Always the First Saturday in May

The 8th annual Free Comic Book Day will be this Saturday. The 2nd annual fell on my actual wedding day and the 7th annual on our anniversary date. Obviously, I didn't attend the 2nd, or the 1st (which coincided with the opening of the first Spider-Man movie), but in the years since, I've collected and saved at least one title from each of the 40 currently participating publishers (gold sponsors in bold):

1. A First Salvo - new this year, I think; Contract #1 looks like it could be good
2. Adhouse Books - this year's FCHS has "mature themes"; I have last year's Ironhide Tom
3. Antarctic Press - Gold Diggers #101 is supposed to be a jumping-on point; there's a backup story by manga artist Rod Espinosa that I'd like to see
4. Ape Entertainment - Cartoonapalooza #2 this year; I have #1 from last year
5. Arcana Studio - I've never cared about any of their stuff
6. Archie Comics - my wife insists; I've only saved Betty & Veronica #1
7. Aspen MLT - this year's their fourth and I've never got any of them
8. Astonish Comics - nothing since 2003 or 2004
9. Beckett - I have Ronin Hood of the Samurai
10. Bluewater Productions - William Shatner Presents #1 (?!?)
11. Bongo Comics - I saved theirs from 2005
12. Boom! Studios - adapting Pixar's Cars this year
13. Dabel Bros. - adapting The Warriors movie and Star Wars
14. Dark Horse Comics - I have Hellboy and Umbrella Academy; this year's Aliens/Predator
15. DC Comics - I've never saved anything from them but I await Blackest Night #0
16. DDP/Devil's Due - Mercy Sparx intrigues me
17. Digital Webbing - I doubt any shop will offer Fist of Justice #1
18. Dork Storm - I have their Best of 2004
19. Drawn & Quarterly - Little Lulu artist does Nancy & Melvin Monster
20. Fantagraphics Books - last year's Peanuts made money on Ebay; this year's Love & Rockets
21. FW Media - on their fifth year of Impact University of which I've saved the first only
22. Gemstone Publishing - I have their first Uncle Scrooge and last year's EC Sampler
23. IDW Publishing - I'm actually interested in the newest Transformers/Animated G.I. Joe
24. Image Comics/Top Cow - Savage Dragon meets "The Next Issue Project" from this year; I have last year's Astonishing Wolf-Man
25. Jetpack - I have Johnny Raygun Classics
26. Maerkle Press - Love and Capes, #10 I think
27. Marvel Comics - last year, Hulk, Iron Man, and the X-Men were each featured in two different issues, plus they reprinted the French Soleil; this year's The Avengers and Wolverine
28. Mirage Studios - the original TMNT #1 gets a 25th Anniversary reprint
29. Oni Press - last year's Whiteout #1 beats this year's Resurrection #0
30. Red 5 Comics - I thought Atomic Robo was Image
31. Renaissance Press - did Amelia Rules! in 2004, which moved to Sky-Dog for their Comic Book Diner last year
32. Rude Dude Productions - did Nexus' Greatest Hits! last year
33. Starbridge Media - I don't care about Nascar Heroes: Origins #1
34. Top Shelf Productions - my wife has the last three years' of Owly
35. Toronto Comic Arts Festival - I have their first
36. TwoMorrows - has done Comics 101 and Comics Go Hollywood
37. Viper - nothing doing this year; I have Kid Houdini from last year
38. Viz Media LLC - I'm pretty picky when it comes to manga, so anthologies like Shonen Jump are out, even when they're free
39. Wizard Entertainment - this year's Hot List looks like a must-read
40. Wizards of the Coast - doing a Magic: The Gathering prose novel this year