It’s the first Saturday in May, and that means that it’s Free Comic Book Day all across the world! So if you haven’t already, you can head out to one of over two thousand comic book stores and pick up comics from a ton of different publishers for free, all designed to spread the love of comic books.
Now, we here at the Action Age offer up our comics for free every day of the year, but if there’s one thing we’ve got in abundance, it’s a love of comic books. So today, we’re proud to present our Free Comic Book Day offering: Danger Ace #0!
Originally released as part of the Small Press Idol competition a few years back, Danger Ace flies through the pulp-style excitement of the ’30s as an Adventurer-For-Hire! But now, after a long career of defying death, not all is as it seems, and the Ace is up against the biggest mystery of his career: His own murder!
This story–the aptly named Return of the King–was released locally, but for the first time ever, the Action Age is proud to present the Never-Before-Seen Special Edition of Danger Ace #0, with newly remastered script and lettering by our own “Rad” Chad Bowers and art by “Jazzy” Jerry Hinds, with a bonus pin-up by Impossible’s Chris Nye!
As always, click each page to read the next, then come back here and let us know if you want to see more of The Danger Ace! Then spread the word to your friends and head out to celebrate another great Free Comic Book Day!
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I’m curious to see more. I’m also wondering what race he is? He’s shaded darker than the “white” guys, and that hairdo only works if your last name is Osborn, and even then it doesn’t work. (No wonder they all wear goblin masks.
)
Zombie King Kong. That never ends well.
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Thanks, ShadowWing — appreciate the feedback.
As for “…what race he is?”, Ezra Kincaid is African American.
And while, yeah, his hair is definitely reminiscent of the famous Osborn do, it’s directly inspired by a style of the era.
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:23 am
That’s weird, I had visually read his hair as being cornrows, and thought it seemed anachronistic. So, is it more like a marcel wave or something? I’d never seen Danger Ace before, the art is really gorgeous, and nice pacing, too!
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:12 am
Absolutely keep this one coming. The writing is terrific, the action is large, without being over-the-top, and it’s an interesting setup. I’ll be interested in more of this.
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 am
“So, is it more like a marcel wave or something?”
Yeah, that’s about right.
Glad you enjoyed the art, Tim! Jerry’s one of the most talented artists I’ve ever worked with, and if you’d like to see more of his stuff, check out his site: http://www.niceonethat.com/
And thank you, too, Joshnunn. If there’s a way to keep DA in the sky, you can bet we’ll do it.
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
So far that’s two AA comics I’d like to see more of. (The other being Invincible, although Woman of ACTION has my interest from the teaser poster.) I’m sensing a pattern.
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 am
Sorry, that should be “Impossible”. Why do I keep calling it Invincible? That’s a too-bloody-for-my-tastes Image comic.
May 3rd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
So what you’re saying is that you DEFINITELY DO NOT want to see more of anything I’ve written.
May 4th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I would like another helping of Danger Ace on top of my second plate of Solomon Stone please.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:45 am
That was really great, and I would love to see more. I wouldn’t mind seeing the colored version of this issue either, I noticed colors were credited on the title page. Fun, well paced story, decent realistic sounding dialogue that did not pull me out of the story (which I find is a problem with a lot of independent web comics) and some very nice art (love the splash page of the gorilla) -what’s not to like? More please!
May 7th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
[...] (click to read) [...]
May 7th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Chad, how come you aren’t a bigger star, man? This thing was *beautifully* written. Some great storytelling, snappy dialogue, and a few nice little mysteries. yeah, I liked this A LOT.
AA’s costume terrifies me however! I think it’s the combination of leather hat, gimp mask and what looks for all the world like *bare legs*. Don’t get me wrong – that *is* my standard evening attire – but it’s definitely a bit unsettling…
May 7th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Whoop, I meant DA’s costume.
I also meant to add that I otherwise dug the hell out of the artwork…!
May 11th, 2009 at 4:20 am
This is excellent.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
“So what you’re saying is that you DEFINITELY DO NOT want to see more of anything I’ve written.”
Woman of ACTION looks good, and I liked your Saturn Knight story. Then there’s the ISB, which you also write so I’m counting it.
I just tend to not be into monster stuff that doesn’t involve Doctor Who or Godzilla. And the fact that Exterminape has better luck with hot human women than I do makes me sad.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
I am digging both Solomon Stone and Danger Ace. The art on DA is fantastic, but I’m a sucker for anything retro, Art Deco, Golden Age, etc. Keep ‘em both coming, please
May 13th, 2009 at 6:37 am
“I just tend to not be into monster stuff that doesn’t involve Doctor Who or Godzilla.”
Chris knows Doctor Who and Godzilla are two of my favorite things, so I thought I’d pop in just so he knows we aren’t the same guy, Tronix.
But just wondering, man… maybe it’s Solomon Stone, as he is, of course, a half-vampire, but if you’re referring to Monster Plus here, unfortunately, that one’s on me. But since it sounds like you and I are pretty much cut from the same cloth, here’s hoping AAC’s take on all things monster makes you rethink that Fangoria subscription.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
[...] took the last week off here at Actionopolis to recover from getting Danger Ace #0 ready for Free Comic Book Day, but now we’re back with a look at the concept sketches behind [...]
May 13th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Unless your list goes in this order…
Transformers
Doctor Who
Godzilla
…I think he’ll know we aren’t the same guy. Also, my penmanship isn’t up to your standards. Yes, I meant Solomon Stone, but I’m also not into crime stories. (Granted, I would watch NCIS if I wasn’t so squemish. One word: Abby.) I can’t even solve a Scooby-Doo mystery. (Fake monsters don’t count.
)
May 18th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
June 11th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
[...] I’m a little late (hah!), but there are a couple of free comics online you can check out. One. Two. That second one was written by Chris Sims, of Invincible Super Blog fame–it’s [...]