The Shipping Forecast for July 11th

Ninth Art's pack of piscatorial pundits presciently pick the premium publications packing the precincts this week.
09 July 2001

Ahoy thar. Sit 'ee down and plug yerself in to this week's Shipping Forecast, in which our quaternary quorum of querulous quarrellers don their sou'westers and brave the storms of the latest Diamond shipping list to bring you the pick of the best and most noteworthy new books headed for your local comics emporium this very week.

Avast, landlubber. The shipping list is subject to change. Arrr.

GERMAN BIGHT PICKS:

SLOW NEWS DAY #1 (Slave Labor Graphics)
Andi Watson does more slice-of-life in the style of BREAKFAST AFTER NOON, although with more scope for a lighter, SKELETON KEY mood. An American journalist finds herself in England, not with the glamorous job she expected, but as a local newspaper hack. Will she cope? Will wacky hi-jinks ensue? Why on earth doesn't she just get on the next plane back again? Well, I want to know. Probably a good title for those who have always wanted to try out an Andi Watson comic, or those who have never heard of him (what have you been doing?) but will appreciate simple, expressive art and believable dialogue.

ASTOUNDNG SPACE THRILLS GALAXY SIZE #1 (Image)
How can anything be so gloriously retro and yet so now? If I had to use one word to describe ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS, it would have to be 'verve': The scripts zing along, the ideas just fizz off the page. Green space monkeys? Photosynthetic Martians? Villainous megacorp leaders with mulitiple brains? All here, just waiting to grab your imagination with a tractor beam. This time it's giant size! If ever there was a comic perfectly timed to take you back to the feeling of that childhood summer idyll, this is it. Indulge yourselves.

PANTS ANT TROUSER HOUR #1 (Slave Labor Graphics)
A spin-off of Ian Carney and Woodrow Phoenix's SUGAR BUZZ that could either wear the joke so thin that it breaks, or set off big time giggling. It's a superhero ant in giant robot pants, which is endearingly high concept. By the title alone it's already immeasurably more amusing to Brits than it is to the rest of the Anglophone world. With its creator pedigree, this title is likely to be consistently entertaining rather than a brief titter. In short, probably not pants.

FISHER PICKS:

ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS GALAXY SIZE #1 (Image)
I'm sure this was supposed to ship waaay back in March. Naughty Image. But now, here it is, a new opportunity for readers everywhere to indulge in the joys of Steve Conley's beautifully daft space adventures. Conley deserves high praise for being a pioneer in webcomics distribution with his free daily strip at astoundingspacethrills.com, and it's nice that those three people who don't have computers can now enjoy his work as well. Not that they're reading this, of course. Pulp thrills, strange sights and derring-do, all courtesy of one of the nicest guys in comics. Steve's welcome to a nice baked hake at this lighthouse any day of the week.

POWERS #12 (Image)
The best comic of 2000 reaches the end of its first year, with the first part of a new story arc, Groupies. While the prospect of creative burnout is looking like a distinct possibility for the frighteningly busy Brian Michael Bendis, this superhero crime series remains the most exciting and enjoyable of his current works. Artist Mike Avon Oeming deserves a good chunk of the credit, of course, for his brilliantly stylish pencils, and colourist Pat Garrahy is the cherry on top. The Groupies storyline looks at superhero-as-celebrity, complete with HOLLYWOOD BABYLON-style sordid sex murders. Who can possibly say no?

NEW X-MEN #115 (Marvel)
Yeah yeah, most of you are probably buying this anyway. Even those of you who thought you'd never buy another X-book ever again. And some of you are doing something even more extraordinary when it concerns a Marvel book - you're waiting for the trade. We're through the looking glass here, people. And the scariest thing is how very, very good NEW X-MEN is, at least based on the first issue. It's Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, of course, so it would have had to stretch to be bad, but the first issue of NEW X-MEN showed both men at the top of their games. Nothing justifies the fact that this book is three weeks late on its second issue, though. Ah, the more things change...

DOGGER PICKS:

INVISIBLES: ENTROPY IN THE UK (DC Vertigo)
It took them long enough, didn't it? This is the final collection of INVISIBLES volume 1, recounting King Mob's story and capture, while the rest of The Invisibles race to track down the missing Jack Frost and save their captured leader from the forces of the Outer Church. Come on, you don't need this selling to you, do you? It's Grant Morrison doing weird mad shit for God's sake. You won't find a better dose of lunacy out this week.

BREAKFAST AFTER NOON TP (Oni Press)
Enough of you people went to see FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and NOTTING HILL, didn't you? I mean, those were hit movies. What you're being served up here is a touching, romantic and funny story about youth, relationships and unemployment. And it's got a bit more reality to it than those god-awful films. Andi Watson is a talented man, and this collection of the original six issue mini-series is too good to resist.

PANTS ANT TROUSER HOUR #1 (Slave Labor Graphics)
I know almost bugger-all about this, but frankly, the title alone has me convinced. I've seen it advertised as about a "super insect who fights pants-related crime in the pants-obsessed city of Gabardine, Pantsylvania. A must-read for anyone who has ever worn pants!" With a pitch like that, how can any sane person resist? If you need further convincing, it's by the people that brought you SUGAR BUZZ, so give this a look.

CROMARTY PICKS:

FIRE: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION TP (Image)
Presumably the last of Brian Michael Bendis' Definitive Collections, at least before we start all over again with The POWERS Definitive Complete Reader's Definitive Cup-Winner's collection. FIRE is often the most overlooked of Bendis' works, and that's a little unfair. The story of Ben, a college kid who finds himself press-ganged into service as a secret agent for the CIA, FIRE is allegedly based on "events in the American Intelligence community during the Reagan administration" and is drawn by Bendis himself. Short, snappy and smarter than it has a reputation for being: worth looking for in your store this week.

BREAKFAST AFTER NOON TP (Oni Press)
Andi Watson, and the rest of the world, finally seems to have realised that he does his best writing when he's also at the drawing board. BREAKFAST AFTER NOON is no exception: a contemplative and sombre work dealing with unemployment, marriage and life in everyday England, this comic has a similar, though deeper, emotional depth to his critically-acclaimed GEISHA, and his draughtsmanship is always worth turning up for. A Gemma Bovary for the working classes, if you will.

INVISIBLES: ENTROPY IN THE UK (DC Vertigo)
Oh, come on. Do you really need this one pointed out to you? You won't miss it in the stores - the Brian-Bolland-does-Dave-McKean cover screams "I'm weird, please notice me" from the top of the shelves. INVISIBLES: everything you know is both true and false, the world is nothing like it seems, and by God, Morrison's done some good drugs in his time. Even if you've never read it, dive right in - reading INVISIBLES out of order will make no difference to your enjoyment, and make no mistake: your enjoyment will be significant.

Comics shipping in the US on July 11th:

DARK HORSE

MAY010017 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #58 SECRETS (1 Of 4) (MR) $2.99
MAY010022 HELLBOY CONQUEROR WORM #3 (Of 4) $2.99
APR010052 OH MY GODDESS PART X #5 HAND IN HAND (2 Of 2) $3.50
MAY010026 PLANET OF THE APES HUMAN WAR #2 (Of 3) $2.99
MAY010027 PLANET OF THE APES HUMAN WAR PHOTO CVR #2 (Of 3) $2.99
APR015090J POTA HUMAN WAR PX PHOTO ALT CVR #2 PI
APR015091J POTA HUMAN WAR PX WHITE ALT CVR #2 PI
MAY010021 RING OF NIBELUNG GOTTERDAMMERUNG #2 (Of 4) $2.99

DC COMICS

MAY010447 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #594 $2.25
MAY010458 AZRAEL AGENT OF THE BAT #80 $2.50
MAY010504 BAY CITY JIVE #3 (Of 3) $2.95
MAY010455 DETECTIVE COMICS #760 $2.50
MAY010465 HARLEY QUINN #10 $2.25
MAY010527 HUNTER THE AGE OF MAGIC #1 $2.50
MAY010481 IMPULSE #76 $2.50
MAY010528 INVISIBLES TP #3 ENTROPY IN THE UK (MR) $19.95
MAY010484 JLA INCARNATIONS #3 (Of 7) $3.50
MAY010529 LUCIFER #16 (MR) $2.50
MAY010508 MONSTER WORLD #3 (Of 4) $2.95
MAY010466 NIGHTWING #59 $2.25
MAY010448 NIGHTWING OUR WORLDS AT WAR #1 $2.95
MAY010516 PROMETHEA BOOK TWO HC $24.95
MAY010502 SCOOBY-DOO #50 $1.99
MAY010509 STAR TREK DIVIDED WE FALL #3 (Of 4) $2.95
MAY010532 SWAMP THING #17 (MR) $2.50
MAY010533 TRANSMETROPOLITAN #47 (MR) $2.50

IMAGE

MAY011380 AGENCY #1 $2.50 JAN011217D ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS GALAXY SIZE #1 $4.95
APR011330 CHASING DOGMA TP (MR) $12.95
APR011337 FIRE DEFINITIVE COLL TP $9.95
FEB011235D HELLSPAWN #9 $2.50
MAR011292 POWERS #12 $2.95
MAY011362 RANDY ODONNELL IS THE MAN #2 $2.95
MAY011392 RISING STARS #1/2 $2.95
APR011368 TOMB RAIDER #14 $2.50
MAY011377 WARLANDS AGE OF ICE CVR A #1 $2.95
MAY011378 WARLANDS AGE OF ICE CVR B #1 $2.95
MAY011379 WARLANDS AGE OF ICE CVR C #1 $2.95
MAY011364 WARLANDS AGE OF ICE ICE GEM #1 PI

MARVEL

MAY011652 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33 $2.25
MAY011659 BLACK PANTHER #34 $2.50
MAY011661 FANTASTIC FOUR 2001 $2.99
MAY011662 IRON MAN #44 $2.25
APR011644 NEW X-MEN CVR A #115 $2.25
APR011645 NEW X-MEN CVR B #115 $2.25
MAY011630 PUNISHER CVR A #2 $2.99
MAY011631 PUNISHER CVR B #2 $2.99
MAY011653 SPIDER-GIRL #36 $2.25
MAY011640 UNCANNY X-MEN #396 $2.25
MAY011663 UNIVERSE X IRON MEN $3.99
APR011674 US AGENT #2 (Of 3) $2.99
MAY011644 X-TREME X-MEN #3 (Note Price) $2.99

WIZARD

MAY011858 JUST A PILGRIM #5 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR011952E ARCHIES WEIRD MYSTERIES #15 $1.99
APR011956E BETTY & VERONICA #164 $1.99
APR011959E BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #99 $3.29
MAY012028 BONE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH PVC #1 $5.95
MAY012328 BREAKFAST AFTER NOON TP (MR) $19.95
MAY011911 CHARM SCHOOL #4 (MR) $2.95
MAY012130 CRUX #4 $2.95
MAR011953 DARK ANGEL #25 $2.95
MAR011765 DESPERATE TIMES VOL 2 #4 $2.35
MAY012239 DOUBLE TAKE #1 $2.95
MAY012425 DRAGONBALL PART 3 #14 (Of 14) $2.95
APR012170F FUZZ & PLUCK #1 (Of 4) (MR) $4.95
MAY012419 INU YASHA PART 6 #3 (Of 15) $2.95
MAY012051 LEGEND OF THE SAGE #1 $2.99
MAY012054 LEGEND OF THE SAGE PREMIUM ED $9.99
MAY012279 LIBERTY MEADOWS #21 $2.95
MAR011957 MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO #24 $2.95
APR012079F MAXION #19 (MR) $2.95
MAY012394 MEPHISTO AND EMPTY BOX $3.95
APR012365 MR MONSTER HIS BOOKS OF FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE VOL ZERO TP $15.95
MAY011920 PANTS ANT TROUSER HOUR #1 $4.95
APR011909F PATTY CAKE VOL 1 SUGAR & SPICE MOSTLY SPICE TP $13.95
MAY012395 PISTOLWHIP GN $14.95
MAY012416 POKEMON ADVS VOL 3 SAFFRON CITY SIEGE TP $13.95
APR012080F PRINCESS PRINCE #9 (Of 9) $2.95
MAY012129 SIGIL #14 $2.95
MAY011910 SLOW NEWS DAY #1 (Of 6) $3.50
APR012364F SOAP LADY HC $19.95
MAY012132 SOJOURN #1 $2.95
APR011966E SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #99 $1.99
MAY011889 TERRY MOORES PARADISE TOO #2 $2.95
MAR011960 TIME TRAVELER AI #20 (MR) $2.95
MAR012040 WEASEL #4 (MR) $4.95

MAGAZINES

MAY012450 ALTER EGO #9 $5.95
MAY012410 ANIMERICA EXTRA VOL 4 #8 $4.95
MAY012460 COMIC BOOK ARTIST #14 $6.95
MAY012456 COMIC SHOP NEWS #734 PI
FEB012234H JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #32 (Note Price) $9.95

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.