This year's Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 5, 2007, features a dazzling selection of free comics which will be available at participating retailers. It also features the return of Nexus, the iconic avenger who first appeared in 1981 from Capital Comics and was a leading character during the rise of independent comic companies in that era.

Artist Steve Rude, who co-created Nexus with writer Mike Baron, is now publishing the comic through his new Rude Dude imprint. The Free Comic Book Day Nexus Special marks that character's first new appearance in a decade, though Dark Horse Comics has published multiple volumes of their hardcover Nexus Archives series in recent months.

The first story arc of new regular series, which begins with Nexus #99 in July, is “Space Opera,” a four-part story that the creators suggest is an ideal jumping-on spot for new readers. “Cataclysmic events will forever change the Nexus universe. Major characters will die; new characters will emerge,” the solicitation copy teased.

After Capital Comics closed, Nexus enjoyed a long run at First Comics and then Dark Horse Comics. Its spin-offs included Hammer of God, Clonezone, Mezz: Galactic Tour 2494, and The Next Nexus.

For more information, visit www.steverude.com.

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