Editorial: Cassandra Complex: Undergrounds & Underdogs
By Antony Johnston
The internet and the exploitation of niche markets have driven obscure cult interests out into the open. Antony Johnston asks, whatever happened to the underground?

Beyond Borders: Diary Of A Comic
By Marcos Castrillón
Ever wondered what it's like to create a comic? Two of France's most respected cartoonists, Dupuy and Berberian, share a slice of their creative lives in JOURNAL D'UN ALBUM, demonstrating that it's really a game of two halves.

Feed The Dogma
By Alex Dueben
Alex Dueben shares his assessment on the major shortcomings of today's comic industry, from the medium's protracted adolescence to creators' love for the Hollywood dollar, and finds that superheroes are the least of its problems.

Article 10: Embedded Coverage
By Paul O'Brien
What does it take to make a comic book cover stand out on the shelves? Amid a sea of Marvel pin-ups, how does a title keep its identity while calling out to potential readers? Paul O'Brien wades in.

Editorial: Face It, Tiger - The Comic Buyer's Guide
By Andrew Wheeler
Andrew Wheeler has an unfamiliar experience at the comic store, and gets thinking about the comics that won't always be there, the comics that always will, and how it affects his buying habits.

Holding Out For A Hero
By Lawrence Rider
As superheroes enjoy a cultural renaissance on the big and small screens, Lawrence Rider looks to history to ask why these very American icons seem to thrive in times of political uncertainty.

Editorial: Camera Obscura - The Soap Bubble
By Alasdair Watson
Chris Claremont established the soap opera formula for the X-Men family of titles, and it's never been able to escape from it. While the formula may have its strengths, says Alasdair Watson, there's no advantage in being slave to the soaps.

Things To Come: Previews February for comics shipping April 2004
By Matt Fraction
This month's guest Previews reviewer is Artbomb's Matt Fraction, who negotiates his way through the joys of IRON WOK JAN and the horrors of HITLER to bring you an overview of April's comics output.

Article 10: Return To Old Marvel
By Paul O'Brien
As regime change starts to take effect at the publisher formerly known as New Marvel, Paul O'Brien looks at what the implications might be for the realignment of Marvel Knights and the launch of Marvel Age.

Luscious Tubers: Sexuality & Swamp Thing
By Audrey Ference
Swamp Thing may seem an unlikely sex symbol, but thanks to Alan Moore, his story is a potent exploration of the virtues of free love. As Audrey Ference explains, that's no small potatoes.

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