Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Patric Verrone!

Let's all give a big Boingo birthday bash for Patric Verrone (born on this day, natch!), comic book writer and television (Rugrats, The Simpsons, The Critic, Futurama) scripter and Writers Guild of America member, former president, and labor leader (hooray!).

Bongo Comics editor and creative director Bill Morrison introduces us to Patric:


from Bongo Comics Free-for-All [Free Comic Book Day 2006] one-shot (Bongo, May 2006), creators unidentified and unknown. Hey, what's with that, WGA labor leader?
Happy birthday, Patric!

Today in Comics History, February 24, 4000: Magnus mistakenly thought he had ordered steak sauce

from "Eyes to the Blind" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 #1 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Bill Reinhold, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, February 24, 4000: Now back to Code Name: Diamond Head, starring...that one guy.

from "Eyes to the Blind" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 #1 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Bill Reinhold, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, February 24, 4000: Magnus, Beauty Sleep Fighter

from "Eyes to the Blind" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 #1 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Bill Reinhold, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, February 23, 4000, 11:49 PM: Floating chairs now come without and with holes

from "Eyes to the Blind" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 #1 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Bill Reinhold, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, February 23, 4000, 10:30 PM: They fight, and fight, and fight and fight and fight

from "Eyes to the Blind" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 #1 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Bill Reinhold, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, October 29: Happy birthday, Tom King (but not the one you're thinking of)!

Born on this day: comics' Tom King! No, no, not that one: the other guy, the Bongo artist for Simpsons Comics and Futurama Comics, seen here (in red) with editor Bill Morrison (in yellow)!


from "Backstage at Bongo" in Bongo Comics [Free-for-All] Free Comic Book Day 2006 (Bongo, May 2006), creators uncredited and unknown
Happy birthday, Tom King!

365 Days of Star Wars Comics, Day 307: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

Panels from Star Wars: Free Comic Book Day 2006 one-shot (May 2006), script by Randy Stradley, pencils and inks by Douglas Wheatley, colors by Ronda Pattison, letters by Michael David Thomas

Stuff Bully Got for Free Comic Book Day: I was born so beautiful but now I'm ugly

Hey, what did you get on Free Comic Book Day?


Panel from Uglydoll Comics (Free Comic Book Day 2013) one-shot (May 2013), script by Travis Nichols, pencils and inks by Ian McGinty, colors by Space Goat Productions, LLC
That's weird, because I got comics! Lots and lots of lovely free comic books from my favorite comic book store in the whole universe, Bergen Street Comics here in lovely Brooklyn. (Stop in and say hi to Tom and Tucker!) They had a big assortment for me, but I missed out on (by my own fault of lateness!) a copy of one of my most eagerly awaited FCBD books, the new tie-in to David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim's lovable felt friends, Uglydoll Comics! But never fear...once he learned I missed out on it, my good pal "Marvelous" Mike Sterling promised to send me a copy.


Hooray, Mike! Mike's from my second favorite comic book store, Ralph's Comic Corner as well as being a comics blogger extraordinary for the multiple award-winning* Progressive Ruin—home for all things Swamp Thing and Sluggo-related since 1969. Mike's also a big proponent and champion of Free Comic Book Day (see his post on Ralph's very successful Free Comic Book Day 2013 here). How big a champ of FCBD is he? So big he mailed me a free comic! Thank you, Mike! I say in HTML-coded bold letters. Heck, let's make 'em in HTML color! THANK YOU MIKE! I have enjoyed this comic book, very very very much!


And so did all my pals!


Thanks again, Mike! You rock! In that totally rocking way, of course.

(And by the way, since you can never watch it enough, here's me and my Uglydoll pal Ox in a little video I like to call "Go West." Because we did.)



*I am not certain if Mike has actually won any awards for Progressive Ruin, but gosh darnit, he oughta have. Even if he hasn't, he as at least won...my little stuffed heart!

A Grand Day Out: Free Comic Book Day!

I sure you hope had an amazing Free Comic Book Day! Me 'n' Shelly the Little Otter Puppet certainly did, altho' I think at first we got the wrong idea and we were protesting to free the captive comic books.


We were at our fav'rite comic book shop in the universe, Bergen Street Comics in beautiful Brooklyn!


Our protest drew quite a little crowd! Thanks for coming out to support freeing the comics, folks!


Of course once we got inside and Tom and Tucker gave us some comics for free we got the point immediately. Oh, free comics!


Then, we had milkshakes!


And draft beer.



Later on, everyone agreed it had been the best Free Comic Book Day ever.

365 Days with Hank McCoy, Day 292

Panels from Free Comic Book Day: X-Men/Runaways one-shot (May 2006), script by Brian K. Vaughan; pencils, inks, and colors by Skottie Young; letters by Randy Gentile

Free Comic Book Day 2010!

Welcome to the first Saturday in May...the best day of the year...FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

I went to my favorite comic book store in the universe, Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn! I was so excited!




Bergen Street Comics had lots of fun and activities and events and OHHH LET ME AT THE FREE COMICS!




It was very very busy there today! Maybe I should have brought my stilts. Excuse me! Excuse me!




Tom and Amy had decorated the store up wonderfully. I like helium balloons like this...they make my voice even squeakier than it is! Sometimes it gets so high you can't actually hear me, but then dogs start howling.




Here's a whole counter full of free comic books! WOW, I'm so very excited!! (Tom and Amy and Tucker at Bergen Street made sure I got one of everything—thanks everybody! You're the greatest!)




YAYYYYY! May I have one of these, please? It's got BATMAN in it!




Here's Amy Adams from Bergen Street Comics and me. I'm the one on the right. Amy is very nice, even when comics aren't free! Thanks for everything, Amy!




Now, here's my special patented plan to get more free comics: put on a disguise and go back in!




"Oo eez zis Boo-ly you speak ov? Mah name is Meester Mustacheface."




One of these days I need my own comic, which will be entitled Bully and Friends. Until then, I'll read about Owly. And friends.




Look out, Owly! Look out! He's got a gun!




Later at home, I look at all my free comics. Thanks, everyone! I will be reading these all night and all day tomorrow! Free Comic Book Day rocks!

Hey big spender

Don't forget: today is Free Comic Book Day!! Click on the logo below to learn more...


...and stop by your local comic book shop to pick up all assortment of fun free stuff! But do me a favor, okay? Actually, make that three favors:

1. Take a kid with you, okay? Take a son or a daughter, a niece or a nephew, a friend or a bully (tee hee!) with you and get some of the great all-ages comics available for them as well. (Hey, take a flip through 'em to make certain they're age appropriate, willya?)
2. While you're in the store, don't just grab free stuff and run. Buy some stuff as well, cheapskate! Help support the store so they can be around for FCBD '08. Buy some stuff for the kid too.
3. Head off, and take the kid, to see Spider-Man 3: The Spider-Mannining. Buy some nachos and ice cream too.

Have a great day! And enjoy your free comic books!