That’s right, comic book fans, today is the sixteenth annual Free Comic Book Day at brick-and-mortar and online comic shops around the world. Held the first Saturday in May, this year’s event is timed to coincide with yesterday’s release of Marvel Films’ latest blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, in which Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (WHO?!), Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot face a new cosmic threat—all while grooving to another sound track that relies heavily on 1970s and ’80s tunes. And in keeping with FCBD’s fine tradition of gifting comics to fans everywhere, here’s a list of StarWarp Concepts’ offerings that you can download directly from us!
Heroines & Heroes: A collection of comic stories and pinups all drawn by me, dating back to my days in the early 1990s small-press movement—that age of dinosaurs in which creators like me used to make our comics by printing them out on photocopiers and then stapling them by hand. In H&H you’ll find mainstream heroes and small-press heroines, and even a couple of anthropomorphic bikers. Leading off is “V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N (in the Summertime),” a three-page Wonder Woman vs. Harley Quinn story that I wrote and drew in the late ’90s as a sample for a DC Comics editor who thought I’d be a good fit for their Batman: The Animated Series comic (it didn’t work out). It’s followed by an adventure of small-presser Jeff Wood’s rabbit-eared superspy, Snowbuni; three pages from the long-canceled indie comic Motorbike Puppies; and an adventure of the indie superheroine The Blonde Avenger.
The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0: A full-color introduction to the young adult novel series of the same name, hosted by Pan herself. Pan is a 16-year-old New York City Goth who’s not only a horror fangirl but someone with the rare ability to see the for-real monsters that regular humans can’t (she calls it her “monstervision”), and with the help of a 400-year-old, shape-shifting monster hunter named Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin, she’s learning how to protect her family, her friends, and the world from the supernatural dangers out there—and maybe even have some fun while doing it. This 16-page comic features a seven-page story written by me, with art and color by Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Carmilla, A Princess of Mars), and includes two sample chapters from Blood Feud, the first Pan novel.
Hearstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa #1–3: Before she became Pan’s monster-hunting mentor, Sebastienne Mazarin made her debut in this short-lived, 1990s Mature Readers series from Millennium Publications. A nefarious heavy metal band has arrived in New York City, and its lead singer is more than just a sex magnet for his female fans—he’s an incubus! Will Annie put an end to his plans for worldwide chaos, or fall prey to his supernatural charms? Written by me (of course), issue 1 is drawn by Pan and Annie co-creator Uriel Caton (JSA Annual) and inker Alan Larsen (Femforce); issue 2 is penciled by Uriel, Holly Golightly (School Bites), and David C. Matthews (Satin Steele) and inked by Larsen. Issue 3 (which Millennium never published) is penciled by Holly, with four pages of inks by “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Harvey Kurtzman’s New Two-Fisted Tales). As a special bonus, issue 3 includes a short preview of the also-never-published Heartstopper/Trollords, a proposed one-shot special that would have had Annie meet Harry, Larry, and Jerry, the Three Stooges–inspired trolls created by Scott Beaderstadt and Paul Fricke, written by me with pencils by Holly and Scott and inks by Bill Lavin (Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings).
Warning: Heartstopper is designated a “Mature Readers” comic for violent scenes and some sexual innuendo, so younger Panatics should avoid it.
All these comics are available for download right now, so visit their respective product pages for more information.
And while we’re on the subject of Bob and his amazing work, have you seen SWC’s 
If you’re a science fiction fan, you probably know what the headline of this post means—yup, today is 
Pan—the star of Zwieback in my young adult novel series 
Over at Comics for Sinners you’ll find my review of 
In case you missed it, from February 5 to April 1 of this year we ran 
Not familiar with the beauty-and-the-beast story of Kong and his “love interest,” Ann Darrow (who was played in the 1933 original by the queen of the scream queens, Fay Wray)? Well, here’s our edition’s back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:
February 18: 
Over at Comics for Sinners you’ll find my review of 
Welcome to 
Friday was another installment of Hail to the King (Kong), with a month-end recap of all the 
Not familiar with the beauty-and-the-beast story of Kong and his “love interest,” Ann Darrow (who was played in the 1933 original by the queen of the scream queens, Fay Wray)? Well, here’s our edition’s back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:
And yet it all works. Making Englehorn the lead brings a fresh perspective to a story normally focused on the Kong-Ann-Driscoll love triangle, and Ocko’s German-accented captain makes for an extremely engaging narrator. There’s also a charming quality to the interplay between the characters—well, right up to the moment that Denham and Driscoll get into a brawl over Ann (a scene original to this version of the story). And Rost does a good job of matching Fay Wray’s decibel levels when it comes to screaming in horror.
Welcome back to 
On March 5, as part of our Simian Saturdays series 
On March 11, Simian Saturdays continued with 
And on March 25, for Simian Saturdays 
We don’t usually go plugging other companies’ releases—unless I can find some way to shamelessly plug one (or more) of our titles—but when it comes to helping get the word out on projects from people we know and work with, well, how can even StarWarp Concepts pass up an opportunity to show its support? So here’s the latest word on three of our creative friends!
In June, he has another project coming out: Equilibrium #3, the Patrick Shand–scripted conclusion of a miniseries sequel to the 2002 sci-fi “gun-fu” action movie starring Christian Bale (Batman Begins) and Taye Diggs (Empire). Or as publisher American Mythology Comics puts it in the Diamond Prevues catalog: Artist Eliseu Gouveia comes to the rescue, delivering the final explosive chapter of the official sequel to the cult hit film, Equilibrium! I’m not sure that’s the right way to go soliciting a comic to retailers—it pretty much implies that your original artist screwed up and you’re relying on a new artist to step in and “save” it—but hey, whatever keeps your production schedule on track. But maybe next time, guys, you should just hire Zeu to draw your comics from issue 1 on—he’s got a reputation for never missing a deadline!
Next we have 
Finally, there’s 
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