Free Comic Book Day was a couple of weeks ago. However, while I normally make an effort, life and having two children who don't seem to like comics (oh, the horror) left me feeling a little lax in travelling to my LCS.
Fortunately, the dumpster fire that was once Comixology (a.k.a. Amazon Comics ... is that their name?) did offer up a generous handful for an equally small price.
I myself was able to pick up 11 of them. Unfortunately, what with finishing off Resonant last week, I was only able to start reading them this week and, given the demands on my time these days, I could only read half of them at that.
So, the six I was able to read this week:
1. Marvel's Voices #1 - I liked the concept of this although, sadly, the stories didn't really grab me. I've always felt that what the big two is missing is an anthology series to a. Let people get a taste of characters and b. Let new talent show off their skills.
I was a little saddened that credits didn't come with the stories, although the end page credits at least gave credit when true. I also liked the recommendation/advertising pages at the end, giving those who liked it a direction to progress. Overall, what a free comic should be, if only the tales included were more my thing.
Of course, this is helped by the rather haunting art style which is not only helping make the story unsettling but has me wanting to see more. Now, the revelation of multiple 2-issue minis has me put off a little (i remember Convergence) and given its size, the majority of this issue is artwork. However, it was free and it did its job; it has me considering getting the series proper.
3. Star Trek: Prelude to Day of Blood - A Prelude of the upcoming War of Blood crossover, I was a little unsure about this, especially after my recent dropping of the main Trek series. However, I thought this free issue was a mixed bag as the Prelude intrigued me a little, although not enough to reconsider my decision.
That said, this read was made up by the second story which focused on the crew from the Lower Decks cartoon. I really enjoyed the 'back up' story, which seems to perfectly translate both the spirit and the look from the screen to the page. In fact, so enjoyable was it that it makes me tempted on the Lower Decks trade advertised in the final pages.
4. Avengers/X-Men #1 - I've never been one to gravitate towards Avengers comics, but this free issue certainly has me rethinking it. This prelude(?) sees an attack against the Mutant Nation and US Capital almost simultaneously in a sort of Sum of All Fears like vibe to set up the new team.
This entry I really liked, probably due to the conspiracy thriller vibe of it, as well as the Joe Mad-esque art. The back up of a new Hickman series doesn't do it for me but this freebie really has me contemplating this new Duggan run (even if it includes Deadpool).
5. Star Wars: The High Republic/Avatar: The Last Airbender - A two for the price of one issue (ironic, given it was free), this issue was another which didn't do it for me. I think I've been spoiled by Marvel when it comes to Star Wars content as the High Republic was difficult to follow. With little context regarding its story and the art feeling a bit cluttered, this did nothing to entice me to check this out on the regular.
The same goes for Avatar. Despite having been a bit ahead of the wave when it came to the last Airbender, this issue didn't nothing to make me want to consider it. This story felt very young and both the story and the art were both very nice and quaint. However, after the slog that High Republic felt like, I get the feeling that Avatar was too little, too late to improve my mood and make it worth my time in the long run.
6. Dawn of DC Primer Special Edition #1 - A prelude (of sorts) to the entire 'Dawn of DC' line as Amanda Waller acted all anti-Nick Fury in order to save the world. I have to confess, I found this mini story quite compelling.
The art, on the other hand, I wasn't a great fan of. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just seemed a bit rough for my taste. However, just the story we were given, as well as the apparent death of a character I don't much care for, certainly has me tempted to pick up some DC books.
Well, so far, so .... so. I've got to admit, while I know these are all free and you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, I had kind of hoped for a little more ... 'impressiveness' to this collection. Unfortunately, the majority certainly struggled to convince me to read any of these titles on a more regular basis, although there was some promise here and there.
That said, I still have another five FCBD comics to read next week. So, maybe one (or two) of those will be more of a winner.
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