The best things in life are free: long walks on the beach, make-outs in the dark and, for one day a year, comic books. Comics nerds around the globe will unite in spirit this Saturday to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, which means a trip to your local comic book store will result in a handful of free stuff and a general sense of well-being.

As part of the festivities, The Beguiling will be giving away a collection of original works by comic creators like Brian Lee O'Malley, R. Stevens and Darwyn Cooke while also hosting appearances by local creators such as Ryan North, Kean Soo and Torontoist's Roxanne Bielskis.

Saturday, May 5th at The Beguiling
Noon - 6 p.m.
601 Markham Street (Bloor & Bathurst)

All-day appearences: Roxanne Bielskis (Torontoist.com, Poverty), Michael Cho (Max Finder), Jason Kieffer (Downtown Toronto, BlogTo.com), Cameron Stewart (The Other Side), Zach Worton (Corpse), Jim Zubkavich (Makeshift Miracle, UDON Comics).

Noon - 3 p.m. only: John Martz (Drawn.ca), Brian McLachlan (Princess Planet), Jim Munroe (Therefore, Repent!, No Media Kings), Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics), Kean Soo (Jellaby).

On Sunday evening, leading comic book scholar/creator Scott McCloud will be giving a visual lecture at the University of Toronto entitled Understanding, Reinventing, and Making Comics. Frank Miller has called McCloud "just about the smartest guy in comics", a well-deserved designation for a man whose study of the medium elevates it to high art status.

Sunday, May 6th at 7 p.m.
OISE Theatre, 252 Bloor Street West
Tickets are $10 in Advance, $15 at the door, available at The Beguiling.

Stay tuned: Torontoist will be featuring a Tall Poppy interview with Scott McCloud later this week.