- Scott McCloud, writer of Superman: Strength #1, on how to break into comics.

b o o k s f o r J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

Epileptic (£16-99, Fantagraphics) by David B - First the praise - Stunning, inventive, rambling autobiography from one of the current masters of French comics. You can get a little jaded from hearing that so-and-so is one of the best cartoonists on the continent and this wasn't too appealing a prospect. The basis is his brother's epilepsy and the effect it has on both the young author and on the family unit. As I was reading through it last night (and telling myself that I had to stop and get some sleep) I thought that the title and preview blurb had misled me because it wasn't all about the epilepsy. Sure, that is a part of it, but so is David's love of war history and his growing interest in drawing and the family's drift toward alternative culture. Only now does it click. When something as big as this happens within a family everything else is changed by their proximity. Maybe he (calling himself Pierre in the book) dove further into his own imagination because his brother (and they were close) was slowly drifting away, changing inside. His parents definitely decided to look to other therapies and therefore other living arrangements because of Jean's affliction.

The opening sequence lays down the scene at breakneck speed, rather like MAGNOLIA's relentless hurtle. The 'voice over' is very conversational but it darts around, without feeling forced, gradually mapping out the homelife, Pierre's friends, his parents and obsessions. Slowly, as we're warming to the brothers, he introduces other elements like the snaking creatures to represent various illnesses. The creatures have a good deal of Mayan design to them and they call the patients to writhe and dance on the panel. Illness is a monster, literally. Pierre says that a Japanese doctor reminds him of a big cat so the doctor is always shown with a grinning cat head atop his giant frame. This is a story about someone drifting away and the effect on the family.

That paragraph was from my review of the first book. This is a collection of the first and second books for the same price as the first. I was going to complain that they should have released the second half as a separate book but as the price is decent for 368 pages I can't quite bring myself to gripe too much. If you want a taste of David's work, we've got the recently release BABEL in @ £6-50.

Underbelly hc (£15-50, Fantagraphics) by Dave Cooper - A sequel to OVERBITE, another collection of paintings. 'Although much of the work in Underbelly appears to have slithered out of a similar place as Overbite, this latest batch has a decidedly darker and more urban flavor.' Darker? Darker??

Stacks (£6-50, Drawn & Quarterly) by Marc Bell - Did I mention how much I love Marc Bell's work? The fun (fun!) aspect of his work and the invention and internal logic, feeling like a big, sweet blister full of pop culture and advertising slogans that you just know will be very satisfying to lance? Rejected designs for seventies Sesame Street characters let loose on an ever changing background with a hint of Will Elder's crammed panels and a whisper of Jim Woodring's drifting, undulating, vibrating worlds? No? Oh, maybe I was talking to someone else. You all look the same to me on this screen. 'The Stacks is a reworking of Marc's acclaimed debut into the New York art work. It features collages, paintings, paper-mache dolls, and curly drawings.' Well, that's my hope of a cheap piece of original art all shot to hell. Even his single panels are in three figures at the moment. But (for all those still reading) just like the other books in D&Q's 'petit livres' series (that's French for 'brief lives', a tribute to Neil Gaiman) for every few we order we'll be getting a mini print signed by the artist. This applies to CHRONICLES OF LUCKY ELLO by Peter Thompson, LADY PEP by Julie Doucet and DOG & WATER by Anders Nilson. And with this there's a small print of a paper doll. The prints will be given to the first few who order the books.

F Stop (£9-99, Oni) by Antony Johnston & Matthew Loux. 'Antony Johnston returns to romance and comedy' are the words I've been hoping to hear ever since 3 DAYS IN EUROPE reach the end of its travels. Seems he has an equally interesting artist along for the ride this time - all lithe forms, curvy lines and pointy angles. Struggling photographer meets a Latina foxstress 'with a bar tab better suited to a biker club than a stunning beauty', and passes himself off as the hottest snapshooter in New York City. Now he has to keep up the pretence and make good on it, otherwise he'll find his career takes a swan dive and his bird flies the coop.

Follow Me Closely (£6-50, Oni) by Daniel Krall. We're still very much looking forward to this book, and have been since May. I don't know what the problem's been, but here's what I wrote back then: 'What a lovely colour. Retro-clothed couple in Clugston-Major way, under an arch of swirling leaves, pink hearts and scarlet skulls, all on a tangerine stock. What on earth's going on? Julian, who has a trust fund on its way, runs away to Europe with his stepmother. At which point his father puts a couple of assassins on their case. I had a pretty poor relationship my own father, but that's just crazy. So anyway, Julian ends up killing one of the mercenaries, after which he's forced to make a choice: adopt the killer's identity or be killed himself. Why? I don't know, they don't say.'

Bizarro World hc (£19-99, DC) by Tony Millionaire, Danny Hellman, Roger Langridge, Kyle Baker, Evan Dorkin, Hunt Emerson, Farel Dalrymple, Dylan Horrocks, Eddie Campbell, Dave Cooper, Harvey Pekar, Dean Haspiel, James Kochalka, Tom Hart, Leela Corman, Gilbert Hernandez, Peter Bagge, Derek Kirk Kim, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, Kurt Wolfgang, Brian Ralph, Scott Morse, Benn Dunn, Andi Watson, Bob Fingerman, Paul Grist, Carol Lay, Craig Thompson, Ivan Brunetti & more - Did you get all that? Good. As all good children know, Bizarro Comics was an absolute delight with indy comics types allowed to run riot with registered DC trademarks. Supergirl sat down for cake'n'coffee with a friend, we saw Superman's babysitter driven to the edge of despair, Green Lantern's inventions feel lost and alone and Kamandi form a band. It was fun, with artists (and writers and writer/artists) delving back to whenever it was that Superman married Lois every couple of months, new forms of kryptonite were discovered every issue and gorillas ran free on the streets of Gotham. Silliness. Throwaway fun. This should do the same.

Vaughn Bode: Rare & Well-Done (£12-99, Pure Imagination) by Bode - '120 pages of Vaughn Bode's rarest art, including his complete run on 'If' and 'Galaxy', rare fanzine works, and early advertisements.' First Bode cover I've seen in an age that doesn't have tits.

Marge's Little Lulu (£6-50, Dark Horse) by John Stanley & Irving Tripp - Waiting for the first volume. An acclaimed classic. We shall see.

Sin City vol 1: The Hard Goodbye (£12-99, Dark Horse/Titan) Sin City vol 2: A Dame To Kill For (£12-99 Dark Horse/Titan) by Frank Miller. New editions of these two volumes just in time for the Robert Rodriguez film based on these two and THAT YELLOW BASTARD (the first at least is currently out of print). All the books are going to be lavishly redesigned by the marvellous Chip Kidd over the course of the year, then desecrated with a bloody great sticker by Titan. Speaking of parasites, our rent's just gone up, so we may end up switching to our dormant limited company just to save some tax to pay the landlord. We'll keep you informed because cheques will have to be made payable to Page 45 Ltd, which sounds dead posh and a little bit corporate, but it's purely superficial. I'm only telling you this now to get the 'parasite' gag in. For those who yet to read either of these books, the first is a glorious essay on light on form. Sometimes the form is eroded, sometimes it's enhanced, blocked out against black or white, and the rain slashing across the pages towards the end, as gnarled Marv (Clint Eastwood on steroids) crosses the streets in his billowing trenchcoat is a sight to behold. In some ways it's a very old-fashioned series about 'dames' and guys who fall for them. It's about guns and crime and gun crime; bars and dancers and booze and cars and it's ages since I've read one - sorry. Listening suggestion: Tom Waits.

Constantine: The Official Movie Adaptation (£4-99, Vertigo) by Steven T. Seagle & Ron Randall, Jimmy Palmiotti/Constantine: The Hellblazer Collection (£9-99, Vertigo) by many. So you have a choice. Not just between a simple comicbook adaptation of the film adaptation of the comicbook and a package that includes that comicbook adaptation of the film adaptation of the comicbook and HELLBLAZER #1 (already available in HELLBLAZER: ORIGINAL SINS), #27 (already available in NEIL GAIMAN'S MIDNIGHT DAYS) and #41 (already available in DANGEROUS HABITS, and the first part of a storyline you'll then have to buy another book to conclude), but also, for a fairly equal fee, the choice of whether to be disappointed at home, or at the cinema.

John Constantine: Hellblazer - Rare Cuts (£9-99, Vertigo) by Delano, Morrison, Ennis & Philips, Lloyd, Rayner, Buckingham. Much more sensible offering. John Constantine is a conman. A very good conman with the gift of the gab. The fact that he's also an expert on the occult probably does more to get him into scrapes than out of them. It also has a habit of proving lethal to his friends. This collection finally reprints HELLBLAZER #11 (the 'Newcastle issue' which took place in 1978 when a cocky young Constantine fucked up completely, consigning a poor girl's soul to Hell, and himself to a mental health ward), #25 and 26 (weapons testing unleashes psychic horror on a dying town in the north of England), #35 (childhood revelations), #56 (don't remember, but it's Garth), #84 (another background piece, about his long-suffering, best mate Chas), and a few pages from the HELLBLAZER SECRET FILES. Those FILES, written by Delano and Azzarello with artwork from Dillon, Fabry, Phillips, Bradstreet and Taylor, are being reprinted in full, if you're interested, and will come in at £3-50. And while we're here, if you want to read Constantine's first appearances, you'll find them in Alan Moore's SWAMP THING: THE CURSE. We heartily recommend all of Alan's SWAMP THING, of course, but this is a particularly good volume - John is hilarious, constantly baffling the Earth Elemental, and there's a werewolf story as a metaphor for menstruation - whence the title.

Seaguy (£6-50, Vertigo) by Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart. In interviews Grant has been complaining that nobody 'got' it. We got it. The first issue was a scathing satire on rampant consumerism, TV addiction, corporate hypnosis and modern day lethargy. The second issue wasn't, and the third issue disappeared right up Grant's psychedelic arsehole. Still, the good news is that DC are seeing fit to reprint this three-parter as a single book, rather than lump it together with WE3 as they did with Warren Ellis' three-parters (e.g. RELOAD/MEK). WE3 #3 is also out in January, and if you think that's a long wait, just look back at Frank Quitely's art on #2 again. Just when you think he can't get any better, he boggles you some more. Incredible.

Classic 40 Ounce: Tales >From The Brown Bag (£8-50, Image) by Jim Mahfood. Jim's latest (new) and earliest work (print runs: 300). Think Evan Dorkin (MILK & CHEESE, DORK) into hip-hop rather than ska. The man can be very, very funny... and a little elitist. Best so far have been the two issues of STUPID COMICS, not reprinted here.

Four-Letter Worlds (£8-50, Image) by many. 'Love. Hate. Fear. Fate. Four words that define our lives in different ways. Four words that lie at the heart of all our experiences. Four words that have long inspired artists to craft their most resonant work.' Sixteen new short stories from the likes of Andi Watson, Scott Morse, Antony Johnston, Matt Fraction, Chynna Clugston-Major, Jamie S. Rich, Jim Mahfood, Mike Hawthorne and a whole load of other people you've never heard of, including Jamie McKelvie. Hopefully Jamie's royalties, should he make any, will be sent our way in order to pay for the comics he ordered then never picked up. In spite of promising twice.

Negative Burn: The Very Best From 1993-1998 (£12-99, Image) by many including Nabiel Kanan, Alan Moore, Terry Moore, Neil Gaiman, Paul Pope, Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons, Evan Dorkin and Michael Gaydos. Admittedly this should have titled NEGATIVE BURN: THE VERY LEAST AWFUL, but I don't think you can argue with a line-up like that. NEGATIVE BURN was a black and white anthology from Calibre Press who originally printed BAKER STREET and the second series of Nabiel Kanan's EXIT, along with some deeply uninspired twaddle. In fact apart from those two magnificent titles, standards were so dismal that you could pretty much skip the solicitations just like you can now with Image. A fitting home, then, for this, but Nabiel Kanan's inclusion here is an indication that the editor knows what he/she is doing. You might also have heard of Alan Moore.

Small Gods vol 1: Killing Grin (£6-50, Image) by Jason Rand & Juan E. Ferreyra. Present-day drama in which an estimated 1% of the world's population possess psychic abilities of varying degrees, resulting in legislation which limits their use in criminal investigations. Detective Owen Young is amongst the one percent, but hasn't told his fellow officers. To do so now would land him in prison whilst freeing the people he's put there. But one chance encounter with an opportunistic criminal compromises his secret, and then the careers of his friends and colleagues. I haven't read the fourth issue yet, but the legal wranglings and interview-room stand-off were well played, and there's nothing to complain about in the art department either.

Avengers Disassembled (£11-99, Marvel) by Brian Michael Bendis & David Finch. Rollicking, 90-mile-an-hour assault on Marvel's prime movers, visually on a par with Bryan Hitch, if stylistically a little more towards the Silvestri/Lee arena than the Alan Davis-inspired artist on THE ULTIMATES. Before I continue, however, unlike THE ULTIMATES which can be lapped up by anyone with an ear for wit and an eye for spectacle, without any prior interest in The Avengers themselves, this is going to leave you nonplussed. The emotional core relies entirely on you caring about these characters, and although its plot as a disaster waiting to happen is ingenious, and its specific casualties in retrospect make perfect, targeted sense, it's only truly satisfying if you know a little of the title's history. Not necessarily a lot, but a little. Of course if you witnessed the events which set this timebomb ticking some twelve or so years ago, it's going to pay off big time. Without giving the game away, the present 'family' who make up the self-appointed yet government-sanctioned reaction squad are hit on their home turf, right inside the grounds of Tony Stark's mansion by a former member detonating on the lawn, taking another Avenger and much of the mansion with him. In response to their emergency signal another Avenger arrives not to their aid, but on a seemingly pre-programmed self-destruct mission, and 'gives birth' to several versions of their worst nightmare. Within seconds, one guy's ripped to shreds by another's raging fury, a founding member's been beaten into a coma, whilst US Defence Secretary, armoured Avenger and recovering alcoholic Tony Stark finds himself drunk without drinking a drop, and insulting foreign UN delegates on prime television. And that's just the first twenty pages of a book in which the team, their reputation, their finances and their friends are going to be torn apart, at each others' throats, and devastated by the knowledge of who is the architect of their suffering, and why. And yeah, a major player towards whom long-term readers have almost unparalleled affection actually bites it, and for my money bites it in a scene beautifully played. Of course none of this would have half the impact without Finch. It's not just that his figure work is majestic yet supple (it is, and it's huge), it's not just that his ability to convey subtle emotions with a quiet twist of a eyebrow is up their with Andi Watson (although there are admittedly more lines involved than the master of economy's), it's that he can slip in devices you might not spot on first glance. During the second chapter, the brief lull as the survivors take stock and try to figure out what's happened and how to proceed, the deft dialogue between four characters is given a helping hand by the camera rotating 90 degrees per horizontal panel. It's a neat, merry-go-round effect I've not seen before, and it was pulled off with panache. Some commentators have had issues with the story, calling it sensationalist, heretical ('How dare you kill so-and-so!' - the usual plankton who don't see that being upset is the goal intended) and pointless given that Marvel have a habit of resurrecting their cherished money-makers. Fortunately - because there's a whole lot of truth in that last observation - I don't have so much heart invested in long-term corporate soap opera, and can set aside sequences like Morrison's NEW X-MEN or Brad Meltzer's current IDENTITY CRISIS, and consider them great, self-contained reads, then ignore what follows. No, my only problem with this book, its only flaw for me, lies the last chapter originally printed as AVENGERS FINALE. It's an epilogue, so the main event isn't interfered with. However, problem one is the guest-artists. Not Maleev (DAREDEVIL), he could have done the whole lot if he wanted to, it's the double-page spreaders invited in to illustrate moments from their past, as several Avengers reminisce on the team's finest moments. The artists destroy the narrative flow and one's immersion in the scene (can you imagine the film City Of God suddenly breaking off for five minutes of footage filmed by a Coronation Street director, or a few seconds of animation?). Plus those scenes themselves become horribly sentimental, quite unlike Bendis, and I'm finding it difficult to believe he wrote butler Jarvis' contribution. Ah well, nobody's perfect. Enjoy the carnage.

Marvel Knights Spiderman vol 2: Venomous (£6-50, Marvel) by Mark Millar & Terry Dodson, Frank Cho. Someone has kidnapped Peter's Aunt May. Someone who knows who he is. But Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, is in prison. So who is that hanging upside down, watching television? As Peter swings around, buffeted by one villain after another, his investigations are complicated by a five million dollar reward being offered by the Daily Bugle for his secret identity. And then the symbiote Venom finds a new host, one with huge chips on his shoulders, and something to prove. It's not Millar's finest hour, but it's reasonably enjoyable, with attractive art and sharper dialogue than any previous Spider book outside of Bendis' ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN and Straczynski's better moments.

Amazing Spiderman vol 8: Sins Past (£8-50, Marvel) by J.Michael Straczynski & Mike Deodato Jr.. For Mary Jane it's been difficult. She was best friends with Peter's first love, Gwen, and then Gwen died at the hands of Norman Osborn. She's married to Peter now, and has the strength not to be jealous of Gwen's place in Peter's heart. But there's something Mary Jane's never told him. Something she discovered when Norman's son, Harry, became addicted to drugs, when Gwen started arguing with Norman. And now a letter has arrived through the post, written years ago in Paris, and it's unmistakeably in Gwen's handwriting. What is the truth about that moment up there on the bridge where she died? What was she really doing in Paris? And who are those two young adults pursuing Spider-Man with a personal vendetta? Straczynski doesn't change a moment from the past, but he weaves from it a piece of history which gives its events a new meaning, and explanation. No clones involved, promise.

Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spiderman vol 1 (£10-99, Marvel) by many & Sal Buscema. Tarantula! Vulture! Beetle! (You'd honestly call yourself 'Beetle'?) Brother Power! Lightmaster! These and many other ridiculous villains were giving Peter grief back in 1976, and it was the first time Marvel saw fit to give a character more than one title. It wasn't bad enough that a title kept changing writers, now they could have two different writers handling a character at the same time. Oh, the precedent - now he has nine! (I loved the Tarantula, his cod-hispanic dialect and his ludicrous boots with their foot-long spikes on the toes. Seriously, how did he walk up concrete steps?)

Loki h/c (£11-99, Marvel) by Rob Rodi & Esad Ribic.

'I am malicious because I am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? ...Shall I

respect man when he condemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness; and

instead of injury, I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance...

Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will revenge my injuries: if I cannot inspire love,

I will cause fear.'

- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.

Actually, 'condemn' used to have a 't' in it instead of a 'd' but I presumed you'd have thought I was being more than usually clumsy on the keyboard. There's an even more apposite quote in there, but I couldn't find it this afternoon. That one'll do.

Loki the Deceiver wasn't so much Thor's half-brother as adopted sibling. All he craved was affection; what he received was careless dismissal or, from others, outright hostility. Tragically, defensively, the young boy reacted in kind, and so began a vicious, accelerating cycle which he tried to reach out from and break, but something always went wrong. Even now that, millennia later, he has conquered all of Asgard and enslaved the God of Thunder, when Hela, Goddess of Death, demands Thor's execution, he risks all to thwart her, but history has a habit of repeating itself. Surprisingly affecting insight into the heart and soul of the embittered trickster god, accompanied by speeches that successfully evoke the required sense of the arcane, as opposed to the traditional Marvel 'Norse' hogwash. Add to this the ultimate in post-Frazetta fantasy art, and you have a book tailor-made for the mythologists, role-players and Hobbit-botherers out there. The scenery is monumental - well deserving the magnification of these hardcovers - and Loki's twisted, gnarled, and constantly snarling face comes with bloodshot eyes and a goblin-like, gap-toothed mouth that's exquisitely repulsive.

Hulk Visionaries: Peter David vol 1 (£12-99, Marvel) by Peter David & Todd McFarlane. Peter David is universally acknowledged as The Hulk's fans' favourite writer, even by both those who moronically let him walk away from the book by insisting on an editorial direction he had no interest in, causing a readership freefall from which the title has never recovered. This January sees David's return (#77 of the present series) and to celebrate that, here's his first, faltering issues which began his reign. Unfortunately, although Peter did hit a stride of wit and substance when accompanied by Dale Keown later on, these early issues featuring early-career art by Todd McFarlane aren't what his reputation was built on. Still, everyone has to start somewhere, and previous writers had left the book in an awful mess.

Superman: Unconventional Warfare (£9-99, DC) by Greg Rucka & Matthew Clark. First eight issues of Rucka's run, begun at the same time as Azzarello & Lee's stint on SUPERMAN. Lois goes to the front line of America's latest oil-rich target, and gets shot.

Authority: Fractured Worlds (£11-99, Wildstorm/DC) by Robbie Morrison & Dwayne Turner. Reprints #6-10 of the last volume, which simple statement evidently merits an exclamation mark.

Danger Girl: Odd Jobs (£9-99, Wildstorm/DC) by Andy Hartnell, J. Scott Campbell & Phil Noto, Arthur Adams, Joe Chiodo. All the material which readers bought in the hope that it'd be drawn by J Scott Campbell. It wasn't. Charlie's Angels, basically.

Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days (£6-50, Wildstorm/DC) by Brian K. Vaughan & Tony Harris, Tom Feister. The snappiest dialogue I've read from Brian K. Vaughan (Y - THE LAST MAN), in a mixed package which focuses on real-life politics (yay!) with a so-far redundant superhero subplot (boo!). I'd better explain that last bit after Mark's little jibe last month about superheroes (when I'd thrust THE ULTIMATES right at the top of the mailshot). If this was a superhero book, fine. But it isn't. It's a political thriller given a totally unnecessary veneer of capedom simply to sell it it Wildstorm, and I wish Brian had just had the courage to go 'fuck it, I'll write it for Top Shelf' or something. He's making plenty of money at DC and Marvel (ULTIMATE X-MEN). Maybe he just didn't know it wasn't a superhero book, but by far the best sequences see the newly appointed mayor of New York City deal with journalists, snowstorms, snowplough drivers being bumped off, a controversial painting, its cynical painter, her exposure, and all manner of aides and attendants. A quote or two on arrival, I think.

Sinister Dexter: Murder 101 (£10-99, 2000ad) by Dan Abnett & eight different artists which must really help the story to flow from one eight page snippet to the next, eh?

Incal vol 1: The Epic Conspiracy (£12-99, Humanoids/DC) by Alexandro Jodorowsky & Moebius. Although DC have been reprinting volumes previously published by Humanoids, this is not one of them. This is material that hasn't been translated before. In fact, Mark reckons it's earlier work - the real volume one. 'John Difool, a low class detective in a degenerate world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient artefact called 'The Incal'. Difool's adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy's greatest warrior, The Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comical and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting not only for his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.'

Chaos Effect (£12-99, Humanoids/DC) by Pierre Christian & Bilal. Contains both THE BLACK ORDER BRIGADE and THE HUNTING PARTY, which are already in stock as hardcovers.

Conan vol 1: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories (£12-99, Dark Horse/Titan) by Kurt Busiek, Cary Kord, Thomas Yeates, Dave Stewart. Not to be confused with the reprint volumes of the old Marvel series, this is the current incarnation which has absolutely stunned us with its popularity. Orders for any Marvel mini-series staggering in over the last ten years were exactly three. Now reservations alone are up to thirty or so. I'm no barbarian expert, so I can't say why, but the art can't have hurt much, which is why I mention the colourist. It wouldn't look entirely out of place in the SPECTRUM annual artbooks. (If you're a CONAN fan, check out the LOKI h/c above.)

Pete Von Sholly's Morbid (£9-99, Dark Horse) by Pete Von Sholly. Schlock Horror absurdist 'fumetti'. That's photo comics featuring screaming bikini girls being chased by multi-headed monsters and/or horny teenagers, all for the sake of a laugh.

Goon vol 3: Heaps Of Ruination (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Eric Powell. The Goon looks like Eddie Campbell's Bacchus as a burly trucker with a wrench. The series is comedy horror, like HELLBOY fighting Wolverton monsters or something. Three previous volumes (0,1,2) already in stock.

Couriers vol 3: The Ballad Of Johnny Funwrecker (£8-50, AIT/Planetlar) by Brian Wood & Rob G. Having picked up some acclaim on his current DEMO series, cult creator and GLOBAL FREQUENCY cover artist Brian Wood returns to his couriers, and the story about how the couple met in 1993. Moustafa's a grunge kid selling weed, Special's a riot grrrl, and their about to meet their new role model, mob boss Johnny Funwrecker. Shakey art, improving with age.

Demo Scriptbook (£8-50, AIT/Planetlar) by Brian Wood & Becky Cloonan. Brian likes to chat.

Patrick The Wolfboy (£7-50, Devils Due) by Franco & Art Baltazar. Patrick's a Wolfboy, and very cute he is too, in a James Kochalka sort of a way. Not a great deal under the surface, but it means very well.

Grande Fanta s/c (£26-50, IDW) by Ashley Wood. All three artbooks combined. Ashley's style is a pleasingly loose cross between Bill Sienkiewicz and Kent Williams, with a penchant for sandy colours (AUTOMATIC KAFKA etc.) but not averse to the odd chilly blue (METAL GEAR SOLID). He's also fighting it out here with Ben Templesmith as the painter who can sell anything.

Singularity 7 (£12-99, IDW) by Ben Templesmith. Anything.

Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel h/c (£15-99) by Steve Rolston & Stan Sakai. What a very odd combination of comicbook creators - on Greg Rucka's territory as well. Hey ho. 'When relentless assassin Tara Chase accidentally kills a Saudi prince in addition to her primary target, she ignites international outrage. As a result her Queen and country betray her, and she is forced to flee with one final chance to avoid being sacrificed as a pawn in a worldwide political chess game.' Hey, sounds rather good This may already be out - I'm not sure - but it's the first time we've been offered it.

also shipping:

A.B.C Warriors: The Meknificent Seven (£9-99, 2000ad) by Pat Mills & Kevin O'Neill, others

ABCs Of Superpowers (£5-99, Amazing Moon Factory) by Jason Lethcoe

Arạa vol 1: Heart Of The Spider Digest (L5-50, Marvel) by Fiona Avery & Mark Brooks, Roger Cruz. Reprints the recent AMAZING FANTASY #1-6

Bad Company: Goodbye Krool World (£13-99, 2000ad) by Peter Milligan & Brett Ewins, Jim McCarthy

Birds Of Prey: Sensei & Student (£11-99, DC) by Gail Simone & many

Catwoman: Relentless (£12-99, DC) by Ed Brubaker & Sameron Stewart.

Chaland Anthology vol 2: Freddy Lombard (£9-99, Humanoids/DC) by Yves Chaland

Courageous Princess (£10-50, Antarctic Press) by Rod Espinoza

Daisy Kutter vol 1 (£7-50, Viper Comics) by Kazu Kibuishi

Darkminds Macropolis (£5-50, Dreamwave) by Chris Sarracini & Jo Chen, Christina Chen

District X vol 1: Mr M (£9-99, Marvel) by David Hine & David Yardin, Lan Medina

DNAgents vol 2: Cold Light Of Day (£6-50, About Comics) by Mark Evanier & others

Elektra Movie (£8-99, Marvel) by lots

Elektra: The Hand (£8-99, Marvel) by Akira Yoshida & Christian Gossett

Gold Digger vol 4 (£6-50, Antarctic Press) by Fred Perry

Green Lantern Archives vol 5 hc (£32-99, DC) by Gardner Fox, John Broome & Gil Kane, Sid Greene

Havok Inc Digest vol 2 (£8-99, Radio Comix) by Mark Barhard & Terrie Smith

Invincible vol 4: Head Of The Class (£9-99, Image) by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley

James Bond: Casino Royale (£10-99, Titan) by Ian Fleming, Anthony Hern, Henry Gammidge, John McClusky

Knights Of The Dinner Table: Bundle Of Trouble vol 11 (£7-99, Kenzer & Company) by Jolly Blackburn & various

Legend Of Grimjack vol 1 (£12-99, IDW) by John Ostrander & Timothy Truman

Maitena: Women On The Edge vol 3 (£7-99, Riverhead) by Maitena

Marvel Age Emma Frost vol 2: Mind Games (£5-50, Marvel) by Karl Bollers & Carlo Pagulayan

Marvel Age Hulk vol 1: Incredible (£3-99, Marvel) by Mike Raicht, Alex Sanchez, Patrick Scherberger, Ryan Odagawa

Marvel Age Spiderman Team-Up vol 1: A Little Help From My Friends (£3-99, Marvel) by Todd Dezago & Michael O'Hare, Lou Kang, Jonboy Meyers, Ron Lim

Marvel Knights 2099 (£8-99, Marvel) by Robert Kirkman & others

Marvel Knights 4 vol 2: The Stuff Of Nightmares (£8-99, Marvel) by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa & Jim Muniz

Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men vol 5 hc (£32-99, Marvel) by Chris Claremont & John Byrne, John Romita jr., John Buscema

Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee hc (£19-99, Marvel) by Lee & others

Mighty Love sc (£11-99, DC) by Howard Chaykin

Misplaced vol 1 (£7-50, Devils Due) by Josh Blaylock

Monon Street Power Collective vol 1 (£8-50, Welsh Publshing Group) by various

Neo Beauties: The Pin-Up Art Of Brian Haberlin (£19-99, Image) by Brian Haberlin

Outlook Grim vol 1: Dead Nasties (£8-50, Amaze Ink) by Black Olive

Powerless (£9-99, Marvel) by Matt Cherniss, Peter Johnson & Michael Gaydos.

Safa Of Four Sons: The Perfect Cloth (£9-99, Mahrwood Press) by B. Calev

Seven Soldiers Of Victory Archives vol 1 hc (£32-99, DC) by lots

Shoujo vol 2 (£6-50, Antarctic Press) by various

Silence (£6-50, Image) by Bruce Mutard

Silencers: Black Kiss (£9-99, Moonstone) by Fred Van Lente, Steve Ellis & Dae Lim Yo

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures vol 3 (£4-50, Dark Horse) by by Blackman, Kaufman, Hartley, Fillbach & Fillbach

Strangers In Paradise vol 4 pocket ed (£11-99, Abstract Studios) by Terry Moore

Ultimate Elektra: Devil's Due (£7-99, Marvel) by Mike Carey & Salvador Larroca

War vol 1 (£7-50, Saddle Tramp Press) by many

Wonder Woman: Bitter Rival (£8-50, DC) by Greg Rucka & any

Youngblood: Maximum Collected (£16-99, Arcade Comics) by Rob Liefeld & others

m a n g a r o u n d - u p

A.I. Love you vol 7 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Ken Akamatsu

Alchino vol 1 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Kouyu Shurei

Angel Sanctuary vol 6 (£7-99, Viz) by Kaori Yuki

Animal Paradise vol 1 (£6-50, Infinity Studios) by Sue Mi Yu

Bambi vol 1 (£6-50, Infinity Studios) by Young Ha Park

Battle Royale vol 11 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Koushun Takami & Masayuki Taguchi

Battle Vixens vol 6 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Yuji Shiozaki

Confidential Confessions vol 6 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Reiko Momochi

Cross vol 2 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Sumiko Amakawa

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon vol 8 (£8-99, HK Comics) by Wang Du Lu & Andy Seto

Culdecept vol 4 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Shinya Kaneko

Di Gi Charat Theatre: Dejiko's Adventure vol 2 (£6-50, Broccoli International) by Yuki Kiriga

Diabolo vol 3 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Kaoru Ohashi & Kei Kusunoki

DNAngel vol 6 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Yukiru Sugisaki

Dragon Knights vol 18 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Mineko Ohkami

Dragon Voice vol 3 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Yuriko Nishiyama

Et Cetera vol 4 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Tow Nakazaki

Fruits Basket vol 7 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Batsuki Takaya

Full Metal Panic vol 7 (£6-50, ADV) by Shouji Gatou

Getbackers vol 7 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Rando Ayamine & Yuya Aoki

Gravitation vol 10 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Maki Murakami

Gundam Seed Astray R vol 1 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Tomohiro Chiba & Yasunari Toda

Hands Off! vol 2 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Katsumoto Kasane

Infinite Ryvius vol 2 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Shinsuke Kurihashi

Initial D vol 16 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Shiuchi Shigeno

Kill Me, Kiss Me vol 5 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Lee Young You

Lament Of The Lamb vol 5 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Kei Toume

Legal Drug vol 2 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by CLAMP

Liling Po vol 1 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Ako Yutenji

Lunar Legend Tsukihime vol 1 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Type-Moon & Shyonen Sasaki

Missing White Dragon (£6-50, Infinity Studios) by Young Ha Park

Model vol 5 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Lee So-Young

My Sassy Girl vol 6 (£8-99, Comicsone) by Ho Sik Kim & Dae Hong Min

Mythology Of The Heavens vol 2: Phoenix Rising (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hyun Se Lee

Nambul: War Stories vol 2 - Conflict (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hyun Se Lee

One vol 6 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Lee Vin

Over The Rainbow (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Keiko Honda

Passion Fruit hc:Sweat & Honey (£12-99, Tokyopop) by Mari Okazaki, Kaoru Fujiwara, Junko Kawakami

Peachi Girl vol 3 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Miwa Ueda

Peigenz vol 5 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Park Sung-Woo

Planet Blood vol 1 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Tae Hyung Kim

Planetes vol 4: Part 2 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Makoto Yukimura

Pretty Maniacs vol 1 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Shinsuke Kurihashi

Ranma 1/2 vol 29 (£7-99, Viz) by Rumiko Takahashi

Rave Master vol 13 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Hiro Mashima

Rebirth vol 12 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Woo

Rebound vol 12 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Yuriko Nishiyama

Ring vol 0 (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Meimu

Rurouni Kenshin vol 11 (£6-99, Viz) by Nobuhiro Watsuki

Samurai Deeper Kyo vol 11 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Akimine Kamijyo

Samurai Executioner vol 4 (£6-50, Dark Horse) by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima

Sensual Phrase vol 6 (£7-99, Viz) by Mayu Shinjo

Shadow Star vol 6: What Can I Do For You Now? (£10-50, Dark Horse) by Mohiro Kitoh

Slayers Premium vol 1 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hajime Kanzaka & Tommy Ohtsuka

Suikoden III vol 5 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Aki Shimizu

Sword Of Shibito vol 1 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hideyuki Kikuchi & Missile Kakurai

Tramps Like Us vol 4 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Yayoi Ogawa

Trigun Anime Manga (£9-99, Dark Horse) by Yasuhiro Nightow & Madhouse

Trigun Maximum vol 4: Bottom Of The Dark (£6-50, Dark Horse) by Yasuhiro Mightow

Until The Full Moon vol 1 (£6-50, Broccoli International) by Sanami Matoh

Vagabond vol 19 (£7-99, Viz) by Takehino Inoue

Vampire Game vol 10 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by JUDAL

Warriors Of The Tao vol 3 (£6-99, Tokyopop) by Shinya Kuwahara

Witch Class vol 1 (£6-50, Infinity Studios) by Ru Lee

c o m i c s f o r J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

Apocalypse Nerd #1 of 6 (£2-25, Dark Horse) by Peter Bagge. I don't know why this is at Dark Horse rather than Fantagraphics, but HATE-meister Peter Bagge may find himself a fresh audience here now that his old fans have almost all drifted off somewhere, presumably to slob out and irritate their flatmates. Maybe he just wants to ensure that when a book appears it stays in print. For those new to Bagge, the comics veteran is highly adept at evoking people's pettiest nature, externalising their grumblings, exposing their drive for superiority and mapping their obsessions, be they record collecting, sexual gratification or beer. Most of his characters are losers, whether they girly girls or snarling, spotty oiks. This is similar territory in theme if not setting, when 'asthma ridden, myopic former middle manager', constantly bullied by his childhood friend, takes a car journey with him - destination post-apocalypse. How would you rate their survival chances when they have no survival skills? Bagge's art I find difficult to describe - it's grotesque in the truest sense, with figures and faces smoothly distorted for maximum displays of extreme emotion. He's a master cartoonist, and, I have to say, a real gentleman completely at odds with his characters, who once threw credibility to the wind to produce a Spice Girls comic for his daughter. In fact he's the sort of man who wouldn't give a damn about credibility, even though there aren't many comicbook creators who can claim to hold more.

Black Hole #12 (£3-50, Fantagraphics), Black Hole Slipcase (£4-50, Fantagraphics) by Charles Burns - Final issue on the way! Eeek! Taking from fifties horror with an extra greasy seventies twist, Burns delivers the latest version of his teen horror. He's done plenty of short stories before but this might be his final take on it all. Lots of body horror, sex/death equations, coming of age, desire/fear. There's a new disease in town and it's affecting the sexually active teenagers. They change and mutate, an mouth or maybe a tail. To keep with the teen horror movie theme, there's a love story and outsiders aplenty. We hope that it will turn out well for the young lovers, maybe they'll escape the town, make their own way. Or maybe not.

Fantagraphics are releasing a nice slipcase in which to keep all 12 issues.

Jenny Finn 1 & 2 (£4-50 each, Atomeka) by Mike Mignola & Troy Nixey - Possibly best known for providing the art on Neil Gaiman's ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD AGAIN, Nixey collaborates with Hellboy guy Mignola. Can't remember the exact details but two issues came out from another company and they're both collected in the first of these releases. The story concludes in the second part. There were slithering things.

Superman: Strength #1 (£3-99, DC) by Scott McCloud & Aluir Amancio. '... Superman must forge in steel the moral world-view that proves to be the source of Superman's real strength.' Bollocks. That's just Metropolis' good fortune, not Superman's real strength. I love Scott. UNDERSTANDING COMICS is still the best book on this medium, its page forty-five remains an inspiration, but I don't see who's going to pick up this project. Surprise us. I've already read one preachy bit on smoking, which, now that I think of it, shows Superman up as a bully. He takes a cigarette out of a man's mouth, and throws it out of the window. Okay, he just had smoke blown in his mouth, but Clark's real strength is evidently the fact that he can retaliate like that and not expect a fist in his face. Be warned: underneath the Alex Ross cover lies artwork that couldn't be more different. {{ An aside. On Scott's site, he's got my favourite reply for the age old question 'how do I break into comics?' - ' Get a piece of paper. Draw a comic. Run down to Kinko's and photocopy it a few times. Sell it to someone for a dime. Voila! You're in comics.' }}

Combat Zone: True Tales Of GI's In Iraq #1 of 5 (£2-25, Marvel) by Karl Zinsmeister & Dan Jurgens. Politically neutral (or should that be neutered?) tales of life on foreign soil in the run-up to war in Iraq. Karl is a front-line journalist, and knows what his stuff. Can he write decent comics? I don't know. Dan Jurgens some of you might know from SUPERMAN or THOR. Can he draw atmospheric combat comics? I'll never know. Way too many Marvel titles now for us to give shelf space to a concept (firemen, nurses etc.) which has repeatedly tanked for them.

Clive Barker's The Thief Of Always #1 (£4-99, IDW) by Kris Oprisko & Gabriel Hernandez. Can't be arsed to read a whole novel? No imagination for conjuring up scenes in your head? Or do you simply want to ruin those you do have by allowing someone else's visuals to infiltrate your mind? Excellent - that's what comicbook adaptations are for! In Mr. Hood's Holiday House, children's whims have been indulged for over a thousand years... at a price.

Eric Red's Containment #1 (£2-99, IDW) by Eric Red & Nick Stakal. Zombies in space from the pen of The Hitcher and Near Dark screenwriter.

Bloodstained Sword (£4-99, IDW) by Dan Wickline & Ben Templesmith. 30 DAYS OF NIGHT artist illustrates a tale that sounds uncannily like Frank Miller's RONIN ('In a dark and grim future drunk on technology, the ways of the past have not been forgotten. Kenji has been trained as a samurai, sworn to uphold the code of the warrior... He must travel to Seattle where corporations have replaced clans and greed has won our over honour...'). He's off to clear his father's name and find out how he died. Sun Tzu Factor: 4 Expect some sentimentalisation of ruthless thuggery, and a blind eye turned towards mass hypocrisy and subjugation.

Comic Art Magazine #7 (£5-99). Includes an in-depth look at Dan Clowes, George Herriman and Harvey Kurtzman.

Femme Fatales vol 14 #1 (£4-50). Includes an in-depth look at breasts.

m e r c h a n d i s e f o r e a r l y 2 0 0 5

Nightmare Before Christmas Pewter Belt Buckle (£19-99). Very fetching design in semi-relief, with Jack's smiling face imposed upon a swirling surface, framed by a gate. As Tom said, though, those railings jutting out the top are going to pinch. Still, goths like to suffer.

Trigun: Kureneko Black Cat shotglass (£6-99). Manga pussy, that's what it's about. Glass looks frosted. Cool!

Junko Mizuno Stationary Sets (£4-99 each). Junko Mizuno is possibly the only comicbook creator who could shift these letter sheets (8), envelopes (6) and stickers. We've tried others, and Craig Thompson's GOODBYE CHUNKY RICE packets took two years to depart (I think we ordered four). Noone writes anymore - they type. Apart from Blue. Hey, Blue! Blue's inspired now. Bless you, Blue, we're buying these in for you. Anyway, two different sets here, one Hell Babies, the other Miznotic Fantasies. I'm not sure how to describe Mizuno's work. Would 'a female, Japanese Jim Woodring' be appropriate? Everything looks cute and pink, but underneath it's quite disturbing.

Junko Mizuno Hell Babies Journal (£9-99). In which you may describe your daily desires. Write in marshmallow and blood.

UK Postage (overseas at cost):

£1-00 for the first comic (unless there's a book included in the package in which case it's just 25 pence), and 25 pence thereafter.

£1-00 each for Tokyopop or Lonewolf books, £3-00 for 'The Complete Bone', £1-50 each for other books or t-shirts.

'JLA/Avengers oversized double h/c slipcased edition', 'The Complete Frank', 'Locas', 'Your Favourite Dr. Seuss,' 'The DC Comics Encyclopedia' 'Behind The Panels', 'Cages', 'Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels' and 'Love & Rockets: The Complete Palomar' will cost a flat £5-00 postage, but anything ordered on top of them will of course be postage free, because.....

Maximum postage for all this lot is £5-00.

Posters and prints are sent separately @ £1-50.

Standing Orders:

To ensure that you never miss a single issue of a title you read, Page 45 provides a free standing order service either for personal collection or sending by post. All you have to do is tell us which titles you want, and we'll save them for you as they come out. You can visit or phone as often as you want, but we must hear from you at least once every three months, please. Single orders and reservations just as gratefully received as any others.

More information can be found in Comics International (£1-50), the Previews catalogue (£3-25), at www.ninthart.com and www.sequentialtart.com or indeed by e-mailing us at page45@page45.com

Want tips on producing your own comic? - Download the .pdf - http://www.reddingk.com/

Our web-site address is www.page45.com. Construction, design and management by Dominique Kidd.

Removal instructions: there is no way out. Oh, okay, just type 'remove' in the subject heading, and feel our desolation.

Page 45 is a comic shop.

We are:

Mark Simpson

Stephen L. Holland

Tom Rosin

Page 45

9 Market Street

Nottingham

NG1 6HY

Tel: (0115) 9508045

Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm.

Page 45 mailshots written by Stephen and Mark, then walloped by a wigged-out wallaby.

l e t t e r s

It's that time of year again!

We'll be open, as is tradition, on each December Sunday before Christmas from 11am to 4pm, but we won't be open on Boxing Day. I'm very sorry, but there are limits to our rampant capitalism, and I can't leave my Ma with free access to the drinks cabinet. Monday 27th, it's business as usual.

Good news: if you buy someone a present and they already have it, your loved one can simply bring it in and swap it for something else. They don't even need a receipt here. They just need to keep it in pristine condition.

More good news: if you give someone a Christmas list involving graphic novels, do tell them they can come straight to the counter and ask for the book, rather than waste precious time and anxious energy searching the shelves. You'll find that increases your chances of getting what you want considerably, especially if your great grandma's never been into a comic shop before. Also, we can do on-the-spot recommendations based on a brief description of your reading and viewing habits. Or someone else's, if it's you at the counter. It doesn't matter how busy we are, we're never too busy to help. In fact there'll be three of us in on Saturday 11th and 18th to cater for your every whim. Please bring your whim in.

Dude!!!

If you haven't already can you throw an Ocean in my draw please, along with the rest when they surface!

ta

Mills

Well, okay, Kenton, but it's going to make the cardboard really soggy...

Hi Stephen and Mark,

I bet I'm not the first, but didn't Jack Kirby create Stan Lee as a villain for DC...Funky Flashman in his Fourth World.

Yours, vaguely,

Mark B-M

Did he? Sorry, Mark, not the prize winning answer we were looking for. The competition's still open if one of you wants to tell us why Mike Conroy put Stan Lee in his list of 500 COMICBOOK VILLAINS (available at all good comic shops, and not a bad Christmas present for superhero fans). Come on, there's a graphic novel in it for you, under £15-00, sent postage free. (Hint: you could thumb through a copy of the book in your local retailer, I don't mind.)

Hi everyone.

Thank you for your e-mail regarding duplicate book.

Please find herewith said books and we leave it up to you how you want to credit Rick. We're happy if you want to leave it till we are in Nottingham on 18th December.

Hope this is ok, any queries by all means give me a call.

Best wishes.

Linda J. Fuller

Dear Madam, Many thanks for opening a new account. You now have £12-99 credit in the bank of Page 45 International Commerce, where you mortgage your souls for a life of comicbook addiction. The interest rate is currently 1% of the local population, but we're doing our best to inflate that in the medium-to-long-term. We look forward to you making an absolutely monumental withdrawal on 18th December. Kind regards, Stephen L. Holland banker/manager

re Ultimates Vol 1; You've sold me, you smooth talking salesman you!

Would you like a Bonus Plan with that?

Currie on inks? My hasn't Edwina got many skills?

Ask the last Prime Minister.

I agree with you on Sandman Mystery etc. Absolutely bloody marvellous! I think the first issue I bought was the first in the chinatown arc and I loved it! I wasn't a big fan of Guy Davis's art, still aren't really, I mean I wouldn't go out of my way to choose a book just because Guy drew it, but he made this series his own and I went along for the ride and was never disappointed. But I think I'm strange (no comment!) as I think the words just as important as art! See, strange for a pictorial medium!

The love affair between Wesley & Dian was believable for its era, furtive and exciting with both suffering, very slightly, from post-coital guilt! (who hasn't?) The difference here is that he does call her in the morning!!!!!!!!

Ha!!!!

Coup D'Etat sound like DC Challenge of a few years ago! (I think the main challenge was to plough through all 12 issues! I have a complete set if you'd like them, hmm? Anybody? No seriously, they're a good laugh!) (plus is leant a word?)

'Plus is leant a word?'? I'm sorry, I don't get that. Is it 5 down in this week's cryptic crossword? (Possible answer: 'Adverb'.)

And last but not in the slightest least, CONGRATULATIONS on your first ten years! See you next month!

Mikey K

Cheers, matey. Mike's been with us for all ten and more, and a constant source of cheeriness. A quick note about the party: there will be one, it will almost certainly be at Bunkers Hill (city centre, we'll give you directions later) on a Saturday night, we'd like to see as many of you there as possible, and we will be buying every single one of you the first round. But, as anticipated, everywhere has been booked solid in the run-up to Christmas, so it'll be in the new year. Besides, you've got to have something to look forward to then, haven't you?

The Place on the way home

I moved to Nottingham back in Jan 1998. I had walked past the comic shop with strange things in the window for four months before ever sitting foot inside.

I read a review of Preacher in The Face and thought 'that weird shop will probably sell this' and in I went and spoke to the odd fella with the big beard.

He kindly pointed out where Book one of Preacher was, I bought it and came back the next day and bought the other two books!

I then started to go into Page 45 every now and then to pick up the current and back issues of Preacher that the fella with the beard and bloke who looked like a bit Zenith did their best to get hold of for me.

This began my ritual for dropping into the place on the way home.

I have been coming into Page 45 nearly every week now since the middle of 1998 and no matter how lousy my choice of comics can become Mark and Steve have done their best to get what I need and keep informed me informed of what I will want.

So here are few things that I would like to say thank you to Page 45 for:

1. Mark's constant politeness even when I called him Mike for about 18 months.

Mark honestly just thought it was broad scouse. :)

2. Steve always being very diplomatic about me attempting to get my Comics on a Thursday when there has been a Bank holiday on the Monday (will try to remember honest).

I should point out here that the only problem is that they simply don't exist until Friday!

3. Providing me with an excellent model for training for my new career as a Barber (many thanks Tom). 4. Letting me bring my often very wet bicycle into the shop.

Shhhh! That sounds so unprofessional.

5. Not laugh outwardly at my very chubby legs in cycling shorts. 6. Mark letting me bang on about the latest Star Wars rumours without his eyes glazing over ! 7. Steve not thinking I was sad for spotting the hairdressing error in The Ultimates.

Boy, did you read that wrong. ;-)

8. Mark lending me some great movies and CDs over the years, even though it took me about 6 months to bring Battle Royale back (sorry about that). 9. All of you giving me some great advice on what to read, that has resulted in me and my wife having read a lot of excellent stories over the last six years. 10. This thank you is by far the most important. Being the place on the way home has meant that things that have happened in my life redundancy (twice), getting the OK to buy a house, losing loads of weight and deciding to retrain as a barber. Have been discussed with with all the guys in in Page 45, and their encouragement and ability to listen go way beyond the excellent job they do of selling me my comics. I raise my Heinz tomato soup in a plastic cup to you all. Happy Birthday 45 @ 10. Geoff

Well, that's just... lovely. Almost poetic. The Zenith reference alone will guarantee you a place in my heart forever. Now I just look like its creator, Grant Morrison.

Dear Stephen, Mark, Tom and Dominique,

Happy tenth (I see by the mailshot that I'm tardy as usual). Thank you for introducing me to comics as a medium, as opposed to the spandex clad wasteland I'd always assumed them to be. Thanks for being so utterly friendly, and not in that door-to-door evangelist 'look look I'm smiling at you and hereisabible!' kind of way, but so genuinely. Within this society, finding independent shops run by people who believe in what they're doing is fantastic.

Mark, thank you for the window displays. I usually stop to look at them if I'm on Market Street at night, and it was one of them that made me do a double take then actually go into the shop for the first time.

If I had a hat right now, it would be doffed to you all :)

See you soon,

David.

P.S. Happy birthday to you too Stephen - I would've phoned, but I was really ill.

So was I, as it happens. Bless you for those words. And I don't mean that in a 'can't believe you've accepted a Watchtower magazine' kind of way. I'm probably going to feel worse tomorrow. The dentist is going to extract... well, my mouth, basically. I don't like needles, so he's going eschew local anaesthetic in favour of a short reading from X-MEN:THE END. I'll be cluttering up his surgery for hours before coming to.

Bonjour Stephen,

Salut!

Today is a day to celebrate. A nice insurance company have compensated me for a car accident i had just over a year ago with a non too shabby offer - so what better way to spend money than at your emporium.

Nothing springs to mind...

And I need some serious retail therapy to lose myself in when I realise that the majority of American voters are more interested in stopping gay people getting married instead of kicking out a shambling chimp robot controlled by the evil Cheney Inc. *takes breath and tries to find happy place*

Somewhere over the rainbow, perhaps?

Further to your mailshot I am about to read Ultimates again. I will try and get to grips with Dr Banner being a bit of a wussbag. I love the Why I Hate Saturn graphic - what amazing writing. I'll also keep on with Black Widow pse (I have 1 & 2) as altho' a little hammy, I'm a sucker for strong women role models give to the child and she also has really cool hair…

Is there a real live copy of ***** hidden away for me in my standing order? I couldn't ask you about it on our last visit with the man hovering about. I only ask since the one on the shelves looks a little sad and thumbed through - I assume you keep that one out as some kind of browsing edition for the great unwashed like myself to ooh and ahh at?

There is indeed one set aside for you. If you're not going to wash, please wear deodorant.

Can I also pse have some JMS Amazing Spiderman graphics and can you pop Global Frequency vol 2 into Mr Ellard's standing order as well.

I have ordered him onto the bed where he can't see me type this mail so he is now reading Kabuki and trying to train his eyes to read round the corner of the monitor. Can I also have Astonishing X-Men 1: Gifted pse as I think that it will interest the small beast as she further flails around with her hormones (teenagers can really really make everyone else suffer as they stare at their navels - I am thinking about installing a small hatch in her door to pass food through a la Silence of the Lambs).

You've been talking to Donna Barr, haven't you?

And finally - anymore news on Fluffy 3?

No. We must pester Simone.

ta muchly.

Back atcha, Alexandra.

Speak of the devil, it's that Barr woman again:

Yes, I ego-surfed the mailshot. Not lazy -- just need to be CLONED.

And I will bet you that your most 'tireless supporters' are the very authors who get the most support from YOU. And recognize it. What goes around comes around. Keep it comin'. Donna Barr www.stinz.com

It's like a mutual self-help society, isn't it? 'Hello, my name is Donna, and I'm addicted to creating comics for the masses.' 'Hello, my name is Stephen, and I'm addicted to bringing comics to the masses.' 'Here, Stephen, have some comics for the masses.' 'Thanks, Donna, I've just sold your comics for the masses, and now I need more.' '??...' Seems we fuel each other's addictions, rather than cure them. Is that supposed to happen? Which reminds me, I haven't sold your DESERT PEACH to Alexandra yet...