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:

TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES (Oni Press)
Another year, another Hopeless Savages mini. You've heard about the HOPELESS SAVAGES, right? The surprisingly functional punk-rock family. The stories of the literal children of seventies punk rock stars, their lives and loves? No? Have you been under a rock, or something? This is what every American teen rom-com ought to be; honest, funny and unique. This time round, writer Jen Van Meter re-teams with Christine Norrie, artist on the orginial HOPELESS SAVAGES series, to take us on a trip to Hong Kong for a look at the love life of the eldest daughter of the family, Arsenal Hopeless-Savage. As ever, there are flashbacks, this time illustrated by newcomer Ross Campbell. Expect laughs and Kung Fu action with your romantic comedy - and that's even before you get to the KUNG FU SPACEGIRLS back-up story by Norrie. You don't want to miss this. [Dogger]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

TOP SHELF ASKS THE BIG QUESTIONS (Top Shelf)
The march of the high-quality squarebound anthology continues as Top Shelf enters the fray. The headline grabber on this anthology is the Alan Moore America's Best story that DC wouldn't publish. It's a rebranded Cobweb story, but since I've never been very fond of Cobweb, its only interest for me is why DC rejected it. Thankfully there's a lot more on offer in this anthology, including works by James Sturm, Matt Madden, Renee French and Peter Kuper, and an intriguing sounding tribute to Charles Schulz's PEANUTS by Joe Matt, Tony Millionaire, Seth, Chris Ware and others. OK, so you're probably a bit jaded about these indie-all-star-line-up anthologies by now, and the real 'Big Question' is, what makes this one different? The Top Shelf brand should go a long way toward answering that one. [Fisher]

SWEATERWEATHER GN (Alternative Comics)
Considering that summer is coming along nicely in much of the Northern hemisphere, it seems a little odd that SWEATERWEATHER, with its wintry cover and cosy-sounding title, should come out now. Still, it should sell well to those looking for a breath of cool fresh air. A collection of previously published and new works by Sara Varon, SWEATERWEATHER sells itself as an all-ages book. I can definitely see the appeal - kids will enjoy the boldly drawn, odd short stories with their cute protagonists - not to mention the postcards, paperdolls and stamps - while grown-ups will get a kick out of accomplished storytelling and art, especially if they enjoy the likes of PULPATOON PILGRIMAGE, GOODBYE, CHUNKY RICE and James Kochalka's work. That said, Varon's appealing style is very much her own. This looks as though it could easily charm the socks off you. [German Bight]

BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY #1 (DC Universe)
When Dan DiDio came to DC Comics, one of his stated goals was to get big name creators to bring the company's icons back to the foreground. If Matt Wagner's BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY mini-series is part of that goal, I'd say it's succeeding nicely. Wagner's story of the three icons's first working together looks to be tightly written, making all three characters feel fresh and original with a real sense of wonder about them. Add in some beautiful art by Wagner and colorist Dave Stewart, print it on a nice paper stock, and you're reminded just why these three characters have become such pop icons. It's good to see Wagner back. [Plymouth]

BATTLE ANGEL ALITA: LAST ORDER VOL 1 TP: ANGEL REBORN (Viz)
There are two reasons to rejoice at the publication of BATTLE ANGEL ALITA: LAST ORDER VOL 1. Battle Angel was at the forefront of manga when manga wasn't cool five years ago, gaining fans by the longbox- ful based on the imaginative genius of artist and creator Yukito Kishiro. Kishiro, one of the very few mangaka to express a deep admiration for American comics (going so far as to do one volume of a Battle Angel spin-off called ASHEN VICTOR in the style of Frank Miller), has now returned to the series that he ended prematurely due to illness a few years back, and there's a good chance that audiences will come back to see that he has still got the goods. The second reason is that it's being released in the popular new digest form at the magic $10 price point, which suggests that, if sales are strong enough, they might reprint the whole series in that format. It is a series that definitely deserves that treatment, and LAST ORDER is proof enough to this forecaster that Kishiro is now ready to finish what he started. [Trafalgar]

PROMETHEA #26 (DC Wildstorm/ABC)
For those readers who were turned off of Promethea by her magical mystery tour up the Tree of Life, which lasted for twelve issues, the storyline that spun out of the end of that tale has thus far proven to be cataclysmic to her psychedelic haze. This issue, an excellent jumping on point for readers curious as to how Moore will end this series by issue #32, takes place three years after the end of Promethea #25 and features a cross-over with Tom Strong as Sophie is forced to come out of hiding and confront her enemies. My guess is that this issue marks the beginning of the end for the ABC Universe, and fans of any of the titles in that line should consider checking this out. [Trafalgar]

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.

MANHATTAN BEACH 1957 (SAF Strip Art Features)
Strip Art Features has taken back control of the English-language publication of the album-format comics by European and South American creators that were previously part of Dark Horse's Venture imprint, and while it's doing an excellent job of getting some wonderful and unusual books out there in oversized hardback and softback editions, its publicity is sadly lacking. If you want to sample SAF's wares, MANHATTAN BEACH 1957 is a good place to start. Lavishly illustrated by the masterful Hermann, from a script by his son Yves H, it's the story of a small town police detective in 1970s Arizona who is utterly stuck on the memory of the girl he fell in love with in 1957. Exceptional storytelling that uses colour and music with great ingenuity, MANHATTAN BEACH is well worth a visit. [Fisher]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR JUNE 18th:

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

DARK HORSE

APR030051 CANNON GOD EXAXXION #14 (MR) $3.50
APR030017 CRIMINAL MACABRE: A CAL MCDONALD MYSTERY #2 (Of 5) $2.99
APR030019 DH GOON #1 $2.99
MAR035169 JUDGE DREDD VS ALIENS: INCUBUS #4 (OF 4) $2.99
MAR030045 SUPER MANGA BLAST #32 (MR) $5.99

DC COMICS

APR030233 AMERICAN CENTURY #25 (MR) $2.75
APR030148 BATGIRL #41 $2.50
APR030150 BATMAN ADVENTURES #3 $2.25
APR030145 BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #42 $2.75
APR030177 BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY #1 (Of 3) $6.95
APR030234 BEWARE THE CREEPER #3 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95
APR030154 BIRDS OF PREY #56 $2.50
APR030190 HUMANS DEFENSE CORPS #2 (Of 6) $2.50
APR030192 JLA: SCARY MONSTERS #4 (Of 6) $2.50
APR030193 JLA: WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK $6.95
APR030244 LUCIFER #39 (MR) $2.50
APR030215 NINJA BOY: FADED DREAMS TP $14.95
APR030199 OUTSIDERS #1 $2.50
APR030200 POWER COMPANY #17 $2.75
APR030208 POWERPUFF GIRLS #39 $2.25
FEB030210 PROMETHEA #26 $2.95
APR030161 ROBIN #115 $2.25
APR030219 SLEEPER #6 (MR) $2.95
APR030172 SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 6 HC $49.95
APR030166 SUPERMAN: METROPOLIS #5 (Of 12) $2.95
APR030168 SUPERMAN: PRESIDENT LEX TP $17.95
APR030223 THUNDERCATS: THE RETURN #5 (Of 5) $2.95
APR030250 Y: THE LAST MAN #12 (MR) $2.95

IMAGE
MAR031263 AGE OF BRONZE #17 $3.50
MAR031267 CLOCKMAKER #4 (Of 12) $2.50
APR031271 GI JOE FRONTLINE VOL 1: MISSION THAT NEVER WAS TP $14.95
APR031310 MAGDALENA/VAMPIRELLA $2.99
APR031288 MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: ICONS OF EVIL: BEAST MAN #1 $4.95
APR031297 SAVAGE DRAGON VOL 8: THIS SAVAGE WORLD TP $15.95
MAR031327 WITCHBLADE #65 $2.99

MARVEL

APR031561 CAPTAIN MARVEL #11 $2.99
APR031552 CREW #2 $2.50
APR031536 DAREDEVIL #48 $2.99
MAR035088 MARVEL MUST HAVES: SENTINEL & RUNAWAYS # 1 & 2 FLIPBOOK $3.99
APR031522 NEW MUTANTS #2 $2.50
APR031554 SENTINEL #3 $2.50
APR031540 SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #1 (Of 4) $2.99
APR031556 THOR #65 $2.99
APR031545 THUNDERBOLTS #80 (Note Price) $2.25
APR031553 TRUTH: RED, WHITE, & BLACK #6 (Of 7) (RES) $3.50
APR031518 UNCANNY X-MEN #426 $2.25
MAR031522 VENOM #2 $2.25
APR031533 WAR MACHINE 2.0 #1 (Of 3) (MR) $2.99
APR031527 WOLVERINE #2 $2.25

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR032001 ARCHIE #537 $2.19
APR032004 ARCHIE DIGEST #199 $2.39
APR032509 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA: LAST ORDER VOL 1 TP: ANGEL REBORN $9.95
APR032512 BIG O PART 4 #4 (Of 4) $3.50
APR032513 BIG O VOL 1 TP 2ND ED $9.95
APR032514 BIG O VOL 3 TP (Note Price) $9.95
APR032096 CROSSOVERS #6 $2.95
APR032104 CRUX #27 $2.95
MAR032288 CVO COVERT VAMPIRIC OPERATIONS (MR) $5.99
APR032197 DFE TOMB RAIDER SCARFACES TREASURE #1 PI
APR032516 FIREFIGHTER: DAIGO OF FIRE COMPANY M VOL 1 GN 2ND ED $9.95
APR032515 FIREFIGHTER: DAIGO OF FIRE COMPANY M VOL 3 $9.95
APR032105 FIRST VOL 4 TP: FUTILE ENDEAVORS $15.95
APR031933 GLOOM COOKIE #16 (MR) $2.95
MAY032237 IRON WAGON SC $12.95
APR032488 JAMES KOCHALKA'S SKETCHBOOK DIARIES VOL 1 CURR PTG $7.95
APR032169 LA BLUE GIRL MANGA ED BOOK 3: LUSTY POLTERGEIST GN (A) $16.95
APR032112 MERIDIAN VOL 5 TP: MINISTER OF CALADOR $15.95
MAR032471 NEAL ADAMS SKETCHBOOK REVISED HC ED $29.95
DEC022420 NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES #4 $2.95
MAY032232 RAISIN PIE #2 (MR) $3.50
NOV022417 RED STAR VOL 2 #2 $2.95
APR032118 ROUTE 666 #13 $2.95
APR032122 SCION #37 $2.95
MAR032358 SIDEKICKS SUPER SUMMER FUN SPECIAL ONE SHOT $2.99
APR032065 SIMPSONS COMICS #83 $2.50
APR032125 SOLUS #4 $2.95
APR032523 STEAM DETECTIVES VOL 6 TP $12.95
APR031918 SWEATERWEATHER GN $11.95
APR032404 TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES #1 (Of 4) $2.99
MAR032457 TOP SHELF ASKS THE BIG QUESTIONS (MR) $24.95
MAY031954 VAMPI VICIOUS #1 $2.99
MAR032262 VAMPIRELLA #21 REG ED $2.99
APR032014 VERONICA #141 $2.19

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.