The Shipping Forecast for October 22nd

It's fan favourite week at the lighthouse, as the crew looks back on 500 issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Plus, dial H for hero with the new HAWKEYE series, and a take a look at HELLBLAZER both then and now.
20 October 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:

AMAZING SPIDER MAN #500 (Marvel)
These special milestone editions of long running series are often an excuse to throw in lots of guest stars, all sorts of bad guys old and new, and some convoluted Battle Royale-style conflict to Save The Universe. But in this 48-page special 500th issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, J Michael Straczynski bravely... gives in to this temptation. The thing is, Straczynski is one of the most talented writers working in comics today, and his run on Amazing Spider-Man has been a real standout in the roster of mainstream "spandex" titles. So much so that we can even forgive him for his Doctor Strange obsession (Oh look! It's Dr Strange, guest-starring again!). So although this birthday issue won't push the envelope of the art form, it should be very well executed mainstream entertainment. And with an art team like John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna, it'll be extremely easy on the eyes. If you haven't read any Spider-Man books in some time, this issue should be a great place to start, as it promises a whistle stop tour of all the major protagonists and antagonists in forty-eight beautifully drawn and well written pages. [Shannon]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 4: OPERATION BLACKWALL HC & TP (Oni Press)
We may have mentioned this series once or twice before on the Forecast. We'll keep mentioning it until you're all bloody well reading it, too; We called it the best new series of 2001, and it hasn't slipped in quality since. OPERATION BLACKWALL sees British intelligence agent Tara Chace dabbling in corporate espionage, sexual politics, and old school ties, none of which sounds like the stuff of typical spy drama, but series creator Greg Rucka keeps the plot as tight and compelling as ever. Q&C also has a great track record for artists, and the inky brilliance and strong design eye of Jason Alexander keeps the bar typically high. [Fisher]

HERO: POWERS AND ABILITIES TP (DC Comics)
It's easy to fantasize about how some things might instantly make your life better. "If I only won the lottery...", "If I only was six inches taller...", "If I only was a doctor...", "If only I had super powers..." Will Pfeifer, probably best known for his satirically funny FINALS mini-series for Vertigo, explores just that last dream in his series H-E-R-O. What if you found a dial that, when you pressed the letters H-E-R-O, transformed you into a superhero? Would it make your life better? Would it make things disastrously worse? Pfeifer and artist Kano follow three individuals who get just that opportunity, and it's to their credit that each story is unique. Pfeifer is able to shift from depressing to uplifting in the blink of an eye, while still retaining the series' overall mood. Kano's art fits Pfeifer's stories well, bringing depressed steel towns and the horrors of elementary school equally to life. Collecting the first six issues of the series, H-E-R-O: POWERS AND ABILITIES is a great way to find out exactly what you've been missing. Because trust me, you've definitely been missing out. [Plymouth]

HAWKEYE #1 (Marvel)
Superhero noir seems to be a trend that's gathering force across the comics industry. Groundbreaking books like SLEEPER and WILDCATS 3.0 have been the most recent to take heroes away from their capes and put them in gritty, real-world situations. Now Marvel is getting in on the act and taking longstanding superhero Clint Barton (Hawkeye) out of his purple tights and putting him on to a motorbike and into a story of shady characters, lost causes and sleaze. I'm a huge fan of the superhero noir movement, and to see it being tackled by companies like Marvel is something to be welcomed with open arms. This new Hawkeye series is billed as Elmore Leonard meets John Woo, and although writer Fabian Nicieza's not always turned in the best writing in the past, it will be interesting to see how he handles this. Stefano Raffaele's interior art is lovely, and matched with a subtle noir colouring that suits it perfectly. [Shannon]

HELLBLAZER #189 (DC Vertigo)
The last eight months have been rather disjointed for readers of Vertigo's longest serving book. Writer, Mike Carey has used four single-issue tales and two double issues to piece together a prologue to what is billed as a turning point for John Constantine. (What, you ask, is he going to grow black hair and develop an American accent?) Indeed, the last issue moved the momentum away from the Shadow Dog story altogether, which has somewhat diluted the threat. This is not unusual; HELLBLAZER has always been a book used by writers as a vehicle for exploring the horror stories that fascinate them. But #189 begins a five-part arc, which will place Constantine in some familiar situations. A world-threatening supernatural menace, a difficult choice, personal disaster and a posse of magic folks. These facets echo both the first time we met Constantine (SWAMP THING's 'American Gothic' arc) and the most significant episode in his life (Newcastle, where he got his first taste of humiliation) and would be a good starting point for new readers attracted by advance publicity for the Keanu Reeves film adaptation - which appears to be at least partly inspired by Garth Ennis's RAKE AT THE GATES OF HELL (see below). [Forties]

BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

HELLBLAZER: RAKE AT THE GATES OF HELL (DC Vertigo)
Well, it's taken DC a while to get here, but better late that never, eh? This trade collects the final issues of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's run on HELLBLAZER, the culmination of an extended storyline right across Ennis' years on the title. While I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking to try HELLBLAZER for the first time, it'll please anyone who has bought the rest of the trades from Ennis' time on the title (DANGEROUS HABITS, FEAR AND LOATHING, TAINTED LOVE and DAMNATIONS FLAME), who have been waiting to find out how it all ends. Ennis blends supernatural horror with an understanding that true horror is what ordinary people do to each other, and Dillon conveys emotion like few artists can, so between them they balance a story of a man trying to stay out of hell with much more human elements, providing an immensely rewarding read that stands up with the best of anything else Vertigo have put out over the years. [Dogger]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR OCTOBER 22nd:

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

DARK HORSE

JUL030038V BERSERK VOL 1: THE BLACK SWORDSMAN TP (MR) $13.95
AUG030028D BTVS #62: A STAKE TO THE HEART (PART 3 OF 4) ART CVR $2.99
AUG030027D DH GOON #3 $2.99
AUG030021D LONE #2 $2.99

DC COMICS

AUG030203D AVENGERS/JLA #2 (Of 4) $5.95
AUG030174D BATGIRL #45 $2.50
AUG030170D BATMAN #620 $2.25
AUG030181D BIRDS OF PREY #60 $2.50
AUG030205D CINNAMON: EL CICLO #3 (Of 5) $2.50
AUG030275D HELLBLAZER #189 (MR) $2.75
AUG030222D HERO: POWERS AND ABILITIES TP $9.95
AUG030224D ICANDY #2 $2.50
AUG030247D LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION: THE MOVIE $3.95
AUG030280D LOSERS #5 (MR) $2.95
AUG030238D OUTSIDERS #5 $2.50
AUG030258D PLANETARY #17 $2.95
AUG030259D POSSESSED #4 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
AUG030239D REIGN OF THE ZODIAC #3 $2.75
AUG030261D SLEEPER #10 (MR) $2.95
AUG030192D SUPERMAN #198 $2.25
AUG030263D THUNDERCATS: DOGS OF WAR #5 (Of 5) $2.95
AUG030266D WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #15 (MR) $2.95
AUG030240D WONDER WOMAN #197 $2.25

IMAGE

JUN031228 CASEFILES: SAM & TWITCH #4 (MR) $2.50
JUL031188 GI JOE/TRANSFORMERS BROOKS CVR #4 (Of 6) $2.95
JUL031187 GI JOE/TRANSFORMERS MILLER CVR #4 (Of 6) $2.95
AUG035137D HEDGE KNIGHT COLLECTED EDITION $4.95
AUG031222D LIBERTY MEADOWS #34 $2.95
OCT021768 SPAWN #129 $2.50
AUG031265D WILDGUARD: CASTING CALL NAUCK CVR #2 (Of 6) $2.95
AUG031266D WILDGUARD: CASTING CALL WIERINGO CVR #2 (Of 6) $2.95

MARVEL

AUG031494D AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #500 (#59) (Note Price) $3.50
AUG031549D CAPTAIN AMERICA #19 $2.99
AUG031587D DAREDEVIL VOL 7: HARDCORE TP $13.99
AUG031506D EMMA FROST #4 $2.50
AUG031525D FANTASTIC FOUR #505 (#76) $2.25
AUG031530D HAWKEYE #1 $2.99
AUG031526D INHUMANS #6 $2.50
AUG031547D PUNISHER #34 $2.99
AUG031540D SENTINEL #8 $2.50
AUG031544D TROUBLE #4 (Of 5) $2.99
AUG031503D UNCANNY X-MEN #432 $2.25
JUL031521 X-STATIX #13 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

AUG032070E BART SIMPSON COMICS #14 $2.99
AUG032552E BASTARD VOL 1 TP 2ND ED (MR) $9.95
AUG032011E BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #63 $2.19
JUL032084E BRATH #8 $2.95
AUG032124E BRIAN PULIDO'S LADY DEATH #9 $2.95
AUG032371F CHOPPING BLOCK VOL 1 TP $9.95
AUG032352E CSI MIAMI: SMOKING GUN (MR) $6.99
AUG032293E DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #309 $2.95
AUG032012E HOLIDAY FUN DIGEST #8 $2.39
AUG032017E LAUGH DIGEST #188 $2.39
AUG032295E MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #258 $2.95
AUG032155E NADESICO BOOK ONE TP NEW PTG $9.99
JUL032091E PATH #19 $2.95
AUG032564E PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 1 TP (MR) $9.95
AUG031950E PUNCH AND JUDY GRAND GUIGNOL GN $6.95
AUG032420E QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 4: OPERATION BLACKWALL HC (MR) $20.00
AUG032421E QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 4: OPERATION BLACKWALL TP (MR) $8.95
JUL032096E ROUTE 666 #16 $2.95
AUG032109E RUSE: ARCHARD'S AGENTS: PUGILISTIC PETE $2.95
AUG032019E SABRINA VOL 2 #51 $2.19
JUL032093E SCION #40 $2.95
AUG032192E SHIDIMA VOL 1 COMPLETE TP $16.95
AUG032156E SLAYERS SPECIAL BOOK 4: SPELLBOUND GN $15.95
AUG032185E TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ANIMATED #5 $2.95
AUG032158F UROTSUKIDOJI, LEGEND OF THE OVERFIEND BOOK 6 (A) $16.95

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.