Welcome to The Forecast. Every Monday, Ninth Art's core team of comment writers, the Ninth Eight, will be your guides to the best, worst, weirdest and most noteworthy books on the shelves of your local comic shop.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: BILL & TEDS MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURES

If you can't get enough MILK & CHEESE, but also crave being excellent to each other, then Slave Labour Graphics can ably assist you this very week. Evan Dorkin's non-bogus, but short-lived, Marvel series of the early 90's is being reprinted by SLG for every dude who wishes the 80s never ended. If there's a more excellent partnership than the one between the BILL & TED movies and Evan Dorkin, I'm sure I couldn't imagine it.

Originally begun as the adaptation of BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY (the EXCELLENT ADVENTURE adaptation was handled by DC and is lost to the sands of time), the series then spawned a 12-issue run. This first trade - a second will follow shortly - contains the initial adaptation and the start of the series.

While it suffers a little from being an adaptation, it's still wildly inventive work from Dorkin that, though originally published by Marvel, doesn't suffer from the normal problems of a Marvel Comic, i.e. Men in Capes (aside from the unreprinted FIGHT MAN cameo, who still belongs to the Mighty Marvel). Dorkin managed valiantly to sidestep the oppressive requests of Nelson Entertainment - the license holders - and produce some great work. But with the success of the cartoon series waning, the comic died a death too.

For all of us who grew up with Bill & Ted and still have a wistful nostalgia for the losers, this is one of the few nostalgia trips you can guarantee will still bring satisfaction. Normally, I'd avoid nostalgia-filth like the rotten plague it is, but you need this. Oh, and by the way, the number I was thinking of was 69. [John Fellows]

NEVER MIND THE BALLADS

The first COURIERS book was a sleek action movie on paper (as they say), complete with the camera shots and opening credits you'd expect of such a film. Kids with rollerblades and heavy weapons taking on Commie bastards in helicopters.

In the second book, DIRTBIKE MANIFESTO, Rob G's art was less detailed than it had been before, but part of me was wondering if maybe that was the point: from action movie to dirtbikes and backwoods in a loose manga style. AKIRA without the neon and hi-techery, but with all the speed and violence, plus a nice little touch of social commentary (a Wood speciality).

Both books were fun reads, with action a-plenty and small pieces of quirky characterisation in-between the acts of ultraviolence. I expect COURIERS: THE BALLAD OF JOHNNY FUNWRECKER (AiT-PlanetLar) to be no different. Set in 1993, it's the story of how Moustafa and Special met, full of extinct terms like "grunge" and "riot grrl", set in a time when mullets weren't just respected, they were mandatory, and featuring a Chinatown mob boss named Johnny Funwrecker. [Ben Wooller]

SHE'S A DEVIL WOMAN

Now here's a comic book with a troubled history. Writer/artist Frank Cho, he of LIBERTY MEADOWS fame, was asked to redraw several pages of SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL because Marvel editorial decided the shots of tits and ass were too gratuitous. Which is fine, except this was originally supposed to be a Marvel Max title, hence Cho was entitled to cram as much T and A into these pages as he felt necessary without fear of censorship.

It was only because Avi Arad felt a wee tremor in his pacemaker that Shanna was redesignated part of the Marvel Knights imprint - the logic goes that if the art is more palatable to a younger audience, then its chances of becoming a second-rate Hollywood blockbuster are that much greater. Gee, thanks Avi.

Anyway, ranting aside, this looks like a good bet this week. Stranded on a mysterious jungle island overrun with hungry dinosaurs, a group of soldiers discover a secret base where evil Nazis once conducted genetic experiments. One of these experiments happens to be none other than the beautiful Shanna, but is she friend or is she foe? And why are her breasts so much bigger than her head? Why do my trousers suddenly feel so tight?

Unsurprisingly, this mini-series pays no heed to past continuity, and therefore there's no mention of characters and settings like Ka-Zar or the Savage Land. This is unfortunate, and would normally be highly irritating, but I've got every faith that Frank Cho will deliver a rock 'em sock 'em adventure in the style of XENOZOIC TALES and INDIANA JONES. And if we're really lucky, Marvel will see fit to publish an uncensored edition in the near future. [Bulent Yusuf]

THE LIFE AQUATIC

Despite what sales charts might tell you, Grant Morrison has a golden touch. In his hands, even the most light and unlikely of premises can be turned into a rich and genuinely emotionally affecting tale. In the case of SEAGUY from DC Vertigo, the premise features an ex-hero in a post-superhero world, with a flying piscine sidekick, and their attempts to help a foodstuff lifeform get back home.

Is it a superhero pisstake? Partially, but fans of the super-genre will be pleased by some of the flashbacks, which hint at powered escapades on the sort of galactic scale at which Morrison excels. Surreal yet jolly and vibrant, the bizarre world of SEAGUY, with its bearded warrior-ladies and insane moon-dwellers, is brought to brain-warping life by Cameron Stewart's revelatory art. Although the mini-series itself wasn't as widely read as it deserved to be, the collection will hopefully garner more attention. The best news of all is, Morrison is reportedly planning to bring us more SEAGUY in the future. [Lindsay Duff]

NOT BUY THIS BOOK! IT AM WORSE THAN IDENTITY CRISIS!

2003's BIZARRO COMICS saw many of the most talented and popular figures from the world of independent and alternative comics team up to tell some deliciously irreverent stories of life in the DC Universe. Tales ranged from the surreal to the suburban, with Wonder Woman depicted as a cherubic mallrat, Batgirl a squeamish Goth, and Superman a troublesome toddler. Any thoughts of iconoclasm or nostalgia for Cardigan Comics were dispelled by the sheer warmth and quality of the material. In fact, I would go so far as to say that BIZARRO COMICS was the best book to come out of the DC Universe in a dog's age.

Which is why I'm so very happy that they are doing more.

This week's BIZARRO WORLD hardcover features returning creators Tony Millionaire (MAAKIES), James Kochalka (AMERICAN ELF) and Andi Watson (LOVE FIGHTS), alongside first-time contributors such as Paul Grist (KANE, JACK STAFF), Roger Langridge (FRED THE CLOWN), and Harvey Pekar (AMERICAN SPLENDOR). As with the first volume, the stories in BIZARRO WORLD will range all across the DC Universe, touching on the Justice League, the Legion of Super Heroes, Teen Titans and others.

You can read a preview of BIZARRO WORLD here. At $30, BIZARRO WORLD is hardly cheap, but I suspect that it'll be as charming, funny and downright delightful as the original, and certainly well worth the money, though if you can stand to wait, there's certain to be a paperback eventually. [Matthew Craig]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR FEBRUARY 2nd 2005:

Shipping details come courtesy of Diamond. Visit the Diamond website for the latest information, as the list is subject to change.

DARK HORSE

JUN040015 BMW FILMS THE HIRE #2 (Of 6) $2.99
NOV040020D CONCRETE HUMAN DILEMMA #2 (OF 6) (MR) $3.50
OCT040040 MEGATOKYO VOL 3 TP $9.95

DC COMICS

NOV040260D BIZARRO WORLD HC $29.95
DEC040324 BOOKS OF MAGICK LIFE DURING WARTIME BOOK 1 TP (MR) $9.95
DEC040254 DEADSHOT #3 (OF 5) $2.95
DEC040225 DETECTIVE COMICS #803 $2.95
DEC040256 FIRESTORM #10 $2.50
DEC040309 INTIMATES #4 $2.95
DEC040329 JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER SPECIAL PAPA MIDNITE #1 (OF 5) $2.95
DEC040269 JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #8 (OF 12) $2.50
DEC040281 JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #6 $2.25
DEC040283 LOONEY TUNES #123 $2.25
DEC040312 MAXX BOOK FOUR TP (MR) $17.95
DEC040272 QUESTION #4 (OF 6) $2.95
NOV040324D RAZORS EDGE WARBLADE #4 (MR) $2.95
DEC040300 ROGUE TROOPER THE FUTURE WAR TP $14.95
NOV040357D SEAGUY TP (MR) $9.95
NOV040308D SINSTER DEXTER MURDER 101 TP (MR) $19.95
DEC040243 SUPERMAN STRENGTH #2 (OF 3) $5.95
DEC040338 SWAMP THING #12 (MR) $2.95
DEC040293 TOE TAGS FEATURING GEORGE ROMERO #5 (MR) $2.95
DEC040316 TWILIGHT EXPERIMENT #1 (OF 6) $2.95

IMAGE

DEC041536 MORA #1 $2.95
OCT041525 PVP RELOADED VOL 2 TP $11.95
OCT041527 QUIXOTE NOVEL $9.95
NOV041547D SMALL GODS VOL 1 KILLING GRIN TP $9.95

MARVEL

DEC041733 BLACK PANTHER #1 $2.99
DEC048011 BLACK PANTHER #1 RIBIC VARIANT $2.99
DEC041801 BLACK PANTHER BY JACK KIRBY VOL 1 TP $19.99
DEC041748 DAREDEVIL REDEMPTION #1 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV041812D EXCALIBUR #9 $2.99
DEC041783 EXILES #59 $2.99
DEC041804 HULK AND THING HARD KNOCKS TP $13.99
NOV041806D MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #20 $2.25
DEC041760 MARVEL TEAM-UP #5 $2.25
NOV041792D NEW AVENGERS #3 $2.25
SEP048062D NEW AVENGERS #3 COIPEL VARIANT $2.25
DEC041799 RUNAWAYS VOL 3 GOOD DIE YOUNG DIGEST TP $7.99
DEC041750 SHANNA THE SHE DEVIL #1 (OF 7) $3.50
DEC041745 SPIDER-GIRL #83 $2.99
DEC041793 SUPREME POWER #15 (MR) $2.99
DEC041737 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #72 $2.25
DEC041778 UNCANNY X-MEN #455 $2.25
DEC041805 UNCANNY X-MEN NEW AGE VOL 2 CRUELEST CUT TP $12.99
DEC041784 X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR #3 (OF 5) $3.50
NOV041760D X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG #2 (OF 5) $2.99
DEC041787 X-MEN UNLIMITED #7 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

OCT048139 AFTERMATH BREAKDOWN #3 2ND PRTG $2.95
NOV042405 BETTY & VERONICA #206 $2.19
NOV042406 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #154 $2.39
JUN042133E BILL & TEDS MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURES VOL 1 TP $13.95
OCT042705F BLOOD ORANGE #4 (MR) $5.95
NOV042305 COURIERS VOL 3 BALLAD OF JOHNNY FUNWRECKER GN (MR) $12.95
NOV042716 DONALD DUCK ADVENTURES VOL 10 TP $7.95
OCT048047 GI JOE RELOADED #10 2ND PRTG $2.95
DEC042982F HERE DOESNT COME THE FLYING F$$$ #1 (MR) $3.95
NOV042409 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #110 $3.59
DEC042333 PIRATE CLUB #5 $2.95
NOV042411 SABRINA VOL 2 #64 $2.19
OCT048191 UDON DARKSTALKERS #2 2ND PRTG $2.95
NOV042720 UNCLE SCROOGE #338 $6.95
NOV042721 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #653 $6.95
DEC042498 WORLD OF NARUE BOOK 4 GN $9.99

The Ninth Eight are Matthew Craig, John Fellows, Kieron Gillen, Alistair Kennedy, Zack Smith, Andrew Wheeler, Ben Wooller and Bulent Yusuf.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.