The Shipping Forecast for July 3rd

It's the return of NAUSICAA, the return of the SKELEBUNNIES, the return of HEROBEAR and THE RETURN OF THE MONSTER. Plenty of places to jump aboard a new comics experience in this week's shipping list!
01 July 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.

GERMAN BIGHT PICKS:

NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND: PERFECT COLLECTION VOLS 1-4 (Viz)
The manga series which I loved first, and which I still love best. Obviously there's enough love to go round, because Viz are reissuing the collected editions again. A few of you out there may have encountered Miyazaki only through films from Studio Ghibli, but I'm willing to bet that you enjoyed those films a lot, and you really should be buying this. The story is an epic and amazing thing, with a strong ecological and anti-war theme. Those who have seen the film should be prepared to find the plotlines and sweep of the story are far larger than they would expect. It's like having the director's cut, if you will. The art style owes a lot to European influences, particularly Moebius, and the page layout is simple and easy to follow. If you're unfamiliar with manga, NAUSICAA may open you up to a whole new world of comics.

BASTARD SAMURAI #2 (Image)
What in heck happened? Everyone was all excited because Michael Avon Oeming had a hand in the writing, and we all like POWERS and HAMMER OF THE GODS, right? The preview art was gorgeous, the concept of an urban samurai trained for illegal streetfighting death matches was intriguing. But picky old crone that I am, I like a comic with a coherent plot, and no amount of dazzling art can assuage my dissatisfaction if there isn't one. Oeming and Kelsey Shannon's art in BASTARD SAMURAI really is dazzling, but on the whole the book's disjointed and lacking in characterisation and plot. I may borrow somebody's trade when the story's done, but there wasn't enough in the first issue to make me want to spend my money on the second.

PLYMOUTH PICKS:

SKELEBUNNIES #2 (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics)
They're goofy! They're funny! They're going to drop you in vats of acid or rip off your limbs and tie them into big floppy bows! They're the cuddly, cute, and irresistibly dangerous Skelebunnies! Tommy Kovac's demented creations are bound to amuse anyone who has a sick sense of humour, as they prance, giggle, and torture their way through the happy little forest. For those who feel like they're on a sugar overload these days, look no further than these absurdly funny demonspawn. (Unless, of course, horribly deformed woodland creatures disturb you.)

ELEKTRA #12 (Marvel Knights)
When no one was looking, Greg Rucka's turned this into a great book. Gone is the previous writer's wacky dialogue and mindless action sequences; now it's looking into the mind of an assassin, trying to pull apart what would make someone like Elektra tick... and what happens when you take away the one stimulus that her mind craves. Add in some much nicer art by new artist Carlo Pagulayan, and ELEKTRA's become one of Marvel's best monthly books. See what happens when we aren't paying attention?

FISHER PICKS:

HEROBEAR AND DECOY: FIELD TRIP #1 (Astonish Comics/Penny Dreadful Press)
Here's the deal. The HEROBEAR trade paperback's solicited in this month's Previews, and I'll be giving that the hard sell when it comes around in the forecast, because if you hadn't noticed already, this is one of my absolute favourite series out there. But if you're not sure if you're going to like it, you should pick up HEROBEAR AND DECOY as a taster, because not only will it introduce you to Mike Kunkel's cuddly square-jawed bruin, it'll also introduce you - and me - to Courtney Huddleston's little green alien. The story sees HEROBEAR's Tyler on a field trip to a police station, where he meets a police officer who, like him, has a strange, secret companion. Hijinks almost invariably ensue. It's a two part story, so like I say, if you're ever going to give HEROBEAR a shot, do it now.

INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 1 TP: RETURN OF THE MONSTER (Marvel Universe)
I was so impressed with Bruce Jones's story on TANGLED WEB that I was already curious about his work on HULK, and I've heard plenty of good things about his run, so I'll pick this up, even though Marvel apparently couldn't be bothered to put any information about it on the website. From what I understand, Jones plays The Hulk up as a threat, rather than a leading man, with a firm focus on the character - and characterisation - of Bruce Banner. The art comes from John Romta Jr, who ought to be a near-enough perfect choice. In all honesty, though, one of the main reasons I want to read this is to see if the story lives up to the promise of Kaare Andrews' increasingly brilliant covers. His knack for invention puts John Cassaday's PLANETARY covers to shame, and only Dave Johnson on 100 BULLETS can rival him for eye-catching composition.

FASTNET PICKS:

POWERS #21 (Image)
One brilliant story arc and a massive plot twist, and once again POWERS is indispensable reading. Anybody who thinks that "characterisation" in comics is just a speech tic, a catchphrase or a comedy foreign accent ought to read this book and see how Brian Bendis shows how his main - and even minor - characters change and grow as they react to events, without ever straining their believability. It's seamless, high-class writing, and it plays perfectly to Michael Oeming's talent of conveying emotions through expression and body language, despite his simplified cartoonish style. I have no idea how this series is going to develop as a result of the events in issue #20, but I'm definitely along for the ride. As I've said before, in the absence of PLANETARY, this is the best superhero book currently being published.

THE FILTH #2 (DC Vertigo)
Now, some people say that Grant Morrison does his best work when he's constrained by someone else's boundaries - on JLA or NEW X-MEN, for example. These people would argue that when Morrison does his own thing, he tends to go wibble for the sake of it. And it has to be said, there was a fair bit of wibble in THE FILTH #1. But despite all the time-lapse tricks, flying dustcarts, psychedelic snot and nude women with Bobby Charlton combovers, there was also the start of a very intriguing story. Come on, don't tell me you missed it. It was plain as the blue acrylic wig on your head. But seriously, the reason this appeals to me more than Morrison's company-owned work is that I'm intrigued. No matter how good his writing is on NEW X-MEN, it's only bloody Wolverine, and I can't get excited about it. THE FILTH, on the other hand, makes me read and re-read it and look forward to the next issue with bated breath. The wigs are still silly, though.

Comics shipping in the US on July 3rd:

DARK HORSE

STAR09467 OH MY GODDESS LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE TP $14.95

DC COMICS

STAR11484 BATMAN A DEATH IN THE FAMILY TP $12.95
MAY020265 CRUSADES #17 (MR) $2.50
MAY020190 DETECTIVE COMICS #772 $2.50
MAY020216 DOOM PATROL #10 $2.50
MAY020267 FILTH #2 (Of 13) (MR) $2.95
MAY020251 GEN 13 #0 $0.13
MAY020268 GODDESS TP (RES) (MR) $19.95
APR020439 GREEN LANTERN BRIGHTEST DAY BLACKEST NIGHT $5.95
MAY020223 HAWKMAN #5 $2.50
MAY020250 HIGH ROADS #4 (Of 6) $2.95
MAY020227 JLA DESTINY #2 (Of 4) $5.95
MAY020230 JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #9 $1.99
MAY020232 LAB RATS #4 $2.50
MAY020242 LOONEY TUNES #92 $1.99
MAY020243 POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE THE COMIC $2.95
MAY020274 SCI SPY #6 (Of 6) (MR) $2.50
MAY020238 SPECTRE #19 $2.50
MAR020425 TOM STRONG #17 $2.95
MAY020240 YOUNG JUSTICE #47 $2.50

IMAGE

APR021410 ARIA A SUMMER SPELL #2 (Of 2) $2.95
APR021413 BASTARD SAMURAI #2 (Of 3) $2.95
STAR13070 BLUNTMAN & CHRONIC GN $14.95
APR021419 GI JOE BATTLE FILES #2 (Of 3) $5.95
NOV011511 INFERNO HELLBOUND #2 $2.50
MAR021383 POWERS #21 (MR) $2.95
MAR021389 SAVAGE DRAGON #99 $2.95
MAY021199 VIOLENT MESSIAHS VOL 1 BOOK OF JOB TP $24.95
STAR13720 VIOLENT MESSIAHS VOL 2 SGN #1 PI

MARVEL

MAY021466 ALIAS #11 (MR) $2.99
APR021777 ALIAS HC (MR) $29.95
MAY021518 CALL OF DUTY THE BROTHERHOOD #2 (Of 6) $2.25
MAY021501 ELEKTRA #12 $2.99
MAY021472 EXILES #15 $2.25
MAY021510 FANTASTIC FOUR #58 $2.25
APR021789 INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 1 TP RETURN OF THE MONSTER $12.99
MAY021511 MARVEL MANGAVERSE #4 $2.25
MAY021493 SPIDER-GIRL #49 $2.25
MAY021494 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24 $2.25
MAR021693 ULTIMATES #5 $2.25
MAY021475 UNCANNY X-MEN #408 $2.25

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR022592 BASTARD #7 FIGHTER (2 OF 3) (MR) $3.95
MAY021703 BEAUTIFUL KILLER #1 (Of 3) $2.99
APR022043 BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #55 $1.99
APR022461 COURTNEY CRUMRIN & THE NIGHT THINGS #4 (Of 4) $2.95
MAR022145 DARKMINDS MACROPOLIS #3 $2.95
APR001731 DECOY ONE SHOT $2.75
MAY022179 DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS BLACK AND WHITE #1 (Of 8) $2.99
MAY021945 FORGE #4 (Note Price) $11.95
STAR12671 GLOOM COOKIE VOL 1 TP $18.95
MAY021976 HEART OF DORKNESS COLL DORK TOWER VOL 3 TP $15.99
MAY022236 HEROBEAR AND DECOY FIELD TRIP #1 (Of 2) $2.95
STAR14166 I FEEL SICK #2 $3.95
MAY021942 IMMORAL ANGEL VOL 1 TP INNOCENCE LOST (A) $16.95
STAR14546 JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC #1 $2.95
APR022046 JUGHEAD #145 $1.99
APR022047 JUGHEAD WITH ARCHIE DIGEST #176 $2.19
APR022120 LADY DEATH DARK ALLIANCE #1 $2.99
STAR12524 LENORE TP VOL 2 WEDGIES $13.95
MAR022291 LIBERTY MEADOWS #26 $2.95
MAY021767 LIFE OF A FETUS #7 (RES) $2.95
APR022195 MERIDIAN #25 $2.95
STAR01065 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND PERFECT COLL VOL 1 TP $17.95
STAR01846 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND PERFECT COLL VOL 2 TP $17.95
STAR04685 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND PERFECT COLL VOL 3 TP $17.95
STAR06788 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND PERFECT COLL VOL 4 TP $17.95
APR022603 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION PART 7 COLL ED #2 (OF 7) $2.95
MAR022490 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION VOL 6 TP $15.95
MAY022127 OPPOSITE FORCES #1 $2.95
APR022050 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #68 $3.29
MAY022174 PAPER MUSEUM VOL 1 #1 $2.95
APR022196 PATH #4 $2.95
APR022555 PINKY & STINKY GN $17.95
APR022215 PVP ONLINE COLLECTION VOL 1 TP STRIPTEASE $15.99
APR022197 RUSE #9 $2.95
APR022051 SABRINA VOL 2 #34 $1.99
APR022605 SILENT MOBIUS TURNABOUT #6 (Of 6) $2.95
APR022006 SKELEBUNNIES #2 $2.95
APR022606 VAGABOND VOL 2 TP $12.95
APR022348I VAMPIRELLA #10 LTD CVR ED $9.95
APR022349I VAMPIRELLA #10 LTD MODEL PHOTO ED $9.95
APR022347 VAMPIRELLA #10 REG ED $2.99

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

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