Andrea’s Pre-Free Comic Book Day Picks for 04.30.2025
Are you ready for Free Comic Book Day, friends? It’s this Saturday! Two days before my birthday, and you’re all getting the gift of free comics!
Saturday, May 3rd! 10 am to 7 pm! It’s the best day of the year! It’s Free Comic Book Day!
We are very pleased to announce that every title we ordered has arrived! There were some little hiccups with orders and distributors, but they are all here and ready for Saturday!
We’re setting up in the same space as last year (the old tanning salon), and you’ll be able to pick out twelve free books from the 40-some titles offered. There’s something for everyone, and readers of all ages. We’ll have the books separated on the tables by “all ages”, “teen”, and “adult.”
Also, in the FCBD room, there will be about 20 local artists and vendors set up, so make sure to take a couple of laps and check them out. Spread some money around and support your local arts scene!
If you haven’t gotten a FCBD poster yet, we have them in the shop, and you can get yours signed by the artist, Jameson Campbell, from 10am to noon on Saturday!
Want to meet a life-size Transformer? “The Bee” will be here from 10am to 1pm!
There will be other cosplay groups in attendance that day as well. Feel free to dress up too!
Check out the Rust Belt Monster Collective outside the shop as they paint this year’s Superman-themed mural!
Once you’re done in the FCBD room, stop in the shop for 50% off back issues all day! We’ve been stocking up on a lot of great titles, so ask us for recommendations.
It’s strange that we have a smaller week with it being a fifth Wednesday right before Free Comic Book Day, so we’ll be filling the table with some #1s and recs as well.
MARVEL COMICS
Set between Kitty Pryde & Wolverine #6 and Uncanny X-Men #192, Chris Claremont returns to tell the full story of the duo’s journey in Japan in this new limited series! After being freed from Ogun’s control, Kitty doesn’t want any of her new skills. She wants to forget what Ogun did to her and live a teenage life, going to school with Amiko. Wolverine sees that these skills push her into a league above most of the X-Men, and need to be honed. Neither of them will get what they want when Kitty, Logan, and Mariko find themselves facing a mysterious force in a time and place not their own. With art by Damian Couceiro.
Do you want to read a super fun Godzilla story? Do you want to read a super fun Spider-Man story? With Black Cat and MJ? And the black suit? Then do we have the comic for you! Set after the original Secret Wars, Peter has returned to New York with his new alien costume, a MJ and Black Cat love triangle, and things seeming to be almost normal for Spider-Man. But guess who shows up to throw a wrench into the works? Godzilla! It’s almost a What If?… Godzilla got a symbiote suit! Written by Joe Kelly with art by Nick Bradshaw, with so many Editor’s notes by Nick Lowe! You’ll also be saying “Oh my Godzilla!” after you read this one-shot!
DC COMICS
The Detective Comics 2025 Annual presents a mystery Batman can’t solve! Or rather, he’s told by the victim, “do not solve my murder.” Proving why he’s the World’s Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight ignores the warning and following the clues in the deceased’s automated apartment, he’s led to England and learns how to end the universe. Now he must solve a murder, stop a killer, and keep the world from ending. All in three acts, written by Al Ewing, with art by Stefano Raffaele, John McCrea, and Fico Ossio.
Then, in the second story, seventh grader David Rosales uses his skills as the founding member of the Junior Batman Detective Club to figure out why the Scarecrow is targeting his schoolmates. Batman is also on the case and the unlikely duo team-up to solve this mystery! From writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Mike Norton. This is a great one-shot to grab if you want some solid detective work stories.
Someone is killing metahumans in Atlanta, inspired by Amanda Waller and the hate group Sons of Liberty. To stop them, and to rebuild faith in heroes, Josiah Power debuts a new super team with Black Lightning, The Signal, Vixen, and reluctant recruit, Jace Fox Batman. Batman sets off alone to hunt the killer and learn his methods. The others are searching for a woman named Aki, who they believe is the next target. Their combined intel leads them to someone named Agent Liberty, who may be more dangerous than they realize. Can the Power Company convince Batman to work with them? Writer Bryan Edward Hill and artists Khary Randolph, Alitha Martinez, Norm Rapmund, Ray Anthony Height and Studio Skye Tiger revitalize the Power Company in this special one-shot.
SMALL PRESS COMICS
More Godzilla! This time the King of the Monsters makes a stop in Los Angeles. All sales of this title will be donated to Binc, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, to assist bookstores and comic shops affected by the California fires, so please pick up a copy!
Featuring four stories from LA creators, the first “Eye in the Sky” from Gabriel Hardman, puts a news channel traffic copter directly in Godzilla’s path!
A theme park tram driver gets “The Big Break” when Godzilla interrupts a backlot tour in Jordan Morris and Nicole Goux’s story.
Then learn some history of the city and “How to Use the Los Angeles Metro to Survive a Godzilla Attack” written and illustrated by Dave Baker, frequent Metro user!
Welcome to “Godzil-LA” in J. Gonzo’s story of creative experts pulling together to create a plan to stop Godzilla and save their neighborhoods. With a little government help, and some movie magic, L.A.-Bot is set to send Godzilla packing!
True Crime podcaster Riley is a survivor of a home invasion and is obsessed with horror and slashers. The newest episode of her show, “Knife Life” focuses on the Hopton Valley Killer, a murderer with 125 confirmed kills, who has fallen into obscurity. Riley hopes to bring his story to light, and help the HVK regain their lost notoriety. Riley also hopes that by tracking down the serial killer, she can learn the ropes as the slasher’s apprentice. Created by writer Justin Richards and artist Val Halvorson.