Crash Comics will be celebrating the grand opening of its new location at 1201 Kentucky on Saturday, May 7. If you’re a comic fan, you probably recognize that date as being significant. That’s because the first Saturday in May has been Free Comic Book Day every year since 2002. This year, Crash is going all out to get people involved in the annual FCBD event and show off their new store.

Free Comic Book Day, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is sort o the comic industry’s annual “open house.” The basic idea is pretty much the same as when liquor companies give out free shots in bars: to introduce new people to the world of comic books and remind former comic readers what they’ve been missing. Anybody who walks into a comic book store on the first Saturday in May walks out with at least one free comic book until all the freebies are gone.

In case you’re wondering, the free comics aren’t back issues of The Rise of Arsenal that nobody wanted in the first place. The freebies are brand new comics written, drawn, and printed especially for Free Comic Book Day. Many of them are designed to introduce new readers to popular series, and most comic companies include a few books geared towards younger readers. This year’s crop of free comics includes classic comic characters like Spider Man and Green Lantern, comic book versions of popular characters like The Simpsons and Kung-Fu Panda, and off-the-wall titles like The Misadventures of Adam West and Intrepid Escapegoat. There’s even one called Deadliest Sharks and Prehistoric Predators for Discovery Channel fans.

In addition to the free comics, there will be lots of other stuff going on. From noon until 2:00, WZZL will be doing a live remote. There will also be game demos, including Magic: The Gathering and a QAGS demo (probably Leopard Women of Venus or Roller Girls Vs., starting at 1:00). And of course lots of dollar comic boxes, sales on all kinds of stuff, and free door prizes all day long. That’s just what the Crash guys have come up with so far--they’ll probably add more stuff as the big day gets closer. To keep up-to-date on the latest details, check out their Facebook page (Crash-Comics) or follow them on Twitter (@crashcomics). When May 7 rolls around, grab your kids, your friends, and anybody else you can find who likes cool stuff and head over to Crash.