It’s Free Comic Book Day this Saturday, May 6! Participating comic book
shops across North America and around the world give away millions of
special-edition comic books absolutely free — to anyone who comes
into their stores! That means you. And hey, it also means Donald Duck! Donald
and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie are invading comic shops in a special
Gemstone Free Comic Book Day edition, featuring work by several great modern
Duck creators.

“Duck books” really arrived on the American
comics scene with the legendary writer/artist Carl Barks, so it’s Barks who
provides our classic cover featuring Donald and his sneaky cat, Tabby. First
published on 1953’s Donald Duck 29, the rare drawing is seeing its first
American reprint here.
Moving inside we find our opening tale, Don Rosa’s
famous “Metaphorically Spanking!” It’s a school day, but Huey,
Dewey, and Louie would rather loaf in the great outdoors. A little hookey is
called for — but no matter where the nephews go, they find Unca Donald on their
tails! It’s a deft mix of coincidence, slapstick, and wondrous wordplay from
Rosa’s early years with the Ducks.
Pat and Shelly Block are up next with
“Queen of the Ant Farm.” This ten-page opus has Huey, Dewey, and
Louie building an ant colony for the Junior Woodchucks’ Agricultural Fair.
Determined to beat them and become an honorary Woodchuck, “Little
Boonehead” Donald sets to constructing an even larger colony…
with every ant trained via Donald’s unforgettable “queen ant”
disguise.
Canuck creator William Van Horn winds up the book with
“Their Loaded Forebear.” The ancestor of the title is a sure-enough
caveduck — an evolutionary throwback living in Duckburg’s Black Forest. Out to
collect pine cones for money, the Ducks wind up in battle with this nutty
Neanderthal. Will Donald’s trickery prove that he has a “bigger
brain” than his forebear? Or… uuh-uuh-aaaah, maybe
not?

That wraps up our Free Comic Book Day submission, but we’d be remiss
not to sic you on our other great release this week — the $7.95,
128-page Mickey Mouse Adventures 9! While admittedly not free, it offers
fantastic value for money, with three scintillating long-form sagas by fan
favorite creators!
First up is “Fatal Distraction,” by renowned
Mouse writer Byron Erickson and artist Massimo Fecchi. A horrified Mickey wakes
to find a gloating Pegleg Pete in his bedroom, announcing a coming crime wave.
But when Mickey checks the next morning, Pete is safely in prison! Has Mickey
become obsessed with Pete, or is there something more sinister behind it all?
Are there actually… two Petes at large?
Dave Rawson
(Chiaroscuro) follows next with “Soap Dope.” Ever hear of a
fan turned pro? Die-hard soap opera addict Donald gets his long-sought-after
chance to write and star in the shows themselves! Mixing it up with snarky
screenwriters, exploitative moguls, and back-stabbing actors, Donald works his
way from rags to riches… and then from riches to rags!
Andreas Pihl and
Donald D. Markstein wrap the book with Pegleg Pete in ”Ticket to
Pong.” After beating a trivia contest with questions about Pete, Mickey
wins an African safari — with tied-for-first prizewinner Pete along for the
ride! Pete is due to inherit a mysterious, but valuable item should he behave
himself on the journey. But with his favorite enemy in tow, this may be…
difficult!

Gemstone is your source for new and vintage (and occasionally
free) Disney greats! Order our titles online at http://www.gemstonepub.com/disney
or http://www.walmart.com. Find
them at RiteAid or your local comic shop. And if you can’t find a comic shop,
don’t write off your free Duck yet. Call Diamond Comics’ Comic Shop Locator
Service at 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.