What is Halloween ComicFest? Let’s go to the Halloween Comicfest website for the answer:
Halloween ComicFest...the comic book industry’s premiere fall event – a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away specially published comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. HCF is the perfect event to experience comic shops as destinations for Halloween and horror-themed comic books, collectibles and other merchandise! In other words, Halloween ComicFest is the Spooky Free Comic Book Day!
Every year, on the last Saturday in October, the industry comes together to give away free comics and encourage both curious, first-time comic book readers and seasoned comic book fans to flock to the best place in the comic book community: local comic shops. Each one is unique in its community, with a style and personality all its own, and each one carries a full line of spooky comics, graphic novels, toys and related products. Local comic shops are the hubs of our community, where fans can come together to discover new comics, make lifelong friends, and find a sense of commonality.
Halloween ComicFest...the comic book industry’s premiere fall event – a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away specially published comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. HCF is the perfect event to experience comic shops as destinations for Halloween and horror-themed comic books, collectibles and other merchandise! In other words, Halloween ComicFest is the Spooky Free Comic Book Day!
Every year, on the last Saturday in October, the industry comes together to give away free comics and encourage both curious, first-time comic book readers and seasoned comic book fans to flock to the best place in the comic book community: local comic shops. Each one is unique in its community, with a style and personality all its own, and each one carries a full line of spooky comics, graphic novels, toys and related products. Local comic shops are the hubs of our community, where fans can come together to discover new comics, make lifelong friends, and find a sense of commonality.
I read and reviewed the Free Comic Book Day comic books sent to me by my pals at Stormwatch Comics in West Berlin, New Jersey. I’m going to do the same thing with the Halloween ComicFest free comic books they sent me. As with the FCBD comic books, I will be looking at three areas.
QUALITY: Is the material worthwhile?
ACCESSIBILITY: Is the material presented in such a way that someone coming to it for the first time can follow it?
SALESMANSHIP: After reading the FCBD offering, would someone want and be able to buy more of the same?
I score FCBD offerings on a scale of zero to ten. Each category is worth three points with the tenth point coming from my interest in seeing more of what’s ever in the book.
Let’s get started...
Archie’s Madhouse Magic [Archie Comics] is a slightly over 5" by 8" comic book. Sixteen pages in all, it reprints two stories. Sabrina stars in “A Monstrous Halloween” by Bill Golliher with art by Dan DeCarlo and Jon D’Agostino. Archie stars in “Night Spirit” by Frank Doyle with art by Harry Lucey and Chic Stone. It’s a near perfect model of what these giveaways should be: small enough to be tossed in a trick-or-treat bag and suitable for all ages.
QUALITY: The Sabrina story is a funny Halloween party tale with a hilarious ending. The Archie story is more of an adventure story, but also contains humor. I liked them both.
ACCESSIBILITY: Almost every one knows the characters already, but, even if they didn’t, the comics are easy to get into.
SALESMANSHIP: The inside front cover has a ad for several “Archie” trade paperback collections. Except for the Riverdale ones, these are suitable for most ages. Alas, there are few new Archie comics featuring the classic versions of the characters as seen in the two reprints in this giveaway comic.
SCORE: Nine points out of a possible ten points.
Blastoaurus [Golden Apple Books) is another 16-page digest with a 10-page story that relates to the title character but doesn’t focus on him at all.
QUALITY: I liked this year’s Free Comic Book Day issue featuring this character enough to give it ten points. This one literally didn’t do a thing for me.
ACCESSIBILITY: I like that the inside front cover gave a succinct summary of who Blastosaurus is. Alas, it wasn’t useful in terms of this issue’s story.
SALESMANSHIP: No ads for the ongoing Blastosaurus comics, but the inside front cover does mention they exist.
SCORE: Three points out of a possible ten points.
DC Superhero Girls at Metropolis High [DC Comics] is also a 16-page digest. It has a 12-page excerpt from the graphic novel of the same name. The “girls” are late for class because they are doing their “superhero” stuff. As punishment, each of them have to join one of the school’s clubs.
QUALITY: This is written by Amy Wolfram and illustrated by Yancey Labat. Both of them deliver the goods.
ACCESSIBILITY: Just a touch confusing for me. In most stories from this series, the characters are attending a superhero high school. This seems to be of a different continuity. A new reader shouldn’t have any trouble following this excerpt, but they might be thrown if they pick up other books in the series.
SALESMANSHIP: Okay. The inside back cover advertises the Metropolis High graphic novel. The back cover advertises Teen Titans Go! PVC dioramas.
SCORE: Eight points out of a possible ten points.
Just Beyond: The Horror at Happy Landings [kaboom!] is another 16-page digest. It features a 12-page excerpt from the title-mentioned graphic novel. It’s written by bestselling author R.L. Stine with art by Kelly and Nicole Matthews.
Sidebar. My son Ed loved Stine’s Goosebumps books as a kid. Many of his friends did as well. One of my proudest moments was Ed nailing a class assignment to write a short story. He wrote a “Goosebumps” story about a boy whose scientist father turns into a killer plant monster who must be destroyed. This story frightened a little girl in his class so much that, when I came to pick up Ed at the end of the day, the teacher wanted me to assure the girl that it was just a story and I was still alive.
QUALITY: So-so at best. It’s not that Stine’s comic-book writing is awful. It’s just that it’s kind of blah. I liked this one better than others he’s done in recent years, but it seems way too tame. The art is decent, but not spectacular.
ACCESSIBILITY: It’s easy to get into.
SALESMANSHIP: Poor. The inside front cover is just a credits page that could have been done in half the space. There are no ads for the full graphic novel beyond a small blurb at the excerpt’s end.
SCORE: Five points out of a possible ten points.
That’s it for now. I’ll have more Halloween Comicfest reviews for you in the near future.
© 2019 Tony Isabella
QUALITY: Is the material worthwhile?
ACCESSIBILITY: Is the material presented in such a way that someone coming to it for the first time can follow it?
SALESMANSHIP: After reading the FCBD offering, would someone want and be able to buy more of the same?
I score FCBD offerings on a scale of zero to ten. Each category is worth three points with the tenth point coming from my interest in seeing more of what’s ever in the book.
Let’s get started...
Archie’s Madhouse Magic [Archie Comics] is a slightly over 5" by 8" comic book. Sixteen pages in all, it reprints two stories. Sabrina stars in “A Monstrous Halloween” by Bill Golliher with art by Dan DeCarlo and Jon D’Agostino. Archie stars in “Night Spirit” by Frank Doyle with art by Harry Lucey and Chic Stone. It’s a near perfect model of what these giveaways should be: small enough to be tossed in a trick-or-treat bag and suitable for all ages.
QUALITY: The Sabrina story is a funny Halloween party tale with a hilarious ending. The Archie story is more of an adventure story, but also contains humor. I liked them both.
ACCESSIBILITY: Almost every one knows the characters already, but, even if they didn’t, the comics are easy to get into.
SALESMANSHIP: The inside front cover has a ad for several “Archie” trade paperback collections. Except for the Riverdale ones, these are suitable for most ages. Alas, there are few new Archie comics featuring the classic versions of the characters as seen in the two reprints in this giveaway comic.
SCORE: Nine points out of a possible ten points.
Blastoaurus [Golden Apple Books) is another 16-page digest with a 10-page story that relates to the title character but doesn’t focus on him at all.
QUALITY: I liked this year’s Free Comic Book Day issue featuring this character enough to give it ten points. This one literally didn’t do a thing for me.
ACCESSIBILITY: I like that the inside front cover gave a succinct summary of who Blastosaurus is. Alas, it wasn’t useful in terms of this issue’s story.
SALESMANSHIP: No ads for the ongoing Blastosaurus comics, but the inside front cover does mention they exist.
SCORE: Three points out of a possible ten points.
DC Superhero Girls at Metropolis High [DC Comics] is also a 16-page digest. It has a 12-page excerpt from the graphic novel of the same name. The “girls” are late for class because they are doing their “superhero” stuff. As punishment, each of them have to join one of the school’s clubs.
QUALITY: This is written by Amy Wolfram and illustrated by Yancey Labat. Both of them deliver the goods.
ACCESSIBILITY: Just a touch confusing for me. In most stories from this series, the characters are attending a superhero high school. This seems to be of a different continuity. A new reader shouldn’t have any trouble following this excerpt, but they might be thrown if they pick up other books in the series.
SALESMANSHIP: Okay. The inside back cover advertises the Metropolis High graphic novel. The back cover advertises Teen Titans Go! PVC dioramas.
SCORE: Eight points out of a possible ten points.
Just Beyond: The Horror at Happy Landings [kaboom!] is another 16-page digest. It features a 12-page excerpt from the title-mentioned graphic novel. It’s written by bestselling author R.L. Stine with art by Kelly and Nicole Matthews.
Sidebar. My son Ed loved Stine’s Goosebumps books as a kid. Many of his friends did as well. One of my proudest moments was Ed nailing a class assignment to write a short story. He wrote a “Goosebumps” story about a boy whose scientist father turns into a killer plant monster who must be destroyed. This story frightened a little girl in his class so much that, when I came to pick up Ed at the end of the day, the teacher wanted me to assure the girl that it was just a story and I was still alive.
QUALITY: So-so at best. It’s not that Stine’s comic-book writing is awful. It’s just that it’s kind of blah. I liked this one better than others he’s done in recent years, but it seems way too tame. The art is decent, but not spectacular.
ACCESSIBILITY: It’s easy to get into.
SALESMANSHIP: Poor. The inside front cover is just a credits page that could have been done in half the space. There are no ads for the full graphic novel beyond a small blurb at the excerpt’s end.
SCORE: Five points out of a possible ten points.
That’s it for now. I’ll have more Halloween Comicfest reviews for you in the near future.
© 2019 Tony Isabella
The entire 'DC Superhero Girls' franchise has been rebranded under Lauren Faust (of "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' fame). Not only have the characers been redesigned, but they now attend a more-or-less normal Metropolis High School and operate using secret identities.
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