Free Comic Book Day, the comic book industry’s largest annual promotional event, is traditionally scheduled to take place the first Saturday in May. This year the impact and spread of COVID-19 prevented the event from taking place as scheduled. Now, the event has been rescheduled and reworked to take place on Saturdays beginning on July 15 and concluding on September 9 to accommodate social-distancing and store capacity regulations across the country, effectively making it Free Comic Book Summer!
Late last year, I shared the 2020 Free Comic Book Day titles Halloween and horror fans should be excited about. With the event being spread out across the summer each book is being released at a different time. Here is when you’ll be able to get your hands on these 2020 recommendations.
July 15
The Weirn Books
Last November author Svetlana Chmakova announced a brand new series titled “The Weirn Books.” The trilogy of books will reintroduce readers to the world of “Nightschool,” a series of graphic novels previously released by the author, but will take place in a new location and feature an all-new cast of characters. The series will tell of a school filled with shifters, vampires, weirns, and other night things. This Free Comic Book Day comic preview issue will introduce us to the new series, however the first book in the series was released this week.
July 22
Dark Ark: Instinct
“Dark Ark: Instinct” is a one-shot by writer Cullen Bunn that continues the story from their “Dark Ark” series, which tells the story of the sorcerer Shrae who built his own version of Noah’s Ark to house the monsters and mythical creatures that populate the earth.
July 29
Stranger Things/Minecraft
This is the second year Dark Horse has released a “Stranger Things” comic for the free comic book event. Last year’s offering was less than stellar considering the caliber of “Stranger Things” comics Dark Horse has put out (You can read my thoughts on it here), but this year’s offering sounds promising. In this Free Comic Book Day one-shot, the Scoops Troop discovers that young Erica Sinclair smuggled out a dangerous object from the Russian facility below Starcourt Mall and they must once more come together to find a safe solution before government authorities discover the threat they pose! This book also features a Minecraft comic.
Richard Fairgray’s Monster Showcase
Two stories – and a few extra monstrous tales – from the mind of Richard Fairgray! First is an All-New Blastosaurus: There is barely a person in Freak Out City who he hasn’t saved from a monster or robot or internet scam. Yup, Blasto is just a likeable hero, unless of course, you’re one of the monstrous villains he’s repeatedly defeated. Introducing the Monsters Against Blasto the Ugly Triceratops: Tailed Heroes Usually Ruin Things Society (M.A.B.U.T.T.H.U.R.T.S for short)! Every one of these monsters has tangled with our saurian hero and every one of them has a story to tell. Also, a sneak peek from the highly anticipated Black Sand Beach OGN, as the nightmares continue for Dash and his crew at his family’s beach house. Forever warned by the grown-ups to stay away from the Mulchucks, their creepy neighbors, it’s hard to escape them.
August 12
Hillbilly: The Lizard of Rusty Creek Cave
Hillbilly is an Appalachian fantasy epic that tells the story of Rondel, a wandering hillbilly who wanders the wooded hills where witches and magical creatures dwell. In this all-new story, Rondel is called on to help a village being terrorized by a serpent from Rusty Creek Cave.
August 26
Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One #1
From Hugo Award-winning bestselling author, Brandon Sanderson with Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Nathan Gooden, comes “The Dark One Free Comic Book Day Special,” the first chapter of a new graphic novel series from Vault Comics! Visions of a twisted and fantastic world haunt Paul Tanasin whenever he gazes into a reflective surface. Terrified of these hallucinations, Paul isolates himself. But when he discovers they are prophecies from Mirandus, a world in which he’s destined to become a fearsome destroyer, he’ll have to embrace the fear, rise up as the Dark One, and shatter everything.
The complete details on Comic Book Summer along with the full list of comic books being released each Saturday during the season-long event can be found at freecomicbookday.com.
