FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2022

After a pandemic interruption, a sign of things returning to normal is here with the resumption of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY; which is returning to its traditional date of taking place on the first Saturday in May. On Saturday, May 7, 2022, comic book shops across the United States will be handing out specially printed Free Comic Book Day issues to promote interest in the genre and generate foot traffic to brick and  mortar retail locations. Celebrate favorite brands including Marvel and Disney with stories about Donald Duck and Spider-Man or discover new characters such as Jonna, Max Meow and Tex featured in free comic books you can pick up on May 7th.

There are forty-nine special issues being published this year for Free Comic Book Day which range in content from appropriate for any age to aimed for audiences over eighteen. There will be a color coded logo on the cover of each title which designates a comic book's age rating. Green is suitable reading material for all ages (children, teens & adults). Blue is appropriate for readers 13+ years old. Red designates mature content meant for adults. Here are three favorite picks from each category this will be available for this year's Free Comic Book Day:

FUZZY BASEBALL

Batter up with the greatest hits of the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies! Join beloved children's book illustrator John Steven Gurney and rookie to the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies, Blossom Honey Possum, as they recount their greatest baseball adventures against their strangest rivals. It's got animals, it's got ninja, it's got robots, all competing in America's favorite pastime! Plus, exclusive extra-inning content behind-the-scenes of the beloved series! You'll hit a home run with this great collection of hilarious baseball stories from the ever-relatable underdogs the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Sonic's racing into a brand-new adventure with his best buds (and co-stars of the hit new movie) Tails and Knuckles by his side! But Sonic's not the only super-speedster in town . . . Get caught up with everything you need to know about Sonic's evil counterpart Surge before she and Sonic go head-to-head in the epic issue #50, a story years in the making!

THE REMA CHRONICLES

Tabby Simon is determined to learn what happened to her father, who was found dead after researching a tree that leaks a mysterious mist in her neighborhood. She is unexpectedly led to Rema, a distant world of magic and beauty that is periodically invaded by a nearby planet desperate for resources. While Tabby searches for the truth surrounding her father's death, she meets a handsome blue-haired boy named Philip. He has his own dangerous secrets, but has promised to help Tabby get home. As she learns more about this strange world, Tabby discovers that she is destined for something far greater than she ever could have imagined.

ARCHIE

A new dawn of Archie is upon us! Archie Andrews has forever been known as an everyman. He's your average teenager, and that's what makes him so well-liked. But it doesn't take a super-scientist, super-hero, or super-spy to see that Archie is anything BUT average! Welcome to the weird, wonderful world of Archie, where anything and everything can happen to a red-headed, freckle-faced teen in a sleepy little town. This title serves as a special sneak peek at what's to come from Archie Comics' new series of anthology titles as well as some best-of moments from recently released titles. Get in on the ground floor of a new era of Archie with this special issue zero title.

THE INCAL UNIVERSE

Jodorowsky and Moebius's The Incal was a shot across the bow of graphic storytelling, an epic explosion of staggering art, mind-blowing worldbuilding, and ambitious plotting that combined to make one of the most influential comics of all time. Now, 42 years after its initial publication--and with a major movie adaptation in the works from filmmaker Taika Waititi--the Incal-verse expands with three extraordinary new series: Kill Wolfhead, by Brandon Peterson and Pete Woods; Dying Star, by Dan Waters and Jon Davis-Hunt; and Psychoverse, by Mark Russell and Yanick Paquette.

STRANGER THINGS

Celebrating the weird and wonderful, we present stories both strange and alien! In Stranger Things, Eleven, Will and Jonathan go to a drive-in theater for a double creature feature, but the local festivities and scary costumes bring back haunting memories. In Resident Alien, Dr. Harry and nurse Asta help an elderly patient in the sleepy, small town of Patience investigate a ghostly presence in her house!

the Bone Orchard MYTHOS

A troubled writer books a secluded cabin on a serene lake in an attempt to get away from his struggling marriage and his impending deadlines. But what he can't know when he arrives is that he is already in the cabin. In fact he may have always been there. Face-to-face with his own demons, the writer discovers the first terrifying pieces of The Bone Orchard Mythos a sprawling new horror interconnected universe from the Eisner Award winning team behind Gideon Falls and Primordial, Andrea Sorrentino and Jeff Lemire!

NOTTINGHAM

A very Merry Christmas. All eyes are on Everard Blackthorne, the Sheriff of Nottingham, when his predecessor is murdered in cold blood. It's business as usual for Ev, with Hood and the Merry Men pulling the strings and a terrible choice to make as the lives of Alan Dale's wife and son hang in the balance. This special issue of Nottingham takes place in between volumes 1 and 2 of the smash hit series.

TRESE

The award-winning Filipino comic, now hit Netflix anime series! Foul play. Magic spells. Supernatural criminals. When the case takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. The Trese 2022 FCBD comic features a preview of the forthcoming Trese Volume 4: Last Seen After Midnight, along with bonus material on the comic, including some of Alexandra's journal entries chronicling her creature encounters and more. It also includes a sneak peek at The Art of Trese Anime, featuring art, sketches, photos, interviews and more on the making of the hit Netflix anime series.

Industry giants DC and Marvel are both making their presence known on Free Comic Book Day. Each is publishing three free issues to be distributed at comic book shops. DC Comics Dark Crisis and Marvel's Judgment Day will each kick off the next big story event arc for each of the publishers. Look out for these special Free Comic Book Day issues to pick up.

DARK CRISIS SPECIAL 

The Justice League is comics’ greatest super-team—made up of DC Comics’ legendary Super Heroes, they have saved the world countless times. No crisis was too much for them to handle...until now! The Justice League has been defeated by the Great Darkness and its army of DC’s most dangerous enemies—now a new generation of Super Heroes must rise to protect not only the Multiverse…but also the legacy of the DCU! Includes a preview and art from Dark Crisis #1 coming in June!

GALAXY: THE PRETTIEST STAR

Every day in Taylor Barzelay’s life might seem perfect—but every day is torture. Taylor is actually the Galaxy Crowned, an alien princess from the planet Cyandii, and one of the few survivors of an intergalactic war. For six long, painful years, Taylor has accepted her duty to remain in hiding as a boy on Earth. But that all changes when Taylor meets Metropolis girl Katherine “call me Kat” Silverberg, whose confidence is electrifying. Suddenly, Taylor no longer wants to hide, even if exposing her true identity could attract her greatest enemies.

LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS

There is nothing the Super-Pets love more than spending time with their heroes, but are finding it difficult to be taken seriously as members of the team when their humans just don’t understand them. But when Mr. Mxyzptlk (a magical imp from the fifth dimension) arrives in Metropolis with a plan to wreak a little chaos and destruction, the Justice League are caught in his trap! The Super-Pets will need to come up with a plan to prevent Mxy’s mischief from destroying the city—while somehow trying to rescue their human counterparts. The only problem is, they may need to recruit their greatest enemy in order to defeat him.

JUDGMENT DAY

Featuring stories by an all-star lineup of creators including writers Kieron Gillen and Gerry Duggan and artist Dustin Weaver, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: AVENGERS/X-MEN #1 will lay the groundwork for an event that will erupt across the Marvel Universe in 2022 and drastically alter the relationship between Earth's Mightiest Heroes and mutantkind.

SPIDER-MAN/VENOM

Spider-Man is gearing up for a brand-new era just in time for the character's 60th anniversary! Fans who pick up FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1 will see the very beginning of the major storylines writer Zeb Wells and legendary artist John Romita Jr. have planned for their run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, including Tombstone's first steps towards becoming Spidey's most terrifying villain.

MARVEL VOICES

A unique introduction to the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed Marvel's Voices series, which spotlights creators and characters across Marvel's diverse and ever-evolving universe. The book will include seven Marvel's Voices stories, spotlighting creators and characters from different cultures, communities, and identities. 

In addition to a brand-new story starring Moon Girl by writer Nadia Shammas and artist Luciano Vecchio, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: MARVEL'S VOICES #1 will reprint the following stories from past Marvel's Voices one-shots: Writer Evan Narcisse and artist Jahnoy Lindsay's tale showcasing the heroic journey of Brother Voodoo from MARVEL'S VOICES (2020) #1 Acclaimed artist Jeffrey Veregge's showcase of Marvel's greatest indigenous heroes from MARVEL'S INDIGENOUS VOICES (2020) #1 Oscar winning writer John Ridley and artist Olivier Coipel's action packed Miles Morales adventure from MARVEL'S VOICES: LEGACY (2021) #1 Writer Alyssa Wong and superstar artist Whilce Portacio's Wave and Bishop teamup story from MARVEL'S VOICES: IDENTITY (2021) #1 Artist Luciano Vecchio's rousing exploration of the history of LGBTQ+ representation in Marvel Comics from MARVEL'S VOICES: PRIDE (2021) #1 Writer/artist Leo Romero's celebration of Brazilian culture with the X-Men's Shark-Girl from MARVEL'S VOICES: COMUNIDADES (2021) #1 by Leo Romero

For more information about this event, visit freecomicbookday.com

Fuzzy Baseball by John Steven Gurney

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

If you are a fan of the game of baseball, you'll love the graphic novel FUZZY BASEBALL by author and illustrator John Steven Gurney published by PAPERCUTZ which specializes in the creation of comic book stories for young readers and teens.  Enjoy America's pastime all year long within the pages of this wonderful story that promotes themes of perseverance and good sportsmanship through a tale of ninth inning heroics during a baseball game between two rival teams.  These aren't just two ordinary teams though -- the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies and Rocky Ridge Red Claws are long time rivals ... and they're rosters are made up entirely of animals such Jackie Rabitson the bunny playing in centerfield for the Fuzzies to Gator Gibson the alligator who pitches for the Red Claws inspired by real athletes like the Dodger's Jackie Robinson and the Cardinal's Bob Gibson.  A dominating pitcher for St. Louis, Gibson earned 17 strike outs versus the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.  Jackie Robinson is know not just for being a gifted athlete who played second base for the Dodgers but also as the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.  In addition to enjoying the well drawn illustrations of the characters in the book, readers can also delve deeper to learn more about the real people that inspired the play on names used in the book plus learn a bit about baseball strategy as they read through the story.

The Rocky Ridge Red Claws are the dominant team composed of rough and tough players who will do whatever it takes to win a game.  Though they have a hyena playing shortstop the way this team plays is no laughing matter.  Let your guard down playing against this team and Snaps Tortelli will put a bite into you or you'll get gored by Reggie Rhino going yard against you.

 The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies are the underdogs in this match up of long-time rivals.  The team is led by a grizzly veteran manager who also plays first base may be out-sized by their opponents but they don't give up.  With players like Pony Perez, Pepe Peritto and Jackie Rabitson the Fuzzies have the agility and speed on the field and the base path to give any team a run for their money.

Who wins the game?  You'll have to read the graphic novel to find out!  What I can say is that the pages are incredibly drawn so that flipping through the pages of this graphic novel to take in the illustrations is a very enjoyable experience as Gurney brings to life the players on these two teams as well as the audience taking in the game, as adorable animals that kids, and kids at heart, will be delighted by.  Despite the wild characters in the book, it's story stays grounded with realistic sports premises and examples that make the fantastic elements relatable to actually feeling like you are taking in a baseball game.  In addition to its excellent artistic attributes, the author also does a nice job scripting out the story so that in addition to enjoying the artwork the book is also a very entertaining read.

FUZZY BASEBALL is a book that my son and daughter both will regularly pick out from our book shelf to read over and over again.  It's also a story that this passionate Detroit Tigers fan will even admit to enjoyed reading through on his own and thoroughly enjoying because hey who says parents can't embrace enjoying a children's book too!  With well-developed and well-drawn characters and a fun baseball story that my children love this comic book aficionado and life long baseball fan gives FUZZY BASEBALL a nod of approval from A Geek Daddy.

For more information, visit fuzzybaseball.com