Free Comic Book Day is a yearly promotional event organized by Diamond Comic Distributor that takes place at comic book shops across North America, usually in early May. Participating stores offer shoppers the opportunity to pick up free, special edition copies of books by publishers both big and small, and this year will include notable titles featuring Star Wars characters, Doctor Who, and Maleficent, to name a few.
For Free Comic Book Day at Neighborhood Comics, 1205 Bull St., owner Lee Heidel commissioned artist Josh Hood to create a poster, featuring the shop’s mascot “Gary” alongside illustrated depictions of the staff. Hood has worked on numerous major comic book titles, from Avatar to Star Trek to Justice League of America.
The artist will be on hand at the event.
Artist Victor Alpi released Fantastic Amazement #1 in 2023 after successfully self-funding the project via Kickstarter. It showcases Alpi’s first three mini-comics/zines to feature his half man/half shark creatures known as The Humarks, as well as a pinup gallery of interpretations of the characters by other creators.
Alpi is based in Savannah, Georgia, and was the first illustrator to participate in Neighborhood Comics’ residency program in June 2021. During that time he conceived of the story “Magic Revolver,” which is re-printed in Neighborhood Comics’ “Artists in Residence Volume 1” collection. The book will be released in conjunction with Free Comic Book Day 2024, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 4, and Alpi will be in attendance.
Neighborhood Comics is bringing in talented creators to talk about their work, sign autographs, and even take commissions. Amongst the group of comic artists in attendance will be Rico Renzi, whose resume includes such titles as Squirrel Girl, Sea of Stars, and one of Marvel Comics’ most popular characters in recent years, Spider-Gwen.
Spider-Gwen comes from an alternative universe where Gwen Stacy, an early love interest of Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man), is the one bitten by the radioactive spider, and it is she, not Parker, who manifests strange arachnid powers. Renzi’s color work on the cover of Spider-Gwen #1 from 2015 helped to establish the look of the character, which continues to be a major player in today’s Marvel universe.
Heidel is a parent and his shop has always stocked a large selection of kid- and teen-friendly titles. As part of this year’s Free Comic Book Day, he’ll be bringing in illustrator Shadia Amin, whose graphic novel “Shiny Misfits” is aimed at the 8-12 years old crowd.
The book centers on Bay Ann, a talented young dancer with cerebral palsy, and her quest to ensure that her peers define her by her skills rather than her disability. It’s about the trials and tribulations of growing up, friendship, and family, incorporating humor and a whimsical drawing style to pull readers in.
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) graduate Edwin Galmon draws Superman for DC Comics. Yes, that Superman. And he’s going to be at Neighborhood Comics’ Free Comic Book Day on May 4th to sign autographs and chat. For free.
Superman is the most famous character he’s drawn, most recently in “Superman: House of Brainiac Special #1” (out April 30), but it’s far from the only high-profile title where his name has appeared in the credits. He’s also lent his talents to Lilo & Stitch, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Batman, and T’Challa, aka the Black Panther, in many cases as the cover artist.
Meredith Laxton is a both a comic book artist and advocate. In addition to her work on such titles at The Crow and the graphic novel Wait Till Helen Comes, she’s also the main organizer behind the popular Savage Zine Fest in Savanah, Georgia. For her day job, she helps the next generation of artists as a career advisor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
In November 2021, Laxton was Neighborhood Comics’ artist in Residence, where she worked on Egyptian God Rangers, a short story depicting a group of young people uncovering secret powers via an ancient sarcophagus. A portion of that story can be found in Neighborhood Comics Artists in Residence Volume 1, the publication of which is being celebrated on Free Comic Book Day.
On their website, Scout Comics, publisher of Michael Lee Harris’ “Choco Leche,” describes the book as follows: “When the son of the most famous luchador in Slam Juan is put in a coma, the Choco Leche team must begrudgingly come back to find the person responsible… while saving the city from a giant bedpan monster!” How could you not want to give it a read?
Harris was a longtime customer of Neighborhood Comics before store owner Lee Heidel invited him to participate in their residency program in July of 2021 as their second artist in residence. The devoted father worked on a few projects during the month, including a short Clue-style murder mystery, which is fearured in Neighborhood Comics’ Artists in Residence Volume 1.
According to his writeup in Neighborhood Comics Artists in Residence Volume 1, artist and educator Jay Peteranetz lives in a house with six children, so it’s not exactly clear how he manages to get any work done. But when he has the time, as he did while occupying the residency space in August 2021, Peteranetz tends to create full-scale illustrations rather than the typical multi-paneled pages that most would consider the hallmark of comic books.
In the book, its release event coinciding with Free Comic Book Day on May 4th, the artist showcases three such drawings, including ‘“Attack” of the 50 foot Barbie.” In the piece Peteranetz has notably placed the word attack in quotes, and the Margot Robbie-eque depiction of the character looks more cute than threatening, making this writer feel like the end result of Barbie’s invasion is more likely to be female empowerment than structural devastation.
Kevin Betou is not only an alumni of Neighborhood Comics’ Artist in Residence program (his work is included in the book that brings together the work of those who have participated), but he’s also an employee of the shop. This means that, while he’ll be in attendance on May 4th for Free Comic Book Day to sign autographs and talk art, you can also ask him about his self-published series “Tempo” just by stopping into the store on a day he’s working.
“Tempo” tells the tale of Baako, a young woman who has her ‘tempo,’ a sort of magical/musical force, stolen by a famous rapper. It’s set in a realm of high fantasy, adding a further twist to the narrative, and is supported by Betou’s vibrant artistic style.
Kendrick Mast is the creator of DIS, a comic strip that he publishes on his Substack, described there as “Short comics about orcs, their antics and everything they deal with.” It feels like it was time to give orcs some respect, so it’s a breath of fresh air to have Mast tell their side of the story, after years in the role of antagonist.
In a post on April 11th, Mast announced that he’d just had his first child, sharing an image he’d created of a father orc holding aloft his young son. The artist is due to appear at Neighborhood Comics’ Free Comic Book Day, but being a father myself and (barely) remembering those early days, it would be hard to blame him if he forgets, sleeps through it, or, while there, just drools while muttering incoherently about poop.
