The Shipping Forecast for June 4th

In a Fantagraphics special, the crew nominates some of its favourite works from the troubled publisher, including books by Jessica Abel, Roberta Gregory and Barry Windsor Smith. Plus, our regular pick of the best of the week.
02 June 2003

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

Following the news that Fantagraphics is struggling to stay afloat (details are available on the publisher's site), we've decided to dedicate the bulk of this week's forecast to books from the Fantagraphics back catalogue. If you want to help push the publisher to reach its target of an extra $80,000 on its sales for the month, these are our recommendations for titles worth buying. However, even the selection here only just scratches the surface. For more inspiration, visit the Fantagraphics website.

FROM FANTAGRAPHICS:

A BITCH IS BORN
Though Roberta Gregory's NAUGHTY BITS continues to be the one of the sole ongoing vehicles for feminism in modern comics, the series has never regained the peak achieved by the stories collected in this volume. Easily confused with autobiography, Gregory's A BITCH IS BORN blends the life experiences of an entire generation of women that came to maturity during the late 1960s and early 1970s into one cohesive tale that seeks to explain why Bitchy is so...well, bitchy. Gregory's line on the BB material is so frenzied that it is easy to miss the years of craft that goes into creating this mood but, make no mistake, A BITCH IS BORN is an unforgettable piece of feminist comics that succeeds on the credibility of its humour and remains a necessary component of any serious comics collection. [Trafalgar]

CAT ON A HOT THIN GROOVE
Gene Deitch, for those who are not aware of him, is an Oscar-winning animation director and serious jazz fan. His name may not be immediately familiar to the younger generation, but for readers of THE RECORD COLLECTOR in the late 1940s and 1950s, Deitch's stylish and trend-setting covers and strip entitled 'The Cat' achieved iconic status. This volume collects all the '78rpm' artwork from that magazine, and it is both a visual feast as well as a treasure-trove of hip, sharp and smooth jazz culture from yesteryear. Greg Horn, take note - this is what genuinely cool covers look like. [Finisterre]

SAFE AREA GORAZDE
There's a journalistic power in comics that too often goes untapped - a capacity for emotion, the space and the time to find a well chosen moment that can sum up a wider scope that traditional new sources often doesn't have the luxury of, coupled with a lack of censorship (or at least, less than other media) that can make comics journalism easily the equal of more conventional media. And in the field of comics journalism, Joe Sacco stands untouched - his eye for the human angle, the point that will really bring the stark reality home, coupled with his artistic style, make him one of the finest reporters out there. This book, his account of war-torn life in the former Yugoslavia in the mid-nineties, is a genuinely important work, and one no self respecting comics fan should be without. [Dogger]

SOUNDTRACK
If you're reading Jessica Abel's wonderful LA PERDIDA, you should certainly buy this. And if you're not reading LA PERDIDA, you should still buy this, then go and buy LA PERDIDA too. A collection of short pieces from her early days at Chicago's NEW CITY and her self-published ARTBABE zine, SOUNDTRACK contains some of the finest comics-as-journalism pieces this side of Joe Sacco - and while her subject matters is more mundane than Sacco's, Abel always finds the humanity in her stories and stirs the emotions with equal skill. Plus, her cartooning ain't too shabby! [Cromarty]

OPUS (VOLS 1 & 2)
Barring the more obvious answer of "living in upstate New York", the OPUS series is the best response to the question, "What ever happened to Barry Windsor-Smith?" Split down the centre between showcasing decades of Windsor-Smith's finest illustrations and delineating the numerous psychic afflictions that BWS overcame in order to produce them, OPUS is as dense and, frankly, strange an artbook as the direct market is likely to ever see. Taken out of context, the text might be misconstrued as the ramblings of a seriously unhinged individual but, juxtaposed against the undeniable brilliance of Windsor-Smith's artwork (not to mention the lyricism of the text itself), the story of BWS's rise and flight from comic book success takes on an unsuspected gravity that is hard to refute. Crazy or not, he believes what he is saying and, after reading OPUS, you may as well. Or, just look at the really pretty pictures. [Trafalgar]

DAVID BORING
Make the movie and they will come; Dan Clowes' GHOST WORLD did strong business on the back of the Terry Zwigoff movie, but there are plenty of other excellent works from Clowes that are just as deserving of a place on your shelves. This includes the short story collections CARICATURE and TWENTIETH CENTURY EIGHTBALL, and the excellent novella DAVID BORING. Effortlessly mixing the fantastic and the mundane, this is a rich noir melodrama peopled with a tapestry of typical Clowes grotesques. The central character is essentially as grey a man as his name suggests, but his story is anything but boring. [Fisher]

YOUNG HOODS IN LOVE
While KING, the interpretive biography of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr (now complete at three volumes), is undoubtedly cartoonist Ho Che Anderson's most famous work in comics, YOUNG HOODS IN LOVE is perhaps Anderson at his most accessible. Within the pages of these short stories about the plight of unorthodox folks, Anderson proves himself to be one of comics' most potent visionaries as he dissolves the boundaries between writer and a cartoonist into one flawless stream of creation. Recommended for fans of David Choe, Paul Pope, and 100 BULLETS. [Trafalgar]

NOTES FROM A DEFEATIST
The mark of a really great creator is if practically all their output is worth collecting, even the small scraps and Picasso-like doodles on napkins. This is precisely the case with Joe Sacco, whose shorter works (ranging from one-page strips to 30-page novelettes) are collected in this volume. As might be expected of the creator of PALESTINE and SAFE AREA GORAZDE, this is a largely satirical and politically aware body of work. Of particular note is "How I Loved The War", a reflection of Sacco's own feelings about the original Gulf War, which has a whole new relevance in light of recent world events. This book is also considered the ideal primer for Sacco's work, so take note and get NOTES... [Finisterre]

THIS WEEK'S BOOKS:

LOBO UNBOUND #1 (DC Comics)
Once upon a time there was a LOBO mini-series written by Keith Giffen (with additional scripting by Alan Grant) and drawn by Simon Bisley, and it was huge. Funny, satirical, and not what anyone was even remotely expecting, this book jumped up and down on all things sacred then came back for more. And there was a sequel, LOBO'S BACK, and it was also good. And then, after a couple of specials, someone got the horrible idea to have an ongoing series. Written solely by Grant, it duiluted the character into a lame duck. Now, Dan DiDio's personally brought Giffen back to return the character to its glory days (back when he was a mass murderer) in a new six-issue mini-series, with some gorgeous painted art by Alex Horley. It may still be too late for this character, but if anyone can bring Lobo back to life (and put the supporting cast back to death), it's Giffen. [Plymouth]

NEW X-MEN #142 (Marvel)
A writer know for his incoherent plots. An artist known for his incoherent layouts. Put them together, and you get... a really beautiful comic. Whatever else might be said about Grant Morrison and Chris Bachalo, they're both tremendous comic book architects, with very clear ideas about page structure. This latest story arc, with Cyclops and Wolverine teaming up on the trail of the Weapon Plus project, looks set to demonstrate that, with the right collaborator, Chris Bachalo can still impose some narrative flow on his beautiful page designs. [Fisher]

THE PLANETARY READER (DC Wildstorm)
A special one-shot starring a fanboy with a more than average grasp of comics history who has been shut in a darkened room and is sobbing softly and repeating "When... when?" to himself. Soon to be followed by THE MIN- Oh, sorry. I've just been handed a press release from Wildstorm which informs me that THE PLANETARY READER is actually a collection of issues #13-15 of PLANETARY which - it says here - gives folk "the chance to catch up on some never-before-collected PLANETARY tales". This may mean that PLANETARY #16 isn't too far behind. So when all those poor fanboys emerge from their confinement and rush, sobbing with gratitude, to the comics stores for PLANETARY #16, it should be easy for everyone else to pick up the trades and THE PLANETARY READER and see what all the fuss is about. Canny. [German Bight]

QUEEN & COUNTRY #16 (Oni Press)
Firstly, allow me to cover some familiar ground: this is the best spy comic there is. It's up against only a small field of competitors, true, but Q&C beats all. It's a mark of a successful series that it can hit sixteen issues and five story arcs without even slightly stagnating. Part of this is Greg Rucka's peerless writing, and the constant rotation of excellent artists - FINDER's Carla Speed McNeil takes the helm for this arc. So, jump on with this issue and see what all the fuss is about - and be prepared for some top notch gritty espionage action. [Finisterre]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR JUNE 4th:

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

DARK HORSE

APR030016 BLACKBURNE COVENANT #3 (Of 4) $2.99
APR030054 OH MY GODDESS #98: THE PHANTOM RACER (PART 3 OF 4) $2.99
MAR030026 SPYBOY 13.2: THE MANGA AFFAIR #2 (Of 3) $2.99
MAR030032 USAGI YOJIMBO #66 $2.99

DC COMICS

APR030232 100 BULLETS #45 (MR) $2.50
APR030210 21 DOWN #10 $2.95
APR030162 ACTION COMICS #804 $2.25
APR030147 ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL #2 (Of 6) $2.50
APR030211 AUTHORITY VOL 2 #2 (MR) $2.95
APR030152 BATMAN: NEVERMORE #3 (Of 5) $2.50
APR030143 DETECTIVE COMICS #783 $2.75
APR030176 DOOM PATROL #21 $2.50
APR030187 GREEN LANTERN: THE ROAD BACK TP $14.95
APR030159 HARLEY QUINN #33 $2.50
APR030188 HAWKMAN #16 $2.50
APR030195 JSA: ALL STARS #2 (Of 8) $2.50
APR030196 JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #20 $2.25
APR030198 LOBO UNBOUND #1 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
APR030206 LOONEY TUNES #103 $2.25
MAR030229 NEW TEEN TITANS: THE TERROR OF TRIGON TP $17.95
MAR035112 PLANETARY READER $5.95
APR030245 PROPOSITION PLAYER TP (MR) $14.95
APR030220 ROBOTECH: LOVE AND WAR #1 (Of 6) $2.95
APR030249 VERTIGO POP!: BANGKOK #2 (Of 4) (MR) $2.95
MAR030254 WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #10 (MR) $2.95

IMAGE

FEB031191 ANGRY CHRIST COMIX REVISED HC $29.95
MAR031269 GI JOE #18 $2.95
APR031282 KORE #2 $2.95
APR031297 SAVAGE DRAGON VOL 8: THIS SAVAGE WORLD TP $15.95
FEB031241 SOUL OF A SAMURAI #1 (Of 4) $5.95

MARVEL

MAR031544 AGENT X #11 $2.99
APR031537 ALIAS #23 (MR) $2.99
APR031584 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL 4 TP $11.99
MAR031578 BLACK PANTHER #60 $2.99
APR031557 CALL #3 $2.25
APR031591 CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL 2: THE EXTREMISTS TP $13.99
APR031539 ELEKTRA #24 $2.99
APR031535 ETERNAL #1 (MR) $2.99
APR031528 EXILES #28 $2.99
APR031512 HULK: THE MOVIE ADAPTATION $3.50
MAR031551 MARVEL MUST HAVES: ULTIMATE VENOM (O/A) $3.99
APR031514 NEW X-MEN #142 $2.25
MAR031568 PARADISE X #11 $2.99
APR031566 SPIDER-GIRL #61 $2.99
MAR031570 STARTLING STORIES: THE THING: NIGHT FALLS ON YANCY ST #1 (Of 4) $3.50
APR031541 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #42 $2.25
APR031517 UNCANNY X-MEN #425 $2.25
APR031521 WOLVERINE: SNIKT #2 (Of 6) $2.99
MAR031537 X-MEN UNLIMITED #48 $2.50

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR031928 BEAR #1 $2.95
JAN031902 COMIC BOOK HEAVEN COLL HC: FLEE PUNY HUMANS $19.95
JAN031884 COMIC BOOK LETTERING THE COMICRAFT WAY $9.95
FEB031865 DEADBEATS #59 $2.50
FEB031976 DEATHMASK #2 $2.99
FEB032034 EXPLOITATION NOW TP (MR) $19.95
APR032109 FIRST #32 $2.95
APR032105 FIRST VOL 4 TP: FUTILE ENDEAVORS $15.95
APR031924 HALO & SPROCKET #4 $2.95
APR032287 JANES WORLD #6 $2.95
JUN022531 JESSE JAMES HC $27.95
AUG022372 JESSE JAMES SC $14.95
MAR031986 JUGHEAD WITH ARCHIE DIGEST #184 $2.39
MAR032289 LURID #3 (MR) $2.99
FEB031978 METALLIX #5 $3.50
APR032110 MYSTIC #37 $2.95
MAR031919 NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES #5 $2.95
MAR031989 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #76 $3.59
MAR032290 POPBOT #4 (MR) $7.99
MAR032359 QUEEN & COUNTRY #16 (MR) $2.99
APR032097 R A SALVATORE'S DEMON WARS VOL 2 #2: EYE FOR AN EYE (Of 5) $2.95
APR032167 RECORD OF LODOSS WAR: WELCOME TO LODOSS ISLAND BOOK TWO GN $15.95
MAR031990 SABRINA VOL 2 #46 $2.19
FEB031912 SANDSCAPE #4 $2.95
MAR032482 SHONEN JUMP VOL 1 #7 JULY 2003 $4.95
APR032137 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD #5: RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS $2.95
FEB031911 WARLANDS VOL 3 #6 $2.95
MAR032152 WARLANDS VOL 3: AGE OF ICE TP $15.95
APR032127 WAY OF THE RAT #14 $2.95
MAR031934 XIN: JOURNEY OF THE MONKEY KING #2 LAU CVR $2.99
APR031929 ZEET #1 $2.95

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.