Welcome back to the Shipping Forecast, Ninth Art's weekly look at the latest comic book releases. Every Monday we'll show you the week's shipping list from Diamond, and our three crusty fishermen will make their picks of the most noteworthy new books hitting the shelves. Please note that the shipping list is subject to change.

FISHER PICKS:

AUTHORITY #23
I was lucky enough to be invited to read a preview copy of this long-anticipated book at the recent Comics 2001 festival in Bristol, and I'm pleased to report that it's good, dirty fun. This is the first part of the four issue Peyer/Nguyen run starring the new G-7 approved Authority. These murderously unpleasant characters were clearly a lot of fun for the creative team, and this story looks like living up to the title's high standards, but with a much-increased satirical element. Not exactly worth the wait, but worth the read.

EXILES #1
Another week, another new X-book. We've had the excellent Pete Milligan and Grant Morrison X-books, of course, so which unlikely creator is gracing us with his presence this time? Why, it's PEDRO AND ME's Judd Winick, writing a tale of alternate universes, starring (Because-You-Demanded-It) Blink. As with X-FORCE, this is an excellent writer, a much-maligned imprint, and an all-new premise, so while there's a lot of high hopes, there aren't many expectations.

CROMARTY PICKS:

JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #1
This isn't part of the 'proper' line of Dark Horse licensed comics, but it is set in the BUFFY universe (albeit in the far future). And I'm generally reticent about TV writers 'moving into' comics. But. Whedon's more than passing familiar with the medium, has proven consistently that he can write this genre, and the art is lovely (a female action lead who actually has muscles - whatever next?). I'm going to at least give this one a look in the store.

RETURN OF ALISON DARE LITTLE MISS ADVENTURES #2
I'm going to keep plugging this until I'm blue in the face. ALISON DARE is an unashamed kid's comic, and normally I'd stay away, but this is unmissable, succeeding on a level akin to TOY STORY: charming and lively enough for the kids, intelligent and funny enough for the adults. Torres and Bone obviously love what they're doing here, and they deserve every success.

100 BULLETS #25
There's nothing more noteworthy about this issue than any of the others, but it's as good a time as any to tell you people that if you're not reading 100 BULLETS, you're missing out on what may be the best-matched writer/artist team since Ennis and Dillon. Bullets, murder, conspiracies and sex. Buy it.

DOGGER PICKS:

AUTHORITY #23
Yeah, whoever it is making the scheduling decisions about this title needs to lay off the crackpipe a bit. Still, 4 issues about a bunch of bastards ought to be good for a laugh, and judging the by the preview kicking about at Bristol, it's going to look as lovely as it ever has. Which is almost all that matters with a book like this.

BLACK PANTHER THE CLIENT TP
Another of Marvel Knight's success stories gets the trade paperback treatment. Priest, Texeira and Jusko are credited with breathing new life back into a rather tired old character, and making him relevant again. This was the book that set the bar for Marvel Knights when it started, and it's worth a look if only as one of the early signs of the New Marvel.

Comics shipping in the US on June 6th:

DARK HORSE

APR010050 DIRTY PAIR SIM HELL REMASTERED #2 (Of 4) $2.99
APR010021 JOSS WHEDONS FRAY #1 (Of 8) $2.99
APR010022 PLANET OF THE APES HUMAN WAR #1 (Of 3) $2.99

DC COMICS

APR010539 100 BULLETS #25 (MR) $2.50
APR010526 AUTHORITY #23 (RES) $2.50
APR010479 BATGIRL #17 $2.50
APR010481 BATMAN GOTHAM ADVENTURES #39 $1.99
APR010474 BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #144 $2.25
APR010525 BAY CITY JIVE #2 (Of 3) $2.95
APR010542 CRUSADES #4 (MR) $2.50
APR010538 DESPERADOES QUIET OF THE GRAVE #2 (Of 5) $2.95
APR010466 GREEN LANTERN OUR WORLDS AT WAR #1 $2.95
MAR010422 JLA #54 $2.25
APR010521 LOONEY TUNES #79 $1.99
APR010509
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #33 $2.50
APR010513 SPECTRE #6 $2.50
APR010465 SUPERMAN #171 $2.25
APR010534 WILDCATS VOL 2 #24 $2.50
APR010516 YOUNG JUSTICE #34 $2.50

IMAGE

MAR011288 EVE PROTOMECHA VOL 1 SINS OF THE DAUGHTER TP $17.95
JAN011221D GOLDFISH THE DEFINITIVE COLL TP $19.95
JAN011272D HELLSPAWN #8 $2.50
JAN011239D SAVAGE DRAGON #85 $2.95
JAN011274D SPAWN #108 $2.50
APR011369 TOMB RAIDER #0 $2.50
MAR011246 WITCHBLADE #48 $2.50

MARVEL

MAR011539 BLACK PANTHER THE CLIENT TP $14.95
APR011659 CITIZEN V #3 (Of 3) $2.99
APR011626 DAREDEVIL YELLOW #1 (RES) $3.50
APR011635 EXILES #1 $2.99
APR011660 FANTASTIC FOUR #44 $2.25
APR011627 GHOST RIDER HIGHWAY TO HELL $3.50
APR011661
MARVEL POSTER BOOK SUMMER 2001 $3.50
APR011662 THOR #38 $2.25
APR011653 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #10 $2.25
APR011638 X-MEN THE HIDDEN YEARS #21 $2.50

OTHER PUBLISHERS

MAR011827 ARCHIES WEIRD MYSTERIES #14 $1.99
MAR012011I BRAVE & THE BOLD 80-PAGE LOST ANNUAL SGN $29.99
FEB011906E CHASTITY SHATTERED #1 $2.99
APR012015E CHYNA II #1 $2.99
APR012088E FIRST #8 $2.95
MAY012110 GENERIC COMIC BOOK #3 $1.95
MAR011811 GOLD DIGGER GOLD BRICK COLL TP VOL 2 $49.95
APR012241F HAMMER OF THE GODS #3 (Of 4) $2.95
FEB011799F HECTIC PLANET BOOK 3 YOUNG AND RECKLESS $10.95
APR012201F INKPUNKS QUARTERLY #1 $2.95
MAR011837 LAUGH DIGEST #167 $2.19
APR012089E MYSTIC #13 $2.95
MAR011984 NODWICK CHRONICLES COLL NODWICK VOL 1 TP $15.95
FEB012091F OGENKI CLINIC 2 GN (A) $17.95
APR012119 PALOOKA VILLE #15 $3.75
APR012302E RETURN OF ALISON DARE LITTLE MISS ADV #2 (Of 3) $2.95
MAR011838 SABRINA VOL 2 #20 $1.99
FEB011961F TIME TRAVELER AI #19 (MR) $2.95

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.