The Magazine of Comics News and Criticism. In this issue: In its 28th year as the preeminent magazine of comics journalism and criticism, The Comics Journal is revamping its format with more color, more pages, better paper and higher quality printing, and a fresh, new design. Content is also being rejuvenated with expanded news and commentary sections, the inclusion of a comics section, and wider and more contemporaneous coverage of current comics publishing. This issue's cover feature is Alex Toth, with an examination of his life and work by Bob Levin, critical essays, an interview, and 30 pages of rare comics from one of Toth's most fertile creative periods in the 1950's, in both B&W and color. Our pre-election 2004 political coverage includes interviews with Steve Bell and Steve Brodner, one of America's the most preeminent illustrators and political satirists, whose work has appeared in periodicals from The New Yorker to Rolling Stone to The Atlantic Monthly to Harper's magazine. Reviews of the most noteworthy current comics and graphic novels and our columns on every facet of comics from manga to European comics to mini-comics and even (gasp!) mainstream comics round out the issue. Cover by Alex Toth.

Editorial
Gary Groth, "Editorial" (p. 9)
News
Newswatch (p. 16)
Letters
Blood and Thunder (p. 11)
Interview
The Alex Toth Interview (p. 88)
The Steve Brodner Interview (p. 146)
Essays
Bob Levin, "The Mark of Tyrone Power" (p. 95)
Gregory Cwiklik, "Obsolete" (p. 51)
Reviews
Eddie Campbell, "Blooming Books" (p. 56)
Dylan Williams, "Bernet" (p. 61)
Tom Crippen, "Isolation" (p. 65)
Austin English, "Blankets" (p. 66)
Tom Spurgeon, "Usagi Yojimbo" (p. 68)
Chris Mautner, "The Norm" (p. 70)
Bullet Reviews (p. 72)
Bill Sherman, "The Mad Playboy of Art" (p. 76)
Columns
Fun! Fun! Fun! (p. 44)
Journalista (p. 46)
Fighting Words (p. 55)
Comicopia (p. 171)
Minimalism (p. 176)
Time Out of Joint (p. 184)
Reprints
Goodman Goes Playboy, intro by R. Fiore (p. 79)
Alex Toth Comics Section (p. 108)