The Shipping Forecast for May 14th

From Mod culture to high opera, it's another diverse week at the comic store, with a chance to catch up on old works by Scott Morse and Brian Azzarello, and word of what may be one of the most talked about comics of the year: PERSEPOLIS.
12 May 2003

Welcome to the Shipping Forecast, Ninth Art's pick of the best and most notable new releases hitting comic stores each week.

COMIC OF THE WEEK:

PERSEPOLIS HC (Pantheon Books)
One of the more stirring pieces of autobiography I've read since Madison Clell's CUCKOO, PERSEPOLIS is one woman's remembrance of her childhood in secular Iran as it made its violent lurch towards conservative theocracy. Joining books like THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, Joe Sacco's PALESTINE, and Spiegelman's MAUS, PERSEPOLIS is entirely successful in its dual function of recording the facts of a real person's life while enlightening readers about the complicated politics and conflicted emotions that have shaped the modern world. Marjane Satrapi's artwork is iconic and to the point, yet provides a consistent and vital visual element to the book that makes the tragedies she endured more personal for the reader. Watch for this to win awards that comics aren't often given. Highest recommendation. [Trafalgar]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

VISITATIONS GN (Oni Press)
Everything gets called a graphic novel these days, whether it's a collection, an anthology, a novella or a part work; 'graphic novel' is the catch-all term. Originally published by Image in 1998, VISITATIONS isn't really a graphic novel; the right phrase is probably 'graphic parable' - but don't let that put you off. From the pencil (and brush) of SOULWIND wunderkind Scott Morse, this is a visually stunning sepia-toned discourse on the power of faith; a tale told with great subtlety and grace. A series of emotional vignettes are tied together by the story of a pastor offering reassurance to a depressed visitor to his church. It's a clever, masterful and moving work, and I'm very grateful to Oni for putting it back into print. [Fisher]

SKAGGY THE LOST #3 (Slave Labor Graphics)
Don't despair if this is the first issue of Igor Baranko's SKAGGY THE LOST that you've heard about. Baranko, an alum of the Eastern European anthology STRIPBUREK, leaves the arts-first restraints behind as he masterfully creates a surreal piece of historical farce that pits a Viking expedition against a very Maya/Inca-like foe. Baranko's real strength lies in his hyper-expressive caricatures that abandon the all-but-standard aesthetic of beauty in comics for one of consistent satire. Issues one and two were just relisted by SLG last month and should be readily available from your favoured distributor. Fans of Rick Geary, ERIK THE VIKING, Vaughn Bode, and even GROO would probably feel right at home with this book, and it's well worth the effort to seek out. [Trafalgar]

HELLBLAZER: FREEZES OVER TP (MR) $14.95 (DC Vertigo)
As DC continues to collect Brian Azzarello's run on HELLBLAZER, there will certainly be a lot of debate on the merits (or lack thereof) of those issues. What most people who enjoyed the book will agree, though, is that one of the high points is the section of the run collected in HELLBLAZER: FREEZES OVER. Hostages in an isolated restaurant, a deadly snowstorm, and legends of a wintertime killer all collide here in this surprisingly tense story. Illustrated beautifully by Marcelo Frusin, FREEZES OVER is a handsome book that you'll want to re-read over and over. And, as an added bonus, also collected is the Guy Davis-illustrated "Lap Dogs and Englishmen", flashing back to John Constantine's younger days running scams in London. Perhaps a bit more lightweight, but still thoroughly entertaining. Who knows, you just might find yourself re-evaluating Azzarello's controversial tenure on the book. [Plymouth]

SCOOTER GIRL #1 (Oni Press)
As readers of the anarchic and thoroughly excellent teen comic BLUE MONDAY will know, its creator Chynna Clugston-Major has great affection for Mod culture, its style and its music in particular. No surprise, than, that she has taken the opportunity to expand this affection into an entire mini-series, thanks to those hepcat ace faces at Oni Press. Be prepared, gentle reader, for a blackly humorous introduction to the world of parkas, sharp-cut suits and, of course, Lambrettas. Clugston-Major's manga-styled art is perfect for this type of stylish yet funny action, and she's also mining a familiar seam in terms of the storyline, which involves swaggering guys and capricious chicks in romantic shenanigans that, it is probably safe to say, won't go entirely smoothly... [Finisterre]

BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Because we can't always give you the most up-to-date shipping information, we'll also give you an occasional look at some of the best books that have recently shipped or are expected to ship in the coming weeks.

MAGIC FLUTE HC LIBRARY OF OPERA VOL 1 (NBM)
I take a very sceptical view of hardcovers. Sometimes they can be truly beautiful objects, but a lot of the time they just feels like the publisher is reaching into your wallet and going for the twenties. This definitely belongs in the former category. The Forecast's favourite bookshelf format book of last year was RING OF THE NIBELUNG; now those sainted folks at NBM are going back to P Craig Russell's earlier opera adaptations and reprinting them in three beautiful volumes. The first, released last week and costing $24.95, is a typically exquisite take on Mozart's MAGIC FLUTE. The next two volumes collect the rest of Russell's pre-RING adaptations, including my personal favourites, 'Salome' and 'The Clowns'. In terms of composition, evocation and sheer magic, Russell is one of the finest artists in comics. [Fisher]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR MAY 14th:

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

DARK HORSE

MAR030021 CRIMINAL MACABRE: A CAL MCDONALD MYSTERY #1 (Of 5) $2.99
MAR030037 GRENDEL: GOD & THE DEVIL #4 (Of 10) (MR) $3.50
MAR030027 KISS ART CVR #10 $2.99
FEB030078 SUPER MANGA BLAST #31 (MR) $5.99

DC COMICS

MAR030197 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #616 $2.25
MAR030264 AMERICAN CENTURY #24 (RES) (MR) $2.75
MAR030205 AQUAMAN #6 $2.50
JAN030259 AUTOMATIC KAFKA #9 (MR) $2.95
MAR030185 BATGIRL: YEAR ONE #6 (Of 9) $2.95
MAR030180 BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #167 $2.50
MAR030268 BLOOD AND WATER #3 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95
MAR030270 FABLES #13 (MR) $2.50
MAR030247 GEN 13 #9 $2.95
MAR030192 GOTHAM CENTRAL #7 $2.50
MAR030209 GREEN LANTERN #164 $2.25
MAR030272 HELLBLAZER: FREEZES OVER TP (MR) $14.95
MAR030213 HERO #4 $2.50
MAR030214 HUMANS DEFENSE CORPS #1 (Of 6) $2.50
MAR030275 HUNTER: AGE OF MAGIC #23 (MR) $2.75
MAR030221 JLA: THE OBSIDIAN AGE BOOK ONE TP $12.95
MAR030219 JSA #48 $2.50
MAR030258 MANY WORLDS OF TESLA STRONG $5.95
MAR030194 NIGHTWING #81 $2.25
MAR030230 POWER COMPANY #16 $2.75
MAR030243 SCOOBY DOO #72 $2.25
MAR030252 STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES #11 (MR) $2.95
MAR030203 SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS III #5 (Of 12) $2.95
MAR030232 TITANS/YOUNG JUSTICE: GRADUATION DAY #1 (Of 3) $2.50
JAN030271 TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #7 $2.95

IMAGE

FEB031253 BATTLE OF THE PLANETS: MARK ONE SHOT $4.99
FEB031232 POWERS #31 (MR) $2.95
NOV021779 SAVAGE DRAGON #107 $3.95
JUN021421 SPAWN #125 $2.50
MAR031326 TOMB RAIDER #30 $4.99

MARVEL

MAR031558 411 #2 (Of 3) $3.50
MAR031577 BLACK PANTHER #59 $2.99
MAR031559 CALL #2 $2.25
MAR031557 CAPTAIN AMERICA #13 $2.99
MAR031542 DOMINO #1 $2.50
MAR031524 HUMAN TORCH #2 $2.50
MAR031564 INCREDIBLE HULK #54 $2.25
MAR031574 IRON MAN #68 $2.99
MAR031567 MARVEL UNIVERSE: THE END #5 (Of 6) $2.99
MAR031588 NEW X-MEN VOL 4: RIOT AT XAVIERS TP $11.99
MAR031554 PUNISHER #26 $2.99
MAR031780 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 4 TP (STAR17331) $14.99
FEB031353 X-MEN UNLIMITED #46 $2.50

OTHER PUBLISHERS

MAR032133 ALIEN NINE BOOK 1 GN $15.95
APR032511 BASTARD VOL 3 TP (RES) (MR) $12.95
DEC022982 BATTLE ROYALE NOVEL (MR) $15.95
FEB031765 BETTY & VERONICA #188 $2.19
FEB031767 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #115 $3.59
MAR032486 BIG O PART 4 #3 (Of 4) $3.50
MAR035069 BLUE MONDAY: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT TP CURR PRTG NEW VERSION $10.99
MAR032069 BRIAN PULIDO'S LADY DEATH #4: A MEDIEVAL TALE $2.95
MAR032311 CHIAROSCURO #7 (MR) $2.75
FEB035179 COURTNEY CRUMRIN & THE NIGHT THINGS TP SPECIAL EDITION $11.95
MAR032072 CRUX VOL 3 TP: STRANGERS IN ATLANTIS $15.95
MAR032106 ELVIRA #121 $2.50
JAN031968 HEROBEAR AND THE KID VOL 1: INHERITANCE TP $19.95
FEB032092 MIDNIGHT MOVER #2 (Of 4) (MR) $2.99
FEB032174 MONKEY VS ROBOT AND CRYSTAL OF POWER GN $14.95
NOV022643 MOONSTONE MONSTERS: WEREWOLVES #1 (O/A) $2.95
MAR032079 NEGATION #18 $2.95
MAR032507 REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA VOL 3 TP: TO SPROUT $9.95
MAR032356 SCOOTER GIRL #1 (Of 6) $2.99
MAR032088 SIGIL #36 KEY ISSUE PI
MAR032094 SILKEN GHOST #1 (Of 5) $2.95
MAR031927 SKAGGY THE LOST #3 (Of 4) (MR) $3.50
MAR032089 SOJOURN #23 $2.95
FEB031775 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #123 $2.19
DEC022412 STRUM & DRANG: GREAT MOMENTS IN ROCK & ROLL TP $6.95
MAR032151 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #11 $2.95
FEB032090 VISITATIONS GN $8.95
JAN032468 ZOIDS #14 CHAOTIC CENTURY $5.95

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.