New Beginnings - Superman #32

by Stuart Mulrain

Okay, cards on the table time. I’m a Superman fan and have been for a very long time. The first superhero comic I bought was a UK edition Superman comic that featured the second part of John Byrne’s Man Of Steel miniseries. The first American comic that I bought - from an actual comic book store (the long-passed Hobbit Hole in Gloucester) – was Superman #82. I then spent most of my teenage years buying as many issues as I could get my hands on, from the Man Of Steel miniseries up to that issue and beyond.

At a point where most teenagers were getting into the darker comics, I was binging on Superman comics, as well as episodes of Lois & Clark on TV and obsessive listening of the Dirk Maggs BBC Radio Superman movies. At a certain point though, the Superman comics stopped being of interest to me, partly because the creative team began to change - and Mike Carlin moved on as Editor - and partly because I’d decided it was time to start looking at other types of comics and comic book heroes.

I did dip back into Superman occasionally - Jim Lee’s run on the character in the mid 2000’s in particular - but they just failed to grab me like the comics did in that first post-Infinite Crisis decade did. And then came The New 52...

There was very little about The New 52 that grabbed or excited me, but on a whim I bought the first trade paperback edition of Grant Morrison’s Action Comics run and while I quite enjoyed it, I have yet to get round to picking up the rest of the run. And that was it for me and Superman until this very issue I’m here to review.

DC are clearly excited to be putting this book out, even going so far as to give it its own title credits sequence that boldly declares that “DC Comics Proudly Presents” before listing the names of all involved in creating the book. They clearly think they have found a winning team in Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr.

It’s true that any new arc that has Geoff Johns’ name on it is something to get excited about. Following the huge success he garnered following his Green Lantern: Rebirth series in the mid 2000’s, Johns has been the go-to-guy for reinventing characters that have fallen out of vogue, making them new, exciting and relevant again. He’s essentially to DC what Martin Campbell is to James Bond.

But given Johns' pedigree for making an event title out of reintroducing/reinventing old or stale characters, it’s a shame that this first part of his Superman is something of a nothing issue, taking a very casual approach to the way it tries to set up future issues and doesn’t really concern itself with trying to hook you in for future issues.

So what about the art?

Well, I know that he has his fans out there, but I’m personally not keen on John Romita Jr’s art and there’s nothing about the cover of Superman #32 that made me feel any differently about his work and it didn’t fill me with confidence about what I could expect on the inside. It’s a pleasant surprise then that after the first few pages you are greeted with a nice splash page of Superman fighting Titano.

There just seems to be a lack of depth to some of the panels, while others look like Romita Jr. sketched them out on the bus on the way to handing them in. While his rough art style works fine in a book like Kick-Ass, it lacks the sheen and polish that Superman deserves that somebody like Dan Jurgen’s would bring to him.

It’s odd then that, despite my issues with this first instalment and its seeming lack of effort to hook me in, it has actually succeeded in making me curious enough to want to pick up the next issue and see if and how this arc is going to move forward.

Stuart Mulrain is at Proud Lion this Saturday for True Believers Day!

Rescuing Strays – Grant Morrison’s Action Comics Vol Three

by Jack Meldrum

Volume Three: At The End of Days

Okay.

I need a minute. Let me just compose myself.

Volume Three of Morrison's Action Comics run is a transcendent and almost flawless piece of comics. And I love it. It makes the previous two volumes better by virtue of their leading into it. It feels like a magic spell, some sort of occult incantation designed to transform the mind and reshape the soul.

It being Morrison, it might be just that.

End of Days opens on one of the best single issues I've ever read  - a story about a boy and his dog, and ghosts, and Halloween. It features the wickedly cool Dr. Xa-Du, a Kryptonian scientist with the ethical integrity of wet string, who makes himself real outside the Phantom Zone with pure willpower. He's another living idea, of course, just like so many of the foes we meet in Action. The story itself is a tear-jerkingly sweet little tale, a critical interlude in the mind-bending space opera we're stepping into. Xa-Du is poached by the Little Man for his Anti-Superman Army and Krypto joins the Superman cast and I cried and cried when the little dog gets carried to the sun by his loving master.

It just amps up from there. In the mind of the five-dimensional Ms. Nyxly, we see Superman save astronauts on Mars and we meet the Little Man for real, as the legitimately terrifying, 5D satanic monster Vyndyktvx. The Little Man really is the devil.

After that, it's nothing but flawless, pitch-perfect comics. Soaring, sweeping emotion. Meta-fictional madness. A tight, dense, mythical story where Superman, in the end, fights his own extradimensional doppelganger, Superdoom – himself just another tool of the cackling Vyndyktvx. We meet our Mxzptlk, a charmingly corny old bloke, and we see everything Morrison put into play in the past two volumes collide in a cross-time war against the sun-god.

Vyndyktvx is one of Morrison's finest creations, a master plotter without a conscience, hamstrung by his own addiction to complexity. He appears, in fleeting, as a heinous tentacled beast, and more often as a many-faced, multi-armed thing. He's truly incredible. Employed as the power behind every plot in the run, Vyndyktvx crosses time and space to stack the deck against his self-declared nemesis, and Morrison and his cabal of artists make him... unfathomable.

Constantly, this last volume reminds us of what Morrison has said since issue one: that Superman has power as an idea, a concept, a myth. In the end, the very end, that's all that matters – the vast, cross-time madness of Vyndyktvx's scheme, a scheme we met as far back as that first page, that we first saw in those crazy encounters with the Legion of Superheroes, collapses with nothing more than one word (not that I'm telling you what it is), because we believed in Superman. He stops doomsday, banishes the devil.

Grant Morrison is one of the best comics writers who ever lived. He's not the best, but he's my favourite, and this run manifests his everything. This is a story about stories, one where the sanctity of ideals is what wins the day. One where dimensions bend at the whims of a monster but where it's us, in ourselves, inspired by one man, who can change everything.

It's a wild, deranged, hyper-intelligent drug trip of a story, a life-changing exploration of everything Superman was and is. It dives deep into the power of the written and spoken word, the unbreakable power of the human soul, the potency of belief and faith. It's everything I ever wanted in a comic. Everything I ever wanted from Superman. And I want you all to read it. To join in, to be there at the end of days, to add your name to the moment where we banish the devil, together with a boy and his dog.

Jack Meldrum has no words. Murdlem Kcaj believes in Superman.

Rescuing Strays – Grant Morrison’s Action Comics Vol Two

by Jack Meldrum

Volume Two: Bulletproof

Having spent Volume One redefining the myth of Superman, Morrison then proceeds to reinvent the myth of Clark Kent. On top of that, he recreates a long-forgotten character and starts to stack the cards for his grand finale.

Bulletproof is probably the weaker of the three volumes. As second acts so often are, there's a bit of a sense of wheel-spinning – even when the final instalment reveals just how much this one mattered, there's still an odd, wandering feel in places. But it is still very good, especially in the places where it escapes the three-part Forgotten Superman story and focuses on what are, essentially, massive metatextual middle-fingers to DC corporate/heartwarming and ingenious dissections of what Superman is.

In the opening salvo of these surreal trips into Morrison’s meta-myth, we meet Calvin Ellis, President of America in Earth-23. This charming, charismatic man of colour (and blatant Barack Obama parallel) is also the Superman of Earth-23, and his story is a brief interlude in the narrative of these volumes as much as it is a high point in the themes. Ellis fights a paranoid, drug-addled Lex Luthor and then encounters a musical meta-machine that summons the awesome Superdoom, a monstrous Superman dreamed up in a universe where Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane created a Tulpa-device to teach children.

It is very hard to talk about Superdoom without becoming a little sketchy – Morrison's work is dense and florid – but he's a Superman perverted by malignant businessmen, a tool of a fascistic society created by the still-present, still-enigmatic Little Man and employed to hunt down dissidents. He's been modified incessantly by a committee to be as marketable and effective as possible. He's a murderous psychopath, hopping from universe to universe in these bizarre cross-dimensional cubes that, somehow, every Lex Luthor dreams up.

He's the most effective parody/satire/commentary on DC's approach to Superman in particular that it's a miracle they let the run continue.

The following series of stories involves a three-part story with three distinct ideas. We see Clark Kent die, replaced by 'Johnny Clark', as our protagonist wrestles with the reality of being a living ideal. We meet Captain Comet, or Adam, the 'Forgotten Superman' who enlisted with an alien army to fight... something. Something ominous. And we have further development of the Anti-Superman Army, the nefarious team run by the Little Man. This story is a little too ponderous, and and perhaps a little too fast – nothing quite hits the mark in the story itself. But it's still so bursting with smart, potent ideas that it deserves reading.

Much better are the 'backup' stories. We have more exploration of Superman-as-concept and myth, more consequences to his presence. And there's the wonderful The Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape, from DC's Zero Month, which features all of the themes in the volume explored in perfect harmony with a sweet, charming little tale.

And at the very end, we meet Ms. Nyxly – Clark's landlady – properly. Which means we meet Nyxlygsptlnz, Princess of the Fifth Dimension... and the whole story kicks into high gear.

Jack Meldrum was President on Earth-10, once. He quit when he found how the hours worked out.

Rescuing Strays – Grant Morrison’s Action Comics Vol One

by Jack Meldrum

A little while back, the final volume of Grant Morrison’s Action Comics dropped. I bought it, instantly. I'd had it pre-ordered for months. I'd read every issue digitally at least a dozen times each. I'd cried during it more than I did even for All-Star.

Grant Morrison’s Action Comics run is my favourite thing in comics, ever, so far. I think it's wonderful. And magical. Mythical. Mind-bending, transcendent wizardry.

And now that you can have it all, I'm going to try to sell you on it.

Volume One: The Men of Steel

Morrison’s run doesn't begin with a hackneyed origin story. It doesn't even have his previous take, that glorious one-page, four-panel recap from All-Star Superman. It begins with police storming the mansion of new character Glen Glenmorgan, ready to stop... Superman? Superman clad in jeans and a t-shirt, grinning like a kid.

From the word go, Morrison steeps the story in Superman history. But not in a slavish or detrimental manner. Morrison takes the germ of that first Action Comics issue, way back in '38, and reinvents it. Here's a rougher, leaner, cruder Superman, a Superman who throws abusive husbands into the river and jumps of rooftops to shake information from oozing, corrupt businessmen. He's just a kid, but one helluva kid – a kid with all the morals and decency Superman has always had. You can see, in this dangerous, intelligent, wild young boy, the makings of that shining paragon.

And Morrison just goes on shooting. We have Lex Luthor as a slimy soda-chugging brain-for-hire, playing every party against each other with his 'Gemini' alias. We have the recurring figure of the Little Man, a bizarre dwarf who seems to be playing parties we can't even see. We get Brainiac, Metallo, the Legion of Superheroes, and it's all completely wild. Huge, comics-perfect action ensues. Morrison and Rags Morales slam Krypton-sized metaphors into single panels, like when Superman is KO'd by a speeding bullet-train. Or when he stands, god-sized before a shrunken Metropolis, and they hold their candles to him. Or when the Legion of Superheroes – involved in a curious time-travel plot that is the secret story behind this run – extract Kryptonite from the Anti-Superman Army, in their fortress in Superman's brain.

There's a profound rejection of anything 'easy' here. Nobody is a writ-large archetype or a cutout. Glenmorgan, wicked as he may be, is also a man of faith, led astray by the devil in the form of the Little Man (who, we'll learn, is very much a Faustian figure). And so on. And so forth. But always coming out in this first volume is how powerful Superman is as not just a mere superhuman, but as a beacon of hope, and an ideal made manifest. He fights super-metaphors in his super-foes.

And as the run goes on, we'll learn just how crucial those super-metaphors are. Because Morrison’s run, at the core, is not about Superman as a character – even though he handles him very, very well. It's about Superman as an idea. And about how powerful those ideas are.

Jack Meldrum knew how powerful Superman was as an idea, but he didn't know why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Rescuing Strays - Batman/Superman #1-4

Jack Meldrum introduces a new column, looking at recent comic book stories you may have overlooked or missed out on. We kick off this first instalment with a look at the New 52 Batman/Superman title.

Right now, the Grek Pak-penned Batman/Superman is kicking off a... difficult-looking arc with art by the contentious Brett Booth, but I'm sticking through it. My reasoning? The first four issues (with art from Jae Lee, Yildiray Cinar and Ben Oliver) are sublime.

It's no secret that Pak is a ludicrously talented writer - the man who brought us the near-flawless Planet Hulk - and one who generally goes about kicking bottom. He's a smart, stylish writer and Batman/Superman's début arc demonstrates that with style and flair to spare. It's just perfect comics, and the thing that gives it strength is the setting – B/S spends four issues in the past of the New 52 and most of that time on Earth-2, which lets Pak and the art team go hog-wild with big, nutty ideas.

If the New 52 has failed to tap into anything, it's the five years between Superman's origin and the present, and it's there that Pak and company kick off. This is a tale of the hotheaded t-shirt Superman and a grungy, paranoid Batman; it constantly emphasises both their differences and their shared youth. They're strong personalities, especially when backed by Jae Lee's elegant, eloquent art, which flawlessly uses lines of sight and motion with innovative layouts (including several pieces designed to create the heroes logos, which never failed to get me smiling) to draw out Clark Kent's raw heroic angst and Bruce Wayne's cold detachment.

It's the central premise, though, that makes these first four issues (plus a kind of coda in the very weird but enjoyable Villain's Month Darkseid issue) a treat – the brash youthful heroes paired up with and against their older, stronger selves from Earth-2. Lee handles most of these sequences with a fantastic eye for design, backed by June Chung's peerless colours. The characters are never indistinguishable, with differences not just in costume but word choice, body language and the tones and highlights of their colours. Pak's refreshing tweak on the archetypal butting-heads that new teammates have (where Clark and Bruce-Prime are at odds with each other, then in alliance with their doubles, then allied against them as their youth and impudence clashes with the smoother older heroes) is just the right kind of stuff. It's big fun.

No, really, it's so much fun. Wonder Woman slices a plane in half while riding a pegasus. I'm not kidding when I say that's my favourite comics moment of 2013, because it's the kind of ballsy action that works perfectly in the medium. And I would be remiss to not mention the deliciously entertaining Kaiyo, the ostensible villain of the piece. She's a fantastic creation, apparently an addition to the New Gods, and she's terrific – a moody, snarky teenager who serves as a living Boom Tube. Good times.

Batman/Superman #1-4 is a cracking story with a lot to offer. Seek it out in floppies or trade – it's well worth it. Wonder Woman slices a plane in half while riding a pegasus!

Jack Meldrum is still really excited by Wonder Woman slicing a plane in half while riding a pegasus, and he wants you all to know.

The Mane Event: Batman Zero Year tie-ins, Detective Comics #25 and Action Comics #25

At the time of writing this review I have to say that I have only very recently completed Batman Arkham Origins, so my mindset for Gotham and it’s inhabitants is set in an appropriate timeframe for the Zero Year, with a very early Batman and an equally younger Jim Gordon.

The reason I mention this is twofold. Firstly the Zero Year tie-in issues are set in the past in the wake of an enigmatic new villain for Batman, The Riddler, who has effectively blacked out Gotham. Secondly Detective Comics #25 is based around Lieutenant Gordon in a precarious situation.

Gotham is in ruin and somehow still descending. The aftermath of the Red Hood Gang has opened the door to a variety of masked criminals coming out of the woodwork and to make matters worse a growing number of police officers are being paid off by the better off crooks. The cancer goes deeper than many suspected as well with Roman Sionis even having members of Internal Affairs within his grasp. Realising that Gordon was better off dead, arrangements were made for him to be thrown off the  New Trigate Bridge so that it looked like suicide. But somehow he survived...going back to the station armed with enough evidence to clean up the force. In one short issue he becomes the driven and focussed officer of the law we all know, complete with a new association.

What I’ve really liked about John Layman’s story is that it’s not excessive and over the top, or trying the blighted New 52 formula of attempting to recreate a character the readers know well. Instead we are given a solid foundation to the motivations that drive the man. All this without really pushing the Dark Knight on the reader as well. Jim Gordon is very much the star of the issue and carries it well. OK, so Batman does come swooping in at one point, but it’s a thought the reader has well before so he doesn’t steal much of the limelight at all.

Jason Fabok has provided the artwork for the issue and it’s great. He’s previously provided artwork for Detective Comics and it is very similar in style to another favourite of mine, Tony S. Daniel. Full of detail, full of action and often windswept and rain lashed. It’s an involved, yet dark depressing cityscape but very nice to let your eyes wander around.

As an issue exploring someone other than the Caped Crusader, this works well and is definitely worth a read.

Moving from the dark and into the light Action Comics #25 focuses firmly around a youthful Superman as well. Set back in the time first redefined by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales when the New 52 launched, it's a phase where the fledgling Superman isn't really sure of his full powers and boundaries.

Finding himself enjoying being able to use his power and needing a further outlet for it, Clark decides that he is going to head to Gotham to attempt to prevent the incoming storm. Running almost parallel to this, and very briefly retconned at the beginning, is Lana Lang also caught in the storm. 

Ultimately this is a story about wanting to do the right thing, but not really knowing quite what that really is and not necessarily going about it the right way. In Clark’s case it is also about learning about himself and understanding his personal boundaries, especially where the forces of nature are concerned!

It’s also the strangest comic book appearance of a whale I have seen in quite a while too! It seems that no matter what Clark wants to do, if someone is in trouble and he can help, he will help.

Now personally, I am not a huge Superman fan but when it comes to Greg Pak’s work I will happily give anything a read through at least once, especially after his opening story on the new Batman/Superman comic demonstrated he could make the inexperienced Man Of Steel more interesting than others writers have managed. I'm glad to say this one did indeed pique my interest as well. My one reservation is that this does really feel that the Zero Year connection has been really shoe horned in to this one. These are events that really could have happened anywhere. It predates Supes discovering he could fly, meaning that catching a lift on a plane’s fuselage is necessary. Things did seem rather convenient, especially when the ship in peril towards the end contains none other than Lana as well. That said Pak has written another good story but then I would expect nothing less.

The artwork on the other hand wasn’t massively impressive. It conveyed everything you could want or need, but it didn’t overwhelm me. Aaron Kuder’s work was good when it came to mechanical items or the raging waves and swell of the sea, but when it came to depictions of people I found it rather minimal and basic. For me it took away some of the emotions from the characters, although you still get the overall feel but I feel this is more through the narrative as opposed to the artwork on its own.

As a Zero Year comic I’m not sure this really works as it really is a rather tenuous link to the events in Gotham City, with no real ties to any of its inhabitants. As an issue showing Clark’s personal development and growth then this is far stronger. Fans of the New 52 Action Comics who are seeking a return to its roots will not be disappointed, but this is one to avoid if your only interest is the Zero Year angle.

Matt Puddy is keen to get the latest issue of Batman in his hands.

Supermythical - Superman

Well, here we go.

I'm Jack, and I read a lot of stuff. I mean, a huge amount. Comic books, classical literature, modern classics, pulps – you name it, I've at least dabbled, and that's come with a big, broad understanding of mythology, storytelling and character archetypes, and even how some of those characters revolve around or represent us.

Welcome to Supermythical, which is where I – with the backing of the marvellous folks at Proud Lion – take a close reading of where some of the characters in superhero comics relate to older stories. It's about tying our modern mythologies to the classical ones, exploring how they reflect and reinterpret ancient concepts. If you're really lucky, I'll even share personal experience on how some of them have affected me.

And we're going to start with Superman. Because if I'm going to talk about superheroes and comics as mythology, I have to start at the beginning.

Superman.

Daunting, that. Superman, created in the 1930's by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, represents the genesis of the superhero and thus the root of their pantheon. He's the biggest and brightest. Batman might sell more t-shirts but Superman is infinitely more recognisable and, if we're honest, more appreciable as a character and a concept.

He's a sun god.

That's really all there is to it, on a basic meta-myth scale; he's powered by sunlight, he flies, he has more strength and capacity for survival than any average Joe. He's a Zeus, a Vishnu, a two-for-the-price-of-one Thor/Odin combo. He came first, he is the Alpha. There's really no one as powerful as he is conceptually – but what matters is his concept.

Superman represents something much, much more than most superhero constructs ever could. He's a perfect, honed personification of the idea of a sun god; he's not just great and powerful, he's endlessly benevolent. He represents the light inside of us all, and does it while absorbing the light beyond us all. He channels that universal energy into good deeds and a flawless soul in a way that can reduce grown adults to fits of tears, and sometimes becomes even more literal in the process, like when All-Star's take on the Big Blue Boyscout becomes one with the Sun itself. But on the flipside, this ascended, perfect character is also a very human dream made flesh – specifically, he's the American Dream, and even more specifically, the Immigrant's Dream.

Superman falls to Earth from a dead world, like endless men and women fleeing the worst places on Earth. Like them, he has nothing (he's a boy, a baby, a tabular rasa, but also comes sans heritage and history) but endless potential. Unlike them that endless potential is literal, realised in his own flesh and blood, and he grows strong of spirit and embraces his home as they might also hope to. The most furious patriots are often first or second generation – without our roots we tend to embrace what surrounds us with gusto – and Clark Kent is (as Waid's Birthright puts forward so eloquently) a product of the American heartland, a rural lad. He comes from an environment where your hard work really does equal bread on the table and the respect of your peers, and he emblazons that, perfectly. The purpose of the Clark/Superman division is not, as some would suggest, to make Superman more human, but less – it deliberately divorces the god from the man, and it does it to show that Superman/Clark (who I will always say is the 'real' identity) has a moral core even without his powers.

That's what the character is really about. Superman's position in the Super-Pantheon is to represent the good in all of us. 'Do good to others and any man can be a Superman' was written on the moon in the Pre-Crisis DCU and it's the truth. He's a humanist character, the ultimate anti-nihilist, a living and breathing force of good. Clark might represent how Super-values can be held by anyone, but Superman exists to show how those good ideas, that spark of kindness, can be drawn out. He thinks to do good and so good happens, he works hard and so good things happen, he is good and so he is loved. He's that dream of making your own way and it making things better made flesh.

His villains represent this, too. The best Superman villains are all antithetical to him – your Luthors and Zods, Parasites and Mxyzptlks. Lex Luthor is a normal man with endless potential – less than Superman, the inherent physical god – but he allows greed and bitter emotions to make him the worst of humankind. He lies, he cheats, he kills and he actively tries to murder the best person alive. Even without his powers, Superman would be a good man. Luthor could be, but chooses not to. He chooses himself over others and actively lies (especially in more recent stories) about his intent, even internally. Zod abuses his power. Parasite consumes the strength of others for his betterment. Mxyzptlk, a literal god, goofs off and plays tricks.

Superman, then, is the top of the tree. On the Super-Heroic Pantheon, he's the Sun God and the Spirit of Man. His stories should represent his position as a selfless, good-natured person of great power – they can and should be fun, imbued with his own warmth, or serious, and powered by observing it. They should be about truth, justice, and the heart of the American dream.

Jack Meldrum cannot leap tall buildings in a single bound, but he can eat a whole bag of Haribo in one sitting.

STUDY MATERIAL:

• Grant Morisson's All-Star Superman
• Morisson's Action Comics Vol 1-3
• Mark Waid's Birthright
• Alan Moore's 'For the Man who has Everything'
• Elliot S! Maggin's Last Son of Krypton and Miracle Monday
• Kurt Busiek's Superman: Secret Identity
• Superman The Animated Series
• Alan Moore's 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?'
• John Byrne's 'Man of Steel'
• Man of Steel
• Superman/Superman II
• Superman – Secret Origin
• The Dark Knight Returns
• Smallville

New Beginnings - Batman/Superman #1

10 years ago Jeph Loeb launched a new DC series called Superman/Batman, which played host to a veritable who’s who of creative talent (Abnett & Lanning, Michel Turner, Joe Kelly and Cullen Bunn as quick examples) for 87 issues and five annuals, before it's cancellation prior to the New 52 in 2011. Now we have the new version of the concept from Greg Pak and Jae Lee.

In the past I have really enjoyed Pak’s work - in particular I loved Planet Hulk - so as a Batman fan I was looking forward to this title.

In true New 52 fashion, there is a reboot afoot and the story steps back to Bruce and Clark’s younger days before they met in their heroic identities. Treading lightly in Gotham, Clark encounters Bruce after what appears to be an eventful night, although at this point he is unaware of his other identity. It’s all a little overwhelming for him in the big dark city and his hometown roots do show a little.

As first meetings go it is certainly a tense one, with each of them sizing up the other. It also leaves them both with questions.

The story then moves slightly forward in time and over to Metropolis where Catwoman of all people seems to be attacking Wayne Enterprises staff members. Taking an obvious interest brings the Caped Crusader into the fray, however it also brings another youthful, almost naive, cape as well. Once again we see them assessing each other with some startling issues in the difference in their powers too.

Set against the backdrop of Catwoman stepping up her criminal activity, we see Batman trying to stop her and Superman getting most of it all wrong. All of this allows the real culprit - an ethereal being who is possessing bodies - to run rings around them both, culminating in the possession of Clark. Taking a joyride in a godlike being has enticed this individual further, although there is an emotional element that appears to take an overriding factor too. It’s only when Pa Kent is around, after a strange teleportation back to Smallville, that things once again take another turn.

There is also an extra element in the storytelling, showcasing the dichotomy of light and dark that our two protagonists portray. The first main depiction of this is in the writing, with the obvious soft and ruthless tones in their dialogue with one another. Furthermore fans of the previous Superman/Batman series will recognise the familiar touch of conflicting internal monologues from the two protagonists - each of them which is depicted in either bright blue and white text boxes or grey and black. This factor is highlighted more when the spectral being speaks both internally and externally in red lettering. It's a good touch.

Jae Lee is the primary artist on the issue and his work is great. To compliment the story and script, there is a clear and distinctive stylistic change between the set pieces, depending on whether they flow around Batman or Superman. Even the characters themselves almost exude different lights.

en Oliver created the artwork for the final six pages, and whilst I didn’t feel it was as strong, I can completely understand the shift in tone as the narrative moved to Smallville. Clark's hometown brings a  comforting brightness to the story that is juxtaposed with the two dark and shifty cities. The final aspect which is worth mentioning is the colouring. The duty is split the same way as the artwork between June Chung and also Daniel Brown and really adds to it all. The colouring helps set the tone and also the difference between the heroes of the comic.

Not being a massive Superman fan, I did fear this comic wouldn't quite live up to the sum of its other parts, however this incarnation has brought me around a little. Pak and Lee's past works are exceptional and this collaboration is a comic that DC fans, Batman fans and Superman fans alike should all be grabbing a copy of.

Matt Puddy is able to turn his hand over, which is a huge victory on the road to recovery.

New Beginnings - Superman Unchained #1

A few weeks ago I mentioned in a review that one of my favourite writers at present is Scott Snyder. My admiration of his work stems from his work on Batman over the past few years and now I have the chance to see how he reinvigorates DC’s other big cape, Superman.

Before I dig into the story itself the presentation of the issue is worth noting immediately. DC have really invested in the issue (although this is also reflected in the $4.99 price). It has a fantastic glossy cover and when you open up the issue there is a surprise awaiting the reader (it’s not a gatefold cover). A couple of pages in you will find an attached insert which when carefully unfolded opens to a double-sided full colour poster page. The art on one side is simply OK, but the other makes an impressive impact that is is completely worth it.

Snyder’s story opens by stepping back in history to that horrific day at Nagasaki, giving us an alternative to what really happened. Now this was an interesting point, but one I will admit I forgot about whilst reading the rest of the issue.  I therefore got a really nice little moment of realisation when I got to the final page. Putting that aside for the moment and we spring straight back into the present where Supes is facing eight manmade orbiting objects, which have been reprogrammed and sent flying towards Earth as bombs. There is only time to stop seven of them, but when Clark’s reporting points this out and Lois takes great delight in correcting him. All eight were in fact made safe. It leaves him in an interesting position. Who or what saved the last one?

The questions open further when Superman finds the wreck on the ocean floor, complete with a handprint. Enter a shadowy military operation complete with their “real” Superman, whom they've had for almost 75 years...

For the artwork in this stellar first issue DC have brought on board Jim Lee. Lee is well known for the quality of his work and the feel of it fits perfectly with Superman as well as the story. It is light and open, but at the same time full of detail in all of the panels. It’s also got great punctuation on some of the images such as the large page pull out and the fantastic underwater picture of Superman complete with red eyes. I also loved the final page depiction of the new character (this may be someone fans will know but I’m afraid I can’t bring the name to mind if there is one). All in all the artwork has been really satisfying to cast eyes over.

Seeing Snyder work on something different was very compelling. The comparison and contrast between Batman and Superman is huge in itself; the light and dark of DC. Personally although I am really interested in who this “real” Superman is. I hope both Superman and Scott Snyder fans will pick this up and really enjoy it. You should give this issue a look though.

Matt Puddy is not going to be doing any high fives for a little while.

The Lion's Share - Superman Unchained #1 is only a week away!

Superman Unchained #1 is out NEXT WEDNESDAY!

I was lucky enough to see a mock up of the massive four page poster page included in this issue at the MCM Expo the other weekend, courtesy of Bob Wayne from DC. Comic Book Therapy had a sneak peek at the pencils for this amazing page:

Here's a look at some of the variant covers on offer for Superman Unchained #1, courtesy of Previews World:

This is going to be a beautiful issue and a real collector's item in years to come, don't miss out! Email me now to pre-order.

Ben Fardon would love to see Man Of Steel at an IMAX, but is struggling to find the time.

Which Comics Should I Get? Your Free Comic Book Day Cheat Sheet

It's Free Comic Book Day!

There's a vast array of comics on offer this year, but helpfully Glen Weldon at Monkey's See in the US has put together his guide to what's on offer.

You can find the original article here. Presented here is an abridged version, edited to highlight what Proud Lion has on offer.

Mary Ann Shilts takes one of the give away comic books from the display rack at the New Dimensions Comics store in Cranberry, Pa., Butler County, as part of Free Comic Book Day 2012. Free Comic Book Day 2013 is Saturday, May 4.

This year there are a whopping 52 different FCBD comics that stores may have in stock, most of which you can preview on the Free Comic Book Day site. On this same site, you can enter your zip code and find the closest participating shop.

Understand that not every shop will have every comic. There are 12 titles that most shops will likely carry (those designated "Gold Comics" on the FCBD site) and 40 others that some shops will order, and others will not (designated "Silver Comics").

That's a lot of books to choose from, and that's where the staff comes in: Tell them what you like — what movies, books, television shows you seek out, and they'll be able to find something that should line up with your tastes, whether or not it's an FCBD offering.

Herewith, however, is Monkey's See's annual FCBD Cheat Sheet. Below, we'll list several different kinds of prospective FCBD customers and match them with the Free Comic Book Day comics best suited to them. Find yourself, or a reasonable analogue thereof, on the list below, and hie your butt to the nearest FCBD-participating comic shop this Saturday.

Yes, let's begin with you, there, with the peanut butter on your sweater.

A. I've got kids. I want them to read good things.

Excellent! Some really nice all-ages comics on offer this year:

Mouse Guard/Rust Flip Book – Archaia's collection includes original short stories from Mouse Guard (a great book), an upcoming Jim Henson's Labyrinth graphic novel, and an adventure of Jet Jones the rocket-boy.

World of Archie – The continuing adventures of America's favorite sweater-vested, tic-tac-toe-headed ginger.

Finding Gossamyr – A special FCBD story that rounds out the world of the popular fantasy web series, in which a math prodigy is transported to a world where mathematics are magic.

OK? Yes, you there. In the mini-van.

B. I've got kids, too. But the backseat DVD player just conked out, and we're driving to Tampa. So.

So quality isn't the looming issue for you.

Right.

You want books you know they will read.

Yes. Quietly.

... What am I, Supernanny over here? Let's leave it at: books you know they'll read because they're already familiar with the characters. So we're talking licensed tie-ins of existing properties, then. Of which there are a kajillion. But you should —

Look, could you speed this up? Our youngest is getting that look on his face. We shouldn't have bought them the Pixie Stix back in Raleigh-Durham, I see that now.

Fine, fine. I was saying: You should know that licensed tie-ins have a spotty track record. But as long as you go into it knowing that there's no knowing how good they'll be –

Oh god, they're gnawing on each other's feet now. This is going downhill fast. Game over, man, game over—

Hold on, help is on the way!

Kaboom! Summer Blast – Grab-bag collection of such beloved properties as Adventure Time (which, let's just note, is a very, very good comic in its own right), Regular Show, Peanuts, Garfield, Ice Age, etc.

Sponge Bob Freestyle Funnies – Nickolodeon's wildly popular member of the phylum Porifera in square ... well, technically they're shorts, no?

Bongo Free For All Comics – Dependably great Simpsons/Futurama comics.

Sesame Street and Strawberry Shortcake – Together at last! I guess!

Star Wars/Captain Midnight/Airbender – Darth Vader and Boba Fett hangin' out, sipping blue Mandalorian space-Prosecco, getting mani-pedis, just having a girls' night out. Um, presumably. Also a story of Captain Midnight (yes, the radio guy), and a tale from Avatar: The Last Airbender Totally Not the Blue Cat People Whose Tails Are USB Ports Or Whatever.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures – A comic book based on an animated series which is an update of an animated series that was based on a comic book.

Sonic The Hedgehog – A comic based on a video game.

Grimm – A comic based on a television show which might be a little grim/dark/gory for little kids.

OK. You there, in the back?

C. I used to read superhero comics when I was a kid, but then I discovered (girls/boys) and haven't really spared them a thought since. I keep hearing there's some good stuff, there.

There's some great superhero books you need to check out. Fantastic Four, Hawkeye, Daredevil, Young Avengers, Wonder Woman, Invincible, Batgirl, Dial H for Hero. None of them are FCBD offers this year, I'm afraid. Here's the ones that are:

Infinity – A preview of Marvel's big summer superhero event.

Superman Special Edition – Includes a preview of an upcoming Superman comic, and a reprint of a December 2006 story which reintroduced the character of General Zod into DC continuity. A continuity that has since been disposed of. Not once, but twice. But hey, who's counting? (Me. I am counting. Me.)

DC Nation Super Sampler – Stories introducing two new animated series, Beware the Batman and the (welcome! Groovy!) return of Teen Titans, Go!

Hulk and the Agents of SMASH/Avengers Assemble – Two stories from comics based on two Marvel animated series.

Stan Lee's Chakra The Invincible – Set in Mumbai, this new series follows a young technological prodigy who develops a mech-suit capable of unlocking his mystical chakras. But not in the sexy way.

Valiant Masters - Reprints of stories from the 90s, the XXXXTREEEEME!!! era of Poochie-fied, hyperviolent comics storytelling. Your mileage may vary, but I find this stuff testosterrible.

Yes, you there, with the ear-trumpet.

D. I remember, back when I was a but a barefoot boy with cheek of tan, taking a shiny-new Indian-Head nickel over to Ol' Mr. Crumblefeather's Feed Store every Saturday morning, where I'd buy me a fizzy drink and some penny candy and Li'l Orphan Annie comic book.

Uh-huh.

Then, with the change I got back, I'd take myself over to the five and dime to buy my mother some ribbons and buttons and lotions, after which I'd head over to the motion picture show and –

Okay, gramps, we get it. You harbor fond, if frankly economically and numismatically questionable, memories of comics in the olden-timey days. So for you:

Buck Rogers – Reprints of old Buck Rogers comics from the pre-TV, pre-Twiki, pre-Erin-Gray-in-the-white-catsuit, era. You were warned.

Prince Valiant – Reprints of ye olde Arthuriane comicse.

E. I like science fiction. It never really occurred to me to try a comic, though.

Atomic Robo and Friends – This is your best bet on Free Comic Book Day. Ask for it if you don't see it. It's great. Fun and funny. Both at once.

2000AD Sampler – Several comics from Britain's long-running science-fiction anthology comic, including a new Judge Dredd tale. But if that doesn't fill you with enough Dredd....

Judge Dredd Classics — ... you can always pick up this sampler of old-school JD comics.

Valiant 2013 — Excerpts from Valiant's current line of science-fiction comics.

Aphrodite IX – In a post-apocalyptic world, there be dragons. If you need to know more than that before committing, this probably isn't for you.

Endangered Weapon B and the Tentacles of Doom – So is steampunk considered science fiction, nowadays? I can never keep up with you crazy kids and your rigid taxonomies. Anyway – dirigibles, a grizzly bear in a mech suit, the lost Library of Alexandia, squid-thingies-that-are-probably-aliens, more. As if more is needed.

The Steam Engines of Oz – Preview of an upcoming series set 100 years after Dorothy offs the Wicked Witch of the West. Also previews several titles in Arcana's new steampunk line of comics.

F. I Am A Disaffected Narrow-Chested Self-Styled Intellectual Given to Wearing Knit Hats Out-of-Season Who Disdains Superhero Comics As Puerile Fodder for Idiot Children And Who Finds Science Fiction And Other Genres Asinine Who Much Prefers To Read Mature, Richly Nuanced Literature About Narrow-Chested Self-Styled Intellectuals Given to Wearing Knit Hats Out-of-Season.

... You seem fun.

Who Are Also Maybe Starting a Band.

I see. Okay, gimme a minute. Because this isn't going to be easy. Historically, Free Comic Book Day has dutifully reflected the current status of the comics marketplace, which is to say: wholly dominated by superheroes, licensed tie-ins, and genre fare.

But this is a once-in-a-year opportunity to show the truly limitless breadth of comics storytelling, and FCBD offerings have never done a particularly good job of representing that. There are plenty of comics that fit your description, trust me. You'll just have buy them.

Let me get back to you on this one, okay? Yes, you there, with the clear-eyed gaze and friendly expression.

G. I'm just curious to see what's out there. I have no particular interest in superheroes, but other genres – Western, Thriller, Horror, Fantasy, whatever – are fair game. I like a good story.

Well, aren't you just exactly who comics shops hope to meet on Saturday.

The Walking Dead – You've seen the show and wished they'd stop wringing their hands and maybe kill a freaking zombie already. Now read the book.

Mass Effect/Killjoys/RIPD – If you go by the cover, this looks like just another adaptation of a video game, which would mean it belongs up with licensed tie-ins. But it also includes two other stories, Killjoys and RIPD, both of which – but especially RIPD, about a police force that enforces supernatural law – show a bit more promise.

Damsels – A Fables-ish take which examines the life of fairy tale characters (in this case, The Little Mermaid) outside the tales we know.

FUBAR – Sampler-pack of "American History Z" stories about the American Experience ... and zombies, including an incident at Valley Forge.

The Strangers – Here's how writer Chris Roberson describes this new series: "Swinging sixties supernatural super spies." Here's how I feel about that: "I'm in."

Yes, you there. Clutching that beat-up old issue of Maxim with a strange fervor.

H. I like boobs. And guns. And chicks with boobs and guns.

Got just what you're looking for:

Worlds of Aspen 2013 – Here's what we know: The preview on the FCBD site is just a series of pin-ups. It may be all we need to know.

... And that's everything. Good. Now go forth ...

F. Wait, What About ...

You again. Yeah, okay, listen, Mr. Mature, Nuanced Relationship Story Blah Blah Superheroes Are Dumb Blah, you're just gonna have to suck it up and buy something, I'm afraid. Maybe next year, the FCBD organizers will wise up and throw you a bone, but not this year.

Happily, most stores will stock lots and lots of great somethings in which adults very like you negotiate the world of jobs, relationships and mortality utterly without the aid of spandex, magic, or rayguns. Without knowing exactly what kind of stories you like, I can't reliably guide you to them – that's something to discuss with the staff on Saturday.

Okay? We good? Now, you and all the rest of you. Take yourself, and your kids, to the nearest comics shop on Saturday. Talk with the staff. Ask them questions. Answer theirs.

Discover something.

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day!

Only one sleep to go, then it's Free Comic Book Day! Our line up of freebies can be found here along with some shiny extras we've added at the last minute!

Ahead of the big day, can I please just remind people that we're open 10am-5pm tomorrow. If you arrive early, please respect our neighbouring businesses by keeping the noise down and queuing sensibly. Make sure you leave access to their premises please!

The morning is often the busiest as folks get down looking to get the full range of comics before we start to run out of certain titles! This means we may have to instigate a "one in, one out" policy at the door until the rush dies down (some of you may remember we had to do this last year!), so please be prepared for that.

Right, that's the disclaimers and notices out of the way! Lets's have some fun! Free Comic Book Day is a wonderful event for us and I'm always delighted to host it, I look forward to seeing you all in store.

Here's some words from Wolverine:

Ben Fardon will be working late, laying out all the freebies on the table upstairs...

Free Comic Book Day 2013 - the lineup!

Free Comic Book Day is next weekend! As excitement builds, here's a look at the titles we'll have on offer in store:

IMAGE WALKING DEAD SPECIAL

This special Walking Dead issue contains a new Tyrese short story, who made his television debut in The Walking Dead Season 3! It also reprints short stories featuring Michonne, The Governor and Morgan. This special issue is a must-have for Walking Dead fans--none of these stories will be reprinted in the trade paperbacks!

MARVEL INFINITY

The biggest super heroes in comics today – the Avengers, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, Superior Spider-Man & more! The most dangerous threat in the Marvel Universe – Thanos! The grandest Marvel Comics event of all time - INFINITY! In this all-new story by the blockbuster creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung, witness the opening shots of the war that will be heard around the galaxy. Plus, get a sneak peek behind a major Marvel release that hasn’t been announced yet and relive Thanos’ first solo story.

DC SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION

Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1 is a great jumping-on point for fans who can't wait to see Warner Bros. Pictures' Man of Steel major motion picture! This issue features the first chapter of the Superman: Last Son of Krypton graphic novel, written by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns and illustrated by Adam Kubert, featuring Superman's epic battle with General Zod and the Phantom Zone villains. In addition, it includes a special sneak preview of the blockbuster new monthly series starring The Man of Steel by the all-star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee!

DARK HORSE MASS EFFECT KILLJOYS RIPD

Three blockbuster titles fill this FCBD offering! In R.I.P.D., a séance goes terribly wrong! Then, in Mass Effect, follow a flight-school grad as he breaks the rules to prove himself in space! Finally, check out the police-state landscape of the highly anticipated miniseries The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys!

DARK HORSE STAR WARS CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT AVATAR

All-ages adventure! Star Wars joins fan-favorite villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett! Then explore the upcoming Dark Horse series Captain Midnight, where the search for the missing superhero is on! And the smash hit Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Mai as she deals with her broken heart . . .

DC NATION SUPER SAMPLER #1

This super sampler is the perfect place to check out two sensational series from the DC Kids line, Beware The Batman and Teen Titans Go!, based on Warner Bros. Animation's new animated series coming soon to Cartoon Network's DC Nation Saturday morning programming block. It includes two exciting, all-new stories that readers of all ages will enjoy!

MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE HULK AGENTS OF SMASH #1

It's out action featuring the newest stars to be of Disney XD: Avengers and the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.! Featuring art pulled directly from the animated series, this sneak peek at the two newest animated series from the geniuses at Marvel Animation promises to make this the biggest Free* Comic Book Day Ever! *Are we really giving this away?! YES!

2000 AD SPECIAL

In this bumper 48-page FCBD special, The Jimps Club is a brand new Judge Dredd story about a club of Judge impersonators compete against each other to see who can last the longest on the harsh streets of the 'Big Meg'. They've got being a Judge down to a fine art, nailed the mannerisms and the stance, but all it takes is one mistake for Dredd to spot an imposter...; Zombo returns in the all-new Planetronix: Mohawk Of Menace! - the failed government robot defense force Planetronix are on a mission to just say NO to DRUGS! But when Yellow Lion starts getting into insidious punk rock music, Zombo has to intervene; plus thrill-pounding action from The Visible Man, dimensional instability issues for Indigo Prime and dubious thermo-nuclear advice from alien delinquents DR & Quinch.

APHRODITE IX #1

Aphrodite IX returns for Free Comic Book Day!  This first free issue launches a new ongoing series of Top Cow's fan favorite, memory challenged, green haired, questionably human heroine.  Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event scorched the surface, Earth and its inhabitants have been forever altered and a new landscape and political struggle has taken hold with three distinct factions fighting for control.  Aphrodite IX is both anachronism and advanced technology in a world that she no longer recognizes.  No aliens, just humans and their genetically and technologically altered descendants in a mixture of the best Sci-Fi and Fantasy has to offer!

ATOMIC ROBO AND FRIENDS

Unanimously heralded by fans, creators, retailers and critics as the perfect first comic to give to a non-comic-reader. It's a robotic experiment gone wrong, and only Atomic Robo's brand of violent science can save the day. We've got lasers, explosions, and robots. It's like the transforming-robot movies, but comprehensible! Plus, previews of 2013 adventures of Red 5 favorites and new faces.

BONGO FREE-FOR-ALL

Bongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day...with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gang escalate and elevate their juvenile delinquency to new heights. Stick around for a bedtime tale with the dim but adorable Li'l Homer and go in search of the Happy Little Elves with Maggie.

BUCK ROGERS

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the first, best and original sci-fi hero is supporting free comic book day with a special re-print of two complete Sunday stories by fabled artist Rick Yager, who defined the look of the character for over twenty years.  Hermes Press' Buck Rogers FCBD issue will feature two complete, exciting storylines starring Buck Rogers and Wilma Deering in "The Mind of Minds" and "Wilma to the Rescue."  These stories have been painstakingly digitally reconstructed to perfection and look better than the original newspaper Sundays!  Hermes Press' Buck Rogers FDBD issue will also offer bonus material and tons of surprises!

DAMSELS

The Little Mermaid has been captured by a cruel wizard, who intends to keep her locked away forever. But help comes in the form of a valiant one-legged tin soldier whose heart is far bigger than he is. Can the Little Mermaid escape her vicious captor with nothing but a talking toy to guide her? Find out in this fairy tale for all ages written by Matthew Sturges (Jack of Fables, Doctor Who).

FINDING GOSSAMYR STUFF OF LEGEND

Return to the fantastic world of Gossamyr as Th3rd World's critically acclaimed, all-ages series continues in an brand new, original, adventure just for Free Comic Book Day! The Lorelarks are tasked with chronicling the tales of Gossamyr. But when a young novice feels that the growing legends of Jenna and her brother Denny might become a danger to the siblings, she is moved to action and challenges the code of her order. Also in this issue, the saga of the New York Times Bestselling Graphic Novel, The Stuff of Legend continues!

FUBAR SPECIAL

The New York Times-best selling zombie series FUBAR returns with an all-new Free Comic Book Day one-shot! This 32-page issue contains four stories that span the entire American experience from Valley Forge to the present day. Select stories from FUBAR: American History Z (in Previews this February) will put you in the boots of the founding fathers as they come face to face with the walking dead. If you're new to FUBAR, now's the perfect time to jump on board!

GRIMM

Discover the characters, creatures and inspiration behind the storyline of NBC's hit-series, Grimm!  From the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Grimm features Portland homicide detective Nick Buckhardt, as he discovers he's descended from a long line of "Grimms," who are charged with keeping balance between humanity and the creatures of myth.  With newly awoken abilities to detect the evil lurking among us, Nick struggles to keep his old life separate and safe as he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries of the Grimm world.

JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS

In advance of IDW's coming ongoing series re-presenting the best Judge Dredd stories from the past with all-new coloring, this special FCBD release offers one of the most beloved Dredd stories of all time: the introduction of Judge Death, with all-new color! Plus: bonus "Walter the Wobot" strips appearing in color for the very first time, all beautifully illustrated by the brilliant Brian Bolland!

KABOOM SUMMER BLAST

An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises, these series will keep readers young and old coming back to your comic shop again and again!

MOUSE GUARD / RUST FLIP BOOK

For Free Comic Book Day, Archaia is proud to present a square flip book containing a collection of original short stories from some of its all-ages-friendly titles! In David Petersen's Mouse Guard short, a young Sadie is told a mouse fairy tale about proving one's self and the best trait to look for in love. Royden Lepp's Rust tells how rocket-boy Jet Jones learns an important lesson while helping the younger members of the Taylor family with their daily chores on the farm. This spectacular, free one-shot also includes original short stories from Sean Rubin's upcoming, enchanting dinosaur tale, Bolivar; Jim Henson's fantasy classic, Labyrinth (an Archaia original graphic novel by Ted Naifeh, Adrianne Ambrose, and Cory Godbey is in the works); and Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos' justice-seekin' boy hero, Cow Boy. As an added bonus, there's also fun Pantalones, TX activity pages by Yehudi Mercado!

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MEGA MAN FLIPBOOK

"Worlds Collide: PRELUDE" - It's TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, "Worlds Collide," comes a primer issue exclusively for Free Comic Book Day! Witness the journey these two epic heroes from both Sega and Capcom took to finally meet each other - Mega Man's journey chronicled on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog's on the other! This is the must-have primer for the biggest comic book event of 2013 - as video game icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man meet for the very first time anywhere - featuring art from both Sonic and Mega Man comic book fame!

SPONGEBOB COMICS FREESTYLE FUNNIES

United Plankton brings you a completely original collection of SpongeBob comics for FCBD 2013. In "Paint Misbehavin'" Squidward teaches SpongeBob and Patrick how to paint realistically--but how did they learn to bring their painted creations to life? Then in "Day of the Free Comic" SpongeBob must foil Plankton's latest plan: invading the Krusty Krab inside a...giveaway comic book! Will funny books ever be the same? And: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy take on a new villain: the sultry Catfishstress. All this plus facts about the colorful cuttlefish, a fill-in comic, and a preview of this summer's SpongeBob superhero-themed annual!

STAN LEE CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE PREVIEW

From the mind of legendary creator Stan Lee comes his newest superhero, CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE.  Chakra tells the story of young Indian teenager, Raju Rai, a technology genius living in Mumbai. Determined to use science to unlock the secrets of human potential, Raju develops a technological suit that activates the mystical Chakras of the body, unleashing newfound abilities and powers.

STEAM ENGINES OF OZ

SteamPunk Originals Presents: The Steam Engines of Oz FCBD. Get a special sneak peek at the upcoming re-imagining of Oz through a SteamPunk lens. Find out what happens 100 years AFTER the witch is dead.  In an Oz ruled by a once revered hero, salvation comes from the unlikely wrench of Victoria Wright, who dares to question status quo and sparks a rebellion. This FCBD Edition will give you an exciting extended preview of the upcoming graphic novel AND a look at what else Arcana's SteamPunk Originals line has in store for readers!

STRANGERS #1

"The last thing you want to see is my hands." They're called the Strangers. They're deadly. Dangerous. And you'll never see them unless they want you to. But now they've come up against something big - United States government big. A cover-up of international proportions, and at the center of it all is the Strangers' deadliest foe, a man known only as Capricorn. A man who knows the Strangers. A man who sees them.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES

Jumping from screen to page, it's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full of action, excitement and laughs, this is the perfect all-ages comic to get you seeing green!

HARBINGER WARS SPEC

Everything you need to know about the Valiant Universe in 2013 happens right here this Free Comic Book Day! The critically acclaimed, best-selling comics launch of the decade throws it into high gear with HARBINGER WARS, Valiant's first-ever family crossover! The blistering conflict between BLOODSHOT and HARBINGER will crack the Valiant Universe in half and reveal the true cost of power.  Plus -- who will stand to oppose X-O MANOWAR on PLANET DEATH? What adventure lies beyond the horizon for ARCHER & ARMSTRONG?  Who is the true heir to the legacy of the SHADOWMAN? And what top-secret projects could possibly be coming next? Get all the answers right here.

VALIANT MASTERS SHOWCASE ED

This Free Comic Book Day, dive deep into the greatest stories of the original Valiant Universe -- remastered and collected together for the first time anywhere! Relive the best-selling adventures of Valiant's definitive heroes -- NINJAK, SHADOWMAN, the ETERNAL WARRIOR, and more -- in this special FCBD-only edition previewing the next year's worth of VALIANT MASTERS hardcover collections. Featuring all-time classic work by some of comics' most celebrated talent including Jim Shooter, Joe Quesada, Barry Windsor-Smith, David Lapham, Bob Layton and more. There's never been a better time to discover why the Valiant Universe created a new generation of comics fans and became the stuff of legend.

WORLDS OF ASPEN

Aspen is proud to celebrate its TENTH ANNIVERSARY and is planning its largest initiative ever-including this year's jam-packed Worlds of Aspen 2013 Free Comic Book Day flip book! Join Aspen Comics as they reveal exclusive in-depth content for all of their exciting "10 for 10" titles which debut all year long. Aspen is also offering TWO completely brand new stories, starting with Michael Turner's Fathom! Kicking off this summer's upcoming thrilling Fathom event, Fathom writers David Wohl (Fathom Volume 4) and Vince Hernandez (Fathom: Kiani), along with seasoned Fathom scribe J.T. Krul deliver an exclusive 12 page FCBD story featuring the brilliant regular series art team of Alex Konat and Beth Sotelo! And to top it all off, Worlds of Aspen 2013 will showcase a WORLD PREMIERE preview of Peter Steigerwalds' upcoming new Aspen series, ZOONITY! 

So there you have it! Lot's of exciting titles worth your time! We'll see you next Saturday, May the Fourth be with you!

Ben Fardon is looking forward to seeing some good Star Wars cosplay on the day!