Today is Free Comic Book Day and many publishers have free issues to give away, including Image Comics. As we reported earlier, Robert Kirkman wrote a brand new Tyreese story and it's being offered for free today in an issue that also includes previously released rare shorts stories. Continue reading for more details on the issue and Free Comic Book Day.

The 2013 Free Comic Book Day issue of The Walking Dead will feature an exclusive Tyreese short story that you can only find in this comic book. Additionally, the issue will include the rare shorts stories that were previously released for Michonne, Morgan, and The Governor. Here's what Robert Kirkman had to say about his reason for choosing Tyreese as the focus of a new short story (via FCBD):

"This season of the show, especially in the second half that is airing now, The Governor, Michonne, Morgan and Tyreese are all prominently featured.  I noticed we happened to have six page stories for each of these four characters except for Tyreese... and so I thought it would be cool to release a book collecting them all, with a new Tyreese story, for Free Comic Book Day... as something that would be a cool thing to promote and get people into comic shops for a free comic.

...I'm very proud of the fact that the success of The Walking Dead show is bringing people into comic shops and introducing them to our fine medium. I hear constantly from tons of retailers talking about how new faces appear in their shops looking for The Walking Dead. Hopefully being able to give something out for free will ramp up that phenomenon."

This issue is free to anyone who can pick it up on May 4th, so all you need to do is hunt down a comic book shop that's taking part in the event. Make sure to call your local comic book store ahead of time to see if they are participating. For more information on free issues, participating locations, and special events, check out the official Free Comic Book Day website at: