The Shipping Forecast for March 31st

Get to know comics on a first name basis this week, as Marc Hempel's GREGORY makes a welcome return, Alan Moore's John heads towards his 200th issue, and Peter Milligan gives his twist on Marvel's Frank.
29 March 2004

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:

GREGORY TREASURY VOL 1 (DC)
Fifteen years ago, a very funny thing happened in comics publishing, and that very funny thing was GREGORY. Springing fully formed from the fevered brain of Marc Hempel, GREGORY was a gloriously odd, painfully funny collection of stories about a strange little boy in a lunatic asylum. Cell-bound, straightjacketed Gregory was visited in his cell by the always ill-fated, constantly re-incarnating rat, Herman Vermin, and naïve, cheese-fixated mouse Wendell. That was pretty much the essence of the story, but the amount of humour Hempel could ring out of that situation almost beggared belief, especially considering Gregory's somewhat limited vocabulary. A further three Gregory books came out, expanding the little lunatic's horizons a little more each time, and allowing Hempel to slip in some emotional punches just when the reader wasn't expecting them. Then they stopped. Then they went out of print. Thankfully, (and presumably to tie-in with MY FAITH IN FRANKIE) DC has seen fit to re-issue all of GREGORY in two manga-sized collections, thus letting a whole new generation of comics readers have the fun and fit it into their pockets. For those of us who are old enough to remember GREGORY the first time around, there'll be extra material in the new editions. Just the prospect of seeing this on the shelves again warms my cockles. As Gregory might put it: UB! ZUB! [German Bight]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

HELLBLAZER #194 (DC Vertigo)
John Constantine finds himself wandering London with no memory of who he is. Presumably before too long there will be people who do know who he is, and wish to take advantage of his condition. This begins an arc leading up to the 200th issue of the Vertigo series, so what better way to celebrate that history and introduce newcomers to the series than with a storyline that showcases highlights of past tales, as Constantine is reminded of his past? There's still more to recommend this issue to new readers and regulars alike, as it marks a guest appearance by artist Leo Manco, previously known from Marvel's DOOM and the very Constantinian HELLSTORM, both with Warren Ellis. While Frusin's art seems to have suffered from inconsistency of late, Manco's realistic style superbly conveys mood and location. His Constantine looks his age (he's fifty years old you know) and his monsters are monstrous, but it's his London that provides the most welcome relief from recent issues. Sadly, he's only a short-term guest, as the next few months will see various guest artists on the book, climaxing in that aforementioned bicentenary issue. [Forties]

WOLVERINE PUNISHER #1 (Marvel)
A week after CABLE/DEADPOOL #1 shipped, here comes another gratuitous Marvel boys' own crossover miniseries. The reason for this one's existence - not that Marvel has ever needed a reason for these things in the past - is presumably to have one more book out there to coincide with the release of the PUNISHER movie. For the same reason, Marvel released the comic adaptation of the movie last week, though why anyone who wants to see the movie would decide to read the comic first is beyond me. What's unusual about both the adaptation and this five-issue mini is that they're written by Peter Milligan, of X-STATIX and HUMAN TARGET. He's not a name you'd associate with Frank Castle's misadventures, being generally a rather more cerebral creator, so this could be a very interesting read. Then again, Milligan has been known to just turn up for the cheque, as readers of his ELEKTRA will know. Pencils come from Lee Weeks, an artist with a very old school style, and a great storyteller. [Fisher]

PLANETARY #19 (DC WildStorm)
Part one of a two issue story from the epic that's strewn across the ages. Or at least, it feels like it's that long. On the whole, PLANETARY is an example of a book that is worth the long wait between issues. For those who came in late (or have forgotten), most issues have a self-contained nature, studying a different style of pulp action or comic book stories. Here, Warren Ellis and John Cassaday visit the epic space of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, or perhaps SILENT RUNNING. Meanwhile, continuing the thread that runs through the series, the mysterious fourth member of the mysterious Four appears on the scene. Warren Ellis has now signed up as the new writer on ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, but readers of PLANETARY will know that he's already done the ultimate Fantastic Four in this book. [Forties]

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.

CLA$$WAR #4 (Com.X)
After an interminable wait, the next instalment in CLA$$WAR will hit shops sometime in April, with Travel Foreman replacing Trevor Hairsine on art. CLA$$WAR is basically the story of a Superman-type waking up and deciding to be Captain Sensible, no longer working as the US gub'ment's super-powered fixer. Except his former teammates don't share his ideals. There have been some lovely moments so far, including Bush getting "LIAR" branded across his forehead, and the female superhero's insatiable sexual appetite. However the series suffers somewhat from comparisons to Marvel's SUPREME POWER, a far more hardcore version of the same concept, and from Rob Williams' highly decompressed writing style. When you wait six months between issues, having a splash page and then a double-splash in the first five pages is somewhat disappointing. It makes PLANETARY seem densely packed. Still, the creative team are certainly ones to watch. Travel Foreman's art is very fine, and Len O'Grady's colours really make the book. Once Williams tightens up his storytelling, we should expect great things. I am reliably informed that the final two issues of CLA$$WAR are in the can, so it should ship monthly from here on. [Shannon]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR MARCH 31st:

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

DARK HORSE

JAN040029 FUSED #4 $2.99
DEC030059 MEGATOKYO VOL 1 TP $9.95
JAN040059 SUPER MANGA BLAST #41 (MR) $5.99
JAN040038 USAGI YOJIMBO #74 $2.99

DC COMICS

NOV030258D ARROWSMITH #6 (Of 6) $2.95
OCT030233 AVENGERS JLA #4 (Of 4) $5.95
JAN040204 BATMAN #625 $2.25
JAN040215 BATMAN POISON IVY CAST SHADOWS $6.95
JAN040266 CARTOON CARTOONS #28 $2.25
JAN040218 CATWOMAN #29 $2.50
JAN040232 DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES VOL 2 HC $49.95
JAN040236 FLASH #208 $2.25
JAN040240 GREEN LANTERN #175 $3.50
JAN040264 GREGORY TREASURY VOL 1 (MR) $9.95
JAN040290 HELLBLAZER #194 (MR) $2.75
JAN040246 JLA #95 $2.25
JAN040250 LEGION #31 $2.50
JAN040251 LIGHT BRIGADE #2 (Of 4) (MR) $5.95
JAN040278 MAXX BOOK TWO TP (MR) $17.95
JAN040298 MIDNIGHT MASS HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #3 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
JAN040281 PLANETARY #19 $2.95
JAN040257 REIGN OF THE ZODIAC #8 $2.75
JAN040224 SUPERMAN #203 $2.25
JAN040261 TEEN TITANS A KIDS GAME TP $9.95

IMAGE

SEP031289 LEGACY GREEN CVR #4 $2.95
SEP031290 LEGACY RASHID CVR #4 $2.95
NOV031266D PVP #6 $2.95
SEP031309 TRAKK MONSTER HUNTER BISLEY CVR #2 $2.95
SEP031308 TRAKK MONSTER HUNTER TAN CVR #2 $2.95

MARVEL

JAN041546 HAWKEYE #6 $2.99
JAN041556 HUMAN TORCH #11 $2.99
FEB041621 MARVEL AGE RUNAWAYS VOL 1 PRIDE AND JOY DIGEST TP $7.99
FEB041620 MARVEL AGE SENTINEL VOL 1 SALVAGE DIGEST TP $7.99
FEB041618 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-GIRL VOL 1 DIGEST TP $7.99
FEB041619 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN VOL 1 DIGEST TP $5.99
JAN041528 PULSE #2 $2.99
JAN041532 SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #12 $2.25
JAN041586 THE PUNISHER #4 (MR) $2.99
JAN041541 THOR SON OF ASGARD #2 (Of 6) $2.99
NOV031486D ULTIMATES #13 (RES) (Note Price) $3.50
JAN041569 WOLVERINE PUNISHER #1 (Of 5) $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

DEC032509H AMELIA RULES WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY TP $14.95
DEC032155 ARCHIE AND FRIENDS #81 $2.19
FEB042037 ARIA MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99
FEB042038 AZUMANGA DAIOH MANGA VOL 4 TP $9.99
JAN042122 BETTY & VERONICA #199 $2.19
JAN042125 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #123 $3.59
DEC032296 BRIAN PULIDO LADY DEATH WILD HUNT #1 $2.95
JAN042616 COURTNEY CRUMRIN IN THE TWILIGHT KINGDOM #3 (Of 4) (MR) $2.99
JAN042462 DONALD DUCK ADVENTURES VOL 5 TP $7.95
NOV032648E DRAGONBALL VOL 14 TP SHONEN J ED $7.95
FEB042039 FULL METAL PANIC MANGA VOL 4 TP $9.99
JAN042338 GI JOE #28 $2.95
JAN042340 GI JOE RELOADED #1 $2.95
JAN042335 HEDGE KNIGHT MIKE S MILLER CVR #5 (Of 6) $2.95
JAN042336 HEDGE KNIGHT TED NASMITH CVR #5 (Of 6) $5.95
JAN042612 JULIUS GN (MR) $14.95
JAN042342 MICRONAUTS PAT BRODERICK CVR #1 $2.95
JAN042343 MICRONAUTS STEVE KURTH CVR #1 $2.95
JAN042822 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND VOL 2 TP 2ND ED $9.95
JAN042260 NEGATION WAR #1 $2.95
JAN042064 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES VOL 1 ONCE UPON A TIME $14.95
JAN042614 QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 5 OPERATION STORMFRONT HC (MR) $30.00
JAN042613 QUEEN & COUNTRY VOL 5 OPERATION STORMFRONT TP (MR) $14.95
FEB042040 RULER OF THE LAND MANGA VOL 1 TP (MR) $9.99
FEB042593F RUNNERS #3 BAD GOODS (Of 5) $2.95
JUL031919F SCURVY DOGS CURR PRTG #2 $2.95
JAN042287 SOJOURN #33 $2.95
FEB042041 TO HEART MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99
JAN042357 TRANSFORMERS ENERGON #21 $2.95
NOV032277E TRANSFORMERS GI JOE #6 (Of 6) $2.95
JAN042830 VAGABOND VOL 9 TP $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.