Welcome to The Forecast. Every Monday, Ninth Art's core team of comment writers, the Ninth Eight, will be your guides to the best, worst, weirdest and most noteworthy books on the shelves of your local comic shop.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: STORIES TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Sometimes, when I tell people that I write graphic novels, they think I mean porn. Like, graphic as in explicit. They're always slightly disappointed when I say, no, like a comic book, only longer, and with swearing. This Christmas, they're all getting copies of Paul Gravett's new book, GRAPHIC NOVELS: STORIES TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE (Aurum Press), so they can stop thinking I'm a pornographer.

Nobody puts the love, the lack of ego, and the knowledge into a book on comics like Paul Gravett. My lukewarm assessment of the recent PICTURES + WORDS anthology was in part because books like Gravett's previous work on manga have raised the bar for writing on comics. No more can one collect a bunch of work from locals and mates and try to pretend it's a definitive work on cartooning.

Gravett also writes with considerable charm. His opening salvo is a short essay called 'Things to Hate about Comics', where he addresses the common complaints, like, "I hate reading speech balloons", "I don't like the drawing style", "They take no time to read", "Aren't they just for kids?" (OK, you pedant in the back, his opening salvo is actually a two-page Chester Brown strip about a graphic novelist trying to be taken seriously in the New Yorker. OK, it was actually quotes from Fellini and Dali on comics. Now shut up and sit down.)

From there, Gravett takes you on a whistle stop tour through thirty graphic novels, showing about five sequential pages from each and explaining storytelling, influences, and what makes that graphic novel unique. I'm about the pickiest person in the universe, and I can't fault any of his choices.

After each in-depth discussion of his thirty exemplar graphic novels, Gravett then briefly addresses four other graphic novels for each that are in a similar spirit or style. For instance, after discussing Moebius' AIRTIGHT GARAGE, Gravett goes on to mention LUTHER ARKWRIGHT, FINDER, NAUSICAA and THE INVISIBLE FRONTIER. His choices may surprise, they may delight, they may anger, but what's a work of graphic art for, if not to inspire debate? And as Gravett posts pages of sequentials from every book discussed, the book is a must-have crib for comic artists looking to broaden their techniques. [Alex de Campi]

FULLY BOOKED

Comics is a dynamic medium, a thing of trends and flux. Worlds live, worlds die, worlds come back to life again (only edgier and wearing a pair of stripy tights).

The actual physical product changes. Sometimes the paper is glossy, sometimes it's rougher than service station toilet roll. The packaging changes. Covers range from original and eye-catching to uninspired and dull (like the endless riffs on Steranko's 'Cubes').

And sometimes, the mode of delivery changes: long-running series have moved from hard copy to the web, expensive reprints have been supplanted by glorious slabs of recycled mulch (like this week's SHOWCASE: JONAH HEX), and more and more people are being drawn (or possibly herded) towards book-length comics as a preferential purchase.

I'm not one of these people who harps on about how comics are paced for the trade, but in the last few years I've come to really value the book-length format. For one thing, it rewards patience: not only is it easier to store and handle one fat book than six thinner ones, but it's nice to be able to read a complete story in one go, without having to endure serialisation or intrusive advertising.

Marvel and DC both maintain healthy trade paperback lines, although their approach to the business differs greatly. Marvel seem content to get as much out as fast and as cheaply as possible, while DC exhibits more discretion, often giving titles that sell poorly in serial form a second bite of the cherry, while at the same time delaying trades of more popular titles.

That's not to say that DC aren't averse to rushing out a trade, as and when demand drives it. Trades of the Infinite Crisis prequels OMAC PROJECT and DAY OF VENGEANCE arrive in stores this week, in order to get tardy readers up to speed. And while this is all well and good, it begs the question, what does DC plan to do with the upcoming one-shots that pick up on plot threads from both series?

DC have pursued a more traditional publishing model for certain titles. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's latest retro lovefest CATWOMAN: WHEN IN ROME arrives in stores this week as a natty catty hardcover. If the softcover editions of Dave Gibbons' ORIGINALS and Moore and Cannon's SMAX are anything to go by (also in stores this week), then CATWOMAN fans will have to wait up to a year before the more affordable version becomes available.

Marvel Comics has recently adopted a similar model, publishing hardback collections of the six issue arcs of NEW AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA and WOLVERINE, and pushing the softcover editions back six months. Presumably, these hardcovers are in lieu of an oversized twelve-issue collection. Whether that would prove cheaper than two six-issue hardbacks is unclear.

The key to DC's success in the book-length comic market is their ability to exploit a wide range of material. From SUPERMAN to THE QUITTER, DC covers more genre bases than almost any other publisher. And while they may make some baffling, even infuriating choices, DC more than make up for it in weeks like this, where even the most epicurean reader can't fail to be spoiled for choice. [Matthew Craig]

THE BILDUNGSROMAN ROAD

The Bildungsroman, or 'formative novel', is one of the more common genres to be tackled by new writers. It's easy to write about characters growing if you're more or less going through the same thing. Of course, it does lead to a lot of inane wank littering the shelf, but, like all genres, there are books that hit the mark.

Plenty of these are comics: BLACK HOLE, BLANKETS and even the odd ALEC story (although the last two would probably be classed as the Künstlerroman subtype: the 'artist novel'). I really don't know why indie comic creators are drawn to the Bildungsroman. Perhaps the immediacy, the minutiae, of everyday life is the perfect antidote to the never-ending battle.

James Joyce wrote an incomplete version of his classic Bildungsroman, A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN (then called STEPHEN HERO), when he was 23. He completed PORTRAIT when he was 32. It's taken R Kikou Johnson three years to complete his debut graphic novel, NIGHT FISHER (Fantagraphics). He started when he was 21. He's now 24, and, frankly, one of those rare writer/artists to have a genuine command of their craft at such a young age. Don't you just hate that?

The story in NIGHT FISHER concerns Loren Foster, who moved to Hawaii with his dentist father six years ago. The island, a paradise to the teenager, features as strongly in the book as the characters. With the end of high school approaching, Loren's relationship with his best friend is changing. Even the solace they take in night fishing together isn't the same. When Loren joins Shane and his new friends in a night of drugs, porn and violence, high school seems like the furthest thing from his mind.

Johnson's art has been compared to Paul Pope's, and that's just fine. We always need more of the good stuff. [Ben Wooller]

99 PROBLEMS

Have you heard the Jay-Z/Nena '99 Luftproblems' mashup yet? It's ace. A little rough around the edges, but still a gem. Almost the exact same thing can be said about Matt Madden's new book, 99 WAYS TO TELL A STORY (Chamberlain Brothers). Inspired by Raymond Queneau's EXERCISES IN STYLE, Madden tells a very neutral little story (man goes downstairs to fridge, is asked what time it is by his wife, and in responding forgets why he went downstairs) in 99 different ways, from point of view to pastiche. It's the perfect book for anyone curious about visual storytelling techniques but found Scott McCloud's book on the subject a bit, well, dull.

99 WAYS does everything and more that UNDERSTANDING COMICS does, but it simply shows, with wit and humour, what McCloud tells. As well as messing with POV (monologue; subjective), layout (one panel; thirty panels), and style (silhouette; inking outside the lines), Madden also gently takes the mickey out of various comic styles and their quirks, from Indie to manga to superhero. He also does the story as a ligne clair Hergé strip, in the style of the Bayeux tapestry, and in the style of an old political cartoon. You're left to make your own decisions about which techniques are effective and which aren't. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Madden treats his readers like intelligent adults.

There are only two mild disappointments in the book. The first is the cover, which is so bland it could belong to a maths textbook. It barely hints at the fun of Madden's creation, and certainly wouldn't be the sort of thing that would urge me to pick up the title. The second is that Madden's art is actually not that strong. His reach very much exceeds his grasp (and strangely, this is most apparent when he draws his little tale in his own style, rather than ladling on the trappings of another style). It never really gets in the way of enjoying the book, but you may find yourself every so often looking at a panel and going, "hey, that's a bit messy". Oh, and if you're an indie-comics fan and think that the woman Matt draws in the book looks somewhat familiar, it's because that's his wife, indie supremo Jessica Abel. [Alex de Campi]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR NOVEMBER 2nd 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

JUL050032D AEON FLUX #2 (OF 4) $2.99
SEP050029D CONAN & THE DEMONS OF KHITAI #2 (OF 4) $2.99

DC COMICS

SEP050212D BATMAN GOTHAM COUNTY LINE #2 (OF 3) $5.99
SEP050230D BLOOD OF THE DEMON #9 $2.50
AUG050190D CATWOMAN WHEN IN ROME HC $19.99
SEP050258D DAY OF VENGEANCE TP $12.99
SEP050292D DESOLATION JONES #4 (MR) $2.99
SEP050210D DETECTIVE COMICS #813 $2.50
SEP050234D FIRESTORM #19 $2.50
SEP050242D JONAH HEX #1 $2.50
SEP050248D JSA #79 $2.50
SEP050268D JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #15 $2.25
SEP050275D LOONEY TUNES #132 $2.25
SEP050257D OMAC PROJECT TP $14.99
AUG050289D ORIGINALS SC (MR) $17.99
SEP050259D SEVEN SOLDIERS THE BULLETEER #1 (OF 4) $2.99
SEP050243D SHOWCASE PRESENTS JONAH HEX VOL 1 TP $16.99
SEP050303D SMAX TP $12.99
SEP050314D SWAMP THING #21 (MR) $2.99
SEP050287D SWAN VOL 5 $9.99
SEP050283D TESTAROTHO VOL 2 (MR) $9.99
JUN050452D V FOR VENDETTA NEW EDITION HC (MR) $29.99
AUG050237D VIGILANTE #2 (OF 6) $2.99
AUG050270D WINTER MEN #3 (OF 8) (MR) $2.99

IMAGE

AUG051676D FLAMING CARROT COMICS #4 $3.50

MARVEL

SEP051948D CAPTAIN UNIVERSE HULK $2.99
SEP051999D CAPTAIN UNIVERSE POWER UNIMAGINABLE TP $19.99
SEP052008D ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO IN ONE VOL 1 TP $16.99
SEP052002D EXCALIBUR CLASSIC VOL 1 THE SWORD IS DRAWN TP $19.99
AUG051883D HOUSE OF M #8 (OF 8) $2.99
JAN058167D HOUSE OF M BACHALO VARIANT COVER #8 (OF 8) (PP #687) $2.99
SEP051973D MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #9 $2.50
SEP051997D MARVEL NEMESIS IMPERFECTS DIGEST TP $7.99
SEP051938D MARVEL TEAM-UP #14 $2.99
AUG051952D NIGHTCRAWLER #11 $2.99
JUN052044D POWERS #14 (MR) $2.95
SEP051975D PUNISHER #27 (MR) $2.99
SEP051945D SENTINEL #1 (OF 5) $2.99
AUG051910D SENTRY ROUGH CUT #1 $3.99
SEP051909D SPIDER-GIRL #92 $2.99
AUG051894D SPIDER-MAN HOUSE OF M #5 (OF 5) $2.99
SEP051910D SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #12 $2.99
SEP051977D SUPREME POWER NIGHTHAWK #3 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
SEP051954D THOR BLOOD OATH #4 (OF 6) $2.99
SEP051984D ULTIMATE MARVEL FLIP MAGAZINE #6 $3.99
SEP051902D ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #85 $2.50
SEP051985D ULTIMATE TALES FLIP MAGAZINE #6 $3.99
SEP051957D X-MEN COLOSSUS BLOODLINE #3 (OF 5) $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JUL052917F A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #22 (A) $4.99
AUG052704E BETTY #151 $2.25
FEB052780I DF ARMY OF DARKNESS SHOP TIL YOU DROP DEAD HC SGN $69.95
AUG052940E DONALD DUCK AND UNCLE SCROOGE VOL 1 SOMEWHERE IN NOWHERE TP $6.95
JUL052575E JET PACK PETS TP $14.95
AUG052709E JUGHEAD AND FRIENDS DIGEST #6 $2.39
AUG053040F KOLCHAK TALES OF NIGHT STALKER #7 $3.50
AUG052601F LIBERALITY FOR ALL #1 (OF 8) $2.99
AUG052941E MICKEY MOUSE ADVENTURES VOL 6 TP $7.95
JUL052584E NEXT EXIT #6 $2.95
JUL052586E NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES #14 (MR) $2.95
SEP052879F NOTHING BETTER #1 (MR) $2.95
AUG052711E PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #98 $3.59
AUG052806E SIMPSONS CLASSICS #6 $3.99
APR052787I SIX FROM SIRIUS VOL 1 HC SGN $39.99
AUG052714E SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #155 $2.25
AUG052597E STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 17 TATTOO TP $14.95
AUG053226F TOP SHELF CONVERSATIONS #2 $4.95

The Ninth Eight are Matthew Craig, John Fellows, Kieron Gillen, Alistair Kennedy, Zack Smith, Andrew Wheeler, Ben Wooller and Bulent Yusuf.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution 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.