Sometimes, even the devout comic book fan has a difficult time getting their hands on the freebies. Stores are swarmed by the most casual of superhero fans, occasionally leaving the die-hard officianados without the crucial pieces to the puzzle.
So here's a wrap up of what went down in the big publishers just so you're not out of the loop come event season.
Marvel's Infinity: Marvel decided to focus strongly on building toward an upcoming crossover. The character featured in the main story is a henchman of Thanos, who is geared to appear in upcoming Marvel Studios films and so needs to become a more commonly known villain. The big deal here is that Thanos has an invisible monster named Outrider keeping tabs on the Avengers, the X-Men, and SHIELD. Thanos is after some elusive final object which he believes to be on Earth. This will lead to Marvel's Infinity series to debut in August.
DC's Superman: Last Son of Krypton: DC decided to key in on their main man, obviously flaunting Superman as his feature film Man of Steel debuts next month. Unfortunately, this peek into the Superman mythos is completely out of continuity. Even the costume is from the pre-New 52 continuity. Clark is married to Lois, he works at the Daily Planet, and Ma and Pa Kent are alive and well. So when the big reveal comes that Superman is adopting a new child Kryptonian who crash landed in Metropolis, it falls flat to any regular follower. The last page ends with "To be continued" but it's not clear when or where or if it matters.
Image's The Walking Dead: Image clearly knows its most popular franchise, and Kirkman's free issue is great for both the casual reader and the monthly purchaser. The issue delves into the origins of fan favorite characters like Michonne and the Governor, and in such a way that even those who only know the series from the television program will feel the impact.
Dark Horse's Star Wars: There has been plenty of interest in Star Wars since Disney's purchasing of the franchise earlier this year. And Dark Horse's free comic tries to ride that hype by featuring classic stars like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and space ships. Throw in the fact that it was May 4th (May the fourth be with you) and it was a very Star Wars day.