Free Comic Book Day 2019

May 04, 2019 was more than a celebration of Star Wars as it was also the annual event - Free Comic Book Day. Like the past few years, I took the family up to Nikelspot Comics in Fort Mill, SC to see my local comic shop crew and to pick up some free books and hopefully some good deals as well.

There was rain in the forecast for Saturday so we hit the shop early, hoping to beat the rain and the crowds. I'm glad I did because some of the free books already seemed to be low in number. This year the shop allowed us to pick 7 titles each. I had forgot that I already had the Marvel titles on their way in my monthly DCBS order, however I'm sure I can find someone to gift the ones I picked up. I was glad to see there were books from some of the smaller publishers as I wasn't sure if those would get ordered. There were so many books for the shop owners to order and since they aren't free to the shops, I didn't exactly know what I was going to find. Thankfully I was able to walk away happy with these 7 books:

I honestly don't know much about Animosity Tales, but that's what FCBD is all about! I read the synopsis of the issue the day before the event and it sounded pretty cool so I was glad to see this book offered on Saturday.

I've been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since the original movie, but more so the Sarah Michelle Gellar led television show. When season 7 ended on television, season 8 was turned into a Dark Horse comic. I followed it for awhile before I dropped out of buying new comics for several years as my wife and I began our family. Now that Buffy is back in the pages of a new comic, here I am being drawn back in. When it comes to Firefly, I can say I've never watched the show.

I don't know much about Lady Mechanika, but I picked up last year's FCBD book and enjoyed it so I figured why not get this year's too? Joe Benitiz art is beautiful and if I had room in the comic budget this may be a book that I'd pick up on a regular basis.

Thanks to the Key Collector comics app, I was clued into Antarctic Press' superhero title, Punchline, some months ago. The first issue shot up in price on the secondary market almost instantaneously making it hard for the average comic reader to acquire/read. This FCBD version reprints the first issue and hopefully wet's the readers appetite for more...which is coming in the version of a TPB soon.

I was a little undecided if I wanted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Spawn but you can see which direction I went. I believe this is a reprint of the very first issue. I know the title is closing in on 300 issues so this was a nice flash back. Had I been willing to look past Marvel comics when I was in high school I might have read and enjoyed Spawn, but as it is I've never read an issue. I was tempted when Angela made her way over to Marvel, but I do plan on sitting down w/ this issue soon. After all, even if I don't care for the story I can gaze at the beautiful Todd McFarlane art!

This Year of the Villain by DC Comics wasn't part of FCBD, but the fine folks at Niklespot were handing it out (to at least the adults) with their free books. I only read one DC book (Wonder Woman) so I'm not sure how much I'll get out of this, but I do appreciate the kind gesture regardless.

I'm still behind on reading my current books that I almost don't want to even crack this cover because I don't want it to spoil anything for me!

Same goes for this issue of Spider-Man. I know it's the start of a wild ride featuring Venom and Carnage and I can't wait to see what happens.

The shop also put out some new dollar (long) boxes and since it was FCBD the books were buy one get one free. I absolutely love digging through cheap boxes so while I was digging through the boxes looking for some deals, my wife took my daughters inside the store so they could get their name on the sketch list. Bernie Cooke was at the shop once again providing free head pencil sketches. Since we were pretty early both my girls were able to get on his list and have one of their favorite heroines sketched. I was a little surprised to see that they both chose a Marvel character (even though that warms my heart) since both of them really like a lot of the DC female characters thanks to Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls. However on this day they made their daddy proud.

My youngest daughter, Winnie (7) chose Squirrel Girl. We both were surprised to see that Bernie also added her companion, Tip Toe on her shoulder!

My oldest daughter, Olivia (9) chose Spider-Gwen. Not too surprising since she takes her Marvel Rising doll of Spider-Gwen with her everywhere.

As I mentioned, I was digging through long boxes outside while the girls were shopping inside the shop and here are the books I left with:

I was surprised to see Avengers #260 in the box, but glad none the less. This book has picked up some steam with Avengers Endgame. For those of you that may not know, this issue is the first cover appearance of Nebula and contains her origin story.

I picked up the Avengers West Coast issue for the Bloodties crossover story. I had forgotten that this series ended right after this issue too, making it a little tougher to find (at least in cheap-o boxes).

After I found these 3 issues of Captain America I could've called it day and left happy. Neither book I'd say is in Near Mint condition, but they were good enough for me. #252 does show some discoloration to the white background, but then again it is from 1980 so I expect it to show some age.

Keeping with the Marvel heroes I found a stray issue of both Daredevil and Iron Man. I was particularly happy to find this issue of Iron Man because the Armor Wars II storyline is what got me reading Iron Man. That and the gorgeous John Romita Jr. art!

My CLZ Comics app told me I was looking or these two issues of Incredible Hulk. After I pulled them from the box I realized I had them on my want list because of their brief tie-in tothe Infinity Gauntlet storyline.

I'm still plugging away on completing Morbius' first run and with these three issues I'm getting ever closer to completing the series. Poor Santa.

 

I wasn't looking for this issue of Spirits of Vengeance, but how could I pass it up with a cover like this? Plus, it has Venom so it was an easy choice.

The Tomb of Dracula was another one of those older books that I didn't expect to find, but was happy to pick up. I believe this is only the 3rd issue of this title that I have in my collection.

This issue of Marvel Comics Presents was purchased not for the Wolverine story (even though I'm sure it's at least decent), but for the 4th story contained in the issue featuring a Thanos story.

Punisher filled a small hole. Not a title I actively seek out, but will pick up when I find issues that are in good shape that are also cheap.

I've mentioned before of my affection towards some of the Star Comics series so I quickly snatched up this issue of Silverhawks. 

Wonder Man was purchased solely for the continuation of the Operation: Galactic Storm story and nothing else!

Of course no dig through the dollar boxes is complete without some Spider-Man, right? Found one lone issue of Amazing the collection needed and surprisingly an issue of Spectacular I needed. This issue (98) is also the first appearance of the villian, the Spot.

 

The original clone story got me reading Spider-Man so I love all of the spin-off series such as the 2nd volume of Scarlet Spider. I wasn't reading comics when this series was new, but have actively picking up issues here and there.

The last book I found was this What If one shot that looked to be right up my ally. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to diving in.

I've had a little bit of a X-Men itch lately and have been picking up select stories from the 90's, such as the Phalanx Covenant. I picked up a few parts to this story back in March at a local show so this issue leaves me with one issue I believe.

I was surprised that I didn't have any issues of Hulk 2099 before now. I'm working on building the entire 2099 catalog before I sit down and read them all in chronological order. This issue of Ravage 2099 is the last issue and can be really hard to find at times.

 

I remember hearing something about Timestorm 2009-2099, but I've never seen these issues before nor have I read them. Since I'm working on a 2099 collection I thought I'd go ahead and grab these too.

The last item I grabbed (and more of an impulse buy) was this Toy Biz Marvel's Most Wanted Spat & Grovel. I remember this small series of figures when they were new and how sought after they were...well more so Blink than X-Man or Spat & Grovel. I grabbed this for $3 because I was curious more than anything. You can expect a full review of this toy on the blog at some point in the near future.

Overall Free Comic Book Day was a success for me and my family. My wife got some comics for her classroom (she's an elementary school teacher), my girls got their free books and a sketch and I too walked away with a nice little stack of books. Thanks again to the great staff at Nikelspot Comics for participating in the annual event. Until next year...

Marvel Legends: Valkyrie & Hulk

When Hasbro decided to switch scale for it's Marvel Comics line of toys a lot of fans were sadden to hear the Marvel Legends scale would no longer be used. Somewhere along the way Hasbro listened to the fans and chimed in with a pole where one could vote for new Marvel Legends figures. I forgot just who all was on the ballet, but 6 figures "won" and were produced in 3 different two-packs. This particular set was the fans' choice winner and was made available exclusively at Toys 'R Us stores.

Empowered and driven mad by Asgardian magic, Samantha Parrington attacked the Hulk. The fight that resulted was a battle for the ages. For blocks around, concrete was shattered by the concussive force of their blows. Both combatants staggered away from that fight with little memory of what had actually occurred. Later, as Samantha gained full control of her incredible powers, she joined the Hulk as a member of the Defenders.

I like how the story on the back of the box kind of sets things up. I have a better idea of what comic period these toys represent. Let me start off by talking a bit about the packaging. If you've read my other reviews then you'll know I get a kick out of the packaging of most toys. A lot of great care was put into the design of this packaging and it shows on so many levels. You get a nice large window that showcases the figures so you can get a good idea holding the package in your hands at what you are getting. I also like this since a lot since you also can get a good look at the paint applications on the figures. The quality of paint on the Marvel Universe toys are so hit and miss it makes it hard to find the 'perfect' figure sometimes. There was only one of this set left in the store so I wasn't able to compare it to others, but I didn't see any noticeable flaws on any of the other sets (Black Widow & Winter Soldier). In the bottom left hand corner you can see that the toy is marked as the Fans' Choice Winner! and just above this is a Toys 'R Us exclusive sticker. There is also some nice artwork on the packaging that wraps around to the sides, but more on that in a bit. Let's flip the box over and take a look.

First thing you'll probably notice are the images of the figures themselves. To me they look a tad photo shopped as the actual toys do look a bit different. Below that is the story that sets up the time frame from the comic history for the two characters. There is also a bit of information on each character that gives their name, height, weight, alias, affiliation, whether or not their identity is public or not and lastly a short description of their powers. I got a kick out of Valkyrie's weight as she is listed at a hefty 475 lbs.! Laughing in her face or making a comment about her weight would not be wise, especially coming from a man. In the background you can see faint artwork that was used on the sides of the packaging. The light blue makes it look almost as if it was sketched onto the back.

The beautiful artwork is provided by two different artists. I personally prefer the art used for the upper corner - I believe it is the work of Joe Madureia. The art of Valkyrie riding Aragorn looks to be Scott Kollins' work.

On the other side of box are different pieces of artwork of the Hulk. Unlike on Valkyrie's side I'm unsure of who the artists are that provided the art.

It's a little hard to tell from my photos (or lack of my photo taking ability), but the packaging is a trapezoid shape. It's just different enough that it helps make the already beautiful packaging stand out even more on the shelf amidst the other toys on the shelf. Upon opening the toy to photograph the figures I realized something that slipped by me when examining the box in the store. The box opens up like a book to reveal the figures inside meaning you can remove and replace the figures without having the mangle the packaging! Some people could care less about this feature, but I always applaud the manufacturer for taking a small step such as this. I don't necessarily display my figures and toys in their packaging, but a lot of collectors do and having the ability to remove and replace the figures while maintaining the overall integrity of the packaging is very cool.

Hasbro has done an excellent job with the Valkyrie figure. This may sound a little shallow and corny, but they pulled off a good looking female action figure. The body is proportionate and not overly exaggerated as some female action figures can be. The paint application is very well as I mentioned earlier and there is a good level of detail sculpted into the mold. One problem I've had in the past with female figures are the feet. Women's feet are usually smaller and more slender than a man's and that translates into shoddy stability without the support of your hand or a figure stand. I'm happy to say that Valkyrie doesn't really suffer from this problem...which surprised me a bit since she has a somewhat heavy cape on her back. There are 16 points of articulation on the figure. The head rests on the now standard ball and can be rotated a full 360 degrees. Each arm features 4 points - shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. The upper torso has limited range of movement. Each leg has 3 points - hip, knee and ankle.

Valkyrie comes with a few accessories. Most will recognize her enchanted and unbreakable sword, Dragonfang. She also comes with a long spear. One thing that impressed me about the weapons were how they were packaged. How many times have you bought a figure with a sword or staff only to find when you pull it out of the packaging that it's all bent and distorted? Not only did Hasbro package the weapons in a way that this distortion doesn't occur the plastic used isn't near as flexible as I've seen by other manufactures.

The blue cape is removable and once removed shows just how small and slender the figure really is. The cape attaches easily to the figure by a small peg that fits into a hole just beneath the neck. The cape is molded to fit around the head and over and around the neck. I wasn't sure at first if the cape was removable if that gives you any idea of how well it fits on the figure. 

In addition to the cape the scabbard to hold Dragonfang is also removable. Again this is something that I didn't know until I freed Valkyrie from her cardboard and plastic prison. It attaches to her side by one small peg and stays in place quite well. The scabbard is a solid piece of plastic however meaning you are unable to store the sword inside. By doing this more detail was able to be placed on the scabbard so to me at least it's not a big deal that the sword can't be stored inside it. The cape is made of a slightly softer plastic that does have some give. The molded waves in the cape look great when it's adorned on Valkyrie herself.

Up next is the Jade Giant himself, the Hulk. There has been a lot of Hulk action figures produced over the years and I've got to say this is one of the better ones. First of all the figure is huge and heavy. The Hulk measures at 8 inches tall so you should be able to tell he'll tower over most Marvel Legends figures. The green skin tone is very well done. It's not too bright and it's not too dark. The flash on the camera does make the green look a bit brighter than it really is. This also applies to the purple used on the pants. 

There is also some good shading used on the figure around the various muscles that help make those areas stand out. Some may not like that approach, but it doesn't bother me. Speaking of muscles the sculpting of them look fantastic. From the neck to the biceps to the quads in the legs - they are expectantly huge. I personally like the bulging veins on the biceps! The hands are molded into fists, but since the Hulk is all about punching things this shouldn't bother too many people. There are 19 points of articulation that I count. The head sits on a ball joint allowing full movement. Each arm features 5 points - shoulder, above & below the bicep, wrist and hand. The torso features the standard articulation mechanism. The waist can be rotated a full 360 degrees. Each leg features 3 points - hip, knee and ankle. The feet are huge and gives this mammoth figure the stability it needs.

One of the best things about the figure in my opinion is the head sculpt. The expression on the face is fantastic. I love the gritting of the teeth and the forehead that slightly extends and hovers over the eyes. Even the small patch of black hair has the right amount of style and is the right size.

I've made several mentions about each figure's size and scale and I wanted to show you both figurestogether so you can get a better idea of just how large this figure of the Hulk really is.

In closing I have to say that I'm glad I made this purchase. At $30 it is a little on the pricey side considering Marvel Legends figures used to retail for $10 a piece, but I do feel like I got my money's worth here. Both figures are extremely well made and are a lot of fun. While I love this version of the Hulk the highlight figure of this set is Valkyrie. Maybe it's because it's a new female figure or a character not widely used in modern comics (yes, I know she is in Secret Avengers right now), but whatever the reason this figure is what makes this a must purchase for comic toy fans. I believe of these 3 new two packs each pack comes packaged 2 per case, but don't hold me to that. If you want this and you can find it at retail then I highly recommend you don't wait as there seems to have been a lot of buzz about these figures and I can see them selling very well.