By Charly SHELTON

There are a few days I really looked forward to as a kid. Christmas, Easter, birthday, last day of school. But one of the biggest days of the year as a kid was the first Saturday in May – Free Comic Book Day.

Every year, the comic book shops of America give out bags of free comics provided by the major comic houses specifically for the day. Some comic shops had more titles than others, and some handed the comics out all year. But the one thing remained constant – the white plastic bag that says “Free Comic Book Day” and it was always full of great stuff.

This year there are more titles than usual – more than 50 series are offered for the day giving new readers an introduction to the characters and plot lines and ongoing readers new bits and info, all the while following along the great stories that we have come to expect from our favorites.

Comics Factory in Pasadena is, in this reporter’s opinion, the best comic shop around – it’s where I shop for my comics. The folks at Comics Factory were good enough to provide CV Weekly with a selection of some of the best issues that will be offered this year for Free Comic Book Day, and it promises to be a very interesting cross section of the best that modern comics have to offer.

Spider-Man Season One updates Spidey’s original story for today’s audience. The Avengers comic introduces one of the best villains of all time, Ultron, in a new ongoing series to begin in the upcoming weeks. DC offers a look at the upcoming story lines in the ongoing New 52 comics. And Buffy the Vampire Slayer is back, along with Serenity comics from Dark Horse. These are just a few of the heavy hitters for this year’s free issues. For a more complete list of titles and reviews, visit cvweekly.com or scan the QR code.

And be sure to visit Comics Factory in Pasadena for Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 5, and year round, for all your comic book needs.

  Charly Shelton