PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.
Best of Dork Storm Press #2: It's not a secret that I'm a big fan of PS238 already, and the new story in here alone would have made me give this one a high rating. But there's also stories from Nodwick, Dork Tower, and Dr Blink Superhero Shrink. Definitely a must-get. 
Silver Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.
Del Rey Manga Sampler: Two stories in this one. It's small, manga-sized. The stories are ok, but do tend to be a little scattered, like most manga I've read. Reading right to left also takes some practice, so if you haven't ever done it before, you might find this a little difficult to follow. The two stories are in very different styles, so the result is a decent sample. Small but good. 
Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).
Keenspot Spotlight 2004: A manga-sized digest (112 pages, stapled), the stories are all over the board in this one, as to be expected from an athology of internet cartoons, I suppose. There's a few really good ones, but most of them are just tolerable. And the organization is a little lacking. Unless you notice the *tiny* "By Order of Appearance" box on the inside front cover, some of the cartoons go nameless. Speaking of tiny, the reduction in size didn't help a few of the strips, and I thought I might need a magnifying glass to read them. Still, there were a handful of good ones, and you can't really argue too much with the price. 
Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).
A note on my ratings: these may not match up to what the publishers put on their covers. I'm basing my ratings entirely on how comfortable I would be handing each comic to someone of each age. I confess I'm a bit of a prude, but better to be prudish and safe than to hand an inappropriate comic book to a kid who has an ultra-prude parent itching for a lawsuit.
Still to review: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, Wild About Comics, Arcana Studio Presents, Johnny Raygun Classics, Sore Thumbs Election Special, From Pixels to Paper 2004, NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.
Already reviewed: Alternative Comics, The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, Archie, IDW Sampler, Dr Chaos' Comic Cornucopia, Teen Titans Go, Marvel Age Spider-Man, and Image Comics Summer Special, Duel Masters, Adhouse Books Free Comic Book Day Comic, and Astonish Comics.
Not available to me for review: Back in Black: Brian Pulido Unleashed at Avatar, A Bunch of Baboons, Reggie-12, and Slave Labor Stories #2. Apparently Cancelled: Delicious Seasons.
July 3rd is the third annual Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comic shop and ask (politely) for a free comic book.
Check with your local shop to see if there is any special event happening. The shop I buy my comics at is going to have a drawing for a $100 gift certificate. You have to physically go to Corner Comics on July 3rd to enter the contest, although you don't have to be present during the drawing to win. No purchases are necessary to enter the drawing, but you can get an extra entry for every $50 you spend!
