A Little Less Conversation
29th August 2003
In Ninth Art's essay series Comic Shop Confidential, self-confessed loather of comic stores Brent Keane explained why he found them such unpleasant places. Ninth Art has sent him back to find out if anything's changed.
The Friday Review: Supreme: The Story Of The Year
15th August 2003
The notion of Alan Moore working on a Rob Liefeld character may be too terrifying for some readers to contemplate - yet in SUPREME, the wary reader will discover that Moore found the perfect vehicle to resume his deconstruction of the superhero.
Conventional Wisdom: Terminal Fanboy
28th July 2003
Ninth Art wraps up its series of convention season essays with a cautionary tale about how conventions can seriously damage your inner fanboy. Brent Keane flashes back to 1996, the year of his first - and last - convention.
The Friday Review: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters
27th June 2003
Mike Grell's take on Green Arrow is one of the great gritty hero revisions of the late 1980s, recasting the character as a huntsman undergoing a masculine mid-life crisis. But does it still hit the target? Ninth Art takes aim.
Rage & Responsibility
16th June 2003
Brent Keane offers a closer reading of the motivations and heroic impulses of three classic Marvel characters. These guys really are your father's superheroes, but are they their father's sons?
The Friday Review: Hellblazer: Haunted
30th May 2003
The prospect of Warren Ellis on HELLBLAZER may have seemed like a perfect synergy, but Ellis cut short his run following editorial differences, leaving just one major arc behind. Ninth Art gives up this ghost of the series for critical appraisal.
Passion/Logic = X
19th May 2003
The X-MEN movies owe a great debt to the work of Chris Claremont, and his influence can be felt in a host of modern comics and even TV shows like BUFFY. Yet, Brent Keane asks, is it an influence worth being found under?
The Friday Review: Elektra: Assassin
2nd May 2003
The combined talents of Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz were always likely to produce something special, but once untangled, is there any substance to their iconic take on Marvel's favourite femme fatale?
The Friday Review: Sandman: The Kindly Ones
4th April 2003
As Vertigo celebrates its tenth anniversary, Ninth Art looks back on one chapter of the book that remains the imprint's biggest critical and commercial success. Do you remember your dreams? You'll remember this one.
Learning To Drive
24th March 2003
Plenty of people were watching the WATCHMEN, but were any of the creators who followed paying attention? The tremors from WATCHMEN are still being felt today, but Brent Keane is still waiting to see the book's promise fulfilled.