Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dc comcis, diamodn, distributor wars, fcbd, free comic book day, trademark

Will DC Be Able To Do Free Comic Book Day If Diamond Trademarks It?

Bleeding Cool understands that earlier this month, Diamond Comic Distributors registered a trademark for Free Comic Book Day under the categories of "Advertising, marketing and promotion services; Advertising, marketing and promotion services in the field of comic book and collectible store retail support.; Marketing services, namely, promoting or advertising the goods and services of others; Event planning and management for marketing, branding, promoting or advertising the goods and services of others" stating that they first used it in 2001 and first traded under the term in 2002.

Last year, despite no longer being distributed in North America by Diamond, Nancy Spears, DC Comics Vice President of Sales and Revenue announced that they would be participating in Free Comic Book Day in 2021 (even though they got the date wrong).

Not being present in yesterday's list of Free Comic Book Day titles for August the 14th, led some (including me) to presume that DC Comics would be doing Free Comic Book Day titles outside of the Diamond-organised event. Is this the reason that Diamond has registered this trademark? To prevent other people -specifically DC Comics – from taking advantage of the two decades worth of branding that Free Comic Book Day has been responsible for building?

Here's the list of titles that will be available.

SILVER TITLES

10 TONS OF FUN PREVIEW
10 Ton Press

SPACE PIRATE: CAPTAIN HARLOCK
ABLAZE

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS
ABLAZE

WORLD OF ZORRO #1
American Mythology

THE RESISTANCE: UPRISING #1
AWA Studios

BLACK / CALEXIT
Black Mask Studios

JUST BEYOND
BOOM! Studios

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER / THE LEGEND OF KORRA
Dark Horse Comics

TRAILER PARK BOYS
Devil's Due Comics

THE BOYS: HEROGASM #1
Dynamite Entertainment

VAMPIRELLA #1
Dynamite Entertainment

RED ROOM
Fantagraphics Books

THE OVERSTREET GUIDE TO COLLECTING COMICS 2021
Gemstone Publishing

THE ADVENTURES OF THE BAILEY SCHOOL KIDS #1:
VAMPIRES DON'T WEAR POLKA DOTS
Graphix

ALLERGIC
Graphix

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 30TH ANNIVERSARY
IDW Publishing

STRAY DOGS
Image Comics

RENT-A-(REALLY SHY!)-GIRLFRIEND
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW
Kodansha Comics

BOUNTIFUL GARDEN #1
Mad Cave Studios

AVENGERS / SPIDER-MAN
Marvel Comics

DUNGEON IS BACK!
NBM Publishing

ONI PRESS SUMMER CELEBRATION
Oni Lion Forge Publishing

SCHOOL FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL GIRLS
Papercutz

THE SMURFS TALES
Papercutz

ALL STAR JUDGE DREDD
Rebellion

WHITE ASH
Scout Comics

FUNGIRL: TALES OF A GROWN-UP NOTHING
Silver Sprocker

GLOOMHAVEN: A HOLE IN THE WALL
Source Point Press

FCBD: ON TYRANNY
Ten Speed Press

FCBD: LIFE IS STRANGE
Titan Comics

STREET FIGHTER: BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL #1
UDON Entertainment

FCBD: VALIANT UPRISING
Valiant Entertainment

FCBD: THE UNFINISHED CORNER
Vault Comics

FCBD: VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE #1
Vault Comics

FCBD:  THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH: THRILLING TALES FROM THE TREEHOUSE
Viking Young Readers

FCBD: STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – THE EDGE OF BALANCE/ GUARDIAN OF THE WHILLS
VIZ Media

FCBD: KYLE'S LITTLE SISTER
Yen Press

FCBD:  SOLO LEVELING
Yen Press

GOLD TITLES

WE LIVE: THE UNKNOWN JOURNEY
AfterShock Comics

Before Tala and Hototo began their long journey, there was the beginning of the end of Earth as we know it. In the days after the bracelets fell to earth, a group of young friends embarked on a journey to find one of their own. In the Broken Lands, on the adventure of their lifetimes, these friends face the seedy world of Bracelet Diggers — the dark underground of criminals dealing life-saving bracelets, to those who can afford it most.

Rating: Teen

ARCHIE: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE FUN!
Archie Comics

It's the Crisis of Infinite Archies! Celebrate 80 years of the Riverdale Gang with this tale featuring a dimensionhopping Archie Andrews in his quest to save the multiverse! Then, witness Archie go toe-to-toe with… himself?! May the best Archie win! Plus, get a preview of the newest Archie One-Shot in shops! This title includes several versions of Archie (from classic to TV to horror) and showcases his evolution as a character over eight decades!

Rating: All Ages

ENTER THE HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER
BOOM! Studios

Are you ready to enter the House of Slaughter? In 2019, James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera introduced the world to Erica Slaughter, the monster hunter who came to Archer's Peak, Wisconsin to save the town's children from the monsters only she can see. But Erica is not the only member of the House of Slaughter… With nearly half a million copies sold, Something is Killing the Children has become a true comic phenomenon, and this Free Comic Book Day you are invited to enter the House of Slaughter… if you dare!

Rating: Teen

CRITICAL ROLE & THE WITCHER
Dark Horse Comics

In the twentieth year of free comics, we bring you stories expanding on two epic worlds. In Critical Role, explore a small but important corner from the adventures of the Mighty Nein. Then, in The Witcher, it's an original tale featuring the iconic witcher, Geralt! Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red!

Rating: Mature

INVESTIGATORS: ANTS IN OUR P.A.N.T.S. SNEAK PEEK!
First Second Books

Get a sneak peek at book 4 in the bestselling InvestiGators series! With agent Brash trapped in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have designed the ultimate replacement: RoboBrash! This high-tech replica has been programmed with all the original Brash's crime-fighting skills and know-how — but it seems he's got a few bugs in his system! Will Mango and his new partner be enough to stop the giant ants that are on a rampage in the city? Orchestrated by the spaced-out villain, Maestronaut, and Houdino, the dinosaur escape artist, it seems criminals are certainly upping the ANT-e!

Rating: All Ages

FCBD:  STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES
IDW Publishing

Join Yoda, Buckets o'Blood, and their Padawan learners as they go on an adventure to help maintain peace during the glory days of the Republic, in a prelude to IDW's Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures series! Written by series architect Daniel José Older, this is the ideal entry into the world of the High Republic-and a can't-miss story for fans!

Rating: All Ages

FCBD:  LADY MECHANIKA
Image Comics

A young woman in the Victorian Era searches desperately for the secrets to her past, which resulted in her extraordinary but unnatural mechanical limbs. Lady Mechanika will include the 14-page stand-alone story "The Demon of Satan's Alley," which first introduced Lady Mechanika and her steampunk world (Lady Mechanika #0), plus 8 or more pages of excerpts from upcoming and/or existing Lady Mechanika books including "Monster at the Ministry of Health," the newest story by series creator Joe Benitez which will debut this year at Image Comics.

Rating: Teen

FCBD:  MARVEL GOLD TITLE: HULK / VENOM #1
Marvel Comics

Free Comic Book Day is the perfect chance to dive deep into the Marvel Universe with new stories and exciting adventures alongside some of Marvel's most acclaimed creators — and this year, Marvel is bringing you the biggest and boldest stories yet!

Rating: Teen

FCBD: WHO SPARKED THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT?
Penguin Workshop

From refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger to sparking civil rights protests across America, explore how Rosa Parks' powerful act earned her the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." A story of resistance, strength, and unwavering spirit, this graphic novel invites readers to immerse themselves in the life of the American Civil Rights leader.

Rating: All Ages

FCBD: BLADE RUNNER ONE-SHOT
Titan Comics

This special story connects the Blade Runner Origins and Blade Runner 2029 storylines for the first time! Titan's Gold-level FCBD title reveals the link between Detective Cal's actions in Blade Runner Origins and Detective Ash's story in Blade Runner 2029 #1. Two acclaimed creative teams of Mike Johnson, K. Perkins, Mellow Brown, Andrés Guinaldo, and Fernando Dagnino come together for a spectacular FCBD issue!

Rating: Teen

FCBD: ASSASSIN'S CREED: VALHALLA & DYNASTY
TOKYOPOP

A sneak-peek of two books in the Assassin's Creed series! Valhalla: Many years before the exploits of Eivor Wolf-Kissed, Jarl Stensson and his younger brothers make their way to England at the behest of Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivarr the Boneless, eager to go to war against Aelfred the Great and his Anglo-Saxon army. But they would do well not to underestimate what awaits them on those green shores… Dynasty: In the 14th year of the Tianbao Era (CE 755) An Lushan, a military governor with ties to the Knights Templar, leads his elite corps to rebel against the Tang Dynasty, and the ill-prepared Tang empire falters under the threat. As the Tang dynasty starts to crumble, Li E, a shady Assassin trained by the Hidden Ones in the far West, teams up with Tang loyalists to turn the tide and save both the dynasty and the country from this crisis.

Rating: Teen

FCBD: ZOM 100: BUCKET LIST OF THE DEAD/ DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA
VIZ Media

Zom 100: When a zombie apocalypse ravages his town, it gives Akira the push he needs to live for himself. Now he's on a mission to complete all 100 items on his bucket list before he… well, kicks the bucket. Demon Slayer: In Taisho-era Japan, Tanjiro Kamado makes a living selling charcoal. But his peaceful life is shattered when a demon slaughters his entire family and transforms his little sister Nezuko into a demon herself! Tanjiro sets out on a dangerous journey to find a way to return his sister to normal and destroy the demon who ruined his life.

Rating: Teen

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