This exhibit was long over when I found it. It does give you a good idea about how they colored comics before computers came into use.
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Saturday isn’t just going to be Free Comic Book Day this year. When Diamond screwed up and killed itself, Universal Distribution Network took over the event. However, the same exclusivity that gave Diamond near-absolute power in comic distribution is also what killed it when they ticked everybody off too many times, including the publishers after artificially extending the 2020 Plague rules so nobody could distribute comics even when stores could open up. At a time when comic stores were already getting hit that was very bad timing on their part. No exclusive contracts were renewed and many publishers took their business elsewhere entirely.
One of the places they went was Penguin Random House, usually known for publishing novels more than comics. Still, they have a comics division and this year they decided that, rather than work with Universal to push the Free Comic Book Day brand, to go their own way. Time will tell if that was a good idea or not. They’ve posted a list of what comics are being offered for their “Comic Giveaway Day”, happening the same day as Free Comic Book Day to the convenience of customers, but it’s not a very good listing. Unlike Free Comic Book Day, which sadly gave up the PDF samplers, the Comics Giveaway Day site is just a list of comics and covers for what they’re offering. No summary, no credits, just a list in an article. That’s kind of weak, really.
What’s worse is I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to get anything. According to their store map neither of the comic stores I can properly get to for my free comics is taking part. Their websites and Facebook pages just list Free Comic Book Day, so I may not be able to get any of these. That’s not a good start, and I know they get their comics from Penguin that aren’t available elsewhere. I’ll be asking both owners about that and I’ll let you know what they say. (I’m friends with both of them because they’re awesome. One’s a former DC editor and the other I’ve gone to for decades until I lost my income. The former editor used to work there before going to DC, getting tired of their nonsense, and coming back to open his own comic store.)
So this article is going to be a bit different. SInce there’s more guesswork involved as to what, if anything, I can get or will even want, we’ll just go over what I’d like to get, though I might have to explore digital options.
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And that was just Tuesday.
Amazing Universe Presents—Dominion: Redemption Part 1 (Preview)
LPJ Design & Enemy One Entertainment (2025)
WRITERS: Louis Porter, Jr & Martín Miguel Renard
ARTIST: António Brandãd
COLORIST: Seb Valencia
LETTERING: Lettersquids
The comic is ten pages, previewing the “Amazing Universe”, but it’s enough to get an idea of what the full comic might be like and there’s other stuff in there as well introducing this new shared universe. So it’s at least enough to do a review for.
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WARNING: COMIC COLLECTORS WHO COLLECT FOR THE MONEYS ARE GOING TO HAVE A STROKE WATCHING THIS!!!
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Sneaking up on us this year.
Free Comic Book Day takes place the first Saturday of May, which this year happens to be May 2nd. That means there isn’t much May to prepare. And it’s not the only free comic event this year, but we’ll save that discussion for tomorrow (barring incidents).
For those of you somehow new to the event, Free Comic Book Day was started by Diamond Publishers, allegedly as a way to help promote comic stores…who have to buy the comics the customers are getting for free in hopes they’ll actually buy something when they’re there and be interested enough in coming back. Of course Diamond probably got money out of it, given all their other questionable business practices that eventually led to their going out of business. Fortunately for fans of the event and free comic books, Universal Distribution Network picked up the event and we still have our favorite gathering of comic fans. Some stores even have special guests from the industry and local creators looking to get some more exposure. The ones near me that I go to will have them. I will not be trying to get interviews because I’m still trying to work videos into my workflow and I may have to start looking for work if I can’t monetize this site at all. Somehow the government thinks I’m able bodied. Shows what they know.
As the previous owners did they have a list of what comics are coming out this year. Unlike the previous owners there are no previews of the…previews. So when it comes to stuff I don’t know I’m going by description as to what looks good to me, or being based in something I already know and are willing to test given how the stuff I used to know tend more and more to be nothing like the stuff I used to love. Still, they have 24 comics to offer. I don’t care about the horror or most of the fantasy offerings, but there are a few things in the list I’m curious about.
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No bug puns, please. It could be hazardous.
Sectaurs #1
Oni Press (or Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Company) (October, 2024)
WRITER: Dennis Culver
ARTIST: Ramon Bachs
COLORIST: Manoli Martinez
LETTERER: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Karl Bollers
BW Media Spotlight 