This year's Free Comic Book Day may have been canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, Marvel is still making its planned X-Men and Spider-Man/Venom titles available to readers, albeit in July.
Marvel's official press release is below:
New York, NY— June 8, 2020 — This July, readers will get a chance to dive into some of Marvel’s most exciting new titles withbrand-new stories for free at participating comic shops! Originally part of May’s Free Comic Book Day, Marvel will be now be releasing two never-before-seen titles for fans to get a first look at some of Marvel’s biggest upcoming events. Each issue will contain two separate extraordinary tales involving the X-Men, Spider-Man, and more by Marvel’s most acclaimed creators!
Available on July 15, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2020: X-MEN will feature a brand-new X-MEN story by Jonathan Hickman and Pepe Larraz that will lead into the game-changing X OF SWORDS crossover! The second story will also foreshadow an upcoming epic tale by Tom Taylor and Iban Coello.
And on July 22, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2020: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM will provide two exciting tales connected to the coming major storylines in VENOM, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and BLACK CAT from top creators Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, Jed MacKay, and Patrick Gleason and more!
More details will be shared with retailers this week on how to receive these titles as part of Marvel’s Back in Action program.
Before picking up these new titles from your favorite comic shop, be sure to ask about their current business policies to observe social distancing or other services they may offer, including holding or creating pull lists, curbside pick-ups, special deliveries and other options to accommodate. Find and support your local comic book shop at http://comicshoplocator.com or by visitinghttp://marvel.com/lovecomicshops.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2020: X-MEN #1 (JAN200008)
- Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN and TOM TAYLOR
- Art by PEPE LARRAZ and IBAN COELLO
- Available July 15
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2020: SPIDER-MAN/VENOM #1 (JAN200033)
- Written by DONNY CATES and JED MCKAY
- Art by RYAN STEGMAN and PATRICK GLEASON
- Available July 22