Tag Archives: trick or read

Marvel Reveals Five Trick-Or-Read Releases

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This October, Marvel Trick-Or-Read, the program that gives comic shops the opportunity to hand out recent hit comics to visitors during the Halloween season, returns for another year! In the same spirit as Free Comic Book Day, Trick-Or-Read is the perfect way to grab new readers, providing exciting entry points into the Marvel Universe and spotlighting the most popular heroes of today.

From the start of Godzilla’s pop culture-shattering battle with the Marvel Universe to historic issues and Marvel Animation tie-in comics, this year’s Trick-Or-Read reprints offer something for everyone, including younger audiences.

GODZILLA VS. FANTASTIC FOUR #1 HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2025

Written by RYAN NORTH
Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Cover by ADAM KUBERT

THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY BEGINS!

An instant classic for Godzilla and Marvel fans alike, written by current FF scribe Ryan North and drawn by industry legend John Romita Jr.!

The King of the Monsters battles Marvel heroes across its many different eras, starting with Marvel’s First Family! Witness how Godzilla’s lore mixes with the Mighty Marvel mythos as King Ghidorah descends upon the Earth with the Power Cosmic as Galactus’s newest herald! Can the Fantastic Four stop him from destroying New York along with the rest of the planet? It’s a city smashing spectacular as Godzilla with the help of the Silver Surfer join forces to stop the world from certain annihilation!

VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR #1 HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2025

Written by DAVID MICHELINIE
Art and Cover by MARK BAGLEY

VENOM’S FIRST SOLO COMIC!

Just in time for the milestone Venom #250, experience where Venom’s solo run officially began! Venom’s first starring series was written by Venom co-creator David Michelinie and drawn by superstar artist Mark Bagley. In this defining story, Venom has escaped New York and now resides in San Francisco. Having turned over a new leaf, Venom decides to become a protector of the weak and forgotten. But can Marvel’s lethal protector truly become a hero?

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #1 HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2025

Written by CHRISTOS GAGE
Art by ERIC GAPSTUR
Cover by LEONARDO ROMERO

PREQUEL TO THE HIT ANIMATED SERIES ON DISNEY+!

Eariler this year, Marvel Animation’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man introduced a Peter Parker that was still finding his footing on his journey to becoming the Spider-Man we all know and love! In this official comic prequel by acclaimed creators Christos Gage and Eric Gapstur, you can take the very first steps along with him as he discovers his powers, decides to become a hero, and even picks out his name and costume! Peter’s gotta survive an entire Freshman year as a newbie crime-fighting vigilante…and if you think you know how this story goes, you are in for a surprise!

X-MEN ‘97 #1 HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2025

Written by STEVE FOXE
Art by SALVA ESPIN
Cover by TODD NAUCK

THE PRELUDE TO THE BLOCKBUSTER DISNEY+ SHOW!

The X-Men are back – and the ’90s have never looked better! In this official comic book prelude to last year’s X-Men ’97, created in collaboration with the showrunners, discover what Storm, Jubilee, Wolverine and the rest of the beloved ’90s X-Men cast have been up to in the time before their return! The series from X-writer Steve Foxe and X-artist Salva Espin was packed with startling revelations that led directly into the acclaimed show, making it a must-have companion for viewers!

SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS #1 HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2025

IT’S SPIDEY TIME!

The perfect first comic for young readers! Swing into an all-new collection of adventures with Spidey, Ghost-Spider, and Miles as they face classic villains and more in this spectacular special. Kids will LOVE this easy-to-read comic sampler that also contains some action-packed activity pages!

Inquire with your local comic shop regarding availability for these TRICK-OR-READ titles this Halloween season!

Marvel Trick-Or-Read 2025

Dan Brereton’s Nocturnals: The Sinister Path #1 is this year’s Dark Horse Trick-Or-Read comic!

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Dan Brereton‘s Nocturnals: The Sinister Path #1 is this year’s Dark Horse Trick-Or-Read comic! Trick-Or-Read is a yearly event hosted by Penguin Random House where they provide comic shops with free comics to hand out to customers every October. With content ranging from All Ages, Ages 13+, and Mature Readers, comic fans of any age can visit participating comic shops to pick up free comics and support their local stores.

While the town sleeps, evil rises. A war is fought for soul of Pacific City by monsters, human and supernatural. But some of the monsters are on our side. The Nocturnals, led by Doc Horror, his daughter Evening, and their band of misfit vigilantes, are all that stand against an eldritch criminal underworld.

The death of the mysterious Judge Hemlock opens a macabre power vacuum in the eldritch underworld of Pacific City. When The Nocturnals—Doc Horror, Evening, and armed revenant, the Gunwitch—investigate the occult-enshrouded Hemlock house, what they find will lead them down a twisted and deadly sinister path.

Celebrate Halloween early this year when Nocturnals: The Sinister Path #1 (of 4) releases in stores on September 3, 2025. It is now available to preorder from your local comic shop for $4.99. Or pick up Nocturnals: The Sinister Path #1 (Trick-Or-Read) from participating comic shops for free this October.

Nocturnals: The Sinister Path #1 (Trick-Or-Read) 

Preview: Cooking with Monsters: Feastiary – Trick or Read 2023

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Cooking with Monsters: Feastiary – Trick or Read 2023

(W) Jordan Alsaqa (A/CA) Vivian Truong
In Shops: Oct 04, 2023

Dive into the deadly and delicious world of Cooking with Monsters with the Feastiary, an in-depth look at the colorful and crazy monsters populating the world outside the Gourmand Academy of Culinary Combat!
The Feastiary is the perfect guide for aspiring Warrior Chefs looking to join Hana Ozawa on her journey through the Gourmand Academy in Cooking with Monsters (Book One): The Beginner’s Guide to Culinary Combat. The Feastiary not only includes preview pages for the book, but an in-depth encyclopedia of the colorful and crazy monsters featured throughout the series.

The Cooking With Monsters Feastiary is the only book that can teach you to tame a Mooseshroom, walk you through the parasitic bond between a Honey Bear and the bees that tend to its posterior honeycomb, and introduce you to the restorative properties in the milk of the three-eyed Miracle Cow.

Cooking with Monsters: Feastiary - Trick or Read 2023

Preview: Dark Spaces: Trick or Read 2023

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Dark Spaces: Trick or Read 2023

(W) Scott Snyder (A/CA) Hayden Sherman
In Shops: Oct 04, 2023

Legendary writer Scott Snyder and the next generation of superstar talent shine a bright light on humanity’s DARK SPACES.

Dark Spaces is IDW’s critically acclaimed anthology series curated and anchored by iconic writer Scott Snyder (BATMAN, WYTCHES, AMERICAN VAMPIRE). Each terrifying installment illuminates the darkest spaces occupied by humanity across time.

DARK SPACES: WILDFIRE, Scott Snyder, and rising star artist Hayden Sherman craft a tale starring prisoners turned firefighters who try to pull off a heist in the midst of a raging wildfire and risk everything for a chance to escape.

DARK SPACES: THE HOLLYWOOD SPECIAL, all aboard a cross-country train ride that takes a group of Hollywood stars to a forgotten mining town haunted by the grotesque Mismatch Man, nightmarishly rendered by Jeremy Lambert and Claire Roe.

DARK SPACES: GOOD DEEDS, join Che Grayson and Kelsey Ramsay in the Florida Swamps, where a reporter is about to discover the story of a lifetime as hundreds of bones are found in a local park…and along with them, a long-forgotten curse.

DARK SPACES: DUNGEON, the team of Snyder and Sherman return to take you to a terrifying dungeon underneath an unsuspecting family home where a serial killer keeps all their violent secrets

Dark Spaces: Trick or Read 2023

Marvel’s Halloween Trick-or-Read returns with Five Titles

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Halloween is the time for creepy costumes, delicious candy, and thanks to Marvel, thrilling comic books! This October, Marvel Comics is back with another year of “Trick-or-Read,” the popular retailer event that gives fans a chance to pick up copies of best-selling comics starring some of Marvel’s hottest characters and storylines. This year’s selections feature something for every reader including perfect entry points for newcomers and young children! In the same spirit as Free Comic Book Day, local participating comic shops will celebrate Halloween with a spellbinding trip to the Marvel Universe with these five free titles:

  • AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE BIRTH OF TOMBSTONE #1 reprints AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3 by writer Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., a key early chapter of Spider-Man’s current era. Witness a brutal battle between Spider-Man and Tombstone that proves without doubt that Tombstone is Spidey’s most terrifying foe! Tombstone will play a major role in an AMAZING SPIDER-MAN event later this year and it all took root here as this iconic villain’s haunting origin is revealed for the first time!
  • CAPTAIN MARVEL: HIGHER, FASTER, FURTHER #1 reprints CAPTAIN MARVEL (2012) #1by writer Kelly Sue Deconnick and artist Dexter Soy, the start of Deconnick’s groundbreaking run that took Carol Danvers from “Ms. Marvel” to Captain Marvel! Just in time for Marvel Studios’ The Marvels, soar higher, faster, and further with Captain Marvel as she proves herself to be Earth’s Mightiest Hero in this transformative saga.
  • MOON KNIGHT: KNIGHT OF BLOOD #1 reprints MOON KNIGHT #18 by writer Jed MacKay and artist Federico Sabbatini, an action-packed entry in the character’s best-selling current ongoing series! The issue sees Moon Knight team up with fan-favorite hero Tigra against a deadly new gang of vampires. Tragedy will strike Moon Knight in the near future so enjoy this perfect standalone adventure for the spooky season while you can…
  •  STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC – ATTACK OF THE HUTTS #1 reprints STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC (2021) #5 by writer Cavan Scott and artist Ario Anindito, a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s first comic series set in the High Republic era! Part of the revolutionary multi-platform publishing initiative, enter the Golden Age of the Jedi with young Padawan Keeve Trennis as she learns shocking secrets amidst a breathtaking battle between the Jedi and the Hutts! The issue is also the first major comics appearance of Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, a character who will appear in The Acolyte, an upcoming Star Wars Original series set during the final days of the High Republic era. The Acolyte will stream exclusively on Disney+ later next year.
  • SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS HALLOWEEN TRICK-OR-READ 2023 will give young readers a chance to enjoy a new collection of Spidey adventures! Swing into adventure with Spidey, Ghost-Spider, and Miles as they face classic villains and more in this spectacular special filled with all new stories from MY FIRST COMIC READER.

Check out the covers below and be sure to check with your local comic shop to see if they’ll be participating in this year’s Trick-or-Read Halloween event!

Trick or Read 2023