. / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, 1984.

Suburban high life. / San Jose, Ca. : Slave Labor Graphics no. 1

Supina, Bob. Monster boy comics / San Jose, CA : Slave Labor Graphics, 1997- no. 1

Williams, J. R. Crap / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1993- no. 1

Yambar, Chris. Chris Yambar's Mr. Beat adventures. / Youngstown, Ohio : Moordam Comics, 1997- no. 1

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FCBM4 Day 14

It's day fourteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Zach McMechan, who listed his five comics as:

1. Green Lantern
2. Walking Dead
3. Invincible
4. Avengers
5. X-Men

Since Zach likes both horror & super-hero comics, I'll be sending him the first issue of Simon Dark, the dark super-hero comic by Steve Niles & Scott Hampton.

For Zach's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Zach's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
38 entries
28 free comics sent so far
17 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 13

It's day thirteen of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from William Burns, who listed his five comics as:

1. Lucifer
2. Top Ten
3. Iron Wok Jan
4. Fun Home
5. Hey Mister

This is a tough one, as William's picks are all over the map! So I'll take a chance and send him the first issue of Rumiko Takahashi's dark fantasy manga Mermaid Forest.

For William's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

William's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
36 entries
26 free comics sent so far
18 days remaining

Three to Read for Monday, May 12

* Grumpy Old Fan: Can’t tell the Crises without a scorecard, Part 1

* Redhead Fangirl: All the GIRL things

* Periscope Studio: Emerald City Comicon Haikus

Monday Morning Music

Yet Another Music Radio will be ending soon, if it hasn't already. I'd been broadcasting differently-themed set lists for a few years basically as a little vanity project. Not many people listened to it, although I did see a large uptick when I ran my Halloween- or Christmas-themed shows. But with Live365's recent significant hike in price to their broadcast packages, I decided to call it a day.

I'm still looking for something to take its place. In the meantime, I've created an account with muxtape at http://yetanothermuxtape.muxtape.com/ where I'll be uploading some of my current fave songs for your enjoyment.

FCBM4 Day 12

It's day twelve of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Rob McMonigal, who listed his five comics as:

1. Invincible
2. New Avengers
3. Concrete
4. Doom Patrol
5. Justice League

Rob says that he "kinda go[es] for team books in general". I'll send along the first issue of The End League, the end-of-the-world super-hero team comic from Rick Remender, Mat Broome & Sean Parsons.

For Rob's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Rob's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
33 entries
24 free comics sent so far
19 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 11

It's day eleven of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Ted Melnick, who listed his five comics as:

1. Hellboy
2. Fantastic Four
3. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
4. The Spirit
5. Swamp Thing

Ted is a fan of the pop-horror of Hellboy and Swamp Thing, so I suspect he'll also like the original Cthulhu Tales anthology from Boom! Studios.

For Ted's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Ted's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
22 free comics sent so far
20 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 10

It's day nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Chuck Strode, who listed his five comics as:

1. Starman
2. JSA
3. Ex Machina
4. Astro City
5. Daredevil

As a fan of certain types of super-hero comics, I suspect that Chuck will enjoy the first issue of Red Menace by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo, Adam Brody, Jerry Ordway & Al Vey.

For Chuck's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Chuck's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
20 free comics sent so far
21 days remaining

Friday Night Fights: Snoopy vs. A Leaf

From Good Grief, More Peanuts! (1957). Story & art by Charles Schulz. (Click pic for larger.)

A classic? No bone about it!

Three to Read (or hear) for Friday, May 9

* American Elf: Free Comic Book Day (via Heidi)

* Inkstuds: Colleen Coover (audio) (via Dirk)

* CBR News: Graven Images: Religion in Comics

FCBM4 Day 9

It's day nine of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Rocco A. Bertucci, who listed his five comics as:

1. Green Lantern
2. Captain America
3. Supergirl
4. Batman
5. Uncle Scrooge

For Rocco I have the first issue of the recent Moon Knight series by Charlie Huston, David Finch & Danny Miki.

For Rocco's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Rocco's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
18 free comics sent so far
22 days remaining

A Couple of Quick Manga Questions

A couple of quick questions about manga series for those of you 'in the know':

Is Eden volume 10 the final volume of that series? (I'm several volumes behind on my reading, so I haven't read the end of vol. 10 yet; I just want to know if I should expect to buy any more?)

Also, does anyone know how many volumes Nana is supposed to last? Is it still running in Japan?

Thanks!

FCBM4 Day 8

It's day Eight of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Dan Marco, who listed his five comics as:

1. Incredible Hulk
2. Ambush Bug
3. Howard the Duck
4. Hero Squared
5. Great Lakes Avengers

Dan would appear to be a fan of humorous super-hero comics, so I'll be sending him the seventh issue of The 3 Geeks, Rich Koslowski's humorous comic about super-hero fans.

For Dan's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Dan's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
32 entries
16 free comics sent so far
23 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 7

It's day Seven of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Eva Volin, who listed her five comics as:

1. Johnny Hiro
2. Delilah Dirk and the Treasure of Constantinople
3. Antique Bakery
4. Bookhunter
5. Runaways

Eva seems like she'll appreciate something off the beaten path, so I have for her the second issue of the Paul Pope's future-Mars comic THB.

For Eva's bonus comic, I'm sending her the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Eva's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
31 entries
14 free comics sent so far
24 days remaining

FCBM4 Update

Whew! I got entry #31 today, which means I'll be able to give away free comics at least once per day throughout Free Comic Book Month (I always worry until that 31st entry arrives!) A big thanks to Mike, David and TangognaT for their help in spreading the word!

I dropped the first batch off at the post office today, so hopefully the first group will get their free comics within the next few days.

Keep those entries coming!

New Library Comics: Week of April 28, 2008

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Fandel, Jennifer. George Eastman and the Kodak camera / Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2007.

Lemke, Donald B. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and the personal computer / Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2007.

Robbins, Trina. Hedy Lamarr and a secret communication system / Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2007.


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FCBM4 Day 6

It's day Six of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Adam Hussein, who listed his five comics as:

1. Savage Dragon
2. Hellboy/BPRD
3. 100 Bullets
4. Astonishing X-Men
5. Plastic Man

For Adam I have the first issue of the Lex Luthor: Man of Steel mini-series by 100 Bullets writer Brian Azzarello & artist Lee Bermejo.

For Adam's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Adam's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
30 entries
12 free comics sent so far
25 days remaining

My Free Comic Book Day 2008

Here's how I spent my Free Comic Book Day this year:

I started out by going to Fun 4 All in Ypsilanti. It's in a strip mall anchored by a dollar store, a grocery store, and the Secretary of State's office (closed on Saturday). The store opened at 11 and I got there at about 11:30. They had their FCBD wares displayed on little easels on top of their graphic novel shelves, and then you went to the counter to ask for what you want (limit 3). There were plenty of people inside, including a lot of families with little kids; I overheard a couple of the conversations, and the kids were definitely attracted to the appropriate comics--and quite enthused about getting comics. I picked up the FCBD editions of Amelia Rules, Owly, and Love & Capes; and I bought the Hulk vs. Hercules comic, because I always feel I should purchase something on Free Comic Book Day.

I then headed over to Vault of Midnight, on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. They had the free comics on open shelves about a third of the way deep into the store (limit 4). There was a lot of foot traffic off of the street, and Curtis, the owner, stood near the front of the store ensuring people that yes, the comics were free, no strings attached! I picked up the FCBD editions of Marvel Adventures, Salem, Kid Houdini, and Atomic Robo; I get a 15% discount at Vault, so I used the occasion to buy the first Immortal Iron Fist trade as well as Yuichi Yokoyama's New Engineering.

After a stop at the grocery store I went home, set my free comics aside, and started cramming for my upcoming interview with Paul Hornschemeier. I read and took notes on The Collected Sequential and Let Us Be Perfectly Clear.

So I haven't had much of a chance to read hardly any of the books I picked up on Saturday. I did read the Marvel Adventures title, with a fun story of Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man & Ant-Man fighting The Mandarin by Jeff Parker & Paul Tobin. Plus I read the first couple chapters of New Engineering, and it's blowing my mind!

FCBM4 Day 5

It's day Five of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Bryan Irrera, who listed his five comics as:

1. Amelia Rules!
2. Castle Waiting
3. Nana
4. Love and Capes
5. Local

I suspect that Bryan may enjoy Mark Oakley's manga-esque fantasy Thieves & Kings, so I'll send him the third issue of that very comic.

For Bryan's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Bryan's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
30 entries
10 free comics sent so far
26 days remaining

FCBM4 Day 4

It's day Four of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Laura J. Laura, who orders for the kids and teens graphic novel collections at her library, listed her five comics as:

1. Jellaby
2. Owly
3. Runaways
4. Blankets
5. Persepolis

As a fan of Blankets, Laura might cotton to:

Nothing Better #1, the college-based slice-of-life comic by Tyler Page.

For Laura's bonus comic, I'm sending her the Uncle Scrooge ashcan.

Laura's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
30 entries
8 free comics sent so far
27 days remaining

At the Library, Every Day is Free Comic Book Day!

When you're out making your Free Comic Book Day rounds today, don't forget to stop by your local public library. Some libraries have FCBD promotions done in conjunction with their local comic shops; others may have a copy of an Amazing Cynicalman mini-comic that creator Matt Feazell has made available for libraries to give away on FCBD.

Of course, your local library will let you take home and read nearly any book they have on their shelves, including their collection of fine graphic novels and manga (you just have to promise to bring it back when you're done!) At your library, every day is Free Comic Book Day!