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:

LIFE EATERS HC (DC WildStorm)
It's Autumn, and the first crop of hardback graphic novels for the season are on their way. I'd say that LIFE EATERS by David Brin, with painted art by Scott Hampton, was the nicest-looking Marvel hardback of the new season, except that it's published by Wildstorm. 'Huh?!', you may well say, adding, 'And who's David Brin?' Brin is a sci-fi writer whose main claim to fame is the novella on which Kevin Costner turkey THE POSTMAN was based. His only previous foray into the graphic format has been a STAR TREK book, also illustrated by Hampton. And it rather shows here. LIFE EATERS is a "what-if" story based on Brin's novella 'Thor Meets Captain America', written way back in 1986 for an anthology called HITLER VICTORIOUS. Very little additional work seems to have been done to adapt the story to a graphic format, aside from any necessary rejigging to avoid a lawsuit from Marvel. The basic concept is that the Nazis won World War II because the Norse Gods stepped in to help them, and now they threaten the good ol' US of A. To the rescue comes someone who looks and acts a lot like Captain America - but isn't, of course. Hampton has, as always, pulled off the art beautifully, and that (combined with curiosity value) is the main reason to buy this book. [Shannon]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

CERES, CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 1: AYA TP (Viz)
Aya and her twin brother Aki are perfectly normal teenagers living in Tokyo. All of that changes, though, when their sixteenth birthday arrives and Aya's entire family tries to kill her. A merging of high-tech horror and ancient Japanese myths, Yu Watase's CERES, CELESTIAL LEGEND is a wonderful subversion of type, effortlessly shifting from "young teen girl grows up" mode to "reincarnation of vengeance-seeking goddess making people's heads explode" mode in the blink of an eye. You never know what's lurking on the next page, and Watase's delicate artwork reinforces that by persuading you to let your guard down with its carefully rendered people... whose heads just might explode on the next page. Horror romance never looked so gorgeous and terrifying, and - now in its new second edition printing - never so inexpensive to boot. [Plymouth]

PUNCH AND JUDY GRAND GUIGNOL GN (Slave Labor Graphics)
Double gatefold holoprismic foil covers featuring barely clad bosomy wenches with big guns and swords may be what your average fan needs to get his attention, but not me. For me, sticking the word 'guignol' in the title, with all its promise of theatre and carnage, is more than enough. A little while ago, Slave Labor published a comics adaptation of the comical tragedy of Mr Punch, aptly entitled THE TRAGICAL COMEDY OF MR PUNCH, which was exactly as surreal, sinister and strange as such a thing needed to be. Now storytellers Christopher P Reilly and Darron Laessig have returned, in the company of artist Jorge Santillan, to tell a sequel that sees goggle-eyed psychopath Punch taking on big boned humanitarian Santa Claus after the fatman leaves a lump of coal in Punch's stocking. The ensuing anti-Christmas vendetta should put Scrooge to shame. Get a quick taste of festive Punch right here. [Fisher]

GOTHAM CENTRAL #12 (DC Comics)
Due to the always-lengthy delay between conception and completion that so afflicts the mainstream - not to mention its kneejerk desire to avoid anything remotely controversial - comics don't so much rip stories from the headlines as carefully cut them out with a slightly blunted penknife and press them into scrap books for later consideration, in the hope that readers' minds aren't quite so foggy as to have completely forgotten the headlines of a year ago. So here's a story that owes its inspiration to the Washington sniper shootings of October 2002, only this time it's Batman's home town of Gotham that's fallen under a sniper's sights, and the man behind the trigger is... well, a homicidal nut. But not your average, everyday homicidal nut, oh no. Co-written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, with exceptional street-smart pencils from Michael Lark, this story provides the perfect point of entry (pardon the expression) for readers yet to take a chance on the finest and arguably most approachable DC Universe title on the market. [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.

NECRONAUTS TPB (Rebellion)
NECRONAUTS is the first of the 2000AD reprint graphic novels published by current owners Rebellion, and the company couldn't have picked a more interesting book to start with. The story by 2000AD stalwart Gordon Rennie pits the likes of Charles Fort, HP Lovecraft, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini in psychic and physical battle against various horrid Cthulhulian 'Old Ones'. It's quite reminiscent of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, but with real people rather than fictional characters. Another similarity between the two is the extremely high quality of the artwork; on NECRONAUTS, FORT artist Frazer Irving provides moody and scratchy characters looming from pools of ink that are perfect for the story. So, if you fancy venturing beyond the threshold and find yourself down the comic store, give NECRONAUTS a try. Dare I say it - you know it makes séance. [Finisterre]

HEAVEN'S DEVILS #1 (Image)
There may be other lighthouses where the crew claim that we don't like escapist comics such as superheroes, but escapism is out of the head of the beholder. So what could be more of an escape from the frozen waters of the North than a trip to Mexico? Jai Nitz was a name that meant little to me when HEAVEN'S DEVILS was solicited, but the cryptic plot description and the art preview intrigued me and I read up. This four issue miniseries set in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, tells of a smuggler, an FBI agent and an eco-warrior - some might say the contemporary-realist equivalent of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The writer says he plans to build his tale of how the three save the world around how the three of them meet, then clash, and ultimately achieve redemption. The art, even in black and white, has depth and charm thanks to its use of the full greyscale spectrum. In a tale where we know that the heroes save the world, the challenge for the writer is how they achieve that end. Jai Nitz seems like someone who can tell that tale in an entertaining fashion. [Forties]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR OCTOBER 15th:

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

DARK HORSE

AUG030041 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: PATH OF SHADOWS ONE SHOT #83 (MR) $2.99
AUG030042 CANNON GOD EXAXXION #18 (MR) $2.99
JUL030019 HELL #3 $2.99
AUG030025 HELLBOY: WEIRD TALES #5 $2.99
APR030052 LONE WOLF 2100 #10 $2.99

DC COMICS

AUG030200 AQUAMAN #11 $2.50
AUG030175 BATMAN ADVENTURES #7 $2.25
AUG030172 BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #46 $2.75
AUG030180 BATMAN: TERROR TP $12.95
AUG030186 GOTHAM CENTRAL #12 $2.50
AUG030217 GREEN ARROW #31 $2.50
AUG030276 HELLBLAZER: RAKE AT THE GATES OF HELL TP (MR) $19.95
AUG030278 HUMAN TARGET #3 (MR) $2.95
AUG030228 JSA #53 $2.50
AUG030257 KAMIKAZE #1 (Of 5) $2.95
AUG030256 LIFE EATERS HC $29.95
AUG030281 LUCIFER #43 (MR) $2.50
AUG030188 NIGHTWING #86 $2.25
AUG030248 POWERPUFF GIRLS #43 $2.25
AUG030189 ROBIN #119 $2.25
AUG030282 SANDMAN PRESENTS: TALLER TALES TP (MR) $19.95
AUG030267 SMAX #3 (Of 5) $2.95
AUG030195 SUPERMAN: METROPOLIS #9 (Of 12) $2.95
AUG030236 TEEN TITANS #4 $2.50
AUG030264 THUNDERCATS: HAMMERHAND'S REVENGE #1 (Of 5) $2.95
MAY030226 TOM STRONG'S TERRIFIC TALES #8 $2.95

IMAGE

JUL031178 GENESIS: THE ART OF TRANSFORMERS HC (RES) $29.95
AUG035137 HEDGE KNIGHT COLLECTED EDITION $4.95
JUL031199 KORE #5 $2.95
AUG031254 STREET FIGHTER CAMPBELL CVR #2 $2.95
AUG031252 STREET FIGHTER TSANG CVR #2 $2.95
AUG031253 STREET FIGHTER WARREN CVR #2 $2.95
JUL035210 WILDGUARD: CASTING CALL #1 2ND PRTG $2.95

MARVEL

AUG031509 AGENT X #15 $2.99
AUG031575 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL 5: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES TP $12.99
AUG031556 ART OF MARVEL COMICS VOL 1 HC $29.99
AUG031529 CAPTAIN MARVEL #15 $2.99
AUG031548 DAREDEVIL #53 $2.99
AUG031508 EXILES #36 $2.99
AUG031495 HULK: GRAY #1 (Of 6) $3.50
AUG031594 INCREDIBLE HULK VOL 5: HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT TP $11.99
AUG031535 MYSTIQUE #7 $2.99
AUG031502 NEW X-MEN #148 $2.25
AUG031528 THOR #70 $2.99
AUG031514 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #48 $2.25
AUG031580 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN VOL 7: IRRESPONSIBLE TP $12.99
AUG031537 VENOM #6 $2.25
AUG031504 WEAPON X #14 $2.99
AUG031501 WOLVERINE #6 $2.25
AUG031510 X-TREME X-MEN #32 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

AUG032551 ALL NEW TENCHI MUYO VOL 3 TP: DARK WASHU $8.95
JUL031991 ARCHIE AND FRIENDS #76 $2.19
JUN031969 ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE HC $19.95
JUL032530 BASARA VOL 2 TP (MR) $9.95
AUG032552 BASTARD VOL 1 TP 2ND ED (MR) $9.95
AUG032553 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA: LAST ORDER VOL 2 TP $9.95
JUL031996 BETTY #131 $2.19
JUL031999 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #119 $3.59
AUG032393 BONEYARD #12 $2.95
AUG032554 CERES, CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 1: AYA TP 2ND ED $9.95
AUG032555 CERES, CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 5 TP: MIKAGE $9.95
AUG032358 CVO: COVERT VAMPIRIC OPERATIONS ARTIFACT #1 (Of 3) (MR) $3.99
AUG032541 DICK GIORDANO CHANGING COMICS ONE DAY TP $19.95
AUG032557 DRAGONBALL VOL 13 TP SHONEN J ED $7.95
JUL032087 FIRST #35 $2.95
AUG032559 FLOWERS AND BEES VOL 1 TP (MR) $12.95
AUG032560 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 1 TP 2ND ED: PRIESTESS (NOTE PRICE) $9.95
AUG032561 FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 9 TP: LOVER (NOTE PRICE) $9.95
JUL031918 GIRL GENIUS #10 $3.95
AUG032183 MEGAMAN #2 $2.95
JUN032177 MERIDIAN #39 $2.95
JUL032088 MYSTIC #40 $2.95
AUG032101 NEGATION #23 $2.95
AUG032563 ONE PIECE VOL 2 TP: BUGGY THE CLOWN $7.95
AUG032564 PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 1 TP (MR) $9.95
AUG031950 PUNCH AND JUDY GRAND GUIGNOL GN $6.95
AUG032566 RANMA 1/2 TP VOL 5 2ND ED $9.95
AUG032565 RANMA 1/2 VOL 24 TP $9.95
MAY031992 RED STAR VOL 2 #3 $2.99
AUG032569 REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA VOL 1 TP 2ND ED (RES) $9.95
AUG032568 REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA VOL 4 TP: TO BUD $9.95
JUL032097 SIGIL #40 $2.95
AUG032071 SIMPSONS COMICS #87 (Note Price) $2.99
AUG032156 SLAYERS SPECIAL BOOK 4: SPELLBOUND GN $15.95
AUG032121 SOJOURN #28 $2.95
JUL032101 SOLUS #7 $2.95
AUG032570 TENCHI MUYO: SASAMI STORIES VOL 1 TP $9.95
JUL032410 THREE STRIKES #5 (Of 5) (MR) $2.99
JUL032161 TRANSFORMERS GI JOE #2 (OF 6) $2.95
AUG032158 UROTSUKIDOJI: LEGEND OF THE OVERFIEND BOOK 6 (A) $16.95
AUG032323 VAMPIRELLA HALLOWEEN HORROR SET $21.95
JUL032548 YUYU HAKUSHO VOL 2 TP: LONESOME GHOSTS $7.95

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.