Get Your Read On: Free Comic Book Day is May 4

On Saturday, veteran comic book fans, first-time readers, and everyone in between will head to their local comic book shop for Free Comic Book Day. That's right: Free.

Every year, since 2002 on the first Saturday in May, participating independent comic book and collector specialty stores across the country hand out free issues of comic books to anyone who stops by.

This year, the release of Marvel's Iron Man 3 movie also coincides with the annual event (think of it as an added bonus to continuing your comics-filled weekend).

Here's some options in Alexandria and nearby where you can grab a free comic:

• Aftertime Comics, 1304 King St., in Alexandria
• Ron's Collectors World, 7030 Columbia Pike in the Annandale Shopping Center
• Hole in the Wall Books, 905 West Broad St., in Falls Church
• The Laughing Ogre, 10647 Braddock Road, in Fairfax

Each local store's stock for Free Comic Book Day will vary, and issues may be available on a limited basis depending on the volume of customers the store receives and how many comics each visitor is allowed to take, so be sure to check with each individual shop before heading out.

The comics selection for this year includes:

• A whopping 100-page World of Archie Digest
• Special edition Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1
• Multi-story flip-book with Star Wars on one side and Avatar: The Last Airbender on the other with a Captain Midnight story in the middle
• An issue of Kaboom! Summer Blast which features stories from Regular Show, Herobear and the Kid, Ice Age, Peanuts, and Garfield that's perfect for kids
• And a special issue of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead which is now a popular TV show headed into its fourth season on AMC, which has a new Tyrese short story.

See a full list of this year's comics.

If that's not enough for you, the Washington Post lists scheduled appearances from creators S. G. Artley (Exiles of Nod), Michael Cowgill (Lil’ P.I.), and Matt Dembicki (XOC) at Big Planet Comics in Vienna and Andrew Cohen (A Mutual Feeling) and Evan Keeling (Codename: Fifinella) at the U Street Big Planet Comics store in Washington, DC.

For a list of all of Virginia's comic book stores, visit The Master List.com.