Free Comic Book Day: 2012

After seeing The Avengers last night in theatres and being very, very pleased with the film, I woke up with my still-present perma-smile on my face and headed down to Alpha Comics here in Calgary for Free Comic Book Day.

Last year my favorite picks were Marvel's Thor The Mighty Avenger/Captain America crossover and Dark Horse's Baltimore sampling, and I have to say that this year all the publishers pulled out the stops.

Treats this year included Red5's Atomic Robo and Image's Revival which comes out this July. I also admired Zombie Kid for its presentation and panels while Serenity soared with Fabio Moon on art. The true headliners, for me, were DC's story about Pandora which gave backstory for the Phantom Stranger (one of my favorite characters) and the incredible offering by Archaia Entertainment in the form of an anthology hardcover.

The modest haul..

I was pleased with how Alpha Comics managed the crowd (that winded outside the store in the new snow in May) and with the guest appearance of Tyler Jenkins of Peter Panzerfaust the event struck me as one of the more memorable FCBD's to date. I'd be keen on seeing regular events of this status and high-turnout, whatever they would be for I'm not certain, but it was grand to see the energy and pride of people weaving through the store with anticipation of trying something new.

Except Graphic Elvis. I don't know what to make of that.