PLEASE NOTE: Copies of these comic books will be available in participating comic shops on Saturday July 3rd 2004.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Well, hey, it's Mickey Mouse and Uncle Scrooge, how bad can it be? And, as if that wasn't enough, both stories have artwork by Carl Barks. Yup, a Mickey Mouse story with Carl Barks artwork. The stories themselves are both quite cool, including a key Uncle Scrooge story that introduces a recurring character. This is one definitely worth checking out. 
Gold Sponsor Book/This book is All-Ages.
Arcana Studio Presents #1: Another sampler. This one has short stories featuring Kade, Ant, and Ezra, along with a short description of what each character is and how the company was formed. It's a nice package. The only book I've actually read from Arcana is Ant, and the sampler captured the feel of the book nicely. Definitely worth a look if you are at all curious about Arcana. Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Older Readers (13+).
From Pixels to Paper 2004: Keenspot, which released three comics for FCBD this year, runs a website called Keenspace in which anyone can join and create their own webcomic. This book is a sampler of Keenspace's comics, self-promoted by their creators. And the quality is ... um ... generally not as high as you would hope for in a sampler. A lot of the people who contribute seem to think that people will visit their website simply because it's free. While some people will, most people have to actually be interested in the work. And a lot of the samples don't do much to grab attention. Overall, this one is a miss, unless you like seeing tons of different styles and levels of proficiency thrown together. 
Silver Sponsor Book/This book is for Adults (18+).
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, Astonish Comics, Best of Dork Storm Press, Del Rey Manga Sampler, Keenspot Spotlight 2004, Wild About Comics, Johnny Raygun Classics, and Sore Thumbs Election Special.
Still to review: NBM Sampler, Adventures of Barry Ween, Love Fights/Everest, Amelia Rules!, and Top Shelf Tales.
Not available to me for review (yet): 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!
