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:

BEACH SAFARI GN $9.95 (Top Shelf)
One of the great things about Top Shelf is its willingness to bring new comic creators into the English-speaking world... and the way those unfamiliar creators will surprise you. German cartoonist Mawil Witzel's book BEACH SAFARI seems like an innocent enough graphic novel at first; a glasses-wearing rabbit washes up on a desert island beach and tries to survive. What those who haven't read Witzel's works before won't realise is that Witzel isn't content to leave his books innocent and predictable by any stretch of the imagination. Those who read BEACH SAFARI are in for a really clever and humorous story about relationships that will subvert their original expectations. [Plymouth]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

GOTHAM CENTRAL #6 (DC Universe)
It's a shame that this Bat book is lagging so far behind the rest of its stable in sales, because this is probably one of the most accessible DC Universe books on the market. Superheroes and villains and all their attendant baggage make their appearances, sure, but this is a police procedural series, with the focus placed firmly on the lives and cases of the Gotham detectives. The series has a tag-team of authors each apparently focusing on different shifts, and with this issue, Greg Rucka takes over from Ed Brubaker to tell a dramatically personal tale about Detective Renee Montoya. Whether you're a batfan or just a crime fan, take the opportunity to jump on board. [Fisher]

411 #1 (Marvel)
At last, the creative collaboration you've been dying to see: Millar! Quitely! Jemas! And... Ghandi? Marvel makes its bid for a Nobel prize with a follow-up to its 911 charity book, this time offering 'the 411' on peacemakers and promoting the ideals of non-violent protest and resistance. And in this terrible time of war, when the Red Cross needs all the support it can get to help the victims of war on both sides of the conflict, Marvel is generously donating the funds from this book to... well, Marvel. Hrm. Marvel's heart seems to be in the right place, even if its wallet is staying firmly in its pocket, but it may not find much of an audience for its anti-war message in the current climate. [Fisher]

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.

METROPOLIS (Dark Horse)
METROPOLIS is one of Osamu Tezuka earliest works, originally released in book form back in 1949. Inspired by but not derived from Fritz Lang's film METROPOLIS, Tezuka's story is an early run at a recurring theme in his work, namely the exploration of the boundaries between life and technology and the difficult moral decision that we make in blurring them. METROPOLIS was adapted into a visually stunning, anime feature that finally saw release in US theatres in early 2002, though Tezuka himself brushed off the idea while still living, presumably because he thought the work itself too rough to warrant the effort. Considering the paucity of English-translated Tezuka available in relation to the flood of other, perhaps less deserving manga, I have no doubt that his concerns will be proven by the work itself to be only representative of the unfalteringly high standard of excellence that is his legacy as the God of Manga. [Trafalgar]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR APRIL 9th:

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

DARK HORSE

FEB030065 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: FALL FROST (PART 6 OF 6) #78 (MR) $2.99
FEB030034 DEVIL'S FOOTPRINTS #2 (Of 4) $2.99
FEB030054 GRENDEL: GOD & THE DEVIL #3 (MR) $3.50
FEB030025 JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #4 (Of 8) (O/A) $2.99
FEB030026 JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #5 (Of 8) (O/A) $2.99
FEB030027 JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #6 (Of 8) (O/A) $2.99
JAN030090 SHADOW STAR: NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH TP $14.95

DC COMICS

FEB030151 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #615 $2.25
FEB030157 AQUAMAN #5 $2.50
FEB030213 ASTRO CITY: LOCAL HEROES #2 (Of 5) $2.95
DEC020786 AUTOMATIC KAFKA #8 (MR) $2.95
FEB030139 BATGIRL: YEAR ONE #5 (Of 9) $2.95
FEB030136 BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #166 $2.50
FEB030219 BLOOD AND WATER #2 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95
FEB030220 FABLES #12 (MR) $2.50
FEB030195 GEN 13 #8 $2.95
FEB030146 GOTHAM CENTRAL #6 $2.50
FEB030165 GREEN ARROW #23 $2.50
FEB030147 HARLEY QUINN #31 $2.50
FEB030223 HUNTER: AGE OF MAGIC #22 (MR) $2.75
FEB030225 LUCIFER VOL 4: THE DIVINE COMEDY TP (MR) $17.95
FEB030191 SCOOBY DOO #71 $2.25
FEB030203 STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES #10 (MR) $2.95
FEB030155 SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS III #4 (Of 12) $2.95

IMAGE

FEB031218 LOVEBUNNY AND MR HELL: SAVAGE LOVE $2.95
JAN031292 POWERS #30 (MR) $2.95
OCT021765 SAVAGE DRAGON VOL 8: TERMINATED HC $28.95

MARVEL

FEB031371 411 #1 (Of 3) $3.50
FEB031386 BLACK PANTHER #57 (Note Price) $2.99
FEB031363 CAPTAIN AMERICA #12 $2.99
FEB031402 ESSENTIAL INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 1 TP NEW PTG $14.99
FEB031351 EXILES #25 (Note Price) $2.99
FEB031325 HUMAN TORCH #1 $2.50
FEB031376 INCREDIBLE HULK #52 $2.25
FEB031385 IRON MAN #67 (Note Price) $2.99
FEB031381 MARVEL UNIVERSE: THE END #3 (Of 6) $2.99
FEB031364 PUNISHER #24 $2.99
FEB031379 THOR #62 (Note Price) $2.99
SEP021498 ULTIMATE ADVENTURES #3 $2.25
FEB031337 UNCANNY X-MEN #421 $2.25
FEB031331 WOLVERINE: X-ISLE #2 $2.50
FEB031347 X-MEN: RONIN #3 (Of 5) $2.99
JAN031561 X-MEN UNLIMITED #43 $2.50

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JAN031953 ARCHIE MYSTERIES #27 $2.19
JAN032175F ARTBABE PRESENTS LA PERDIDA #3 (MR) $4.95
JAN032422F BEACH SAFARI GN $9.95
JAN032354 COURTNEY CRUMRIN & THE COVEN OF MYSTICS #4 (Of 4) $2.95
JAN032172F EVIL EYE #10 (RES) (MR) $3.50
FEB032216 GUNDAM: THE ORIGIN #5 $7.95
DEC022967 JAGUAR GOD: RETURN TO XIBALBA (MR) $3.95
JAN031959 JUGHEAD #150 $2.19
JAN031961 LAUGH DIGEST #183 $2.39
FEB031837 MYSTIC #35 $2.95
FEB031830 R A SALVATORE'S DEMON WARS: TRIAL BY FIRE #5 (Of 5) $2.95
FEB031888 RECORD OF LODOSS WAR: WELCOME TO LODOSS ISLAND BOOK ONE GN $15.95
JAN031962 SABRINA VOL 2 #44 $2.19
FEB031942 STRAY BULLETS #31 (MR) $2.95
JAN031876 TERRY MOORE'S PARADISE TOO VOL 2 TP: CHECKING FOR WEIRDOS $15.95
FEB031905 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #10 $2.95
JAN031965F TURTLE SOUP #1 $3.75
FEB031853 WAY OF THE RAT #12 $2.95
FEB031726 XIN: JOURNEY OF THE MONKEY KING #1 LAU CVR $2.99
JAN031920 XIN: LEGEND OF THE MONKEY KING #1 2ND PTG $2.99
JAN032362 ZENDRA VOL 2 TP: HEART OF FIRE $24.95

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.