This past Saturday May the 7th was Free Comic Book Day, and London continued the annual tradition in great fashion.

My husband and I went to the Forbidden Planet Megastore this year. The store always does grab bags filled with random picks, and this is always a pretty successful way of getting their already busy weekend crowds continuously flowing. Since there weren’t any titles either of us were particularly hoping for, we opted for this route. The fantastic Orbital near Leicester Square aim the day a bit more for the comic lover. They always have a queue so customers are able to get any comics that they want.

Between us, we got 20 comics. Most of them duplicates, but it was great to find familiar titles like We Can Never Go Home, Serenity and Captain America in tow. I was even pleasantly surprised to see my favourite Joelle Jones’ name attached to a 2000 AD store. The only comic I was slightly hoping for and didn’t get was Archie #1, which I already own in several forms, but still. Free shit.

Unlike Record Store Day, Free Comic Book Day continues to promote the true spirit of comics. While my husband and I visit our local shops nearly every week, it’s pretty exciting to see first-timers visiting and getting their hands on some of their first issues. This week will definitely involve delving into some of these unfamiliar titles. Here’s to another successful year!