NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, April 2011
Free Comic Books Online
By Ira Wilsker, Radio Show Host,
Columnist, College Professor and deputy sheriff
iwilsker@sbcglobal.net
(click to email author)

WEBSITES:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-comics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/ecomics
http://borderwalker.com
http://www.comicweb.com/goldenage_comics.htm
https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#/free_comics
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com

When I was a kid growing up in the 50's, I enjoyed buying and reading comic books. While most of them were a dime, some were expensive at a quarter. My dad acquiesced and when I with him to the drug store to buy funny comic books that he approved, such as Little Lulu. My mom gave in if I wanted to buy any of the classic comic books, which were literature transformed into a comic book format. Some of my elementary school teachers decried comic books as the ruin of my generation, and confiscated them in wholesale quantities from me and my classmates, probably to surreptitiously read in private and to trade with the other teachers for their stash of contraband. Today, with the internet, video games, and other forms of entertainment, contemporary comic books are not as popular or as widely available as in the past. For present and former comic book aficionados, there are now free online resources that allow some of us to relive our long lost juvenile days, and to also allow today's generations to experience the joys that I enjoyed decades ago. One of the top free software information websites, Gizmo's Freeware (techsupportalert.com) recently published a directory and reviews of the top free online comic book repositories (techsupportalert.com/free-books-comics). Gizmo made it a point that the listed sites were not pirate websites displaying illicit copies of copyrighted content, but instead were totally legitimate websites with totally legal content. The first listed site that I visited displayed the first issue of Action Comics, dated June, 1938, which is the issue that introduced Superman to the world. According to Gizmo, a copy of this issue sold recently for $1.5 million, but anyone can view it online for free. One of my adult daughters is a fan of the TV version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and would probably find the 11 "e-comics" posted online by the BBC most interesting (bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/ecomics). BBC has also posted several of the "Dr. Who" comic series online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/fiction/writerscomics for those who like the popular TV show of the same name. "The Comic Web" at http://www.comicweb.com/goldenage_comics.htm has over 30 full-length comics from 1936 to 1955 that can be viewed online for free, and downloaded as a PDF for only a dime. Captain Marvel #1 " Captain Marvel Battles the Vampire" from 1941 started a cult classic, and can be viewed online at http://www.comicweb.com/onlinecomics/captain_marvel_01_story.pdf. Other Comic Web holdings include a few of the World War II series of super hero comics "Fighting Yank" where the super hero, wearing a cloak and tri-corner hat reminiscent of 1776 takes on the axis powers. On the bottom of each "Fighting Yank" page is a patriotic statement of the day, encouraging the reader to buy war bonds or to contribute to the scrap drives to defeat the axis. Considering the date of publication and the then contemporary events in the news, it is obvious how the "Fighting Yank" would appeal to the children of the day. One of the oldest comics on the Comic Web page is "Detective Picture Stories #1 - Bogus Bills" from 1936. "GI Joe #10" from 1950, reflects some of the sentiments from early in the Korean War, where the U.S. soldiers have to deal with the likes of an attractive female reporter while dealing with a "Russky tank". While patriotism is a common theme of many comics of the period, what may be the epitome of a patriot super hero may be the 1941 rendition of "The Flag" who is the adopted son of a crippled war hero, and has the speed of the wind, and the strength of a hundred men. In his red, white, and blue uniform he takes on the enemies of America. In Our Flag #3, The Flag removes a flag bearing the swastika from the dome of the capitol building, and defeats the enemy who has torn down the American flag from the Capitol building; in just16 pages, The Flag saves the country. While not as dramatic, in the 1941 comic book "Stars and Stripes #4" another super hero, the Iron Skull, saves a convoy of ships from marauding U-Boats. While historically inaccurate, comics like these can be used to demonstrate some of the popular ideas and philosophies of the day, and show how those contemporary super heroes dealt with the pressing issues facing the country. DC Comics, one of today's predominate comic book publishers, has been publishing comic books since 1934. In addition to producing print comic books, DC Comics has made available a large collection of free comics online at read.dccomics.com/comixology/#/free_comics. With new titles added frequently, DC Comics has an impressive collections of comic books available. In Superman Confidential #1 (January 2007), the secrets of Kryptonite are explained; for those who may be unaware of the Superman saga, Kryptonite is a strange mineral from the defunct planet Krypton, that has the unique power of sapping Superman's legendary strength, depriving him of his super powers. In a two-page teaser to encourage the reader to purchase the full comic, DC Comics online has "The Origin of Robin", the super hero that becomes the famous sidekick of Batman. Other super hero comics included on the free DC Comics website, consisting of either teasers or full editions, are the likes of Justice League of America, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern. One of the largest libraries of online comic books is the Digital Comic Museum (digitalcomicmuseum.com) which has over 6000 comic books available for free download (free registration required). On this website I found many of the comics that I enjoyed as a child. The date ranges of the comics at the Digital Comic Museum are from 1902 to 1986. Some of the larger collections sorted by publisher on this site include Charlton Comics with 650 issues; American Comics group (493); Better/Nedor/Standard/Pines Publications (410); Comics House Publications (445); Dell Comics (517); Quality Comics (1243); and Fawcett Comics (1120 issues). Many old classics are available, including such oldies as The Katzenjammer Kids and Little Orphan Annie. There is even a comic book available that was published and distributed by the U.S. Government, "Burt the Turtle Says Duck and Cover"; we were provided a copy of this exact comic book in elementary school where it was mandatory that we read it in class, and then practiced our "Duck and Cover" drills that were supposed to protect us from a Soviet nuclear missile strike. The user should be aware that many of the comic books available for free download from this website are compressed with a variety of compression methods, so that a free universal decompression utility such as PeaZip (peazip.org), or 7-Zip (7-zip.org) may be necessary to prepare the files for viewing. There are many other websites listed by Gizmo that have free comic books to view and download. With free resources such as these, it is easy for some of us to relive our childhood, while others may discover a forgotten but very entertaining resource.

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