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Free Comic Book Day

Issues 1 - 9  (2005 - 2013)

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Book Day!
Free Comic Book Day 2013 May 5

Free Comic Book Day first started in 2002 with Bongo's first participation as documented below in 2005. In 2013 we see the ninth Bongo issue, and some of the past years have included foreign editions. The 2012 edition included a SpongeBob flip cover and in 2013 we now see a separate Free Comic Book Day issue for SpongeBob.

Free Comic Book Day 2005 Free Comic Book Day  2005  [#1]
Bongo Comics Gimme Gimme Giveaway!
 
  (Jul 2005)

Homer's America
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Story:  Ian Boothby
Pencils:  Luis Esobar
Inks:  Patrick Owsley
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Comics #90

The Bender You Say
MMMMMMMMPages:  8  (first 8 out of 27 pages)
Script:  Ian Boothby
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Steve Steere, Jr.
Colors:  Joey Mason
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Food Critic:  Matt Groening
Reprinted from:  Futurama Comics #13
Reprinted in:  Futurama Conquers The Universe  

Taming Your Wild Child
MMMMMMMMPages:  5
Script:  Clint Johnson
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Big Daddy:  Matt Groening
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #12
Reprinted in:  Big Bratty Book of Bart Simpson  

Krustyland Amusement Park  (faux advertisement)
MMMMMMMMPages:  1
Written by:  Matt Groening
Drawn by:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Radioactive Man #216
Reprinted in:  Radioactive Man 80pg Colossal #1

Plasmo the Mystic in: 
The Grotesque Garage Sale of Gargamash!
MMMMMMMMPages:  6
Story:  Chuck "Don't Call Me Cthulu" Dixon
Art:  Hilary "That Ol' Black Magic"
Letters:  Chris "The Undying One" Ungar
Colors:  Nathan "Kaluu" Kane
Edits:  Bill "The Beyonder" Morrison
Packrat:  Matt "Guru of Gargamash" Groening
Reprinted from:  Bongo Super Heroes Starring Radioactive Man

I Will Send You Prizes Like These
Krusty Seed Co.
  (faux advertisement)
MMMMMMMMPages:  1  (back cover)
Reprinted from:  Radioactive Man 80pg Colossal #1
Reprinted in:  Simpsons Comics Unchained  (book)
  Simpsons Comics #41
  Simpsons Comics #100  
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Nathan Kane

The story The Bender You Say was truncated after just 8 of the 27 pages but oddly enough, it works. In the absence of the usual "The End" at that point they added a box showing Fry saying "That was Preposterous! 'Nuff Said!"


Free Comic Book Day 2006 Free Comic Book Day  2006  [#2]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!
 
  (Jun 2006)

Comic Book Guy Gets A Life!
MMMMMMMMPages:  8
Script:  Ian Boothby
Pencils:  Phil Ortiz
Inks:  Phyllis Novin
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Comics #105

The Origin Of Glowy The Radioactive Dog
MMMMMMMMPages:  1
Script and Art:  Bill Morrison
Colors / Lettering:  Chris Schendel
Reprinted from:  Radioactive Man 80pg Colossal #1

Backstage at Bongo Comics Group
MMMMMMMMPages:  2
Reprinted from:  Futurama Comics #20

Holy Cow!! Has Pie Man Turned Evil?
MMMMMMMMPages:  9
Peerless Prose and  
Pulse Pounding  
Pencils:  Ty (The Guy) Templeton
Incredible Inking by:  Mike Rote
Legible Lettering by:  Chris Ungar
Creative Colouring by:  Rick Reese
Error Catching  
Editing by:  Bill (Monarch) Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Super Spectacular #1

Embrace Your Inner Geek!
(promotional page supplying credits for this issue)
MMMMMMMMPages:  1
   
  Your Free Comic Book Day Bongo Entertainment Provided By The Following:
   
Stories:  Ian Boothby, Bill Morrison, Ty Templeton, Patric Verrone
Pencils:  John Delaney, Tom King, Bill Morrison, Phil Ortiz,
Ty Templeton
Inks:  Bill Morrison, Phyllis Novin, Mike Rote, Howard Shum
Colors:  Nathan Kane, Joey Mason, Rick Reese,
Chris Schendel, Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates, Chris Schendel, Chris Ungar
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Nathan Kane

Credits for this issue were supplied collectively as indicated above. However, since several of these stories were reprinted from prior issues (as indicated) we also supplied the original credits where applicable.


Free Comic Book Day 2007 Free Comic Book Day  [#3]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!  2007
 
  (May 2007)

Bart Simpson in: Spree For All
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Writer:  Evan Dorkin
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #31

Fry's Top 10 Reasons Why Robots Make Great Roommates!
MMMMMMMMPages:  2
Writer:  Eric Rogers
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors / Letters:  Chris Ungar
Editor:  Bill Morrison

Familiarity Breeds Farklempt!
MMMMMMMMPages:  3
Writer:  Eric Rogers
Pencils:  Jason Ho
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors / Letters:  Chris Ungar
Editor:  Bill Morrison

The Secret Life of Bart Simpson
MMMMMMMMPages:  4
Writer:  Tom Peyer
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Edits:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #30

Captain's Log!  (faux candy advertisement)
MMMMMMMMPages:  1

Ralph Wiggum in: Hog Tied
MMMMMMMMPages:  8
Script:  Amanda McCann
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Howard Shum
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #32
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote


Free Comic Book Day 2008 Free Comic Book Day  [#4]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!  2008
 
  (Mar 2008)

Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl in: A League of Their Own
MMMMMMMMPages:  11
Script:  Ian Boothby
Pencils:  John Delaney
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Super Spectacular #3

Bart Simpson in Stink & Stinkability
MMMMMMMMPages:  8
Script:  James Bates
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson Comics #26
Reprinted in:  Big Brilliant Book of Bart Simpson  

The Simpsons Comics Internationale
MMMMMMMMPages:  10 (including 8 below)
Script:  Chuck Dixon
Pencils:  James LLoyd
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Comics #131
   Too Crazy, Juvenile Prankster! Bartomu!
MMMMMMMMPages:  8
Script:  Chuck Dixon
Pencils:  Nina Matsumoto
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote

Bart is reading Amazing Fantasy #15 from August 1962, i.e., the first Spider-Man comic, while eating an ice cream cone, so Comic Book Guy's horror is understandable. Two years later the Free Comic Book Day issue for 2010 would parody this issue - seen here!


Free Comic Book Day 2009 Free Comic Book Day  [#5]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!  2009
 
  (May 2009)

Bart Simpson in: No Such Thing As A Free Comic
MMMMMMMMPages:  13
Script:  Chuck Dixon
Pencils:  John Delaney
Inks:  Dan Davis
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson Comics #41

Leela & Amy in: Hostile Makeover
MMMMMMMMPages:  4
Script:  Eric Rogers
Pencils:  Mike Kazaleh
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Futurama Conquers the Universe

Captain Cupcake and Pieboy!
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Script:  Mike W. Barr
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Rick Reese
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Super Spectacular #5
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote


Free Comic Book Day 2010 Free Comic Book Day  [#6]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!  2010
 
  (May 1 2010)

Free preview on-line at the Free Comic Book Day web site.

Clown Therapy
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Script:  Chuck Dixon
Pencils:  Phil Ortiz
Inks:  Mike DeCarlo
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Comics #115

Maggie's Crib by Aragonés
MMMMMMMMPages:  2
Script & Art:  Sergio Aragonés
Colors:  Jacob Glaser
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson Comics #50

Homer Beats the Heat
MMMMMMMMPages:  5
Script:  Tony DiGerolamo
Pencils:  Phil Ortiz
Inks:  Mike DeCarlo
Colors:  Robert Stanley
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  The Simpsons Summer Shindig #1
Reprinted in:  Simpsons Comics Colossal Compendium: Volume 1

The League of Extraordinary Barts!
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Script:  Ian Boothby
Pencils:  John Delaney
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Super Spectacular #2
Reprinted in:  Simpsons Comics Colossal Compendium: Volume 1
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison

Free Comic Book Day 2008 Amazing Fantasy Free Comic Book Day 2010 Amazing Fantasy #15

The first cover above was extracted above from the cover of Free Comic Book Day 2008 - Bart is eating an ice cream cone reading a valuable comic with Comic Book Guy looking on in horror. The cover of 2010, above, center, is a parody of that comic, Amazing Fantasy #15, from August 1962, shown above to the right, drawn by Jack Kirby and inked by Steve Ditko. That's the first issue of Spider-Man.

<< Previous Cover   Next Cover >>


Free Comic Book Day 2011 Free Comic Book Day  [#7]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All  2011
 
  (May 7 2011)

Free preview on-line at the Free Comic Book Day web site.

See our Cover Analyses below!

Ralph Wiggum in: Ralph Learns a Lesson
MMMMMMMMPages:  11
Script:  Jesse Leon McCann
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #38

Li'l Krusty  [Baby Teeny]
MMMMMMMMPages:  1
Script:  Mary Trainor
Pencils:  Jason Ho
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #47

Bart Simpson in: Let The Games Begin!
MMMMMMMMPages:  3
Story & Art:  Evan Dorkin
Colors:  Sarah Dyer
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #54

Li'l Krusty  [Baby Teeny Pulls A Gag]
MMMMMMMMPages:  1
Script:  Mary Trainor
Pencils:  Jason Ho
Inks:  Mike Rote
Colors:  Chris Ungar
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #47

Bart Simpson in: Big Top Flop
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Script & Art:  Sergio Aragonés
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #50
   
Cover Illustration:  Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Serban Cristescu

Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2011 Donald Duck #172

Kudos to contributor Charles T. Smith, who realized the homage being paid here to Disney artist Carl Barks, creator of Scrooge McDuck. At first glance the front cover of Free Comic Book Day 2011 appears to only be a coincidental parallel to the opening panel of the story "Only A Poor Man" from Four Color #386, Donald Duck from March 1952.

Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2011 Donald Duck #172

Even an initial closer examination only appears to show a close but still coincidental drawing, even if Scrooge McDuck and Comic Book Guy are both diving into their own personal stack of riches.

Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2011 Donald Duck #172

Behind them however we see they both have observers on identical balconies, with Bart watching CBG and Donald watching Scrooge McDuck.

Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2011 Donald Duck #172 Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2011

Both drawings also have a Depth Gauge, with 90ft and 89ft in the current drawing and 80ft and 79ft in the drawing from nearly sixty years ago.  Lastly, perchance anyone is still left unconvinced, note the only prominent comic behind Comic Book Guy is duck billed Uncle Tightwad, an obvious parallel to Uncle Scrooge aka Scrooge McDuck. Our thanks to Bill Morrison, Mike Rote and Serban Cristescu for their work on yet another wonderful cover.

This is the second Carl Barks image (that we've identified!) used for a cover; see our analyses of the cover of Simpsons Comic #102.


<< Previous Cover   Next Cover >>


Free Comic Book Day 2012 Free Comic Book Day  [#8]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!  2012
 
  (May 5 2012)

Bongo offers the best in humor comics with a proud tale from the boasting barflies of Moe’s Tavern, as they recount their close encounter with marauding beasts as members of the Springfield Bear Patrol. And Sergio Aragonés joins the fun with a story from his own past of how he made his first peso as an underground and underage artist. THEN, flip over the book for two of the swimmingest SpongeBob sagas from the series' hard-to-find earliest issues. In "Squidward and the Golden Clarinet," SpongeBob reads an issue of Mermaid Man to a less-than-welcoming Squidward. But this story has a musical hook even Squidward can't resist. Plus: a page of gags that go off the deep end by indie artiste James Kochalka.

Free preview on-line at the Free Comic Book Day web site. See the Free Comic Book Day web site for the latest info!

Tales From The Springfield Bear Patrol
MMMMMMMMPages:  12
Script:  Brian Houlihan
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  The Simpsons Summer Shindig #5

My First Peso
MMMMMMMMPages:  5
Story & Art:  Sergio Aragonés
Colors:  Tom Luth
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Sergio Aragonés Funnies #2
   
Cover Illustration:   Credits not supplied. Yet. But see below.
Released:   May 5, 2012

Flip cover SpongeBob Comics Freestyle Funnies leads two SpongeBob sagas and a page of gags by indie artiste James Kochalka.

Bongo Free Comic Book Day 2012 Close-up

Comic Book Guy appears above in twenty-three costumes. Most people can figure out half of these, some can get most, but I personally couldn't get all of them. Thanks to our friends at nohomers we can supply the complete list;

  1. Flash III (Wally West) from DC Comics 13. The Mummy from the 1932 film of the same name
  2. Spock from Star Trek 14. Devo (perhaps Mark Mothersbaugh)
  3. Darth Maul from Star Wars         the American band from the 1970's
  4. Dr. Octopus from Marvel Comics 15. Green Lantern II (Hal Jordan) from DC Comics
  5. Dr. Raymond Stantz from the Ghostbusters movie 16. Number 6 from The Prisoner
  6. Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles movie 17. Dr. Evil & Mini-me from the Austin Powers film series
  7. Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes 18. Pinhead from the Hellraiser film series
  8. Dr. Who IV (Tom Baker) of UK television fame 19. Astro Boy of Japanese manga / television cartoon fame
  9. 20 sided die (d20) from Dungeons & Dragons 20. Bluto from the Popeye cartoon
10. Tintin from The Adventures of Tintin 21. Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek
11. Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars 22. Lion-O from the ThunderCats television series
12. Bizarro from DC Comics 23. Batman from Tangent Comics/DC Comics

We should note that the image for Flash III was reversed for the cover (as evidenced by the reversed bolt on his chest) as well as the image for the Ghostbuster (as evidenced by the reversed Ecto Goggles on his head). All other images are either verified (for example, Spock, Mr. Incredible, Dr. Evil, etc.) or are reversible. Lastly, we should note that no credits were supplied for this cover, which I attribute to the fact that they leveraged images previously shown individually on a great 2006 SDCC [ComicCon] poster.

<< Previous Cover   Next Cover >>


Free Comic Book Day 2013 Free Comic Book Day 2013  [#9]
Bongo Comics Free-For-All!
 
  
(May 4 2013)


Bongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day…with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gang escalate and elevate their juvenile delinquency to new heights. Stick around for a bedtime tale with the dim but adorable Li'l Homer and go in search of the Happy Little Elves with Maggie.

Rather than produce an issue with a SpongeBob flip cover, Bongo released two comics for FCBD, one for Simpsons and one for SpongeBob.

Free preview on-line at the Free Comic Book Day web site.

Free Comic Book Day 2013 Back Cover
Maggie's Mixed-Up Maze  (game page)
MMMMMMMMPages:  1  (inside front cover)
Puzzle Maestro:  Sergio Aragonés
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Nathan Kane
Reprinted from:  Maggie #1  

Model Citizen Simpson
MMMMMMMMPages:  8
Script:  Paul Kupperberg
Pencils:  James Lloyd
Inks:  Dan Davis
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #64  

Itchy & Scratchy in: Face-Lift Feline
MMMMMMMMPages:  2
Story & Art:  Dean Rankine
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Simpsons Comics #180  

The Brothers Grime The Boy Who Would Not Take A Bath
MMMMMMMMPages:  7
Story:  Mary Trainor
Art:  Mike Kazaleh
Colors:  Nathan Hamill
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:   Nathan Kane
Reprinted from:  Li'l Homer #1  

Bart Simpson in Free Range
MMMMMMMMPages:  10
Script:  Ted May
Pencils:  John Delaney
Inks:  Andrew Pepoy
Colors:  Art Villanueva
Letters:  Karen Bates
Editor:  Bill Morrison
Reprinted from:  Bart Simpson #68  
   
Cover Illustration:   Jason Ho, Mike Rote, and Nathan Kane
Cover Text:   CBD is running and dropping the following comics:
Uncle Tightwad (the nod to Carl Banks), The Pearl, Radioactive Man, PBJ, Li'l Knee Socks, Car Trek, Quack!, Leopard Lady, Bat Cat
Back Cover:   Credits not supplied
Back Cover Text:   The Uncanonical Planet X-Press [X]MEN
Released:   May 4, 2013
Departments:   Bongo Bonus Stamp: #250 The Collector


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This page last updated on March 15, 2014 by Bruce Gomes (bruce@simpsonsarchive.com)

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