Free Comic Book Day Round-Up 2015 – PART 1 –
Written by: Derrick Crow
Cleopatra in Space by Mike Maihack
GRAPHIX
Summary: It's Cleopatra. In Space. Saving the galaxy. She's also a little girl. What more could you want?!
Review: Alright, so starting off this year's round-up I may be doing more gushing than actual reviewing. That's because, other than this being a preview of a book instead of a full chapter like I usually prefer, this was just too good. There's been a lot of talk in the media in the last few years to get more girl centric comics out there. Not only for women but also for little girls. Well, Mike Maihack has just the prescription as he brings a fun-loving side to Cleopatra by making her an innocent and mischevious little girl and sending her into battle in space.
Maihack gives us the history breakdown of this war she'll be waging and the details are intriguing and get you hooked. Add to it that Cleopatra will be aided by talking cats and you got yourself a recipe for success. This is a fun book, and if you don't believe, definitely check this out. It's a great start for your little girl, or little boy, it's fun for ALL AGES!
Final Score: 5 Talking Cats out of 5
Gronk: A Monster's Story - A Cake Walk in the Woods by Katie Cook
Action Lab
Summary: This is the tale of an adorable little monster named Gronk, who has left behind her home in the woods with the other monsters to live with a human named Dale. Together they get into antics as they explore the hidden fun in everyday life.
Review: Not only was this a complete tale, but it was rather fun at that. When looking at the cover, it really isn't much. Kind of standard, but it does look a bit precious, don't you think? However, peaking inside you're greeted with a pleasantly cartoony art style and a little monster tale a soul baring tale about her time in the woods.
The tale itself is actually quite sad, but told in a funny way. The ending is definitely heart-warming though. The story is quite hilarious, and both Gronk and Dale make a dynamic duo of quips bouncing off one another. I do wish the other monsters looked a little unique each thmeselves, just like Gronk does, but I guess the point is that Gronk is unique in the first place. So it works. I suggest this comic. A good all ages entry.
Final Score: 4 Mean and Nasty Monsters out of 5
Hero Cats of Stellar City by Kyle Puttkammer & Marcus Williams
Action Lab
Summary: In Stellar City, crime is suddenly popping up everywhere! When there's only one hero around to help save the day, he can't be everywhere. That's where these guys come in, the Hero Cats! Who help take out crime, wherever they can find it. From petty theives to world conquesting aliens! They fight'em all!
Review: Well, it's basically a best seller already isn't it? If you like cats, you'll like this book. That's about the best way to put it. If you're looking for a little something more though, Hero Cats does deliver with a fun tale to introduce you to all the cats, while also pushing their adventures forward. You don't feel like you've just been thrown into something you don't quite understand, instead the reader is carefully walked through the inner workings of this world.
And it works. Like most FCBD comics, my biggest peeve is that it's not a full story, but there is quite a bit of quantity here. I also think there are a few times where the exposition is overused just a bit too much and could've been toned down. Overall though, this was pretty solid and I suggest picking up Hero Cats.
Final Score: 4 Ferocious Felines out of 5
GRAPHIX
Summary: It's Cleopatra. In Space. Saving the galaxy. She's also a little girl. What more could you want?!
Review: Alright, so starting off this year's round-up I may be doing more gushing than actual reviewing. That's because, other than this being a preview of a book instead of a full chapter like I usually prefer, this was just too good. There's been a lot of talk in the media in the last few years to get more girl centric comics out there. Not only for women but also for little girls. Well, Mike Maihack has just the prescription as he brings a fun-loving side to Cleopatra by making her an innocent and mischevious little girl and sending her into battle in space.
Maihack gives us the history breakdown of this war she'll be waging and the details are intriguing and get you hooked. Add to it that Cleopatra will be aided by talking cats and you got yourself a recipe for success. This is a fun book, and if you don't believe, definitely check this out. It's a great start for your little girl, or little boy, it's fun for ALL AGES!
Final Score: 5 Talking Cats out of 5
Gronk: A Monster's Story - A Cake Walk in the Woods by Katie Cook
Action Lab
Summary: This is the tale of an adorable little monster named Gronk, who has left behind her home in the woods with the other monsters to live with a human named Dale. Together they get into antics as they explore the hidden fun in everyday life.
Review: Not only was this a complete tale, but it was rather fun at that. When looking at the cover, it really isn't much. Kind of standard, but it does look a bit precious, don't you think? However, peaking inside you're greeted with a pleasantly cartoony art style and a little monster tale a soul baring tale about her time in the woods.
The tale itself is actually quite sad, but told in a funny way. The ending is definitely heart-warming though. The story is quite hilarious, and both Gronk and Dale make a dynamic duo of quips bouncing off one another. I do wish the other monsters looked a little unique each thmeselves, just like Gronk does, but I guess the point is that Gronk is unique in the first place. So it works. I suggest this comic. A good all ages entry.
Final Score: 4 Mean and Nasty Monsters out of 5
Hero Cats of Stellar City by Kyle Puttkammer & Marcus Williams
Action Lab
Summary: In Stellar City, crime is suddenly popping up everywhere! When there's only one hero around to help save the day, he can't be everywhere. That's where these guys come in, the Hero Cats! Who help take out crime, wherever they can find it. From petty theives to world conquesting aliens! They fight'em all!
Review: Well, it's basically a best seller already isn't it? If you like cats, you'll like this book. That's about the best way to put it. If you're looking for a little something more though, Hero Cats does deliver with a fun tale to introduce you to all the cats, while also pushing their adventures forward. You don't feel like you've just been thrown into something you don't quite understand, instead the reader is carefully walked through the inner workings of this world.
And it works. Like most FCBD comics, my biggest peeve is that it's not a full story, but there is quite a bit of quantity here. I also think there are a few times where the exposition is overused just a bit too much and could've been toned down. Overall though, this was pretty solid and I suggest picking up Hero Cats.
Final Score: 4 Ferocious Felines out of 5
Bodie Troll: Playing for Keeps by Jay Fosgitt
Red 5 Comics
Summary: Bodie Troll is the scariest troll in all of the village of Hagadorn. He's mischevious, furry, and big ball of energy when not left in check. He's also just a kid who can't accept that fact. In this story, he meets a little girl named Charlotte, they drink ome root beer, and crazy, intoxicated antics ensue.
Review: When compared to the comics I've read before this, it was alright. As a stand alone, and this is a full story thankfully, it's just alright. The entire time I was reading it I kept feeling like it was trying to be a little more cruder while still being kid friendly, and also forcing a lot of its jokes. It ended up kind of being a bit... boring after a while.
It wasn't a bad story by any means, it just didn't wow me or get me interested in reading anymore Bodie Troll. The art style is pretty busy, and I love Bodie's design but the rest of the characters are really curvy and awkward. I just wasn't a fan of it. Some panels were also hard to follow. Again, not a bad comic, but not one I'm willing to recommend either.
Final Score: 2.5 Fuzzy Trolls out of 5
Drone by Scott Chitwood & Randy Kitz
Red 5 Comics
Summary: This was an interesting one. It's only a preview, but in its few pages it managed to intrigue me with a curious concept. Military drones are a thing, a plane soaring overhead only controlled by a remote control thousands of miles away.
This takes that idea further with full robotic soldiers controlled motionally by soldiers hundreds of miles away. There's even a nice cliffhanger. Other than this idea, there isn't much in the way of a meaty story. We see the drones go on a mission and it is a success very quickly. I'm sure that's the idea, but I think we could've gotten more.
Either way, I endorse it. I'l be checking this out myself.
Final Score: 3 New Age Drones out of 5
Creature Academy by Kevin Konrad Hanna
Red 5 Comics
Summary: The world is a big place, but sometimes those place converge. And when that happens, this world becomes a lot more scary. What happens then? Do you run or do you fight back?
Review: There isn't much I can say about this comic. It's just a preview that's even shorter than the previous story. And it's not terribly interesting. Probably because of the part in the story they chose to use for the preview. We're thrown into the middle of a fight, and the main character is getting overrun. He's having an existential crisis while this going on as well, and in my opinion it just doesn't work.
There are hints that he is supposed to be using his “creature” to fight, and I kind of wish that was showcased instead. The art isn't too great either, really angled and sharp. We really only get as small sense of what's going on, but not enough to make sense of it all. Sadly I can't recommend this story.
Final Score: 2 Frightening Spectres out of 5
Red 5 Comics
Summary: Bodie Troll is the scariest troll in all of the village of Hagadorn. He's mischevious, furry, and big ball of energy when not left in check. He's also just a kid who can't accept that fact. In this story, he meets a little girl named Charlotte, they drink ome root beer, and crazy, intoxicated antics ensue.
Review: When compared to the comics I've read before this, it was alright. As a stand alone, and this is a full story thankfully, it's just alright. The entire time I was reading it I kept feeling like it was trying to be a little more cruder while still being kid friendly, and also forcing a lot of its jokes. It ended up kind of being a bit... boring after a while.
It wasn't a bad story by any means, it just didn't wow me or get me interested in reading anymore Bodie Troll. The art style is pretty busy, and I love Bodie's design but the rest of the characters are really curvy and awkward. I just wasn't a fan of it. Some panels were also hard to follow. Again, not a bad comic, but not one I'm willing to recommend either.
Final Score: 2.5 Fuzzy Trolls out of 5
Drone by Scott Chitwood & Randy Kitz
Red 5 Comics
Summary: This was an interesting one. It's only a preview, but in its few pages it managed to intrigue me with a curious concept. Military drones are a thing, a plane soaring overhead only controlled by a remote control thousands of miles away.
This takes that idea further with full robotic soldiers controlled motionally by soldiers hundreds of miles away. There's even a nice cliffhanger. Other than this idea, there isn't much in the way of a meaty story. We see the drones go on a mission and it is a success very quickly. I'm sure that's the idea, but I think we could've gotten more.
Either way, I endorse it. I'l be checking this out myself.
Final Score: 3 New Age Drones out of 5
Creature Academy by Kevin Konrad Hanna
Red 5 Comics
Summary: The world is a big place, but sometimes those place converge. And when that happens, this world becomes a lot more scary. What happens then? Do you run or do you fight back?
Review: There isn't much I can say about this comic. It's just a preview that's even shorter than the previous story. And it's not terribly interesting. Probably because of the part in the story they chose to use for the preview. We're thrown into the middle of a fight, and the main character is getting overrun. He's having an existential crisis while this going on as well, and in my opinion it just doesn't work.
There are hints that he is supposed to be using his “creature” to fight, and I kind of wish that was showcased instead. The art isn't too great either, really angled and sharp. We really only get as small sense of what's going on, but not enough to make sense of it all. Sadly I can't recommend this story.
Final Score: 2 Frightening Spectres out of 5
Steampunk Goldilocks by Rod Espinosa
Antartic Press
Summary: Goldilocks and Miss Muffett go on missions for the Dark Queen, but can become easily distracted by delicious sweets. When a rare opportunity arises to steal a statue called the Golden Bear, the girls take the mission only to find complications by the way of their own stomachs. Can the girls get in an out on this heist mission before things get to rough?
Review: A full story. A full issue. And a rather fun one at that. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I ended up having a lot of fun with it. We get to know both Goldilocks, and Muffett who is only making a guest appearance. The two are sisters, and they're incredibly beautiful and feisty at that.
I especially loved the twist that these two lovable girls are technically villains, as they steal and raid villages for the ruling Dark Queen. But they love doing it, and somehow their enthusiasm for evil is quite infectious. That being said, after a full issue build up, the ending sort of comes to an abrupt stop and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I won't spoil it, but I feel as if it exists because they ran out of page space, as it makes very little sense.
Other than the abrupt ending, this is a pretty solid story and definitely has me interested in checking the rest of the series out.
Final Score: 3 Beds that are Too Rough, Too Soft, and One that's Just Right out of 5
Terrible Lizard #1 by Cullen Bunn & Drew Moss
Oni Press
Summary: Jess is a young girl living with her father who is a well known scientist. During an experiment gone horribly wrong, Jess finds her mind connected to that of a T-Rex, which was time displaced into our world. From here on out the two battle other creatures who are popping up in order to save the world.
Review: We get all of issue #1 for free this FCBD, and it's actually a whole heckuva lot of fun. The art is pretty rough, and the writing isn't perfect, but the story is just a lot of fun and pretty good overall. This is stil a preview for the first Terrible Lizard trade but at least it is a full story.
Although I find Jess rather likeable, I do find her and the whole cast a bit cliché in the roles they all play. That being said, it does seem to work and by issue #1's end you feel bad for both Jess and the T-Rex for certain events that transpire. This isn't a dark comic though, anyone can enjoy it and I think that's the most important thing here.
It doesn't talk down to kids or seem un-intelligent enough that adults can't enjoy it. I recommend this for anyone looking for something bold and fun. If you like Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur from Marvel, then you'll surely love this.
Final Score: 4.5 Time-Displaced Monsters out of 5
Wonderland – A Mother Knows Best by Erica J. Heflin & Tony Brescini
Zenescope
Summary: Hidden away in an antique shop, there exists a legendary item known as the Looking Glass; a mirror with hidden abilities that is said to show you your other, better self and consume you by it. When a man comes by to examine the mirror, what he finds is far horrible than he ever imagined.
Review: Another full story! Honestly, this ended up being a lot better than I was expecting. It was a fun, and unique way of getting people caught up to speed on the history of the Wonderland comics. A man being told the “legends” so as to make the mirror more enticing to the wallet. However, this is Zenescope and so you can't have fanciful tale without a dark side.
The history of the Liddle's is riddled with peril and seriously dark turns. I really enjoy this take on the history of Alice, and the ending was, to be honest, unexpected but in a good way. It was a nice touch of horror to finish off the story. It asn't in your face, and it built up nicely. This is definitely one of the better stories for FCBD so far, and Zenescope continues to impress me.
Final Score: 5 Examples of Madness Gone Wild out of 5
Antartic Press
Summary: Goldilocks and Miss Muffett go on missions for the Dark Queen, but can become easily distracted by delicious sweets. When a rare opportunity arises to steal a statue called the Golden Bear, the girls take the mission only to find complications by the way of their own stomachs. Can the girls get in an out on this heist mission before things get to rough?
Review: A full story. A full issue. And a rather fun one at that. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I ended up having a lot of fun with it. We get to know both Goldilocks, and Muffett who is only making a guest appearance. The two are sisters, and they're incredibly beautiful and feisty at that.
I especially loved the twist that these two lovable girls are technically villains, as they steal and raid villages for the ruling Dark Queen. But they love doing it, and somehow their enthusiasm for evil is quite infectious. That being said, after a full issue build up, the ending sort of comes to an abrupt stop and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I won't spoil it, but I feel as if it exists because they ran out of page space, as it makes very little sense.
Other than the abrupt ending, this is a pretty solid story and definitely has me interested in checking the rest of the series out.
Final Score: 3 Beds that are Too Rough, Too Soft, and One that's Just Right out of 5
Terrible Lizard #1 by Cullen Bunn & Drew Moss
Oni Press
Summary: Jess is a young girl living with her father who is a well known scientist. During an experiment gone horribly wrong, Jess finds her mind connected to that of a T-Rex, which was time displaced into our world. From here on out the two battle other creatures who are popping up in order to save the world.
Review: We get all of issue #1 for free this FCBD, and it's actually a whole heckuva lot of fun. The art is pretty rough, and the writing isn't perfect, but the story is just a lot of fun and pretty good overall. This is stil a preview for the first Terrible Lizard trade but at least it is a full story.
Although I find Jess rather likeable, I do find her and the whole cast a bit cliché in the roles they all play. That being said, it does seem to work and by issue #1's end you feel bad for both Jess and the T-Rex for certain events that transpire. This isn't a dark comic though, anyone can enjoy it and I think that's the most important thing here.
It doesn't talk down to kids or seem un-intelligent enough that adults can't enjoy it. I recommend this for anyone looking for something bold and fun. If you like Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur from Marvel, then you'll surely love this.
Final Score: 4.5 Time-Displaced Monsters out of 5
Wonderland – A Mother Knows Best by Erica J. Heflin & Tony Brescini
Zenescope
Summary: Hidden away in an antique shop, there exists a legendary item known as the Looking Glass; a mirror with hidden abilities that is said to show you your other, better self and consume you by it. When a man comes by to examine the mirror, what he finds is far horrible than he ever imagined.
Review: Another full story! Honestly, this ended up being a lot better than I was expecting. It was a fun, and unique way of getting people caught up to speed on the history of the Wonderland comics. A man being told the “legends” so as to make the mirror more enticing to the wallet. However, this is Zenescope and so you can't have fanciful tale without a dark side.
The history of the Liddle's is riddled with peril and seriously dark turns. I really enjoy this take on the history of Alice, and the ending was, to be honest, unexpected but in a good way. It was a nice touch of horror to finish off the story. It asn't in your face, and it built up nicely. This is definitely one of the better stories for FCBD so far, and Zenescope continues to impress me.
Final Score: 5 Examples of Madness Gone Wild out of 5
March Grand Prix by Kean Soo
Capstone
Summary: March is a young rabbit seeking glory in the Grand Prix of racing. It's the final race, and all is on the line, but March has a lot of learning to do in the areas of family and friendship if he wishes to gain the confidence he needs to race, backed by the ones that love him.
Review: This was actually a really fun issue. It ended up being a preview for a longer OGN, but I'm not sure how much story can last after what we have here. The story is pretty lengthy, and goes through a lot of beats. March has an entire character arc here, as well as some of the side characters. Where it ends is rather abrupt, but looks like it's only a few pages away from being the end of the story.
Again, I'm not sure what can be accomplished after this, but who knows what Soo is going for completely here. This issue did get me excited for the book though, and I was rather impressed with the sheer amount of detail given to the various car designs, right down to spec breakdowns. It was really nifty. I like March, I like the other characters too, even when you look at it you can see they're all clearly cookie cutter characters.
Overall though, I did enjoy this comic. And I recommend picking this up if you want proof as to why you should get excited for the full March Grand Prix OGN.
Final Score: 3 Detailed Car Specs out of 5
Alright everyone, that's all I got for now, detailing some of the comics you can look forward to this coming FCBD. This is only Part 1 however. Part 2 will be coming really soon, but probably won't drop until after the holiday. It will contain many more comics than this list, and I'll be looking forward to hearing about what comics you picked up this year! And what your thoughts on them shall be in the comments below!
Capstone
Summary: March is a young rabbit seeking glory in the Grand Prix of racing. It's the final race, and all is on the line, but March has a lot of learning to do in the areas of family and friendship if he wishes to gain the confidence he needs to race, backed by the ones that love him.
Review: This was actually a really fun issue. It ended up being a preview for a longer OGN, but I'm not sure how much story can last after what we have here. The story is pretty lengthy, and goes through a lot of beats. March has an entire character arc here, as well as some of the side characters. Where it ends is rather abrupt, but looks like it's only a few pages away from being the end of the story.
Again, I'm not sure what can be accomplished after this, but who knows what Soo is going for completely here. This issue did get me excited for the book though, and I was rather impressed with the sheer amount of detail given to the various car designs, right down to spec breakdowns. It was really nifty. I like March, I like the other characters too, even when you look at it you can see they're all clearly cookie cutter characters.
Overall though, I did enjoy this comic. And I recommend picking this up if you want proof as to why you should get excited for the full March Grand Prix OGN.
Final Score: 3 Detailed Car Specs out of 5
Alright everyone, that's all I got for now, detailing some of the comics you can look forward to this coming FCBD. This is only Part 1 however. Part 2 will be coming really soon, but probably won't drop until after the holiday. It will contain many more comics than this list, and I'll be looking forward to hearing about what comics you picked up this year! And what your thoughts on them shall be in the comments below!