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:

KISSING CHAOS: NONSTOP BEAUTY #1 (Oni Press)
You've got a hit mini-series, an Eisner nomination, and a trade paperback. You've pitched a sequel. What approach do you take? If you're Arthur Dela Cruz, the answer is, "Use an entirely different cast in a completely different setting with only the slenderest of connections between the old and the new". Not the direction most would go for, but Dela Cruz's unpredictable choices are almost a hallmark of KISSING CHAOS. With fast paced action, characters with hidden motivations, a mystery waiting to be solved by the reader, and some slick art, KISSING CHAOS: NONSTOP BEAUTY certainly shares the same basic elements as the original KISSING CHAOS. And if that's not enough, well, there is that trade paperback of the first eight-issue mini-series also waiting to be picked up. The television show CSI urges viewers to "follow the clues", but really, you'll have a much better time doing so in the world of KISSING CHAOS. [Plymouth]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

ZERO GIRL: FULL CIRCLE (DC Wildstorm/Homage)
The first ZERO GIRL series was one of the absolute best comics of 2001. A deeply eccentric and extremely unconventional take on high school life, it showed Sam Kieth at his best, both as a brilliantly idiosyncratic writer and as a compelling and expressive artist. So, this sequel has a hell of a lot to live up to. The story is set fifteen years after the first series, and promises to present an interesting look at the way the neuroses of our teen years can still weigh on us in adulthood. Amy Smootster, the girl with weeping feet and a sinister relationship with circles and squares, is now a woman. But don't expect her to have left all her old foibles behind, as she soon finds herself once again drawn to her old school councillor Tim Foster. That's the set-up, at least. But if this book is anything like the first, don't for a minute imagine you know where the story will take you. [Fisher]

GUN FU #1 (Axiom)
The #1 in the solicitation is a little misleading, because this is a one-shot - a full-colour, 32-page action comedy. It's written and inked by Howard Shum, an industry journeyman who has inked works such as STAR WARS TALES and AQUAMAN, and co-created a couple of Image titles, INTRIGUE and GAZILLION. GUN FU looks like a jolt of unpretentious, anachronistic fun - set in 1936, it features a kung-fu, trigger-happy, jive-talking cop, recruited by the British secret service to fight the burgeoning Nazi menace. The sample artwork on Shum's website, pencilled by Joey Mason, is bright, kinetic and extremely cartoony, with a grace to the gunplay that is an obvious (and very effective) nod to John Woo. There also seems to be lots of weird technology, especially giant Nazi robots. So if you like Hong Kong action flicks, or if the B-movie aspects of HELLBOY are your cup of tea, and if you're a bit fed-up of the grim'n'gritty black'n'white indie-fare, this might be worth a one-off punt. If it's successful, Shum hopes to continue it as a series of mini-series. [Fastnet]

POUNDED TPB (Oni Press)
The love life and love-strife of a Canadian punk-rock poseur; doesn't sound too promising, does it? Well, that's where you're wrong. Brian Wood and Steve Rolston's three issues of anarchy and attitude are collected in digest size in this new volume from Oni Press, and it's great. In true punk spirit, it's a quick, violent thrash with an obnoxious lead and a fairly abrupt ending, but this is forgivable, as Rolston's crisp style brings the mean streets and plush penthouses of Vancouver to life, while Wood's snappy script crackles with energy. POUNDED is also notable for being one of the few comics, if not the only, with its own official soundtrack. Whether or not you opt for the tunes as well, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you buy POUNDED - it's more than a Minor Treat. [Finisterre]

VERTIGO POP!: LONDON #1 (DC Vertigo)
A new arc on the effusively punctuated VERTIGO POP!: title, and it's the one that, let's be honest, we've been waiting for. VERTIGO POP!: TOKYO was an admirable start for the title, but this next arc is authored by Peter Milligan with Philip Bond on art and is all about London. Now, London's a place that I used to frequent before I was shipped out to the lighthouse, and the thought of a story about the place by two creators that also know the city fills me with gleeful anticipation. Other comics have depicted London, have even been set there, and some have been prone to getting details wrong enough to really irritate people that have been there (yes, HUNTER: THE AGE OF MAGIC, I'm looking at you). In the hands of Milligan and Bond, it'll be flawless. Going by blurbs for this and future issues, the story of an ageing rock star out to regain youth by any means necessary looks likely to blend Milligan's gift for the weird and his work as a scriptwriter for British soap operas. Modern gothic in The Smoke? I'll 'ave some of that, mate! [German Bight]

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.

SHUTTERBUG FOLLIES (Doubleday)
A welcome addition to bookshelves for those of us who prefer to read comics without too much eyestrain, Jason Little's episodic weekly webcomic has finally been transferred to paper. A compelling thriller with a believable heroine, SHUTTERBUG FOLLIES is an easy read which unfolds at a cracking pace. Bee, an overly curious assistant at a photo develping store, looks for thrills and "genuine wierdness" to turn up in the hundreds of images she processes every day. This leads to her getting way over her head by following up on her suspicions of a customer, making enemies of the Russian mafia. The jewel-bright colours from the on-screen version of SHUTTERBUG FOLLIES transfer reasonably well to the page, and one you're done reading the narrative you can leaf back through the book and enjoy the art - the panel borders which cleverly differentiate the static image of a comic panel from that of a photograph, the obvious influence of Hergé (which also shows in the story) and, most importantly, Little's elegant penmanship and sense of composition. It's been a must-read on the web, and now it's a must-buy for your shelves. Do it for your eyes. They like candy. [German Bight]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR NOVEMBER 6th:

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

DARK HORSE

SEP020061 OH MY GODDESS #92: TRAVELER (PART 2 OF 5) $2.99
SEP020043 SHINOBI: THE RISE OF HOTSUMA ONE SHOT $2.99

DC COMICS

SEP020219 21 DOWN #3 $2.95
SEP020153 BATMAN FAMILY: ATHENA #2 (Of 8) $2.25
SEP020188 BIG DADDY DANGER #4 (Of 9) $2.95
SEP020157 DETECTIVE COMICS #776 $2.75
SEP020223 DIVINE RIGHT BOOK TWO TP $17.95
SEP020191 DOOM PATROL #14 $2.50
AUG020233 GREEN ARROW #18 $2.50
SEP020197 HAWKMAN #9 $2.50
SEP020204 JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES #13 $2.25
SEP020207 LAB RATS #8 $2.50
SEP020216 LOONEY TUNES #96 $2.25
SEP020180 SUPERMAN #188 $2.25
SEP020252 VERTIGO POP!: LONDON #1 (Of 4) (MR) $2.95
SEP020213 YOUNG JUSTICE #51 $2.75
SEP020239 ZERO GIRL: FULL CIRCLE #1 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95

IMAGE

AUG021191 ATHENA INC CVR A #4 $2.95
AUG021192 ATHENA INC CVR B #4 $2.95
JUL021191 POWERS #25 (MR) $2.95
AUG021215 SAVAGE DRAGONBERT: FULL FRONTAL NERDITY $5.95
AUG021217 SUPERPATRIOT: AMERICA'S FIGHTING FORCE #4 (Of 4) $2.95

MARVEL

SEP021464 ALIAS #16 (MR) $2.99
AUG021511 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #46 $2.25
SEP021494 EDEN'S TRAIL #1 (Of 6) $2.99
SEP021467 ELEKTRA #16 $2.99
SEP021478 EXILES #19 $2.25
SEP021515 MARVEL DOUBLE SHOT #1 (Of 4) $2.99
SEP021469 ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL & ELEKTRA #1 (Of 4) $2.25
SEP021485 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #30 $2.25
SEP021473 UNCANNY X-MEN #415 $2.25
SEP021483 WOLVERINE: NETSUKE #3 (Of 4) $3.99
AUG021503 X-STATIX #4 $2.25

OTHER PUBLISHERS

AUG021839 ARCHIE #529 $1.99
AUG022375 BASTARD #11: EMPRESS (PART 1 OF 4) (MR) $3.95
AUG022408 DRAGONBALL Z VOL 10 TP $12.95
SEP021933J FIRST #25 PI
SEP021932 FORGE #8 $11.95
AUG021892 GUN FU #1 $3.50
OCT012224 HEROBEAR AND THE KID #5 $3.50
AUG021803 HIGHWAY 13 #8 $2.95
AUG021849 JUGHEAD WITH ARCHIE DIGEST #179 $2.19
SEP021730 JUST A PILGRIM VOL 2 TP: GARDEN OF EDEN $12.99
AUG022272 KISSING CHAOS: NONSTOP BEAUTY #1 (Of 4) (MR) $2.95
AUG022042 LOUIS RIEL #8 $2.95
SEP022167F MAGE KNIGHT: STOLEN DESTINY #2 (Of 5) $3.50
JUN022438 MUTANT, TEXAS: TALES OF SHERIFF IDA RED #3 (Of 4) $2.95
SEP021936 MYSTIC #30 $2.95
AUG021853 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #71 $3.29
AUG022273 POUNDED TP (MR) $8.95
AUG022400 SILENT MOBIUS PART 11 BLOOD #4 (Of 5) $2.95
SEP021784 SKAGGY THE LOST #1 (Of 4) (MR) $3.50
SEP022006 SLAYERS: SUPER EXPLOSIVE DEMON STORY VOL 2 TP $15.95
DEC012644 SMOKE VOL 1 GN (MR) $19.95
SEP021947 SOJOURN STARTER PACK $8.75
JUL021917F SOULSEARCHERS #56 $2.50
JUN022376F THIEVES & KINGS #40 (Note Price) $2.95
AUG025082 TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE #5 2ND PRTG (PU#543) $2.95
AUG021992 TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD #4: DISCOVERIES $2.95
JUN021996I VAMPI #22 DLX ED $9.95
JUN021995 VAMPI #22 REG ED $2.99
AUG021856 VERONICA #133 $1.99
JUL022000E WARLANDS: AGE OF ICE #9 $2.95
SEP021944 WAY OF THE RAT #7 $2.95
AUG022245 WORLD OF DARKNESS COMPENDIUM VOL 1 (MR) $15.95
SEP021806 XIN: LEGEND OF THE MONKEY KING #1 MADUREIRA CVR $2.99

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.