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FAME FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer:
Dan Rafter
Artist:
Don Smith |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Bluewater Productions
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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BLUE WATER'S SYNOPSIS:
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Your first look at the new biography series FAME,
featuring Lady Gaga! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m not going to waste anyone’s time griping about BlueWater Productions and
what I consider to be their constant lack of professionalism, not to mention
respect for readers, which is clearly displayed in their lackluster product
line, time and time again. First up is the amazingly flattering look at the
stupendous rise of pop-sensation Lady Gaga. Writer Dan Rafter takes pandering to
a new low, attempting to convey some sort of immediate obsession with the
artist’s work as if she was the byproduct of Fergie and Jesus, all the while
complaining about how kids these days have NO IDEA what constitutes QUALITY
music?! It’s the kids that are propelling her to her success, and Rafter
couldn’t even manage to get the NAME of her album right, or should I blame that
on Darren Davis whose name is credited with editing this rag (a first for
BlueWater I believe)? Then readers are treated to a preview of a Taylor Swift
bio-comic, because the world was just ACHING for one of those, which has no
rhyme or reason to its structure, but rather just blabbers on like a mentally
challenged child spouting random facts and Wiki’d info that probably took a
whopping ten-whole-minutes to slap together. |
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DOCTOR SOLAR/MAGNUS FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer:
Jim Shooter
Artists:
Dennis Calero and Bill Reinhold |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dark Horse
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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DARK HORSE'S SYNOPSIS:
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The dawn of a new age of superhero excitement begins
on Free Comic Book Day as Dark Horse Comics proudly presents the return of two
of the most legendary characters in the annals of comics: Doctor Solar, Man of
the Atom and Magnus, Robot Fighter — re-imagined for the 21st century by comics
legend, writer Jim Shooter! This FCBD extravaganza offers all-new Solar and
Magnus stories, each heralding new series launches in summer 2010, and featuring
interior art by fan-favorite Dennis Calero (X-Men Noir) and cover art by Raymond
Swanland! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Comic book mainstay Jim Shooter delivers his take on two classic characters that
seem destined for obscurity regardless of how many times they’re restarted,
rebooted, or retread until they’re retired. Both concepts, one a man who
survives an accident exposing him to massive amounts of radiation, another who
fights robots, are sound in principle but as far as execution is concerned I’m
not sure there’s enough substance to draw in NEW READERSHIP. Dr. Solar fights
some jerk that happened upon some latent energy left over from Solar’s own
transformation, which he uses to become some sort of super-jerk, then Solar
beats him and flies away. Magnus fights robots, pisses some chick off, and ends
up fantasizing behind his computer…not kidding. |
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ARTIFACTS: FIRST LOOK FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer:
Ron Marz
Artist:
Stjepan Sejic |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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IMAGE/TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
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Building on the success of First Born and Broken
Trinity, Top Cow finally reveals the secrets of all 13 Artifacts - which include
The Darkness, Witchblade, Angelus, Magdalena's Spear of Destiny, and more.
Launching a massive 13-issue event beginning in July 2010, this series will
literally define and redefine the nature of the Top Cow Universe! The final
identity of the remaining hidden Artifacts will be revealed, characters will
perish, and the very existence of the Top Cow Universe will be at stake. And it
begins here! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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In order to build up a bit of buzz surrounding “The Biggest Event in the History
of the Top Cow Universe” the powers-that-be have seen fit to supply potential
readers with two things this Free Comic Book Day, a taste, but just a taste of
the creative team behind the book, as well as a bit of background on the players
involved, including some info that’s never been revealed before. It’s half a
Zero-Issue and half handbook of the Top Cow Universe and it works surprisingly
well. I haven’t jumped into the Top Cow pool for quite some time, but this may
be enough to pull me into the 13-issue maxi-series that debuts this summer. I
could take or leave the artwork, but the story itself is pretty fascinating.
Since Ron Marz has been THE Top Cow architect for quite a while now I have no
doubt that this will indeed be THE event book that could restore some life to
the somewhat-stale line of titles. |
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WEATHERCRAFT: A FRANK COMIC FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer/Artist:
Jim Woodring |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Fantagraphics Books
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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FANTAGRAPHICS PRESS' SYNOPSIS:
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Are you ready? Because your life is about to change!
Perception as you know it will cease! Fantagraphics proudly presents Jim
Woodring's Weathercraft! Every other free comic book will pale in comparison to
our powerful and supernatural print-barge for both the enlightened and perplexed
masses. Marvel at the toothy preview of Jim Woodring's first original graphic
novel, do your detective work with exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, and
gasp at rare out-of-print images, comics and transmissions, all from Jimland!
Beware! Manhog lurks near... |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I don’t get this. Sure, the pictures are pretty, and reminiscent of R. Crumb at
that, but there’s no words, and as far as I can tell no real semblance of a
story. Let me make it clear that this is a just a sample portion of the larger
(and maybe more interesting) graphic novel. Jim Woodring has spent a great deal
of his career fleshing out the weird characters and the world they inhabit in
his “Frank” books, and this is a type of spin-off starring Manhog, a co-star of
the ‘Frank’ series, with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. The majority of the
story centers on Manhog as he wanders through his world interacting with the
ever-so-strange characters that make up its landscape. There’s a great deal of
surreal imagery that might induce some sort of giggle-fit had I ingested enough
LSD to cause me to actually UNDERSTAND what the heck is going on, but I don’t do
drugs, not any that made me interested in this anyway. |
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LOVE AND CAPES #13 FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer/Artist:
Thom Zahler |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Maerkle Press
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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MAERKLE PRESS' SYNOPSIS:
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The wedding and the honeymoon are over for
comicdom's favorite super couple, so what's next? Getting settled, starting
their new life… and finding out what really happened at the reception. It's a
whole new start for "Love and Capes", and a great lead-in to the second trade
coming from IDW in summer 2010! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I’m pretty sure it’s safe to assume that it’s tough to be a costumed
crime-fighter; when you’re a guy and you have to balance you’re responsibilities
to the public-at-large with commitments to your loved ones, especially
girlfriends, the stress has to be unbearable. In “Love and Capes” Mark Spencer,
The Crusader, is Deco City’s premiere super hero, and member of the Liberty
League, but he’s also Abby Spencer’s new husband, and while the two of them
share the secret of Mark’s true identity they’re still every bit the typical
married couple you can only hope to be a part of. The story is broken down into
eight panels per page, with each of those pages broken down into two segments,
which gives the illusion that you’re reading a newspaper strip, or a webcomic
that’s been collected and reprinted, but it works really well. I’d love to see
something like this catch on, it reminds me of the old DC series “Young Heroes
in Love” |
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ATOMIC ROBO AND FRIENDS FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer:
Brian Clevinger
Artist:
Scott Wegener |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Red 5
Comics
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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RED 5'S SYNOPSIS:
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Eisner Award-nominated Atomic Robo knows that the
rain forests of South America hide many secrets...but none so deadly as "The
Terror Bird"! Forgotten by time, these prehistoric apex predators are primed to
devastate the modern world! (The word 'terror' is right there in its name!)
Plus! Previews of 2010 adventures of Red 5 favorites and some new faces! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Alright, this is really a bit more of a Red 5 Comics sampler platter than I had
originally thought, but in the end it contained a done-in-one “Atomic Robo”
story that has solidified my stance that this may be the BEST comic I’m not
reading right now, and I’ve decided to start finding the collected editions of
this title at all costs. Robo and his team of Tesladyne Scientists are shipped
into the jungle in order to search out a supposedly not-so-extinct extinct bird.
Hilarity ensues when the birds don’t seem to take kindly to the trespassing,
and, well, read it! The done-in-one is a kind of lost art-form; with the advent
of the wait-for-trade, ‘Border’s’ bookshelf style of comics we lost a style of
storytelling that, if done extremely well, reminds all fans of the books that
turned them on to the medium in the first place, and I really appreciate the
ability to pick up a book in the middle of a run and enjoy it as much as if I’d
read the series from the beginning. |
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WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #0 FCBD 2010 EDITION |
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Writer:
James Robinson & Sterling Gates
Artist:
Eddy Barrows |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC
Comics
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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A war is coming, and all that stands between Earth
and 100,000 vengeful supermen is one Superman! The conflict between Superman and
General Zod erupts into all-out war this summer in a series that will shatter
the worlds of Superman, Supergirl and the entire DC Universe — all brought to
you by the hit creative team of James Robinson and Eddy Barrows! This special #0
issue featuring all-new material previews the conflicts to come while
spotlighting a savage strike on Metropolis and the world — an attack that will
shake Superman to his very core. After this, there’s no turning back — the War
of the Supermen is here! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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As far as ‘events I’m not concerned with in the slightest’ “War of the Supermen”
ranked pretty high up there, but James Robinson managed to do the impossible
with this little free book right here, he made me want to read upcoming
(weekly?) mini-series. I don’t know what it is about the execution that seems so
different from what either of the two writers were doing in their respective
cornics, Gates on “Supergirl” and Robinson on “Superman: World of New Krypton”,
but this attracted me to the upcoming project as opposed to repel me like most
of the stuff I’d read of the aforementioned books. It’s another Zod and Kal-El
throw-down that never really gets off the ground, because, well, it’s an FCBD
book, and they want you to spend the money ($3.99, I’m assuming) on the series to
get the meat and potatoes. The art by Eddy Barrows is better than a lot of what
I’ve seen in standard monthly DC fare, and I’d like to see him get a more
regular gig, although I may just be looking in the wrong places. The back-up
(back up there’s a BACK-UP?!) is a jam session with pages featuring the art of
Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, David Finch, and other guys, which was a great
little piece that gets all convoluted at the end, not at all attracting me to
the other aspects of the “War of the Supermen” that are sure to tie-in to the
mini-event. |
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IRON MAN/THOR FCBD 2010 EDITION
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Writer:
Matt Fraction
Artist:
John Romita, Jr. |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (050210) |
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MSRP:
FREE! |
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The perfect jumping-on point for any and all
readers...and it's FREE! When rogue mega-billionaires with world-destroying
technology threaten the safety of the entire world...and the moon...Thor and
Iron Man join forces! In time for the exciting launch of new stories and a bold
new direction for Invincible Iron Man and Thor, superstars Matt Fraction and
John Romita Jr. team up to bring you two of Marvel's heaviest hitters like
you've never seen them before! A major new direction for the Marvel Universe
kicks off HERE - on Free Comic Book Day! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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What better way to ‘gateway drug’ kids into buying more comics than to give away
free comics starring the stars of the sure-to-be-hit movie of the summer and
possibly the one after that (as far as comic-movies are concerned) which also
ties into the launch of two new creative teams on ongoing titles starring both
Iron Man AND Thor? I don’t know. I can’t think of one possible thing that could
‘gateway’ kids into comic stores with more ease; once again the mighty Marvel
marketing machine reigns supreme. I’m not the world’s biggest Fraction fan, but
both his Iron Man and his Thor seem surprisingly refreshing (yes, I’ve just
publicly admitted to being ignorant of his run on “Invincible Iron Man”, sue
me). There’s a very endearing quality to the Norse God of Thunder here that I
haven’t seen in the work of JMS or Dwyer or whomever, but Fraction could get me
to pick up a Thor title for the first time in FOREVER. This is by far the GEM of
Free Comic Book Day, as far as I’m concerned, with J.R. Jr. doing his thing the
way nobody does, and considering he’s going to be illustrating BOTH of these
guys in Bendis’ new “Avengers” book, and Fraction will be writing BOTH of these
characters (although not in the same title) come this summer, so this (sorta)
serves as an unofficial preview of all of those books; good stuff. |
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"Remember, Saturday May 1st, 2010 is Free Comic Book Day this year
and we're giving away the over 30 titles listed in these pages at the store that weekend. That's a lot of
titles and as always some are going to be of more interest to you than others.
So take a look at the ALL AGES, TEENS AND UP and REFERENCE offerings for this
year and begin to dream about the 2nd Happiest day of the Year (right after Christmas!)
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2010 by their respective owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2010 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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