Face Front,True Believers! It is I, your magnanimous leader, back once again to lay some knowledge on you from beyond the computer screen.

Last weekend was a nerd fest. Peter Parker returned to the Amazing Spider-Man comic on Wednesday with almost 50 variants of issue 1, the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in theaters and Free Comic Book Day. It was intense. We have a review of ASM 2 in this very issue and we have some pics from FCBD, as well as a Spider-Man 1 cover gallery (see below for page numbers).

FCBD used to be the day I most looked forward to on the calendar- first Saturday in May. Now that I am a little more into this comic book world and attend conventions and signings regularly, FCBD has become a bit of a hassle. We drive all over town to hit all these shops and see who is there and what they have. But the FCBD comics aren’t very good, it’s always super crowded at each shop and it’s not even like we can go in and talk to real nerds because a lot of the people there are only in the shop because its free. No joke- I heard somebody say “we are getting a comic because its Free Star Wars Day.” Teenagers who have probably never stepped into a comic shop in their lives complaining that there was no Batman #1 (New 52) in the $1 bin. The fact that issues 10-22 are there doesn’t shock me, but anything in the first ten issues probably won’t be found in the dollar bin. And to complain to the store manager about that fact when he has a line out the door just shows that you aren’t used to being in a comic book shop, which rarely gets busier than your average dentist’s office.

I’m sorry, I needed to get that out of my system. I have just become accustomed to more nerd friendly situations. Instead of everyone hobbling over each other for 50% off paperback trades and the last FCBD issue of My Little Pony, I am accustomed to civility and restraint. And that is thanks to comic conventions. When 5000 sweaty, overweight men wearing Spider-Man costumes in July heat are waiting in line for their brief moment in the sun of basking in the glow that is Stan Lee, or waiting to see the new trailer for TRON: Legacy in Hall H, you learn that you can either behave yourself and realize that it will go much more smoothly if we all work together, or you can be a jerk and have the rest of the line shun you. Heaven help you if you need to go to the bathroom then. Your spot in line is gone, and if you think the rest of the line won’t call security when you try to cut back into your spot, you have never met a nerd. We look out for our own, and we will cast out the non-True Believer.

FCBD is not a day for nerds as much as it is a day for real people to get a taste of nerd life and comics in particular, without the financial burden of buying modern comics and back issues (which does get pricey). But if you are a real nerd, hitting the sales is nice- like Black Friday- but overall it is a bit much. I would rather save my money for Comic Con, just a few short months away.

Until next time, True Believers, Fight On!