Beyond Borders: Le Chat Noir
By Marcos Castrillón
Beyond Borders makes a rare exception for a truly exceptional comic, as Marcos Castrillón turns his attention to BLACKSAD, a critically acclaimed European album that recently made its English language debut.

Editorial: Cassandra Complex - Silence & Subtleties
By Antony Johnston
Has controversy taken a back seat, asks Antony Johnston, or is the industry just catching its breath? Plus, an idea for how comics could inspire video games that's a little more sophisticated than X-MEN: MUTANT ACADEMY.

Article 10: Getting The Dirt
By Paul O'Brien
In the wake of last week's ruling by a Tokyo court that a manga book violates Japanese obscenity law, Paul O'Brien looks at what obscenity really means, and asks whether laws like this are something we should be worried about.

Editorial: Face It, Tiger - Je Suis Un Rock Star
By Andrew Wheeler
The DC/Humanoids deal should provide a boost to the profiles of some truly exceptional artists - but will those artists find an appreciative audience in a market where the tone is set by Wizard magazine?

Things To Come: Previews January for comics shipping March 2004
By Rich Johnston
Comics' foremost rumour columnist hasn't read Previews in a long time, but as this month's guest Previews reviewer, Rich Johnston has gone back in to face the horror, and make his selection of the most promising looking titles.

Discovering The Elephant: An integralist approach to understanding graphic novels, part four
By Rob Vollmar
What is a graphic novel? In the concluding part of his essay seeking to answer that very question, Rob Vollmar looks at the role the reader plays in the equation, and offers his final answer.

Tweenage Kicks
By Alex Dueben
Thanks to the 'tween' demographic, children's literature is enjoying a remarkable renaissance - but they're still not reading comics. Selling digest collections in bookstores isn't going to be enough to change that, says Alex Dueben.

Article 10: Switching Focus
By Paul O'Brien
Nothing much of interest ever seems to happen at DC, claims Paul O'Brien, but once in a while, the publisher does try to do something different. This time around it's the Focus imprint, but is it likely to succeed?

Editorial: Camera Obscura - Messages In Bottles
By Alasdair Watson
Writing under the restriction of a post-New Year's hangover, Ninth Art's resident curmudgeon looks at how limitations can push creators to do their very best - and notes how rarely comic creators push themselves at all.

Beyond Borders: Parry And Thrust
By Marcos Castrillón
You may not be able to read LE SCORPION, but you can still look at Enrico Marini's stunning artwork. Ninth Art torments its readers with another great work not yet available on the Anglophone market.

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