Hey all, It’s that time of the year again: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! This Saturday, May 2nd, is the one day of the year that there is absolutely no excuse to not go to a comic book store. Even though there won’t be a free Black Coat book this year, fans in Durham NC will get a special treat: Ben will out touring all 3 Ultimate Comics store locations! In addition to doing sketches and snacking on frozen treats from nearby ice cream shops, he’ll be signing copies of the recently released Black Coat/ Athena Voltaire One Shot (only $2!) that feature an EXCLUSIVE cover drawn by Ben and are only available through Ultimate Comics. This should be lots of fun, so don’t miss out. Here are the times and places: HWY 54 location (Durham): 11-1 Chapel Hill location: 2-4 9th Street location: 4-6 For directions and more information, here’s the store’s link: http://ultimatecomicsonline.com/ See you there!!

Ok, everyone! It’s out! If you haven’t picked it up yet, what are you waiting for? It’s 2 stories in one book for just $2! What more can you ask for? Early reviews are coming in as well. Here’s one from Greg Burgas over at CBR:

“…these are the kinds of books you should be reading. They’re adventurous enough for the hard-core superhero fans, but they’re not mired in continuity …This is a fun comic…”

Thanks, Greg! Need more convincing? Check out a preview of the book by clicking here! Be sure to drop by and let us know what you think of the book as well. We’d love to hear from you. Oh, and there’s some other big news on the way soon, so be sure to stop back. 🙂

WHoooo! BC’s on Youtube! Thanks to the folks at Comics Related for the quick video piece on the new Black Coat/ Athena Voltaire one shot. Check it out.

Hey Gang! It’s coming… The 3rd Annual New York Comic Con is this weekend in (where else?) New York City! I missed last year’s party, but The Black Coat will be well represented this time around. For one thing, it will be your first chance to pick up the brand new, hot-off-the-presses Black Coat/Athena Voltaire one shot! It’s action packed, full color, and has two great stories for only $2! Click HERE for a preview. If you’re not going to be at the show, you should be able to pick it up at your local comic shop next week. I’ll be on hand signing books and doing free sketches. Gabriel Hardman (HEATHENTOWN, THE WIND RAIDER), artist on last summer’s BC 52 page special, will also be there. We’ll have one other special guest there as well, but we’ll save that announcement for the show. 😉 We’ll be hanging out at Booth #2261, so be sure to swing by. Lastly, my local comic shop, Ultimate Comics, will have an EXCLUSIVE cover for the BC/AV one shot available at the show. Yes, that’s right. This will be your one chance to pick up both of the Steve Bryant variant cover editions as well as the Ultimate Comics Exclusive cover variant (drawn by yours truly) all in one place! For a sneak peek at the cover, here’s a link. See you at the show!!

THE BLACK COAT & ATHENA VOLTAIRE ONE-SHOT by Ben Lichius & Steve Bryant Two Pulp-tastic Heroes. Two Complete Stories. Two Centuries. Two Dollars! Find out what a Revolutionary-era Crusader and 1930’s Aviatrix have in common, besides their status as two of Ape’s most exciting heroes! An adventure spanning two centuries: from The Black Coat facing down a pirate attack to Athena Voltaire encountering the horrifying consequences of the treasure they sought. The two variant covers by Eisner-award nominee Steve Bryant combine to form a poster image! It’s  an action-packed crossover 150 years in the making!