Writer- John Lees

Artist- Iain Laurie

Reviewed By- John Amenta

Free Comic Book Day 2015 is this week, Saturday, May 2nd. Amongst the fare offered by Marvel and DC tying into their respective Summer event series, and the countless reprints and rehashes from other companies, a gem lies hidden. ComixTribe decided to use the gimmick of FCBD to release a prequel to it’s best selling title. Not only will current fans be satisfied with an all new story set in Emily’s twisted world, but new readers will have the opportunity to be introduced to the series as well. This is a true win-win situation for fan and publisher alike.

This issue of Emily takes place before the main series and focuses on Bonnie Shaw, the child stealing boogeyman who haunts the Scottish Isle of Merksay. Billy Mctaggart is a young boy who spends several nights being visited by the surreal nightmare that is Bonnie. Billy’s fears fall on deaf ears from his parents, and this being a short story, I will leave the rest to you to read and see. John Lees is back to write this special, and artist Iain Laurie returns as well, packing every panel to the brim with pure creepiness. The depictions of Bonnie Shaw in this issue alone are more disturbing than anything seen in the mini series itself. Despite having a genuinely frightening character such as Bonnie in the story, Lees manages to make Billy’s parents the truly disgusting villains of the piece. Add in some well placed jabs at cover artist Ryan Stegman and past Emily collaborator Nick Pitarra and you get a comic well worth full cover price, for free.

Oh and if that wasn’t enough, the issue features a backup story, starring ComixTribe’s breakout character, the reprehensible villain Oxymoron. Tyler James writes a tale drawn by Find’s Alex Cormack, featuring Oxy terrorizing a former supervillain with time travel capabilities. By stories end, Oxy has his hands on the key to time travelling and a very bloody plan. This turns out to be the opening chapter to an upcoming Oxy story titled Killing Time, promised to be coming soon.

So what have we learned? FCBD is this week, Saturday, the 2nd of May. ComixTribe have gone out of their way to give readers some great story content for free. This plus offerings from other companies should drive readers into their local comic shops. Now for the PSA portion of this review. Please be mindful that as much as this day is an opportunity to nab some free books, don’t forget to purchase some items from the store or stores you visit. As much of a celebration of comics FCBD is, it is also to help keep these shops up and running too! Have a great FCBD!

5 Silleeeeee Billeeeeees of 5