ARCHIE & FRIENDS #131
"Zero to Rock Hero Part Two": The video game battle of the bands from the previous issue rages on... but now the event is broadcast on TV!  Last issue, The Archies and Josie and the Pussycats challenged one another to the hottest new videogame, Legendary Rock Heroes!  Now their competition is a reality show sensation, complete with all the trappings.  Can the rockers stay true to their creative roots, or will instant success turn them into an assembly line of pre-fab pop?
SCRIPT: Stephen Oswald
ART: Bill Galvan
Shipping Date: April 29th, 2009
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: May 6th, 2009
On Sale on Newsstands: May 19th, 2009
32-page, full color comic
$2.50 US






PALS-N-GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #131
"7-10 Slip": When Pop Tate breaks his arm in a fall, the kids rally together to raise money for his medical bills.  They get some help from real-life bowling champions Chris and Lynda Barnes.  This husband-and-wife team is noted for winning the most prestigious titles in bowling: Chris is the PBA player of the year and Lynda the 2008 USBC Queens champion.  Now they'll "bowl" you over Archie Comics style, in the most "striking" story yet!
SCRIPT: Stephen Oswald
ART: Pat Kennedy
"Music to my Ears": Frankie Valdez decides to cut a singing demo, but when Maria discovers all of Frankie's backup singers are female, their love song hits a sour note!
SCRIPT AND ART: Dan Parent
"Bypass the Gas": At Miss Grundy's urging, the teens decide to use alternate methods of transportation to save fuel.  Will the idea take off, or will it "run out of gas?"
SCRIPT: Bill Golliher
ART: Bob Bolling
PLUS: Other new and classic tales!
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
BONUS: Puzzles, games and pin-ups!
Shipping Date: April 29th, 2009
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: May 6th, 2009
On Sale on Newsstands: May 19th, 2009
176-page, full color digest
$3.99 US








VERONICA #194
"The Prom Crashers Part 1": Ever since Archie's debut in the 1940s, the school prom has been a source of drama and mayhem for that eternal love triangle of Veronica, Archie and Betty!  This issue starts a special story that has the gang relive some of their most memorable proms, while also creating new memories.  Chief among them: Spurred by memories of Cheryl Blossom crashing the Riverdale prom, Betty and Veronica decide to return the favor by showing up at Pembroke's prom... and their sights are set on Cheryl's new man, George!  Will Archie intervene in time?  The most explosive prom story ever starts here! 
SCRIPT AND ART: Dan Parent
Shipping Date: April 29th, 2009
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: May 6th, 2009
On Sale on Newsstands: May 19th, 2009
32-page, full color comic
$2.50 US





ARCHIE PRESENTS THE MIGHTY ARCHIE ART PLAYERS – FCBD 2009
It's the return of the Mighty Archie Art Players!  The Mighty Archie Art Players were a mainstay of several Archie titles throughout the years including LAUGH and various digest comics.  The concept was simple: present stories that exist in an "alternate universe" separate from the continuity established in the mainline Archie titles.  This was achieved by framing each story as a "play" put on by Archie and his friends.  Each took on a character role to tell tales set in various times and places.  In this special Free Comic Book Day edition, the Mighty Archie Art Players have a rip-roaring good time in the old west, put a modern-spin on the classic Snow White fairy tale, tell a "big fish" story – literally – with Betty as a mermaid, and cater to the whims of Veronica, transformed into the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra.  Their curtain-raising performances will leave you laughing in the aisles!   
At Comic Specialty Shops: May 2nd, 2009
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
32-page, full color comic
FREE!








SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: EVOLUTION OF A HERO – FCBD 2009
Sonic the Hedgehog speeds into action in this special edition!   Here's your chance to take a look back at the long-running hit comic series that has been thrilling fans for over 15 years!  What's the connection between Sonic and the Freedom Fighters?  Who are Shadow the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna?  What's the deal with that Robotnik guy, and what's going on in the series now?   You might even get a special sneak-peek into the world of Sonic after the epic issue #200.  Whether you're a new reader getting up to speed or a veteran enjoying a trip down memory lane, this is one issue you just can't miss!  Fan-favorites Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley! bring the fast-paced excitement to life.
SCRIPT AND ART: Various talents
32-page, full color comic
FREE!

Wow.  As much as Canada and the US feel very similar, I still find stories where people get huge hospital bills to be weird.
One time, I passed-out at work and flipped around on the floor in a seizure and was rushed to emergency in an ambulance, they scanned my brain with a CAT scanner, then had me do an EKG and an MRI.  Cost to me: $0.

After scanning my brain - they found absolutely nothing....nothing at all....

I still find stories where people get huge hospital bills to be weird.

I find them weird too... weird but sadly true.

One time, I passed-out at work and flipped around on the floor in a seizure and was rushed to emergency in an ambulance, they scanned my brain with a CAT scanner, then had me do an EKG and an MRI.  Cost to me: $0.

After scanning my brain - they found absolutely nothing....nothing at all....

   

But did you seriously have a seizure at work?  I hope that never happens again.