Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dynamite | Tagged: free comic book day, Mark Spears

Mark Spears Introduces A New Monster For Free Comic Book Day

Mark Spears will be introducing a new Monsters character for Free Comic Book Day... as long as Keenspot don't get their way.

Mark Spears has been talking about the challenges for the Free Comic Book Day edition of Monsters from his publishers at Keenspot. He tells the post-Megacon Industry Of Comics video podcast.

"I just heard yesterday that because they're printed through a different printer, something happened…  they guaranteed so many pages… they came back to Keenspot, they were counting the cover in the page numbers. Keenspot comes and says, oh Mark would you be willing to cut three to five pages off of your off your story? Hey, I love Chris at Keenspot but I wrote back and said no. The backup story that Keenspot want to do, I don't know what it's called, something about kids or something by a wrestler. I wrote back and said, look I did for free, you know. I did it myself but spent a lot of time on it and I said I don't want one page missing. They were looking at it, saying, could you trim this page, this page and this page and I'm like no. Because this is basically almost an advertisement for Monsters, and it's called Monsters, so I think everything I did should be in there. No slight to the backup story, but I was saying you could do it where you can turn your book sideways and have two pages that way, or you could actually do four pages because you're doing a preview. And they said okay, they're going to solve it some other way but I don't want to cut this stuff out because it took me a long time to do it, I paid for it myself, I paid my own letterer and everything out of my pocket. So it's going to be printed in its entirety. There were two pages at the end that introduced a brand new character, and I said no, I can't cut those. Because the thing is having this a Free Comic Book Day book and being the first appearance of a character that will mean something later on. I thought was a good gift to the fans out there."

And it's certainly one appreciated by the marketplace. And then talking about orders for the latest issue of Monsters #4, ahead of Final Order Cut-Off and currently due to be published in April.

"With Diamond, it's at 34,000, but that was before FOC which is when you get your big orders. We had 37,000 last time, we're at 34, and it's not even been on FOC yet."

Mark Spears also draws a number of variant covers for Dynamite Entertainment. Dynamite founder, owner, and CEO Nick Barrucci also appeared in the chat to confirm that Mark won't be working for Dynamite for a little while.

"Mark has graciously stepped away from Dynamite because he's got some big stuff that he pre-committed to. And being the professional that he is, he kindly let me know that something came together that he's been working on. I fully understand, he's a great guy and a stand up guy for doing the responsible thing. [Jokingly] Trust me, I was crying when I got that email. I think it took me 14 hours to respond. I am happy for Mark because I don't think it's announced. The only thing I'll say is that it is something really special that he's working on, and it's maybe not quite up there with Monsters, but it's something that he wants to do, and I couldn't be happier for him. At the end of the day the doors always open."

Here's a look at the solicits for Mark Spears' Monsters FCBD #0 and #4…

FCBD 2025 SINGLE UNIT KEENSPOT MARK SPEARS MONSTERS #0
KEENSPOT ENTERTAINMENT
DEC240024
(W) Mark Spears (A/CA) Mark Spears
From his hit trading card series Mark Spears Monsters, superstar cover artist Mark Spears (Spawn, Power Rangers, Absolute Power) has created, written, and illustrated this bestselling comic book series! In this #0 issue special produced exclusively for Free Comic Book Day, Spears gifts fans with a chilling all-new tale that plunges into the darkest corners of the human soul. Mark Spears Monsters #0 sets the stage for a world filled with nightmarish creatures and unsettling mysteries. What terrors will you unleash? Plus: an all-new FCBD exclusive Kids These Days short by WWE NXT superstar "All Ego" Ethan Page and Toy creators Brett Murphy and Wilson Gandolpho! Exclusive Original Material Rating: Teen In Shops: Apr 09, 2025

MARK SPEARS MONSTERS #4
KEENSPOT ENTERTAINMENT
JAN251747
(W) Mark Spears (A/CA) Mark Spears
Richie, Mikey, and Spaz set out to explore the eerie, long-abandoned Crowley estate, hoping for adventure but instead uncovering a horror far beyond their imaginations. Meanwhile, the local sheriff detains a mysterious drifter, suspecting he may be behind the strange events plaguing the town. As an ancient evil begins to emerge, the stage is set for a pulse-pounding journey that will leave readers breathless! In Shops: Apr 02, 2025 SRP: $5.99

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!