The 2015 Free Comic Book Day Gold Sponsor Comics

As we promised last week, Diamond and the good people behind Free Comic Book Day have shared with us the twelve Gold Sponsor comic books that will be given out for FREE next May during the 14th annual Free Comic Book Day. The comics come FREE from local retailers, Diamond Comic Distributors, and twelve of the top comic publishers in the industry: Archie Comics, Bongo Comics, BOOM! Studios, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Titan Comics, United Plankton Publications and Viz Media. Each has a rather exciting treat for 2015, with some releasing an additional title at the Silver sponsorship level, that will be revealed next Wednesday on the 17th of December. Free Comic Book Day, or FCBD, will be May 2nd in 2015, keeping up the regular date of the first Saturday in May, and will be happening just in time to coordinate with the sequel to Avengers. To learn more about the date and some of what the organizers have in store, check out our earlier article that also reveals 2015′s exclusive FCBD Shirt.

Deborah Moreland, the FCBD spokesperson, had this to say about the Gold Sponsors for FCBD 2015, “We are extremely excited about the quality and diversity of the Gold level comic books that comic shops will be giving away for this year’s event on May 2nd. The Gold Sponsors are comprised of top publishers in the comics industry and we are confident that fans will be pleased with this year’s line-up of comics. Whether you’ve been a fan for years or you’re just getting into comics because you love the movies, TV shows, and video games based on comics, then Free Comic Book Day and your local comic shop have the perfect comic for you!” So just what are these 12 comics that are set to be given out for free next May? Well, I suppose it is time we stopped teasing and just outright showed you:

From Archie Comics Publications comes: DARK CIRCLE

Written by Duane Swierczynski, Mark Waid, and Dean Haspiel (who will also be providing art) we see a return to Archie’s classic super heroes that once made up the Red Circle Comics imprint of books. This has long been talked about, with the first announcement having come out during San Diego Comic Con 2014, and will feature our first looks at new series starring The Black Hood, The Fox, and The Shield. Art will be provided by Haspiel, Michael Gaydos, and more, with a stunning cover by Francesco Francavilla, whose art has graced many stunning and dark covers in the past year, including the frightening zombie tales of Afterlife with Archie! All this packs the 32 page comic full of material that I’m dying to read. Check out the solicit below:

THE BLACK HOOD! THE FOX! THE SHIELD! Get in on the ground floor of Dark Circle Comics and experience the cinematic and creator-driven reinventions of these iconic properties. Who is the new Shield? How did the Black Hood come to be? Can things get more unpredictable for The Fox? Learn the secrets of the Dark Circle universe from the creators themselves via sneak peeks at the new series, creator interviews and a first glance at the next Dark Circle series—all held together by an eye-popping cover from Afterlife with Archie artist, Francesco Francavilla!

From Bongo Comics comes: 2015 COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL

Written and drawn by beloved Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, and various other Bongo creators is a new collection of Simpsons shorts sure to be fun for all ages. This 32 page comic is pretty much set to be exactly what you expect and hope for in the way of Bongo books, giving you that added dose of Simpsons for when you’re waiting between episodes. Check out the solicit below:

Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! When Bart brings one of Professor Frink’s recent discoveries to school, it leads to some hair-raising hilarity! Then, Lisa finds a doorway to an ancient past, Comic Book Guy gets a hip new girlfriend, and Homer tries his hand at some home improvement… and much more!

From Boom! Studios comes: BOOM! STUDIOS TENTH ANNIVERSARY

It’s hard to believe Boom has been around 10 years now, with many awesome titles that have built up their expansive library, not to mention those included in their recent purchase of Archaia Publishing. In this Free Comic Book Day offering you get a taste of some of Boom’s best recollected in this 48 page treat, as well as a look at the upcoming Iscariot by the brilliant writer/artist S.M. Vidaurri. But the piece that will likely drive comic fans of all ages crazy and get non-comic fans diving after this title will be the new Fionna and Cake Adventure Time story, featuring the beloved gender and species swapped duo from the intensely popular Pendleton Ward cartoon series. See the full solicit below:

2015 is BOOM! Studios’ Tenth Anniversary year, and to help us celebrate we’ve gathered short stories from several current and new all-ages titles for Free Comic Book Day. From Archaia’s Mouse Guard, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, and new title Iscariot; KaBOOM!’s Garfield, Peanuts, Regular Show, and a new Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake story; and BOOM! Box’s Lumberjanes, Munchkin, and Help Us! Great Warrior, there’s something in this free, 48-page issue for everyone!

From Dark Horse Comics comes: FIGHT CLUB/THE GOON/THE STRAIN—FCBD 2015 EDITION

So far taking the darkest and most adult approach to FCBD of the gold sponsors, Dark Horse has a book that will bring the adults into your shop just like Marvel once had with Stephen King’s Dark Tower comics. Except, unlike with King’s comics, this prose based piece of sequential art will actually be a sequel to the novels it relates to and will be written by the prose author himself, Chuck Palahniuk! Yes, Fight Club returns in a comic book formatted sequel from Palahniuk, as announced at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con, and our first look will be in a 100% free comic next May! But that’s not all, as Guillermo del Toro gives us a new chapter from The Strain, another popular prose and TV series, and Eric Powell shares with us some more adventures with The Goon! Check out the full solicit below:

Dark Horse Comic’s most thrilling FCBD to date! Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart premiere Fight Club! Eric Powell serves up an all-new tragedy in The Goon! And Guillermo del Toro presents an all-new chapter from The Strain! Need we say more?

From DC Comics comes: DC COMICS FCBD 2015 TBA

HOLY ****, WHAT A MIND BLOWING AND EPIC…non-surprise. DC is notorious for teasing us with these top secret FCBD solicits, which in some ways is a let down, but let me point out the final product never is. DC often uses FCBD to tease or lead into their big summer event or upcoming comic series they really hope to push. In the past they’ve given us zero issues that lead into major storylines that can only be read in the FCBD giveaway or collected editions. So if you’re a DC fan, this will undoubted be a must grab comic, and something you rush to your local comic shop for that Saturday morning. But what will this actually be about? We do know as DC makes their behind the scenes office relocation from New York City to Burbank, Ca that they’ll be doing a 2 month long event known as Convergence that looks at all the classic DC universes of the past and pits them together in some epic war in a place called The Blood Moon. Could this tie in to that epic, dimension spanning battle? Or more likely will it directly lead into the event’s fall out? Perhaps a new Crisis? Perhaps a return to the old DC universe? Perhaps something entirely new. Without even the names of the comics creators it’s hard to say (though an educated guess might place Geoff Johns somewhere on the project), but if you read the solicit below at least we have an idea of when we’ll know:

A special, Top Secret project too big to announce! Please check back in the February issue of Previews for more information.

From Dynamite Entertainment comes: BOB’S BURGERS

If you missed the hilarious five-issue mini-series from Dynamite earlier this year, this is your chance to catch up on the Belcher family outside of their popular cartoon series, Bob’s Burgers. Written and drawn by the cartoon series own writers and animators, Mike Olsen, Justin Hook, Chad Brewster, Brad Rader, Tony Gennaro, Hector Reynoso, and Frank Forte, this 32 page freebie collect some of the best moments of the comic miniseries in one binding. Check out the solicit below:

Bob’s Burgers, the hit TV show created by Loren Bouchard, is now a comic book! The Belcher family — parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise — appear in this special Free Comic Book Day edition that collects the “Best Of” in-canon stories from Dynamite’s first-ever Bob’s Burgers comic book series. Thrill to Tina’s “Friend Fiction”, Louise’s “Unsolved Mysteries and Curious Curiosities”, “Gene Belcher Presents: The Musical”, and more! It’s an all-ages extravaganza that captures the feel of Bob’s Burgers perfectly — because it’s a comic 100% created by show writers and animators!

From IDW Publishing comes: TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE #0

IDW looks to Hasbro for their FCBD push, with a new Transformers comic that ties into the new animated TV series. Written by John Barber and Tom Scioli, who is also doing the art alongside Priscilla Tramontano, the comic will include a look at a few other IDW and Hasbro projects, including something extra for the fans of the current Transformers Vs GI Joe books. Now that is 32 pages of awesome toy action in proper sequential art form! Check out the solicit here:

Optimus Prime is gone — and Decepticons are on the loose! It’s up to Bumblebee and an elite crew of Autobots to track them down before their rampage spreads across Earth! Transformers comics have never been hotter, and the excitement spreads to this all-original comic inspired by the all-new animated series! Plus: previews of IDW and Hasbro unbelievable publishing slate for 2015, including an exclusive Transformers vs. G.I. Joe strip!

From Image Comics comes: SAVAGE DRAGON: LEGACY #1

Image has so many great new comics that, while selling unbelievably high numbers, are often unfamiliar to many comic readers. Therefore it is stunning to see they avoided the route of a sampler book to instead go with a new story featuring one of their longest running characters, Savage Dragon. Creator Erik Larsen steps on for writing and art duties, as he oft does with this character of his, for a new tale featuring the green police officer. It’s 32 pages of a character I would not have thought to throw at the forefront of such an impressive catalog of comics, but it is not a book I’m going to turn away from when it is be handed out for free. Who knows, this could get Savage Dragon back on the map for Image, at least bringing it back up to Spawn level recognition. Check out the solicit:

The generational saga of Savage Dragon reaches a new milestone as Malcolm Dragon graduates high school and follows his father’s footsteps to the Chicago Police Department. Every young new officer has a lot to live up to, but for the son of a world famous figure as renowned as he is reviled, navigating the world of law enforcement is especially challenging. The cost of failure is high in a city becoming more dangerous by the day: Can Malcolm step out of his father’s shadow and become the hero Chicago needs, or is he doomed to make the same mistakes?

From Marvel Comics comes: SECRET WARS

It’s slightly less mysterious than DC’s FCBD solicit, with a title and description, but it still doesn’t tell us much. Marvel has not yet given this title a creative team, though I’m sure they have one in mind. Will this lead into their upcoming Time Runs Out storyline going on in the two main Avengers titles? Or will that mysterious Secret Wars storyline we’re seeing in various solicits become its own separate event? Either way, I know I want to grab this freebie immediately Saturday morning and sit down for a good read. Now that said…is it just me or does this sound an awful lot like DC’s Convergence on The Blood Moon? Read the solicit below and tell us what you think:

Prepare yourself for the final days of the Marvel Universe as you know it as the march to the biggest comic event of the year continues! From the ashes of a decimated cosmos rises… Battleworld! Amid the strange, patchwork realm, refugees from thousands of obliterated universes struggle for survival. Even if they can endure the horrors of Battleworld — the home they knew has been destroyed! Time has run out, and the opening salvo of Secret Wars has been fired. But can anything restore the Marvel Universe that once was?

From Titan Comics comes: DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL

Writers Nick Abadzis, Al Ewing, and more provide us with 3 new stories featuring the 3 most recent incarnations of the infamous Time Lord known only as The Doctor. Tying into the three current on-going comic series from Titan, all labeled Doctor Who, this would be cool enough on its own for any comic fan who enjoys a bit of the BBC, but the fact that it also features a sneak peek at yet another Top Secret summer event has me quite interested. A Doctor Who big summer comic event? Consider me sold! Check out the solicit below:

Take a blistering trip through time and space with three stunning all-new short stories featuring the Tenth Doctor, the Eleventh Doctor and the brand-new Twelfth Doctor, written and drawn by the ongoing Doctor Who comics creative teams. PLUS: A sneak peek of the Top Secret Summer 2015 event! Be the first to get a hint of the epic that will shake the Doctor to his very core! It’s a must-read for fans, and the perfect primer for anyone looking to jump on board the TARDIS!

From United Plankton Pictures comes: SPONGEBOB FREESTYLE FUNNIES

You might not be too surprised that United Plankton Pictures is providing a Sponge Bob comic for FCBD. I mean, it’s not like they really do anything else outside of existing underneath Bongo for the purpose of creating Sponge Bob comics. But what might surprise you is who is writing this free issue. If you’ve seen the recent stop animation film, Boxtrolls, you might be familiar with its director, Graham Annable, who will not only be scribing 22-pages of this years Sponge Bob comic but will be drawing it as well. Check out the solicit below:

This year’s SpongeBob Comics FCBD offering features a 22-page story by Boxtrolls director and Grickle cartoonist, Graham Annable! In “Tangy!” Plankton’s new special sauce made from jellyfish jelly has strange effects on SpongeBob and the rest of Bikini Bottom’s residents. The only one unaffected, the only one who can save them all, is a very reluctant Squidward! Plus, more undersea sequential stories by James Kochalka, Maris Wicks, Gregg Schigiel. and other awesome aquatic artists!

From Viz Media comes: POKÉMON

The title says it all here, because we all love Pokemon! The incredibly popular, world wide sensation that features hundreds of adorable pocket sized monsters and a friendly and lovable cast of trainers is getting a free comic thanks to Viz. This won’t contain any new stories, as we’ve yet to really get Japanese creators to provide unique manga tales as a part of FCBD so far, but it will give us a fun look at some of our favorite pokemon characters from outside of the traditional video game/TV screens. Reprinting select moments from the great manga series that simply doesn’t have enough of a readership in the states when you realize the quality of tale put together, this freebie will feature Trainers and Pokemon from X/Y, Red/Blue, and Black/White era games! See the solicit below:

All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen and onto the pages of this action-packed Free Comic Book Day edition comic! Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal’s battle against each other is destroying Vaniville Town. Can X and Y save the town in Pokémon X*Y?! Bonus Feature: More action in Pokémon Adventures and Pokémon Adventures Black and White!

As we said earlier, the FCBD Silver Sponsor comic books will be announced next Wednesday, December 17th, and you can find them all here on our website or at the Official FCBD site. Furthermore, a complete listing of all fifty FCBD titles, including the twelve Gold Sponsor comic books and thirty-eight Silver Sponsor comic books, can be found in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributors’ Previews catalog, which goes on sale at your local comic book shop December 24th.