There's a big comics-related event coming up—“;X-Men Origins: Wolverine”; opens Friday—which means it's also time for Free Comic Book Day, being held Saturday at comic book stores and libraries around the state.

This year's big manga offering comes courtesy of Viz, which will serve up a 32-page Shonen Jump sampler showcasing the first chapter of “;Ultimo.”; The series, with a story written by comics legend Stan Lee and drawn by Hiroyuki Takei of “;Shaman King”; fame, is set to make its U.S. debut in the July 2009 issue of Shonen Jump, replacing the quirky “;Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.”;

Fans of manga-influenced comics will also want to keep an eye out for Mirage Studios' special 25th-anniversary reprint of the first issue of “;Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”;

And check around ... stores may offer some other manga-related surprises as well, like Jelly's Aiea tossing a few back issues of Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat into the “;free”; pile last year. Consider it a treasure hunt.

Here are locations confirmed to be hosting Free Comic Book Day events:

» Aiea Public Library, 99-143 Moanalua Road

» Aina Haina Public Library, 5246 Kalanianaole Highway

» Collector Maniacs, 3571 Waialae Ave., Suite 102A, Kaimuki

» Gecko Books & Comics, 3613 Waialae Ave., Kaimuki

» Hawaii Kai Public Library, 249 Lunalilo Home Road

» Jelly's, 98-023 Hekaha St., Aiea

» Kailua Public Library, 239 Kuulei Road

» Kapolei Public Library, 1020 Manawai St.

» Liliha Public Library, 1515 Liliha St.

» McCully-Moiliili Public Library, 2211 S. King St.

» Mililani Public Library, 95-450 Makaimoimo St.

» Other Realms, Ward Warehouse

Those of you reading this column online on the Big Island and Maui won't be left out of the fun, either; public libraries in Hilo, Kailua-Kona and Lahaina also will be hosting events.

Details, including a complete listing of comics available, can be found at www.freecomicbookday.com.

Pups on the Road

The busy spring continues for Audra Furuichi and Scott Yoshinaga, co-creators of the online comic “;nemu*nemu,”; with two events planned this weekend. On Saturday, they'll be signing books as part of Free Comic Book Day at Collector Maniacs.

Then on Sunday, they'll have their full line of merchandise available at Kodomo no Hi: Keiki Fun Fest/Going Green at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St. You'll come for the pups; you'll stay for the other children's crafts and games based on Japanese traditions and displays on recycling and sustainability.

Admission to both events is free; visit www.nemu-nemu.com for details.

Cel Shaded is a weekly look at the Japanese anime and manga. Follow Jason S. Yadao on Twitter at twitter.com/jsyadao or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).