Welcome to the Shipping Forecast, Ninth Art's pick of the best and most notable new releases hitting comic stores each week.

This week we welcome two new piscatorial pundits to the choppy waters off the Ninth Art lighthouse, Shannon and Forties.

COMIC OF THE WEEK:

SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS (DC Vertigo)
As this comes out, finally, after many years of development and promises, there will be some of the usual carping. You've heard it all before, and you'll have heard some of it here: that Vertigo's flogging a dead horse/milking its cash-cow dry/selling pap under the SANDMAN name to an audience who'll accept anything... and so on, and so forth. But in the end, what really matters is this - is it any good? Well, thanks to the rather quiet release of a preview issue, containing the first story, it looks like we'll be giving a resounding "yes!" Now that the SANDMAN phenomenon is part of comics history, it's okay to give it a jolly good sneer and point out the shortcomings, while discussion of what made it so damn good in the first place is decidedly passé. What a shame, then, that this had to come along to remind us what it was like back in the olden days. Neil Gaiman has effectively written a collection of single issues, and shown off that he's as good at short stories and comics as he ever was - which, for what my opinion's worth, is very good indeed. With a collection of international comics talent good enough to make art fans salivate (from Miguelanxo Prado to Glenn Fabry), this book really doesn't need the accompanying hype: It can sell itself on talent alone. [German Bight]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

ULTIMATE SIX #1 (Ultimate Marvel) The Ultimate universe doesn't do crossovers. It does mini-series that, by chance, happen to cross over two different books, which is certainly preferable, but still smacks of gimmickry. Last year saw a meeting between The Ultimates and the X-Men in ULTIMATE WAR, an extended fight sequence from Mark Millar and Chris Bachalo that didn't really satisfy. This year sees an encounter between The Ultimates and Spider-Man that should be a little more substantial, seeing as it's written by Brian Michael Bendis, the pre-eminent superhero writer in the business today, and has art from Trevor Hairsine, who clearly counts ULTIMATES artist Bryan Hitch among his influences, but looks certain to establish himself as his own man just as surely as Hitch did with Alan Davis. The other big selling point of this series is that it introduces the Ultimate version of Spidey foes the Sinister Six, a motley assortment from the finest rogue's gallery in comics. [Fisher]

KISSING CHAOS VOL 2: NONSTOP BEAUTY TP (Oni Press)
It's not easy to throw out your main characters and keep your audience. That had to be a concern for creator Arthur Dela Cruz, whose second KISSING CHAOS mini-series veered dramatically away from the situations of the first. While there was still a connection to the original mini-series, this four-issue story introduced new characters whose prank was about to go awry, while still raising more questions about the fate of the original cast. Did it work? Boy, did it. Conspiracies, bad situations getting worse, and just a tiny bit of teenage angst are only a few of the story elements that Dela Cruz successfully weaves together here, and his gorgeous pencilled art is able to go for both soft and hard depending on what's required of it. The added real brilliance of KISSING CHAOS Volume 2 is that new readers can pick it up and find out just what they're missing without being lost in the story... and then go back and get the first volume to add another piece to the puzzle. Now that's nice. [Plymouth]

DAREDEVIL #52 (Marvel Knights)
This is the second part of artist David Mack's return to DAREDEVIL with his character Echo. The first part shipped only two weeks ago, and was a lyrical exercise in summarising what has gone before (notably in DAREDEVIL #9-15) so the story really begins this issue. Mack's unique style is a fusion of art and words rather than a story with words and pictures. He used this style excessively in his own series KABUKI, but you might see it reined back by the mainstream demands of Marvel Knights. The blind Matt Murdock had a relationship with deaf Maya Lopez, even as she was set up to seek revenge on his alter ego, Daredevil. As Echo, she watches every movement that a person makes and can mimic them perfectly. This is in contrast to Daredevil's reliance on sound. This arc is set to focus on Echo, and provides a great opportunity to enjoy Mack's work along with a bit of the classic Marvel Universe. [Forties]

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.

FLCL VOL 1 TP (Tokyopop)
Ask an anime fan what series was the weirdest they have ever seen, and many will answer "FLCL". They'll usually go on to say they really liked it. Now Tokyopop is releasing the manga version of FLCL, adapted from the anime by Gainax and written by Hajime Ueda. It's a complex evocation of the confusion of adolescence (and robotic invasion), set in a small factory town. All high school freshman Naota wants is to be left alone, but first his brother's ex-girlfriend starts hitting on him, and then alien girl Haruko appears, smacks him on the head with her guitar, and moves in. Then robots start growing out of Naota's head. The plot is Japanese absurdism at its best, in its quieter moments expressing the angst and nihilism of being a teenager with real pathos. Just as the story differs from the traditional mass-market manga, so does the style of the artwork by the Gainax studio. The end result is a style as reminiscent of Top Shelf as it is Tokyopop. [Shannon]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR SEPTEMBER 17th:

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

DARK HORSE

JUL030021 B.P.R.D.: NIGHT TRAIN #1 $2.99
JUL030040 CANNON GOD EXAXXION #17 (MR) $2.99
JUL030018 LONE #1 $2.99
FEB030018 SHREK #1 (Of 4) $2.99

DC COMICS

JUL030224 ARROWSMITH #3 (Of 6) $2.95
JUL030150 BATGIRL #44 $2.50
JUL030151 BATMAN ADVENTURES #6 $2.25
JUL030147 BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #45 $2.75
JUL030159 BIRDS OF PREY #59 $2.50
JUL030179 CINNAMON: EL CICLO #2 (Of 5) $2.50
JUN030245 FILTH #13 (Of 13) (MR) $2.95
JUL030248 HUMAN TARGET #2 (MR) $2.95
JUL030195 ICANDY #1 $2.50
JUL030199 JLA/JSA: VIRTUE AND VICE SC $17.95
JUN030195 LOBO UNBOUND #3 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
JUL030250 LUCIFER #42 (MR) $2.50
JUL030207 OUTSIDERS #4 $2.50
JUL030229 POSSESSED #3 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
JUL030219 POWERPUFF GIRLS #42 $2.25
JUL030164 ROBIN #118 $2.25
JUL030232 ROBOTECH: THE MACROSS SAGA VOL 4 $14.95
JUN030253 SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS HC (MR) $24.95
JUL030239 SMAX #2 (Of 5) $2.95
JUL030169 SUPERMAN/BATMAN #2 $2.95
JUL030174 SUPERMAN: METROPOLIS #8 (Of 12) $2.95

IMAGE

JUN031224 AGENTS #5 (Of 6) $2.95
JUL031167 ART OF JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER TP $24.95
MAY031204 CASEFILES: SAM & TWITCH #3 (MR) $2.50
JUN031339 DARKNESS VOL 2 #5 $2.99
JUL031195 HEDGE KNIGHT VALLEJO CVR #2 (Of 6) $5.95
JUL031217 PUFFED CROSLAND CVR #3 (Of 3) (MR) $2.95
JUN031352 TOMB RAIDER #33 $2.99

MARVEL

JUL031532 AGENT X #14 $2.99
AUG031556 ART OF MARVEL COMICS VOL 1 HC $29.99
JUL031486 CAPTAIN MARVEL #14 $2.99
JUL031565 CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL 2: COVEN TP $14.99
JUL031482 CREW #5 (Note Price) $2.99
JUL031511 DAREDEVIL #52 $2.99
JUL031555 EXILES VOL 5: UNNATURAL INSTINCT TP $14.99
JUN031585 GUN THEORY #1 (Of 4) $2.50
JUL031492 NAMOR #6 $2.25
JUL031572 PETER PARKER, SPIDER-MAN VOL 5: SENSELESS VIOLENCE TP $14.99
JUL031495 RUNAWAYS #6 $2.50
JUL031516 SPIDER-MAN & WOLVERINE #4 (Of 4) $2.99
JUL031498 ULTIMATE SIX #1 (Of 6) $2.99
JUL031525 UNCANNY X-MEN #431 $2.25
JUN031609 WEAPON X #12 $2.99
JUN031605 WOLVERINE: SNIKT #4 (Of 5) $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JUN032297 ANGELS WING #3 $2.99
JUL031990 ARCHIE AND FRIENDS #75 $2.19
JUL031993 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #146 $3.59
JUL031994 ARCHIE MYSTERIES #31 $2.19
JUL031995 BETTY #130 $2.19
JUL032531 BIG O VOL 4 TP (Note Price) $9.95
JUN032019 BLACK TIDE CVR A BREYFOGLE #7 $2.95
JUL032258 DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #308 $2.95
SEP032365 DRAKE THE DEMON BOX #2 (Of 3) $2.50
JUL032535 FLAME OF RECCA VOL 2 TP $9.95
JUL032536 GUNDAM THE ORIGIN #7 $7.95
JUL031924 HICKEE VOL 2 #1 $4.95
JUN031975 HUMOR CAN BE FUNNY TP (RES) (MR) $11.95
JUL032405 KISSING CHAOS VOL 2: NONSTOP BEAUTY TP (MR) $11.95
JUL032140 LA BLUE GIRL MANGA ED BOOK 4: DESIRE GN (A) $16.95
JUL032159 MEGAMAN #1 $2.95
JUL032307 METAL HURLANT #8 (MR) $3.95
JUL032259 MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #257 $2.95
JUL032162 NECROWAR #3 $2.95
JUL031936 NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES #6 $2.95
JUL032541 PROJECT ARMS VOL 2 TP: EGRIGORI $9.95
JUN032180 ROUTE 666 #15 $2.95
JUN032182 SCION #39 $2.95
JUL032068 SIMPSONS COMICS #86 (Note Price) $2.99
JUL032102 SOJOURN #27 $2.95
APR032183 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ANIMATED #1 $2.95
MAY032366 TOO MUCH HOPELESS SAVAGES #2 (Of 4) $2.99
JUL032167 TRANSFORMERS: ARMADA VOL 2 TP $15.95
JUN032249 TRANSFORMERS/GI JOE #1 (OF 6) $2.95
JUL032324 UNDERWORLD MOVIE ADAPTATION (MR) $6.99
JUN032417 VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE VOL 1 TP (MR) $16.95
JUL032544 WEDDING PEACH VOL 2 TP $9.95

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.