Hey, Folks!
Well, we have arrived at one of the most important weeks of the year! The lead up to FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
I have to admit that for me the thrill of the day is oftentimes subsumed by the amount of money and work that I poor into it every year. For me, FCBD planning starts off in January and involves many different decisions that often involve numerous people, materials, and, as I mentioned, a lot of money. But then the day comes and it has always been a smooth and enjoyable ride for me so I really don’t have much to complain about really. I get the question, especially post-stroke, “OMG! Are you really stressed out now!?!” and I’m always, like, “Well, no…not really. It’s all in the box now and I couldn’t change anything even if I wanted to so I will just try to go with the flow and enjoy it.” And to underscore the point, my blood pressure was 116/89 this morning…lol.
This year’s Free Comic Book Day will not be radically different from the last few years. There will be cosplayers (including THREE Spider-Men this year!), the photo booth will be here for fun snapshots, we will be delivering up ice Cream cones from Shivers, and, of course, there ill be plenty of free comic books to spare. As per usual we will be starting out the day limiting it to five selections per person. This is mostly for coverage and to make sure that everyone gets the main titles of their choice. I usually let up a bit n that once the main crowd has passed through the door, usually by 3pm. And please remember that if you can’t make it on Saturday afternoon, Brian and I will have the freebies on Display for at least a week afterwards and you can feel free to pick and choose as you wish. The name of the game is fun on FCBD and I hope that I can keep my energy up through the whole day…lol.
I mentioned during the Afternoon Delight episode this week that the DC VS MARVEL OMNIBUS and the DC MARVEL AMALGAM OMNIBUS are both heading for FOC in the month of May. I’ve been giving it some thought and I am so personally pleased that they are finally going back to print with his material that I have decided to offer discounts on any PREODERS placed for the books! If you preorder one of the titles you will receive a 15% discount off of the cover price and if you preorder both book then you will receive a 25% discount off of the cover price of both of them. They are both retailing for $150.00 each…so if you order one of them it will be $127.50 (plus tax) and if you order them both then it will total $225.00 (plus tax). There are two different covers available for both books, George Perez or Jim Lee for the DC VS Marvel and Dave Gibbons or Jim Lee for the Amalgam volume so please specify when you place your order Technically the FOC date is May 12th, but if you commit to your preorders by the end of May then you may still claim your discount. Here’s the solicitation information for both books:
DC VERSUS MARVEL OMNIBUS HC
Written by Gerry Conway, Jim Shooter, Len Wein, Chris Claremont, Dennis O’Neil, J.M. DeMatteis, Ron Marz, John Byrne and Others Art by Ross Andru, John Buscema, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Walter Simonson, Barry Kitson, John Byrne, and Others In 1976, the Big Two in comics made pop culture history by pitting their most popular heroes–Superman and the Amazing Spider-Man–against each other! The success of this one-shot comic paved the way for future collaborations between the House of Ideas and the Distinguished Competition, ushering in a new age of inter-company crossover events that boasted some of the industry’s biggest writers and artists. Now, for the first time in over 20 years, the comics that started it all will be collected in a brand-new omnibus edition featuring the classic DC Universe and Marvel team-up stories from Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, DC Special Series #27, Marvel and DC Comics Presents Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1, Batman/Punisher: Lake of Fire #1, Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1, Darkseid Vs. Galactus: The Hunger #1, Spider-Man and Batman #1, Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances #1, Silver Surfer/Superman #1, Batman & Captain America #1, Daredevil and Batman #1, Batman & Spider-Man #1, Superman/Fantastic Four #1, The Incredible Hulk vs. Superman #1, and Batman/Daredevil: King of New York #1. This volume also includes essays from the original creative team, an introduction from former DC Comics president Paul Levitz, afterwords by writer Ron Marz and Marvel executive editor Tom Brevoort, and more!
DC MARVEL THE AMALGAM AGE OMNIBUS HC
Written by Ron Marz, Peter David, Karl Kesel, and Others Art by Dan Jurgens, Claudio Castellini, and Others Pitting their world’s greatest superheroes against each other, only the winning universe will be allowed to live! And the loser…will cease to exist. Superman versus the Hulk! Batman versus Captain America! Wolverine versus Lobo! Fighting against the clock, Access, a new hero traversing both worlds, will attempt victory through another means: The combination of DC and Marvel into one universe! The Amalgam age of comics is born! Batman and Wolverine become Dark Claw! Captain America and Superman become Super Soldier! Wonder Woman and Storm become Amazon! But will the existence of Amalgam prolong the inevitable demise of DC or Marvel? Will the Amalgam Universe fight back when Access attempts to return the universes to their former glory? This once-in-a-lifetime event is finally collected in a once-in-a-lifetime Omnibus! Featuring DC Versus Marvel #1-4, the DC/Marvel: All-Access #1-4, Unlimited Access #1-4, Amazon #1, Assassins #1, Bat-Thing #1, Bruce Wayne: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, Bullets and Bracelets #1, Challengers of the Fantastic #1, Dark Claw Adventures #1, Doctor Strangefate #1, Exciting X-Patrol #1, Generation Hex #1, Iron Lantern #1, JLX Unleashed #1, Legend of the Dark Claw #1, Lobo the Duck #1, The Magnetic Men Featuring Magneto #1, Speed Demon #1, Spider-Boy #1, Spider-Boy Team-Up #1, Super Soldier #1, Super Soldier: Man of War #1, Thorion of the New Asgods #1, X-Patrol #1, and a story from Green Lantern #87. Includes introductions by Ron Marz and Karl Kesel, new afterwords by Mike Carlin and Tom Breevort, the trading cards, and a tome of never-before-seen material!
Oh! I did want to mention that Brian and I know how much many of you enjoy the dollar boxes that we regularly put together for your perusal. That is why for the second year in a row Brian has put his head down and pulled together 10 brand new and totally amazing dollar boxes that will be once again put out on the sidewalk in front of the store for your shopping pleasure! Take your time and luxuriate in the selection of old and relatively new material all of which will be available for a buck a piece! Also, please remember that you will NOT be required to go through the free comics line in order to purchase these books. Just let our door person know you are just purchasing dollar books and you will be admitted to do so. You still might have to wait in line at the cash register and youc an always get back in the line for the free comics once you’ve made your purchase.
Finally, I have to end this week’s EDitorial on a somber note. Dieter Kulicke, one of the best men it has been my privilege to meet in the course of my career, entered into mortality on March 27, 2024 at the age of 83. Dieter was an amazing comic book fan and his knowledge and passion for the art form encompassed decades of reading and collecting. Dieter emigrated to the states from Germany as a small child and learned how to read and speak English from comic books. He was always one of the brightest parts of many, many Wednesday afternoons at the store and I never got tired of chatting with him about comics or really anything. When you’ve been in this industry as long as I have it is a palpable loss when someone with whom you’ve had weekly interactions with for decades is suddenly just not there anymore and I will feel Dieter’s loss for some time to come. If you are somehow aware of this message, Dieter, know that I miss you terribly and thank you for your kindness and the wisdom that you imparted to this comic book fan for all of these years.
See everyone on Saturday!
Eddie
