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Free Comic Book Day 2019

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again, Free Comic Book Day! Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 4th, and as usual the Ultimate Crew is going all out for this free event! This is the biggest day of the year at our stores.

This year’s lineup of free comic books is amazing! We’ll be giving away the Ultimate Comics exclusive version of DC’s Year of the Villain for free all day! Seeing as it’s May 4th, there will also be a free Star Wars book. Marvel is putting out free Avengers books and a Venom/Spider-man book that kicks off a huge summer event! That’s just the tip of the iceberg as we’ll have 40 or more free titles available!

We’ll have tons of free comics and a huge tent sale with dollar books and more at every location! The Variant is also providing a ton of amazing cosplayers at each location. Come in costume and take some photos with your fellow superheroes!

Ultimate Comics Cary

Come meet comic creators like Jeremy Whitley (Unstoppable Wasp, Thor vs Hulk, Rainbow Brite), Billy Fowler (DC Lucha Explosiva) and local artists/writers like George Hage, Lyle Pollard, and RJ Marchese!

We’ll also be hosting a blood drive with the amazing Blood Connection from 10 am – 3 pm. All donors will receive a $10 Ultimate Comics gift certificate and be entered to win an exclusive Lyle Pollard Thanos sketch cover! Be a hero and donate blood! Sign up to donate here: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/128419

We have so much going on all day! In addition to the free comics, the CW22 TV station will be presenting their CW22 Green Magic Tickets event! Attendees will have the chance to find one of six green tickets that have been hidden randomly in the Ultimate Comic’s free comic books! Each ticket is redeemable for prizes like a $100 Visa gift card or NC Comicon weekend passes!

Along with the CW22, we’ll have tables set up for other great organizations The Triangle Sword Guild will be doing live sword demos throughout the day! The Carolina Roller Girls will even be showing off their skating skills throughout the event! You don’t want to miss it!

Ultimate Comics Durham

Ultimate Comics Durham will have a ton of amazing guests too! Richard Case, artist of DC’s Doom Patrol will be signing at the store all day along with Invader Zim artist Warren Wuccinich, artist Chris Wharton, and writer for Mad Magazine Brockton McKinney!

Those won’t be our only guests! The Orange County Animal Shelter will have a group of adoptable pets under our big sale tent. Big Boss Brewing will also be on hand, selling beverages to keep you refreshed during your day full of comic book fun!

Ultimate Comics Raleigh

The Ultimate Comics Raleigh event is being sponsored by the Ultimate Comics Warehouse, which can only mean one thing, a giant dollar book sale! We rented out a whole other storefront right next to Ultimate Comics Raleigh that will be filled to the brim with dollar books and on sale action figures, toys, and collectibles! And hey, it’s also air-conditioned!

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An Amazing Walk-In

Alan and I had the chance of a lifetime yesterday at Ultimate Comics Cary. Brooks came in with an old leather suitcase and we popped it open to find Amazing Fantasy 15 along with the first 3 years of Spider-Man and a fantastic run of early X-Men. Brooks found Amazing Fantasy off the shelf back in 1962 and was so hooked by Spidey that he started his first comic subscription. After getting over our shock at the find and both of us geeking out over getting to hold Amazing Fantasy 15, we spent the next 2 hours talking comics with Brooks.

We found out he’s more of a Ditko guy then Kirby and was definitely a FOOM (sorry DC fans, he said back then him and his friends didn’t find Superman as gripping as ol’ webhead)! Alan and I shared stories about what got us into comics and we had a lot of fun going issue by issue through the collection. After holding onto his books for 56 odd years, Brooks knew he didn’t want to part with his books unless someone took the whole collection. We were honored to take him up on his offer. It’s going to take a little while for us to go through the collection, but stay tuned for when you’ll be able to see one of the best runs in comics all together in your friendly neighborhood Ultimate Comics. Until then, Excelsior!
-Siena, Manager Ultimate Comics Cary

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Detective 1000 Midnight Release Party!

Tuesday 3/26 11:30 pm – 1:00 am at Ultimate Comics

Detective Comics is reaching a landmark issue with Detective Comics 1000! Come celebrate this historic event with your friends at Ultimate Comics!

When Batman reaches a milestone like this you know Ultimate Comics is going to celebrate with a huge event. Come out to this midnight launch party and be one of the first people to buy and read one of the biggest comics of the year!

To celebrate this big event, we’re going having a big Batman sale Tuesday night and all day Wednesday! Get 25% off all Batfamily trades, statues, action figures, and back issues! Grab some classic Batman stories to go with your new issue of Detective 1000!

We’ll have all the orderable covers! Find your favorite and preorder it today or preorder the whole set! We’ll have some more Batman shennanigans themed for the party so stay tuned for more info. Expect us to be showing Batman movies behind the register!

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Adventure Time Presents Simon and Marcy #1 Review

Writer: Olivia Olson

Artist: Slimm Fabert

Cover: Brittney Williams

Adventure Time’s latest comic, Marcy & Simon, is set right after the tear-jerking 11th season finale with Betty bring Simon back from the Ice Crown’s control to the awkward scientist only seen before and during the Mushroom War. In this issue, Simon decided to go on an apology tour around the Land of Ooo to apologize to princesses and creatures alike for his actions against them as the Ice King. Starting with Princess Bubblegum and the Banana Guards, Simon apologizes for the constant princess thieving and other grievances against the Candy People and goes on to give stolen treasures back to our favorite characters including: Party God, Lemongrab, and BMO. At the end of this grand tour, he gathers the rest of Adventure Time’s minor and secondary characters to apologize, but he seems to begin forgetting princesses’ names: Lumpy Space Princess, Finn, Jake… and even Marcy? Is Simon losing the memories he gained as the Ice King? By the end of this 6-issue run, will Simon even remember little Marcy anymore? Pick up Kaboom!’s #2 of Marcy and Simon at any one of the Ultimate Comic locations!

Simon and Marcy allow me, a diehard Adventure Time fan, to continue to ignore the fact that the show is over with new content that provides more character development for those secondary characters of the show that had some major emotional baggage to them. Ice King was one of those characters that was a joke at the beginning of the series, but slowly grew on us with his tragic history with Marceline and his mental maze faced during his time as the Ice King. I personally look forward to being able to learn more about Simon as a character and see his recovery progress with finally being separated with his creepy alter-ego.

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Mysteries of Love in Space Review

Space is a common theme in the DC Universe with adventures stretching from Sector 2814 to the Phantom Zone. But the beloved heroes are no stranger to love with iconic couples such as Clark and Lois, Bruce and Selina, and Diana and Steve.

 

Just a few weeks shy of Valentine’s Day, DC has released an eight story one shot anthology, Mysteries of Love in Space. Seven of the tales are new features, but the final entry is an encore printing of a classic Adam Strange story.

 

Despite the brevity of the featured stories, each one is familiar in a way that speaks to anyone who has ever been in love. Featuring both new and well-known characters that are staples to the DC universe, some of the tales are tender and heartwarming, others doleful accounts of manipulation and heartbreak. Reading through the narratives will draw a smirk and then a sigh as you sympathize with godlike and extraterrestrial beings struggling to cope with very human emotions.

 

The art for the volume is a more realistic style with the characters drawn in a way that feels natural for conveying expressions and body language. The Adam Strange encore story features the art styles that is typical to early silver age comics.

This issue is an enjoyable read showcasing out of this world adventures with relationships and connections that are down to earth.

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Fight Club 3 Giveaway!

This Wednesday, January 30th, is the release date for Chuck Palahaniuk’s new series from Dark Horse Comics, Fight Club 3! We have a ton of awesome giveaways! If you purchase a copy of Fight Club 3 #1 at any Ultimate Comics location this week, you’ll be entered to win one of our many awesome prizes.

 

We have signed copies of the Fight Club 3 ashcan, Fight Club 2 #1, the Fight Club 2 trade paperback, Bait the coloring book, the Adjustment Day hardback, leatherbound copies of the novel Survivor, and signed severed arms! Just head to your local Ultimate Comics location and purchase any cover of Fight Club 3 to enter! We’ll announce winners next week. Good luck!

 

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Crypt of Shadows #1 Review

Writer: Al Ewing

Artists: Garry Brown, Stephen Green, Djibril Morissette-Pham

Colorist: Chris O’Halloran

Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham

Cover: Kyle Hotz and Dan Brown

Amid a sea of superhero titles the Marvel horror one shot, Crypt of Shadows, is a distinct read that is fun and gratifying, harkening back to horror anthology comics and TV shows like Tales from the Crypt and Creep Show. Readers not familiar with the vast Marvel superhero universe (or perhaps who just want something different) can pick up and enjoy this singular issue with a small cast of characters unique to this story. Even though there is not much gore, the issue is sufficiently creepy as a psychological thriller.

The story is told in narration through a therapy session between a psychiatrist and patient. As the patient recites the tales that have fueled his cynophobia, (fear of dogs) we bounce back and forth between the relative calm of his therapist office and the spooky scenes that he sees drawn out in his head. The beautiful artwork drives chills as the story unfolds and the coloring is suitably dark without making the story hard to follow. As we’re taken through various accounts we get the sense that the protagonist is captivated with ghost stories, which is appropriate for a horror comic but drives understandable skepticism from his therapist. As his story comes to a climax we see how the dramatic tales lead back to the source in a satisfying twist.  

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Warehouse Sale!

We had a little accident at the Ultimate Comics Super Secret Warehouse last week. Thanks to a slight miscalculation, a Ryder truck backed into our bay doors! With the door completely smashed, we have about $5000 dollars to recoup to go towards a replacement. Which means we’re having a huge blowout Warehouse Sale!

This Saturday, January 26th, we’re going to have a huge sale from 9 am- 4 pm! There will be thousands of all new dollar books up for grabs. And yes, we’ll be doing our fill a Diamond box for $75 deal! We’ll also have tables filled with loose toys for sale! We’ll See you Saturday!

 

We have a Facebook event made with more information and the link to securing your free tickets for admission!

Warehouse Sale Event Info

 

Ultimate Comics Super Secret Warehouse:

3000 Bear Cat Way #116, Morrisville, North Carolina 27560

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Iron Heart #1-2 Review

Writer: Eve. L Ewing

Artist: Kevin Libranda and Luciano Vecchio

Colorist: Matt Milla

Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles

 

Tony Stark…genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Riri Williams…. genius, college student, awkward nerd, concerned citizen.

After a run in Invincible Iron Man, Riri Williams gets a new suit and a new title; Ironheart. Though she is a superhero in her own right, Riri still struggles with feelings that she doesn’t belong. In her first bout, the villain Clash antagonizes her with deliberate mockery against her age calling her Barbie Dreamhouse Iron Man and suggesting that she is from the “JV squad”. Even in her community, she is constantly correcting people who reference her as Iron Chick and Little Iron. As the only undergraduate student at MIT with her own lab she is subject to the spontaneous and uninvited visits from the Dean as he brings in spectators, affirming that her space is not really her own. Unlike Tony, she doesn’t have a billionaire inheritance and the dean reminds her that her innovations have costs.

Writer Eve Ewing brings relatability to the character by giving a realistic sense to Riri’s introverted and geeky nature making references to her Star Trek cosplay and her love of hip hop music. From her internal musings to her conversations with an old friend from home, Riri feels like someone we could know (or perhaps someone we do know). And with her successes, we also get to see Riri stumble as she works through making updates, enhancements and repairs to her suit. She develops a self learning artificial intelligence to assist her on missions and, to her surprise, it manifests itself as a version of her childhood best friend who was shot and killed and with whose death Riri is still struggling.

Ironheart is a great read so far with two solid issues that would appeal to pre-teen to adult readers.

 

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Modern Fantasty Trade Review

Writer: Rafer Roberts

Artist: Kristen Gudsnuk

 

Roll for entertainment and relatability. Modern Fantasy is set in the D&D-esque world where instead of traveling on fantastic adventures with your gang of chronic good (and bad) pals, life is just as ours is- crappy desk job, annoying coworkers, and lazy roommates. Sage, a human girl, works a mind-boggling desk job and dreams of the adventures bestowed in fantasy novel where she would decapitate goblins and win over her love interest Darquin, a struggling elvish actor trying to get away from the stereotypical elf roles. However, her real life is upturned when her roommate’s dark-elf thief boyfriend, Fentax, steals an amulet needed to preform a ritual to bring a destructive fire demon to their world, from a mobster. Sage must find herself a group of bad-ass warriors to kick ass and save the world… but makes do with her rag-tag group of semi-lovable friends and hopes they don’t die.

Modern Fantasy provided a new take on the fantasy world of titles like Rat Queens & Scales and Scoundrels, introducing new perspectives to the age-old tales of Dungeons and Dragons. I found Sage to be personally relatable with the crap she puts up with in her life and with her friends, and her companions being funny and realistic. Modern Fantasy not only had a fun story line with quirky characters, but also had real daily problems more than one of us probably face.