If you’ve been following us on Instagram (and you really should) you might have seen that some of the team recently managed to (temporarily) sate their thirst for comic book adventures with the curbside pickup of their back orders adventures Batman, Buffy, Adam Strange, and Superman from our local comic book store. If you’re not lucky enough to live near a comic book store (or are strapped for cash during these trying times) we’ve pulled together a list of some comics you can read, for free, right this very moment from a number of sources around the web.
WARNING: Goggler accepts no responsibility for any comics purchases you may make after sampling the free samples below.
*Note: These “free” offers are valid as of 20th May 2020.
Jump to section: Dark Horse Comics |Hellboy | Marvel | Kids |
Amazon/Comixology
Amazon/Comixology have a tonne of graphic novels and comics available for free. You will need a free Amazon or Comixology account to read these, and can read them on the Comixology site, or via the Comixology or Kindle apps.
Dark Horse Comics
The Mask Omnibus, Volume 1
by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke
Collecting The Mask, The Mask Returns, and The Mask Strikes Back!, Arciudi’s original comics are very different from the Jim Carrey comedy they inspired. Carrey’s character, Stanley Ipkiss, isn’t actually around for very long, Lt. Kellaway (played by Peter Riegert in the film) has a much bigger role, and “Big-Head”, as those possessed by The Mask become known, straight up murders a whole buncha people. Still it’s an anarchic and funny read in it’s own right.
Hellboy
by Mike Mignola (and others)
No matter what you think about Guillermo Del Toro and Neil Marshall’s Hellboy films, they’ve only ever captured a fragment of the depth and darkness of Mike Mignola’s paranormal investigator, who just happens to be a demon himself. Fortunately there’s a number of jumping on points available to get started on Amazon/Comixology.
Hellboy, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction
by Mike Mignola
Hellboy, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction collects the first four issues of the Hellboy comic, masterfully introducing you to the straight talking lead, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, where he works with his colleagues Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman, while giving the world a real feeling of history and depth. His nemesis, Rasputin, the mystery of Hellboy’s origin, and his supposed role in the end of all things are all wrapped up in the black, velvety depths of Mike Mignola’s art.
Seed of Destruction hits the ground running and never lets up. The perfect sampler to determine if you want to try more.
B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs, Volume 1
by Mike Mignola and Guy Davis
After becoming disillusioned with some of the behaviour of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defences , in particularly towards a heroic homunculus named Roger, Hellboy ends up leaving the group. While his exploits continued in the main comic, Roger, Abe Sapien and the rest of the B.R.P.D. continued their adventures in this spin off series, building a new team dynamic and fighting off the titular Plague of Frogs, (or rather frog monsters). B.R.P.D. gives Hellboy’s support cast their own opportunity to shine.
Marvel
Marvel have a load of free comics available on Amazon/Comixology – far more than their distinguished competition for some reason – with plenty of great introductions to old, and new, versions of their cast of characters.
Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks, Volume 1 (Marvel Masterworks)
by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
“A story has to start somewhere”, as Stan Lee opens one of the stories in this collection of Spider-Man’s first adventures. While Spider-Man may have gotten his start in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy, this is where Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man really took off. Collecting the first 10 issues of Peter Parker’s adventures in Amazing Spider-Man it’s… well, amazing, how much of the Spider-Man lore is established in these issues. His radioactive origin, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, “power” and “responsibility”, they’re all here in the recognisable forms that we know and love. Considering how often comics characters get rebooted and redesigned, it’s again… amazing, how recognisable all these elements are, nearly 60 years after their debut. This collection also features the first appearances of classic spider-villains, The Vulture, Doc Ock, The Lizard, Electro, and The Chameleon, as well as lesser known villains such as The Tinkerer and The Enforcers.
Help yourself to a little bit of comics history.
Miles Morales, Volume 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn
by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garron
From the first incarnation of Spider-Man, to the most recent, with this collection of Miles Morales: Spider-Man stories from 2019. Miles deals with a case of children disappearing, ends up working with the Rhino, and runs into Captain America, all while trying to keep up with his studies and have some kind of social life too.
We may have to wait until 2022, for the follow up to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but this should keep you going, at least for a little while.
Doctor Strange, Volume 1: The Way of the Weird
by Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo
This collection from 2016 highlights the dedication (and diet!) required to protect Earth Realm from supernatural dangers, as Doctor Strange investigates a possible threat to magic itself! Bachalo’s funky art brings the good doctor’s wonderful world to life, nicely highlighting the magic and mundane aspects of Stephen Strange’s existence. A nice jumping on point if Benedict Cumberbatch is the first thing that pops into your head when you think of Doctor Strange.
Hulk: Planet Hulk
by Greg Pak, Gary Frank, Aaron Lopresti, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Carlo Pagulayan
When it comes to many comic book heroes, they usually have one or two story-lines that best define them. Forming the basis for some of the Hulk plot in Thor: Ragnarok, and the origin of Korg and Miek from the same movie, Planet Hulk is one of, if not THE definitive, Hulk story.
When a group – including Iron Man, Mister Fantastic and Doctor Strange – decide to exile the Hulk to an idyllic planet, where he will no longer hurt anyone, Hulk instead ends up on the savage planet Sakaar. Full of injustice and a decadent empire, Hulk has plenty of targets to rage against but ends up becoming an unlikely saviour to the planet’s downtrodden inhabitants. The ending still packs a powerful punch, and at 401 pages, Planet Hulk represents some of the best bang for your (non-existent) buck on this list.
Captain America: Sam Wilson, Volume 1
by Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuna, and Paul Renaud
As noted elsewhere, it’s been over a year since the release of Avengers:Endgame, and while it’s not yet clear exactly when we’ll see Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, live up to the legend of Captain America in the Disney+ show The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, you can at least get an idea in this volume of comics. In one of those nice convergences between the comic and movie universes, Nick Spencer’s series from 2016 picks up after Sam has become Captain America and explores how he deals with the legacy of bearing that Shield while forging his own path. Oh, and there’s some freaky genetic experiments by a Scientist with a Venom symbiote. Misty Night also join’s Sam’s team for backup and sass!
Captain America, Volume 1: Winter In America
by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Leinil Francis Yu
While the Captain America collection above features Sam Wilson as the titular Captain, with Steve Rogers as a super soldier serum-less old man, this series from 2019, sees Steve back in the suit, as acclaimed writer Ta-Nehisi Coates takes on cap in the wake of the whole “Hail Hydra” debacle.
Without the support of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve reevaluates what it means to be Captain America, while taking out an army of Nukes. Not nuclear weapons, but the Weapon Plus modified clones of the super-powered human Nuke, aka Frank Simpson. All while Russian super villains, with connections to the Red Skull, plot to take him down, and Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross is breathing down his neck! A great introduction to the modern age of Captain America.
Black Panther, Volume 2
by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jacen Burrows, Adam Gorham, Leonard Kirk, Chris Sprouse, and Wilfredo Torres
If you enjoyed Winter in America, the second volume of writer Ta-Nehisi Coates first foray into comics, Black Panther, is also available for free at the moment. After quelling superhuman unrest from within Wakanda in the previous volume, T’Challa now has to deal with supernatural threats that seem to predate Wakanda’s gods, a new plot by Ulysses Klaw, and rebuilding his relationship with X-Men’s Storm.
Kids
Jamie Smart’s Free Comics
Jamie Smart is a British comic writer and artist who worked on Desperate Dan in The Dandy but came to prominence with the comic Bear, about a stuffed bear being hilariously tortured by “The Maddest Cat in the World” Looshkin. Smart’s comics are always full of insanity and detail, and should bring a smile to the face of kids of all ages (he never fails to elicit guffaws from me!). Smart posted a thread of free comics across multiple publications including Bear and Looshkin, Space Raoul and Battlesuit Bea. Guaranteed to being a smile to your face.
Find a thread of Jamie’s free short comics on Twitter below.
Moose Kid Comics
by Various
Moosekid is a completely free 36 page comic for kids that you can read, either on the website itself, or as downloadable pdfs or cbz files.
Featuring an insane number of comics, Moose Kid’s strips run from a few panels long to a number of pages, and showcase everything from stinky cats to medieval knights, to bored lake-bed monsters, goth pandas, baked goods, to the titular Moose Kid himself, rampaging across the page. Perfect for kids with budding imaginations and a fascination with fart jokes.
The Phoenix Club
by Various
In the tradition of The Dandy and The Beano, The Phoenix is a UK based weekly comic for kids aged 7-14. While you have to pay for the comic itself, they do provide the free “Phoenix Club” monthly. This PDF download features a few ads for The Phoneix but also plenty of activities for kids. May’s edition features drawing guides for Phoenix characters like Bunny vs. Monkey, story prompts, comics to fill in, games and activities, and even a mini adventure where you choose the next steps. Download this month’s club PDF at the link below and keep an eye on The Phoenix’s twitter account for updates.
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