The Shipping Forecast is Ninth Art's pick of the best and most notable new releases hitting comic stores each week, courtesy of the fishing crew at the Ninth Art lighthouse. Shipping details come courtesy of Diamond. Check out the Diamond website for the latest information, as the list is subject to change.

GERMAN BIGHT PICKS:

TRASHED GRAPHIC NOVELLA #1 (Slave Labor Graphics)
An independent comic about rubbish. This may confirm the prejudices of some, but those with the stomach for it may well enjoy this book. TRASHED contains several allegedly true vignettes from cartoonist Derf's former life as a garbage collector. People who work in waste disposal have a rich stock of really disgusting stories to draw on, and Derf is no exception. He was once fired from a newspaper cartooning job for tastelessness, and had a story on (old school acquaintance) Jeffrey Dahmer published in ZERO ZERO. Derf's art style is stylised but appealingly bold and should push all the right buttons for fans of Kim Dietsch and Aline Kominsky-Crumb. Just don't eat a large meal before reading this. And be careful of what you throw out.

WAITING PLACE VOL 2 #12 (Slave Labor Graphics)
Don't think of this as me recommending a comic on its last issue - think of this as a forewarning for the trade collection that should follow in the months to come. This book is a prime example of how character-driven, realistic work in comics should be done. A small town environment takes its toll on the high schoolers suffocating under its wide-open skies. The characters exist in a moral grey area - none of these kids are saints, none are villains, and to some degree they are all victims. The common experiences of youth are here for all to see and recognise - bravado, love, disappointment, ennui - all put to the page with care and sensitivity by Mike Norton and Sean McKeever.

PLYMOUTH PICKS:

COLONIA: ISLANDS & ANOMALIES VOL 1 TP (AiT/PlanetLar)
Jeff Nicholson's wonderful series COLONIA seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle when it first debuted; hopefully, this collection of the first five issues will rectify the situation. COLONIA mixes fantasy, horror, adventure, and slipstream universes into one of those rare mixes of genre that really does work. COLONIA's exciting and very clever, and it's an all-ages book that is just as enjoyable to younger readers as it is for the adults who are no doubt loving it. When people read this trade paperback, they're going to be wondering how they ever missed COLONIA the first time around.

STRAY BULLETS #23 (El Capitan)
Fresh off his successful MURDER ME DEAD side project, David Lapham's bringing his crime series STRAY BULLETS back to life. Not only is each issue always a gripping tale of real life gone horribly wrong, but Lapham understands that each issue is someone's first experience with the book. While characterisation may build throughout instalments, each issue is always self-contained and immensely enjoyable. If a tidal wave wiped out most of the Lighthouse's crime collection, STRAY BULLETS would be one of the few we'd make sure to save from the wreckage.

FISHER PICKS:

TOM STRONG BOOK TWO HC (DC Wildstorm/ABC)
Ninth Art ran a review of TOM STRONG BOOK ONE on Friday, and here's where the adventures of Alan Moore's lantern-jawed adventurer continue. For me, the selling point of this series isn't Moore's pulp writing, but Chris Sprouse's beautiful pencils. Sprouse has a grasp of spectacle that is at least the equal of currently hot artists like Bryan Hitch and Frank Quitely, and his linework is among the best in the industry. This collection of issues #8-14 also includes art from the unparalleled Kyle Baker. Buyer beware: This is the $25 hardcover, so it's for collectors only. People who just like to read comics, rather than polish them, should wait for the softcover.

FARSCAPE: WAR TORN #1 (DC Wildstorm)
A lot of comic readers don't bother with media license books, seeing them more as merchandising than as comics. And for similar reasons, a lot of the people who do read licensed books don't have much interest in the rest of the comic industry's output. So, in the spirit of outreach, I'm going to give the debut of DC's FARSCAPE comic, by Marv Wolfman, Robert Teranishi and Keith Aitken, a chance. FARSCAPE is a sci-fi show that has a habit of challenging the conventions of the genre. Whether it will be able to break from the usual problem of licensed comics of not being able to do anything new or consequential with its cast remains to be seen.

Comics shipping in the US on February 6th:

DARK HORSE

SEP010031 ANGEL #3 (Of 4) $2.99
SEP010032 ANGEL PHOTO CVR #3 (Of 4) $2.99
NOV010035 BTVS #41 UGLY LITTLE MONSTERS (2 OF 3) $2.99
NOV010036 BTVS #41 UGLY LITTLE MONSTERS (2 OF 3) PHOTO CVR $2.99
DEC010045 OH MY GODDESS PART XI #6 MYSTERY CHILD (PART 4 OF 8) $2.99

DC COMICS

NOV010621 AMERICAN CENTURY #11 (MR) $2.50
DEC010545 BATGIRL #25 (Note Price) $3.25
DEC010543 BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #152 $2.25
DEC010616 CRUSADES #12 (MR) $2.50
DEC010565 DEADMAN #3 $2.50
DEC010601 FARSCAPE WAR TORN #1 (Of 2) (RES) $4.95
DEC010612 FOUR WOMEN #5 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95
DEC010571 GREEN LANTERN #147 $2.25
DEC010578 JLA SHOGUN OF STEEL $6.95
DEC010595 LOONEY TUNES #87 $1.99
DEC010626 SCI SPY #1 (Of 6) $2.50
DEC010589 SPECTRE #14 $2.50
DEC010606 STEAM PUNK #11 $2.50
DEC010556 SUPERMAN #179 $2.25
DEC010561 SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #66 $1.99
DEC010610 TOM STRONG BOOK TWO HC $24.95
DEC010593 YOUNG JUSTICE #42 $2.50

IMAGE

OCT011580 10TH MUSE CRUZ CVR #9 $2.95
OCT011581 10TH MUSE PHOTO CVR #9 $2.95
OCT011546 ARIA MIDWINTERS DREAM $4.95
DEC011508 GI JOE MIA $4.95
DEC011530 TEKKEN FOREVER DIAZ CVR #2 (Of 4) $2.95
DEC011531 TEKKEN FOREVER TORRE CVR #2 (Of 4) $2.95
DEC011532 TOMB RAIDER JOURNEYS #2 (Of 12) $2.95

MARVEL

DEC011790 ALIAS #6 (MR) $2.99
OCT011872 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #38 $2.25
DEC011828 AVENGERS CELESTIAL QUEST #6 (Of 8) $2.50
OCT011906 BLACK PANTHER ENEMY OF THE STATE TP $16.95
DEC011829 CITIZEN V & THE V BATTALION EVERLASTING #1 (Of 4) $2.99
DEC011806 EXILES #9 $2.25
DEC011830 FANTASTIC FOUR #52 $2.25
OCT011905 FANTASTIC FOUR INTO THE BREACH TP $15.95
DEC011791 FURY #6 (MR) $2.99
OCT011900 PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN ONE SMALL BREAK TP $16.95
NOV011862 SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP $12.95
DEC011817 SPIDER-GIRL #44 $2.25
DEC011800 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #18 $2.25
NOV011818 UNCANNY X-MEN #402 $2.25
NOV011828 X-FORCE #124 $2.25
JUN011636 X-MEN VIGNETTES TP $16.95

OTHER PUBLISHERS

NOV012148 ARCHIE AND FRIENDS STARRING JOSIE & PUSSYCATS #55 $1.99
NOV012150 ARCHIES WEIRD MYSTERIES #19 $1.99
NOV012152 BETTY #109 $1.99
NOV012155 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #104 $3.29
DEC012516 CASTLE WAITING THE CURSE OF BRAMBLY HEDGE 3RD ED $9.00
DEC012101 COLONIA ISLANDS & ANOMALIES VOL 1 TP $12.95
DEC012306 FIRST #16 $2.95
NOV012202 FUTURAMA COMICS #7 $2.50
DEC012273 GENERIC COMIC BOOK #6 $1.95
DEC012215 LADY DEATH HEARTBREAKER #1 $2.99
DEC012216I LADY DEATH HEARTBREAKER PREMIUM ED #1 $9.99
DEC012217I LADY DEATH HEARTBREAKER SUPER PREMIUM ED #1 $20.00
AUG011928 LIVIN LA VIDA DORKA DORK TOWER STRIPS VOL 1 TP $15.95
DEC012109 LOT OF LOVE GN (MR) $9.95
DEC012309 MYSTIC #21 $2.95
NOV012311 OPTIC NERVE #4 (O/A) (MR) $2.95
DEC012257 SAMURAI GUARD #4 (MR) $2.95
NOV012358 STRAY BULLETS #23 (MR) $3.50
NOV012289 TIME TRAVELER AI BOOK 3 SEXY NINJA GIRL TP $15.95
DEC012110 TRASHED GRAPHIC NOVELLA #1 $6.95
NOV012217 UNDEAD #1 (MR) $4.99
NOV012218 UNDEAD PX CVR #1 (MR) $4.99
SEP011743I VAMPI #13 DLX ED $9.95
SEP011742 VAMPI #13 REG ED $2.99
NOV012404 VAMPIRELLA #6 LTD CVR ED (MR) $9.95
NOV012403 VAMPIRELLA #6 REG ED (NOTE PRICE) (MR) $2.99
NOV012119 WAITING PLACE VOL 2 #12 (Of 12) $4.95

The 9A Lighthouse Crew are Trafalgar, Shannon, Fastnet, Plymouth, Viking, German Bight, Finisterre, Forties, Dogger, Cromarty and Fisher.

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.