Free Comic Book Day 2006
Another Free Comic Book Day has come and gone. My local store had a parade of storm troopers hanging out with friends Darth Vader and Leia outside the doors, trying to embarass me, discourage me in my mission for some free floppies. I passed the trials however and snatched up my two allowed comics, choosing Free Scott Pilgrim from Oni Press and X-Men/Runaways from Marvel.
Free Scott Pilgrim - Bryan Lee O'Malley is awesome. The characters in Scott Pilgrim are just instantly loveable. It's been about a year since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World came out and in the first panel, I recalled my affection for the characters and fell in love with them again, on the spot. Scott starts his adventure choosing which soda he wants on the way to the movies with his gay best friend and the girl of his dreams, comparing the nutrition facts in terms of RPG lingo (Strength -1, Speed +2, etc.). As they proceed to the theater, Scott gets attacked by a movie star who comes out of several posters, and his two companions calmly discuss the situation at a distance, while Scott's getting his ass kicked. It's wonderful.
X-Men/Runaways - This was a smart way for Marvel to get people interested in Runaways if they're already reading Astonishing X-Men. And it was executed really well. I wasn't sure I was going to like the art at first, provided by Skottie Young, but once the X-Men appeared in the book, I loved it. I don't think the Runaways looked that great in his cartoony style, but the X-Men looked fantastic. It may be because the X-Men are so iconic and recognizable, but they were amazing. It was a fun battle between the two teams that got a few laughs out of me. Very enjoyable, although shorter than I thought it would be (most of the issue was filled with a bunch of crappy fluffer including an eleven-page breakdown of the plot of Ultimate Spider-man up to the current arc (lame)).
Based on these two offerings, I thought the books this year were much better than in the past. They're comics I would imagine would actually interest people into buying the respective books.
Free Scott Pilgrim - Bryan Lee O'Malley is awesome. The characters in Scott Pilgrim are just instantly loveable. It's been about a year since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World came out and in the first panel, I recalled my affection for the characters and fell in love with them again, on the spot. Scott starts his adventure choosing which soda he wants on the way to the movies with his gay best friend and the girl of his dreams, comparing the nutrition facts in terms of RPG lingo (Strength -1, Speed +2, etc.). As they proceed to the theater, Scott gets attacked by a movie star who comes out of several posters, and his two companions calmly discuss the situation at a distance, while Scott's getting his ass kicked. It's wonderful. X-Men/Runaways - This was a smart way for Marvel to get people interested in Runaways if they're already reading Astonishing X-Men. And it was executed really well. I wasn't sure I was going to like the art at first, provided by Skottie Young, but once the X-Men appeared in the book, I loved it. I don't think the Runaways looked that great in his cartoony style, but the X-Men looked fantastic. It may be because the X-Men are so iconic and recognizable, but they were amazing. It was a fun battle between the two teams that got a few laughs out of me. Very enjoyable, although shorter than I thought it would be (most of the issue was filled with a bunch of crappy fluffer including an eleven-page breakdown of the plot of Ultimate Spider-man up to the current arc (lame)).
Based on these two offerings, I thought the books this year were much better than in the past. They're comics I would imagine would actually interest people into buying the respective books.
Comments