May is international comic book month!

May is international comic book month!

The 20th Annual FestComix will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from May 1st-4th.

Thursday will have panels about Marvel and DC, held by their foreign distributor, Panini Comics. Jheremy Raapack will talk about his work on Injustice for DC Digital. Translated manga and independent comics will also be discussed.

Friday : Joshua Dysart (Harbinger) will talk about reintroducing the Valiant Universe together with Brazilian distributor HQM. Shawn Martinbrough will talk about his work on Thief of Thieves. Cartoonists and editors will discuss the zombie invasion in comics. There will be a special panel preparing Brazilian national comics for international markets.

Saturday: Cartoonists talk about their favorite childhood heroes, Panini announces more Manga titles, and artists and writers talk about their work on Disney Comics. Jim Krueger ( Justice, Project Superheroes, Buffy)  will chat about his acclaimed work with Marvel, DC, and Dynamite.

Sunday, the festival will close with a celebration of Batman and Superman’s 75th, a round table talk with Will Conrad, Joe Bennet, Daniel HDR, and Marcelo Mailo about producing good artwork. Editor Sidney Gusman will talk about Graphics MSP with its creators Vitor Cagaggi, Danio Beyruth, and Gustavo Duarte. Jim Kreuger returns to talk about the Golden Age in the super hero world.

Also this weekend, in the United States, is the twelfth annual Free Comic Book Day. With involvement by practically all the major comic book companies in the business, each provides comic book stores across America with a free sample comic (often new stories). Some libraries also participate in FCBD, encouraging young readers. The program is all about outreach. It is aimed to introduce new readers; they even have a comic book explanation guide for those new to the comic book world. FCBD also strives to invite back readers who may have stopped collecting comics for one reason or another. It is also a thank you to current comic books readers.

The day also coincides with major motion picture releases based on comics. The first Free Comic Book Day followed the release of the first Spider-Man back in 2002. X2, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3 all invited excited moviegoers to check out their local comic store on opening weekend to experience a piece of the magic that inspired these larger than life films. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens May 2nd.

Click here to see the 57 free comics offered this year. Many shops have limits on the amount of comics you can take. Most shops also have great sales and special offers to commemorate the important weekend. DC Comics made a map to track where their creators will be appearing on Saturday. Don’t know where your nearest comic shop is? Check out Comic Shop Locator.

Not to be left in the dust, France is celebrating their Bande dessinée this month. Why just one day? France is trying out 48 hours (2 days) of the BD. The website have yet divulge what comics will be available but will be offering 100,000 BD. The event will take place May 16 and 17. French publishers Casterman, Dargaud, Dupuis, Fluide Glacial, Wide Angle, Jungle, The Lombard and Urban Comics are all involved.