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This year marks the ten year anniversary of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD)! The event always takes place on the first Saturday of May, so mark your calendars for May 7th, 2011 for this year’s festivities! The FCBD Committee recently announced the 10 Gold comics to be given away, and the 30 Silver comics will be declared at a later date. Below is a preview of the Gold comics that will be released, complete with their solicit info:

AVATAR: LAST AIRBENDER/STAR WARS: CLONE WARS FLIP BOOK (Dark Horse)

Dark Horse brings to readers of all ages Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Both FCBD stories are excellent entry points to these wonderfully charming and imaginative worlds!

BETTY & VERONICA (Archie)

Betty and Veronica stumble upon the old Archie Club House and become inspired to bring back their clubbing days! But when the new club splits in two, it’s a battle of friendship! Featuring scripts, cover, and art from Archie’s Dan Parent!

DARK CRYSTAL/MOUSE GUARD FLIP BOOK (Archaia Entertainment)

Archaia presents two, amazing, all-new stories in one fantastic flip book—David Petersen’s Eisner Award-winning MOUSE GUARD and a prelude to its forthcoming series of Jim Henson’s DARK CRYSTAL graphic novels, featuring covers, art direction and concepts by Brian Froud, conceptual designer of the original film!

DARKWING DUCK/RESCUE RANGERS FLIP BOOK (BOOM! Studios)

An all ages flip book from BOOM! On one side, experience Darkwing Duck! Reprinting the blockbuster sold-out first issue of the DARKWING DUCK ongoing series. But don’t forget to flip the cover, or you’ll miss… CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS, reprinting the first issue of the critically acclaimed bestseller from BOOM!

GERONIMO STILTON & THE SMURFS FLIP BOOK (Papercutz)

The beloved children’s book series comes to comics. Best-selling Author Geronimo Stilton is a mouse who lives in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. Get a glimpse into his world with this FREE comic available on Free Comic Book Day. Plus, stories on the beloved Smurfs. And don’t forget the Smurfs movie scheduled next year in August!

KIZOIC PRESENTS: KUNG FU PANDA/RICHIE RICH FLIP BOOK (Ape Entertainment)

The old blends with the new in this all-ages FREE flip book of fun stories featuring Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda, and the resurgence of kid-millionaire, Richie Rich!

LOCKE & KEY (IDW Publishing)

The acclaimed comic—soon to be a Fox television series—is now yours for free! This special issue presents a by creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez that sees the Locke family and their wondrous Keyhouse mansion beset on all sides by shadowy threats. All ages appropriate!

ROBERT KIRKMAN KID-FRIENDLY TITLE (Image)

Wow!… Now that’s news! You’ll just have to come back to the free comic book day website at a later date for more details on this special FREE issue!

SPIDER-MAN (Marvel)

THE LONG, HOT SUMMER OF SPIDEY ACTION BEGINS HERE!! The first week of May, award-winning Spider-Man writer Dan Slott and comics legend  Humberto Ramos give you the  first, fateful glimpses at the biggest Spider-Man epic in years (coming later this summer)!

DC Comics, while part of the Gold line-up, has yet to announce their book. Their calling it a top secret project, so stay tuned to find out more about it!

Last year my LCS (local comic shop) here in LA, Collector’s Paradise, was absolutely swamped with fanboys and girls of all ages. We had in attendance, signing books and doing sketches for the fans, comic book legends Marc Silvestri and Marv Wolfman, amongst a few more honored guests. Check out photos by clicking here! FCBD truly is an awesome event, as no other industry dedicates a day to giving back to its fan base by handing out free stuff. It’s a great way for readers to sample something they probably wouldn’t normally pay money for, in an effort to expand their comic book reading horizons. Plus, it puts smiles on the faces of kids everywhere!

For more on Free Comic Book Day click here and here. Stay tuned for information on the Silver Line-up, and be sure to tell us which books you’re most looking forward to!

Andy Liegl
andy@comicattack.net