Who needs economic stimulus when its FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Saturday! First off, read Shawn M.’s post for an introduction to the aforementioned FREE COMIC BOOK DAY (I just can’t help it - it’s so awesome!).

Now, every comic book store is different on how they celebrate FCBD. First off, it depends what level of FCBD they are subscribing to - Gold or Silver. Gold consists of the big books you’re likely familiar with - Marvel, DC, Image as Dark Horse as well as time-honored favorites like Archie and new kids on the block like Virgin. Silver, on the other hand, is a smattering of the aforementioned big guns like Marvel and DC and smaller publishers like Red 5 Comics, Ape Entertainment, Platinum Studios and many others.

It also depends on your individual comic book store’s supplies. Either way you cut it, you’re not going to walk out with one of each comic book - most comic stores impose a limit, like say five or so books. And if they’re smart, they’ll also card for mature comics, to prevent those books with graphic or R-rated content from falling into hands of the minors. Luckily, such books are typically a minority of FCBD, but its something for parents to be aware of.

Here’s a rundown of what to pick up on the Gold side, follow by what looks good in the Silver bracket.

Many of books are tie-in’s to upcoming movies - making Hellboy/BRPD all the more a steal. Don’t be fooled by the tirle - the extremely well-illustrated comic mixes folklore with pulp comics to come up with some extremely enjoyable characters to boot.

All-Star Superman #1 is an oldie but a goodie. Most comic book fans already have the issue - or the completed trade. Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Frank Quitely, this book practices oozes of the brighter days of Christoper Reeves. In the comic, Superman’s life is fundamentally altered after too much exposure to solar radiation, leading to a beginnings of a poignant and heartfelt journey for Supes - and the complete opposite for Lex Luthor.

Old school fans will probably also want to check out Project Superpowers by Alex Ross and Jim Kreuger, which reunites a lot of the long-forgotten Golden Age superheroes. The book also includes previews of other series, including Brothers in Arms, the Lone Ranger and more. If you haven’t seen Alex Ross’ art yet, prepare to be amazed - his paintings are some of the best in the medium.

It’s been a tough year for the X-Men - making their Free Comic Book all the more interesting. Although they’ve seemingly disbanded after the events of Messiah Complex, that doesn’t stop them from regrouping to help a young ally thwart some villains. Written and illustrated by two fan favorites - Mike Carey and Greg Land respectively - this one looks like quite a collector’s edition.

I don’t know much about The Stranded, but it looks pretty interested. The comic is the joint efforts of two large forces in the comic community - the Sci Fi Channel and Virgin Comics. It’s also a flip-book, with the other side a comic devoted to 1950’s icon Dan Dare, written by rough and tumble writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, Punisher).

On the Silver level, Ape Entertainment always looks good to me. It’s just a very colorful and vibrant comic book company, and every release displays this to the fullest effect. A growing force in the comic book industry, this company is looking more and more like the king of the jungle, and its preview is perfect jumping-on point.

For the kids, you can’t go wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog. The spiky little speedster has out-lived many of his older comic book counterparts, and even outlived his title gaming platform, the Sega. This is a reprints of his early adventures dating all the way back to 1992 - again, a great one to pick up for the kids.

Boom! Studios is another rising star in the comic book industry, and it shows in its FCBD offerings, Salem: Queen of Thorns. Written by The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift screenwriters Kevin Walsh and Chris Morgan, the story centers around a Salem witchhunter named Elias Hooke. The art looks quite fantastic - I just hope the story is up to par.

For the readers out there, you might want to try Del Rey & Darbel Brothers preview. This contains excerpts of comic book adaptations made from major book franchises, including Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards, and Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. There’s also a preview of Dean Koontz’s latest Odd Thomas graphic novel included as well - definitely a must for fans of any of these authors.

Of course, if you’re a reader and you don’t like (or know) any of the above authors, there’s the old school alternative Graphic Classics - Special Edition. This includes adaptations of many classics, including Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Shelley.

Speaking of horror, old school fans might like EC Comics Sampler. These are all classic reprints of EC’s horror comic line, with hits from Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science and Two-Fisted Tales. Again, a must pick for fans the good old days of gross and gruesome.

And finally, another treat for avid readers - James Patterson has a Maximum Ride comic for Free Comic Book Day. The art looks pretty good - at least from the cover - and having read some of the Ride series myself, I can safely attest this is one story which lends a lot to the comic book roots.

On the NOT FREE side, if you’re in the comic book store and just can’t shake the need the speed money, you might want to pick up DC Universe Zero (or only 50 cents!), Teen Titans #58, Teen Titans Year One #4, New Avengers #40 and X-Men Legacy #210.

If you liked that, try...

1. Free Comic Book Day 2008
2. Comic Book Rundown: Warlock, Winter and Winick
3. Comic Rundown: Putting the Comic Back in Comic Book
4. Comic Book Rundown 05/23/07
5. Comic Book Rundown 5/8/07

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