The Shipping Forecast for June 5th

NOCTURNALS, JSA and JONNY DOUBLE for the bookshelf, and PRIVATE BEACH, FRED THE CLOWN and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT for the journey home. And yeah, OK, there's THE FILTH as well.
03 June 2002

The Shipping Forecast is Ninth Art's pick of the best and most notable new releases hitting comic stores each week, courtesy of the fishing crew at the Ninth Art lighthouse. Shipping details come courtesy of Diamond. Check out the Diamond website for the latest information, as the list is subject to change.

VIKING PICKS:

THE FILTH #1 (of 13) (DC Vertigo)
Those of you who pooh-pooh Grant Morrison's work on NEW X-MEN because it's work-for-hire can rejoice at last, because Morrison's latest 13-part creator-owned story starts this week. Precious little has been revealed about it - what it's about, for instance - but it appears to be more of the stuff we're used to from Morrison - government conspiracy paranoia, mind control, and thought-provoking concepts. The fact that it's illustrated entirely by Chris Weston (THE INVISIBLES, ENEMY ACE) should further convince you to give it your full attention.

NEW X-MEN #127 (Marvel Universe)
And speaking of Morrison's work-for-hire work, here it is. Granted, it's an Igor Kordey issue, but Morrison is really pumping out some fun stuff here. If you can get past the occasionally dismal art, this is probably the peak of the work-for-hire mountain at the moment. And yes, I know Kordey's good on Cable and only has five minutes to draw each issue of NXM, but still. Morrison is obviously having fun playing with the big toys, and rumour has it that soon the rotating art team will be much improved.

FISHER PICKS:

30 DAYS OF NIGHT #1 (IDW)
This three issue series is an unlikely side-product of the ongoing MARVELMAN saga, as the HELLSPAWN creative team of Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith put it together while their regular book was on hiatus. Don't let that SPAWN association put you off, though. Coming from the same independent publishing house that's brought us Ashley Wood's POPBOT, this looks like being a real labour of love by two upcoming creators. A strange evil lurks in the long night of a small Alaskan town, and the husband-and-wife law enforcement team may have to choose between saving the town or saving themselves. Check out the preview here.

JONNY DOUBLE TP (DC Vertigo)
Before 100 BULLETS, there was JONNY DOUBLE. This four issue limited series brought Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso together for the first time, and established the noir style that would make 100 BULLETS such a hit. If you're collecting that series, this story of a private eye who gets tied up in a heist and then has to contend with a string of murders is an essential companion piece. It's also very much recommended for fans of Milligan and Biukovic's HUMAN TARGET.

FASTNET PICKS:

FRED THE CLOWN #3 (Hotel Fred Press)
We at the Lighthouse have raved about FRED THE CLOWN on a regular basis and, as Roger Langridge only publishes three issues a year, I'm going to continue the tradition. This issue reprints the Fred story from L'Association's COMIX 2000 anthology, and continues with 22 pages of brand-new material, including Fred's favourite magazine, 'The Wretch'. For those poor, benighted souls who haven't yet encountered Fred, be prepared for a series of short strips where the poor, misbegotten clown is mocked, rejected, laughed at, and subjected to the kinds of humiliations, disappointments and disasters that might even have put Buster Keaton off. But somehow, this isn't cruel humour - it's just painfully funny. If you don't break out into uncontrolled giggles at some point while reading this book, it's quite possible that you're dead.

PLYMOUTH PICKS:

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #156 (DC Universe)
As the 1992 United States presidental election approached, Dwayne McDuffie and Val Semeiks were having far too much fun with a four-part story in THE DEMON titled "Political Asylum". Their collaboration worked perfectly, and for the first time in ages THE DEMON actually became an appealing book. Now they're working together again in LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT with "Blink". A blind man finds himself with the ability to see through the eyes of those he touches... including a serial killer. With this kind of hook, I'm already intrigued. Knowing that we're going to have some great writing and art by McDuffie and Semeiks just cements the deal and makes this a must-buy book.

JSA: DARKNESS FALLS TP (DC Universe)
One of the two trade paperbacks postponed in the wake of last September (the other being Vertigo's GODDESS TPB), JSA: DARKNESS FALLS features the start of Geoff Johns's and David Goyer's collaboration together on the wildly successful JSA monthly comic. The most notable story in the collection, without a doubt, is the final one, which kicks off with the Kobra terrorist group blowing up a passenger jet. What was once written as a tribute to Johns's sister on the fateful TWA Flight 800 now has a much stronger resonance. To Johns and Goyer's credit, what is now an incredibly powerful story was already good even before recent events; with the addition of art by Steve Sadowski, you'll quickly understand how JSA became such a popular book.

PRIVATE BEACH #5 (Slave Labor Graphics)
Up for an Eisner Award for Best New Series, it's easy to see why David Hahn's PRIVATE BEACH is getting so much attention. His stories do a great job of mixing drama and humor, the situations he comes up with are highly original and intriguing, and his ability to draw people who look like real people is outstanding. This new issue spotlights each of the five castmates as we follow them through the course of a single day. I can't think of a better way to find out what's going on and jump on board.

DOGGER PICKS:

NOCTURNALS: DARK FOREVER TP (Oni Press)
How can you resist this? It's Dan Brereton, illustrating the sequel to his previous NOCTURNALS work BLACK PLANET. It's several years later, and the cast from the first series, having left town in the intervening period, return home for a family gathering, only to find their mentor, Doc Horror, engrossed in a personal project with little time to spare to battle the new horror they discover growing in the town. Gorgeous art, and a fantastic monster movie story, only this time, the monsters are the heroes. You'd be mad to miss it.

THE FILTH #1 (DC Vertigo)
It's awfully hard to talk about a series for which no preview information has been released, aside from a few images. But even those few images look very interesting indeed. A return to his old stomping grounds at DC Vertigo this book is, apparently, everything Morrison can't get away with in NEW X-MEN, and given what he's getting away with there, I'm expecting this to be something seriously mad and interesting. And, of course, it doesn't hurt to have the horribly talented Chris Weston on board as artist.

SONAR / MISSED PICKS FROM LAST WEEK'S COMICS

TRANSFORMERS: MATRIX QUEST TPB (Titan)
Usually, I'm of two minds when recommending Giant Robot Crap - give in to the Inner Nerd or bliss out on Giant Robot fun - but this time, I don't have to think about it. Matrix Quest is some of the better stuff from the original Transformers run, sure, but the initial printings of this TPB have some colour plates switched around, rendering large parts of the book entirely in a rather ugly pink. If a pink Bumblebee is your idea of a good time, by all means pick it up, but others, be warned, and wait for the redistribution in a couple of weeks. [VIKING]

Comics shipping in the US on June 5th:

DARK HORSE

MAR020061 BTVS #45 DEATH OF BUFFY (PART 3 OF 3) $2.99
JAN020030 MIKE MIGNOLAS BPRD HOLLOW EARTH #3 (Of 3) $2.99
MAR020078 STAR WARS JANGO FETT OPEN SEASONS #2 (Of 4) (C: 3) $2.99

DC COMICS

MAR020429 AMERICAN CENTURY #15 (MR) $2.50
APR020416 BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #156 $2.25
APR020484 CRUSADES #16 (MR) $2.50
APR020411 DETECTIVE COMICS #771 $2.50
APR020433 DOOM PATROL #9 $2.50
APR020488 FILTH #1 (Of 13) (MR) $2.95
APR020476 GREYSHIRT INDIGO SUNSET #6 (Of 6) $3.50
APR020442 HAWKMAN #4 $2.50
APR020473 HIGH ROADS #3 (Of 6) $2.95
APR020444 JLA DESTINY #1 (Of 4) $5.95
APR020492 JONNY DOUBLE TP (MR) $12.95
APR020446 JSA DARKNESS FALLS TP (RES) $19.95
APR020449 JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #8 $1.99
APR020451 LAB RATS #3 $2.50
MAR020403 LEGION #8 $2.50
APR020463 LOONEY TUNES #91 $1.99
APR020495 SCI SPY #5 (Of 6) (MR) $2.50
APR020454 SPECTRE #18 $2.50
MAR020384 SUPERBOY #100 (Note Price) $3.50
APR020427 SUPERMAN #183 $2.25
APR020460 YOUNG JUSTICE #46 $2.50

IMAGE

FEB021540 BLOOD LEGACY THE NOVEL $6.95
JAN021551 DAWN RETURN OF THE GODDESS LTD ED HC (MR) $39.95
STAR11755 FATHOM POSTER #2 $5.95
MAR021357 GUARDIAN ANGEL #1 (Of 4) $2.95
MAR021360 KABUKI REFLECTIONS #4 $4.95
FEB021569 SAVAGE DRAGON #98 $2.95
MAR021393 TOMB RAIDER #22 $2.50

MARVEL

APR021713 ALIAS #10 (MR) $2.99
MAR021694 AVENGERS #54 $2.25
APR021755 CALL OF DUTY THE BROTHERHOOD #1 (Of 6) $2.25
APR021753 DEADLINE #3 (Of 4) $2.99
APR021732 EXILES #14 $2.25
APR021754 FANTASTIC FOUR #56 $2.25
APR021748 MARVEL KNIGHTS DOUBLE SHOT #3 (RES) $2.99
APR021756 MARVEL MANGAVERSE #3 $2.25
JAN021866 MIGHTY MARVEL POSTER ORIGIN #5 (C: 4) $5.95
APR021734 MUTIES #5 $2.50
APR021735 NEW X-MEN #127 $2.25
APR021722 SPIDER-GIRL #48 (Note Price) $2.25
APR021758 THOR #50 (Note Price) $4.95
APR021759 THUNDERBOLTS #65 $2.25
APR021724 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #23 $2.25
APR021736 UNCANNY X-MEN #407 $2.25
FEB021934 WOLVERINE GAMBIT VICTIMS TP (C: 2) $12.95

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR022371 30 DAYS OF NIGHT #1 (Of 3) (MR) $3.99
MAR021967 ARCHIE DIGEST #190 $2.19
MAR022480 BASTARD #6 FIGHTER (1 OF 3) (MR) $3.95
MAR022066 CHASTITY CRAZYTOWN #3 (Of 3) $2.99
APR022362 FRED THE CLOWN #3 $2.95
JUN991588 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 1 PRIESTESS GN $15.95
STAR10481 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 2 ORACLE TP $15.95
MAR022293 FUTABAKUN CHANGE VOL 8 #4 $2.95
STAR14248 JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC #3 $2.95
STAR14550 JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC #7 $2.95
MAR021972 JUGHEAD #144 $1.99
MAR022046 LADY DEATH GODDESS RETURNS #1 (Of 2) $2.99
STAR14435 LENORE #1 $2.95
STAR14554 LENORE #2 $2.95
MAR022118 MERIDIAN #24 $2.95
STAR14261 MONSTERS IN MY TUMMY $5.95
MAR022492 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PART 7 #1 (OF 7) $3.50
FEB025146 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PART 7 COLL ED #1 (OF 7) (PU#521) $3.50
STAR06170 NO NEED FOR TENCHI VOL 1 TP $15.95
STAR14177 NO NEED FOR TENCHI VOL 10 MOTHER PLANET TP $15.95
MAR021921 NOBODY TP (STAR11475) (MR) $12.95
MAR022350 NOCTURNALS DARK FOREVER TP $9.95
MAR022296 OGENKI CLINIC VOL 9 #2 (A) (C: 3) $2.95
MAR022120 PATH #3 $2.95
JAN022176 PRIVATE BEACH #5 $2.95
MAR022054 PURGATORI GOD KILLER #1 $2.99
STAR00780 RANMA 1/2 VOL 3 TP $15.95
STAR01139 RANMA 1/2 VOL 4 TP $15.95
MAR021923 RUBBER NECKER #1 (MR) $3.50
MAR022121 RUSE #8 $2.95
MAR021976 SABRINA VOL 2 #33 $1.99
MAR022494 SILENT MOBIUS TURNABOUT #5 (Of 6) $2.95
APR022186 SOJOURN VOL 1 TP $19.95
APR022226 TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE #3 $2.95
MAR022294 VAMPIRE YUI VOL 4 #4 $2.95
MAR022268 VAMPIRELLA #9 LTD CVR ED $9.95
MAR022269 VAMPIRELLA #9 LTD MODEL PHOTO ED $9.95
MAR022267 VAMPIRELLA #9 REG ED $2.99

The 9A Lighthouse Crew are Trafalgar, Shannon, Fastnet, Plymouth, Viking, German Bight, Finisterre, Forties, Dogger, Cromarty and Fisher.

Ninth Art endorses the principle of Ideological Freeware. The author permits distribution of this article 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.