Free Comic Book Day 2024: The 10 Cant-Miss Titles to Pick Up

May 4th may be known as a Star Wars holiday, but this year it’s also when Free Comic Book Day 2024 takes place. The annual event is when comic book stores open their doors to customers, allowing them to take home a certain amount of pre-determined comics for free. From the Big Two publishers of Marvel and DC, to the independent and smaller publishers like Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Titan Comics, and more, there are a lot of different offerings to comic book readers of all ages. It may seem overwhelming to decide what comics to pick up or what is being made available for FCBD, but that’s why ComicBook is here to help!

We’re combing through all of the Free Comic Book Day titles to let you know what looks interesting to add to your pull list, and what storylines are taking place inside those pages. Whether you’re a fan of franchises like the X-Men, Justice League, Conan the Barbarian, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, G.I. Joe, or Doctor Who, there’s something for everyone.

Blood Hunt/X-Men #1

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Blood Hunt officially kicked off this week with the release of Blood Hunt #1, but Marvel is making sure fans get a primer for the crossover event on FCBD as well. The Marvel Universe is being overrun with vampires after they blot out the sun, and it’s up to the Avengers to help save humanity in a story by Jed MacKay and Sara Pichelli. Fans can also get a sneak peek at Marvel’s X-Men relaunch “From the Ashes,” which has a slew of new titles and creative teams coming up this summer. The X-Men FCBD story is by Gail Simone and David Marquez.

Absolute Power Special Edition #1

Publisher: DC

Amanda Waller is finally making her big push to remove metahumans from the DC Universe. Joining Waller on this mission is Failsafe, Batman’s rogue android, and the Brainiac Queen. Mark Waid and Mikel Janin collaborate on the FCBD main story, with DC also providing additional materials to provide some background on Absolute Power.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Publisher: IDW Publishing

The Turtles in a Half Shell are back with a new jumping-on point for new readers. IDW is relaunching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Jason Aaron and a host of all-star artists, and the FCBD book will serve as an intro to all the big happenings. As you can see from the cover above, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is teasing the identity of Nightwatcher.

Energon Universe

Publisher: Image/Skybound

Robert Kirkman and Skybound shocked the comic book community last year with the release of Void Rivals, which was secretly a launch for a shared universe consisting of the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. Dubbed the Energon Universe, the free comic will feature three stories from Void Rivals, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. One can presume all three stories may connect in some way, helping to expand this shared universe.

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone

Publisher: Titan Comics

Conan the Barbarian has a new publishing home at Titan Comics, and together with Heroic Signatures, they’re bringing fans new adventures for everyone’s favorite Cimmerian warrior. Next up is an event titled Battle of the Black Stone, which promises some big things for the Hyborian Age.

The Worlds of James Tynion IV

Publisher: BOOM! Studios

Heralded writer James Tynion IV is celebrating a few anniversaries with BOOM! Studios this year. We have the 10th anniversary of his early BOOM! work, including The Woods and Memetic, as well as the fifth anniversary of his award-winning franchise Something Is Killing the Children. The Worlds of James Tynion IV dives into the scribe’s most horrifying tales, and sets up the next big run of stories to come.

Ultimate Universe/Spider-Man

Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Ultimate Universe is back in a major way, and that means the Ultimates can’t be too far behind. A new Ultimates series from Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri is coming this summer, so FCBD will showcase this dynamic team in action. Plus, prepare yourselves for Amazing Spider-Man #50 as the Goblin returns. But is it the Green Goblin or something different entirely?

Doctor Who: The Fifteenth Doctor

Publisher: Titan Comics

Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor gets the spotlight in a story that is not only the first to feature his Doctor, but also serves as a prelude to his new ongoing series.

Hellboy/Stranger Things

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

What happens when you combine mega franchises Hellboy and Stranger Things is Dark Horse’s FCBD offering. The Hellboy portion is centered on “The Fortune Teller,” which involves Hellboy visiting a fortune teller to help him solve a murder. While Stranger Things‘ “Deliver Me From Evil” finds Argyle and Jonathan telling each other scary tales during one last pizza delivery run.  

Gatchaman

Publisher: Mad Cave Studios

The popular Japanese animated franchise Gatchaman is back in comic book form from Mad Cave Studios, and the publisher is using FCBD to preview its new ongoing series coming out this year. The story will also introduce some of the planned spinoffs and a timeline for when everything will be released.