The critical and analytical literature of comics has always been in drought. On both an academic and journalistic level, there has always been little for the aficionado or casual reader to refer to. Our library shelves are bare.

The Internet has provided us with a new opportunity to build a library of our own, and a literature is at last emerging, but slowly. Several websites have been created in the past few years to offer different perspectives on the industry, be they cultural, political, mainstream or radical; driven by a news, arts or entertainment agenda. Each serves to play its part in expanding the coverage of comics.

Ninth Art is the latest voice to join this estimable chorus. Our aim is not to be first with the news or the big interviews. We make no claim to being a newsmagazine. Rather, Ninth Art is a journal of the medium. It is our aim to create an expanding repository of ideas, analysis and contemporary thought, exploring every aspect of the arts and industry of comics. Ninth Art is a document, and one that will continue to grow every week.

It is our hope that our archive will emerge as one of the foremost resources for anyone seeking diverse and intelligent thought on the medium. Every article that appears here - every essay, interview, review or analysis - will be written to a high standard, with an eye on creating a document to reflect our changing times. Due to our emphasis on quality over quantity, our initial plan is to publish only four articles a week - two each Monday, two each Friday.

Ninth Art does not operate an editorial agenda. We believe in freedom of expression and diversity of opinion, and we are happy to allow any viewpoint to be represented on this site, so long as it meets our standards for publication.

Please note that Ninth Art operates an adult content policy. We believe it is the duty of adult guardians to protect minors and dependants from inappropriate content. We do not censor subject matter or language on this site, and we do not attach warnings to articles containing adult content or profanity.

Ninth Art welcomes discerning readers.

Antony Johnston,
Alasdair Watson,
Andrew Wheeler,

Ninth Art Editorial,
London, May 2001.