Diamond Comic Distributors rejiggered Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) begins this week, the first of a nine week-long ‘Free Comic Book Summer’ event that replaces Free Comic Book Day, which traditionally occurs in early May.
5 titles will be available for free to readers from Direct Market retailers this Wednesday, July 15.
May’s annual Free Comic Book Day was cancelled this year due to interruptions in the comic book Direct Market due to COVID-19, with Diamond announcing that the 45 planned FCBD titles still scheduled for release would be available through Direct Market retailers every Wednesday, with five FCBD titles planned to release each week from July 15 to September 9.
Here are all the titles available in the inaugural week of Free Comic Book Summer, headlined by Marvel’s FCBD 2020 X-Men #1, by ‘Dawn of X’ mastermind Jonathan Hickman and House of X artist Pepe Larraz.
FCBD 2020 X-Men #1
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(W) Jonathan Hickman
(A) Pepe Larraz
FCBD is headlined by a brand new X-Men story by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz that will lead into a game-changing summer for all of X! Plus: a secret second story foreshadowing an upcoming epic tale by Tom Taylor and Iban Coello. Stay tuned in the months to come for exciting announcements about Marvel’s Gold title on freecomicbookday.com!
Rating: Teen
FCBD 2020 My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic
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(W) Jeremy Whitley (A) Trish Forstner (CA) Brenda Hickey
A new era of My Little Pony begins! Join Twilight Sparkle and friends as they adjust to new responsibilities, new friendships and new dangers! This is where IDW’s “Season 10” of My Little Pony comics begins, officially picking up where the recently concluded and long-running My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic television finale leaves off!
Rating: All-Ages
FCBD 2020 Power Rangers Ranger Slayer
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(W) Ryan Parrott (A) Huang Danlan (A/CA) Dan Mora
Meet The Ranger Slayer – AKA Kimberly Hart, the Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, from the alternate universe ruled by Lord Dakkon! Discover her full origin story, collected together for the first time with content from Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #9-12 and the exclusive short story from the sold-out Shattered Grid Deluxe Edition. This is the perfect jumping-on point for any new fan and sets the stage for one of the biggest moments in Power Rangers history!
Rating: All-Ages
FCBD 2020 Asterix FCBD Special
(W) Rene Goscinny (A) Albert Uderzo
Asterix is celebrating 60 sensational years as an international comics superstar, and Papercutz is now his North American publisher! The stories are newly translated into American English for a whole new legion of fans! The story of Asterix starts here as we discover what gives the Gaul his super strength and quick wit!
Rating: All-Ages
FCBD 2020 Weirn Books
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(W) Svetlana Chmakova
A preview of the new Weirn Books series from Svetlana Chmakova, creator of Nightschool, featuring a new town and an all-new cast of characters for young readers coming Summer 2020! Welcome to the Night Realm, filled with shifters, vampires, weirns, and other human-passing night things. The town might be a dangerous place full of rogue magic and things that would kill you or eat you in a heartbeat… but school is still in session. AND you still have to do your homework!
Rating: All-Ages
FCBD 2020 Captain Canuck & Captain Battle #1
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(W) Keith Morris, Adrien Benson (A) Esteban Calvi, Sergio Carrera (CA) Andrew Thomas, Donovan Yaciuk
Tom Evans, Known to the world as Captain Canuck, died saving the planet from an alien invasion… or so we thought. Having been flung through an inter-dimensional space engine he now finds himself stranded on an alien world deep within the universe someplace… Beyond. Back on Earth, Captain Battle, America’s genius Army inventor, has suited up to track down the last remnants of those who betrayed Earth during the Invasion, starting with HALO’s Saskia Reid. Join Canadian writer Adrien Benson and American writer Keith WTS Morris as they join forces (along with artists Sergio Carrera and Esteban Calvi) as they take you around the world and deep into space!
Rating: All-Ages