Comics and Commentary IV
Ninth Art has published a couple of good year-end round-up analyses of the state of the comic-book industry. In 2002 Backwards Paul O'Brien serves up a publisher-by-publisher recount of the industry's hits and misses, touching on some of the biggest comics events of recent note: the launch of Rawhide Kid and the emergence of manga. As welcome as his backward look is, he totally neglects independent and alternative publishers, which is a shame.

The Ninth Art crew didn't make that mistake when selecting the winners of their 2002 Lighthouse Awards, however. By recognizing Top Shelf as the publisher of the year and tipping hat to Slave Labor Graphics, Alternative Comics, Xeric grant winner Amy Unbounded, Roger Langridge, and Jessice Abel, the team shows that even though the Web site focuses primarily on the mainstream, big-publisher books, staff members continue to read comics that really matter. Kudos!