This Saturday, May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day. As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores.

It is a great way to get into comics if you're not already a big comic book reader, and it's a good way to see some stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up if you are already a comic book fan.

Here is the awesome list of books that you will be able to get for absolutely free.

And here is the list of participating stores in the Cincinnati area:

CLIFTON COMICS & GAMES LTD
3234 JEFFERSON AVE
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 861-5071

ROCKIN' ROOSTER COMICS & COLLECTIBLES
3805 NORTH BEND ROAD
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 661-ROCK

UP UP & AWAY!
4016 HARRISON AVE
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 661-6300

CAPTAIN COMIC
2105 BEACHMONT
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 231-0484

QUEEN CITY COMIC & CARD CO.
6101 MONTGOMERY RD.
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 351-5674

MAVERICK'S S/C & COMICS
8522 WINTON ROAD
CINCINNATI, OH (map)
(513) 521-4900

I've been to 5 of these 6 stores and believe me when I say they are very friendly places. You will usually find that the owner of a comic book store is the staff of that store and they tend to be passionate about not just comic books, but also helping people find what they are interested in. Whether you are looking for something specific and obscure or if you don't really know what you want, comic book store owners usually bend over backward to help you out. They are really great local businesses to support.

For more information, visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

Great discussion of surveillance on Visualingual

You may have already read this post about the Walking Tour of Surveillance in Downtown Cincinnati from this morning on Visualingual, but if you read it in the AM you may want to check back. An excellent discussion of the role of surveillance in cities has been going on in the comments, including a few comments by Bill Brown the leader of the tour.

Be sure to check out Bill's freshly updated map of cameras downtown, too!

The Banks Blog

Brianne and Suzanne from Live Green Cincinnati have started up a new blog to track action on the construction of The Banks.

Ground has officially been "broken" but they are keeping track of real construction-like activities, and it appears things really are happening down there. They have a link to a live webcam of the site and as I type this, there is actually a machine moving earth. Progress!

Stay tuned to www.thebanksblog.com to stay up to date on how things are going on what most people agree is the most important project underway in the city right now.

CiN Stage lineup for Taste of Cincinnati announced

The rest of the entertainment hasn't been announced on the Taste of Cincinnati site yet, but CiN Weekly released the details for the CiN stage:

May 24
6 to 7 p.m. - The Lions Rampant
7 to 8 p.m. - DJ set by Mista Rare Groove
8 to 9 p.m. - Bad Veins
9 to 10 p.m. - Mista Rare Groove
10 to 11 p.m. - Turnbull ACs

May 25
6 to 7 p.m. - The Seedy Seeds
7 to 8 p.m. - DJ set by Evan Scott Sharfe
8 to 9 p.m. - The Chocolate Horse
9 to 10 p.m. - Evan Scott Sharfe
10 to 11 p.m. - Alone at 3am
(Cincypunk pick!)
May 26
5 to 6 p.m. - Ian Ross Organ Trio
7 to 8 p.m. - Pete Dressman and the Soul Unified Nation

It looks like a great lineup to me.

Mark Bradford at the Cincinnati Art Museum

This exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum looks awesome:



Who knew the CAM had it's own YouTube channel?

Thanks to the always top-notch Cincinnati Revisited for the heads up.