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:

FRED THE CLOWN #5 (Hotel Fred Press)
There's a lot of love for Fred at the lighthouse and Ninth Art (Chris Ekman, late of this parish, was a huge fan) but there come a time when, if you love somebody, you let them go. So it is with this issue of FRED THE CLOWN, which shipped recently, and which creator Roger Langridge has declared the last "for the forseeable future". Fred's going into retirement before his routines get tired. Considering how long some comics characters have gone on, this is an admirable and brave decision. What's in the final issue, though? Pathos, laughs and superlative cartooning, as ever. For readers who like their illustration history, there's a crisp one-pager that manages to pay homage to both Maurice Sendak and Walt Kelly. There'll be a Fred collection in the future and plenty of other things to come from Langridge's ever-inventive pen, so we'll keep our weather eyes peeled on your behalf. The last of the Fred online strips is not reproduced in this issue, so go here for an extra treat. [German Bight]

ALSO THIS WEEK:

HELLSING VOL 2 TPB (Dark Horse)
I have some guilty pleasures. They include films involving Bruce Campbell, the Dead Or Alive song Brand New Lover, and HELLSING. Let's get one thing straight: HELLSING is not the most stunningly well-written manga on the planet, and the art is fairly generic. But it has vampires in it. And zombies. And gratuitous scenes of people getting their hearts punched out. And because the undead weren't spooky enough, creator Kohta Hirano gives them guns! The basic principle is that vampire hunter Van Helsing's descendants run a royal agency for protecting the United Kingdom against the evil undead. Working for the Hellsing Organisation is one of the nastiest vampires of them all, Alucard, who carries a gun made out of the melted-down bells of Lancaster Cathedral. Alucard is a serious contender for Best Vampire Ever (he would paste Lestat's wussy arse); and we haven't even touched on supporting characters like the mad Catholic avenger, Paladin Alexander, or Walter the retainer. This volume promises to introduce evil Nazis to the plotline... oh, my cup runneth over. HELLSING was also made into a very good anime, of which there are only something like 12 episodes. [Shannon]

PLANETARY: CROSSING WORLDS TPB (DC WildStorm)
Planetary is a title that appears so infrequently that one is probably better off consulting Nostradamus for shipping information than the Diamond website. And yet, Lo! A trade has appeared in the west, glistering and loaded with lovely art from the likes of John Cassaday, Phil Jiminez and Jerry Ordway! OK, so it's the collection of the various Planetary crossovers of the past couple of years (JLA/PLANETARY, PLANETARY/AUTHORITY and PLANETARY/BATMAN) rather that part of the continuing narrative, but it is a nice reminder of what Ellis can do with superheroes when he feels like it. Best enjoyed as a light and sweet confection, although the main course still seems an awfully long way away. [Finisterre]

BANANA FISH VOL 1 TPB (Viz)
Viz continues its spate of re-issues, putting out a second printing of BANANA FISH this week. BANANA FISH was one of the most popular shoujo (girl) mangas of the 80s - no, wait, don't go away. This isn't all schoolgirls and crushes. It's more of a manga version of THE LOSERS. Gang leader Ash receives a mysterious drug from a dying man, whose last words are "Banana Fish". What does this drug have to do with an American soldier who went mad in Vietnam? Ash ends up on a collision course with the mafia and the US government as the mystery deepens. It has to deepen, because there are about 17 volumes of BANANA FISH, of which the first 9 are available in translation. [Shannon]

HELLBLAZER: SON OF MAN TP (DC Vertigo)
Shipping last week, this trade paperback collection is not normal HELLBLAZER fare, and it certain shares little ground with Ennis' previous work on the title. Where before he'd dealt with religious and social themes, and dressed it all up with very real, rounded people, what we basically have here is John Constantine put up against an extended knob gag. No, don't leave. It's bloody funny. It's horrible, and there's plenty of the usual horror elements of the book, but in this instance, the tounge is lodged firmly in the cheek and it works well. Horror-comedy is very hard to do well, as you tend to find one element swamping the other, but when it works as well as it does here, it's a real treat. [Dogger]

NEW X-MEN #154 (Marvel)
Well, it was fun while it lasted. When the rumours first went around that Grant Morrison was taking over X-MEN, it seemed implausible. Now, as the last issue hits the stands, we're left with the equally unlikely prospect of Chuck Austen as his successor, but the mind boggles for entirely different reasons. Morrison effected the most remarkable makeover for the X-Men, bringing the mutant concept bang up to date, while remaining surprisingly faithful to the universe Chris Claremont had defined. Morrison has approached his run as a maxi-series, following variations on the same core themes throughout, which has made for a particularly satisfying seven volume collection, and has the added advantage that readers can treat this last issue as a true resolution. Chuck Austen takes over with #155, and you just know it's going to be embarrassing to see one of the industry's worst writer playing in the sandbox of one of the best. Be brave, noble reader. Since this is Grant Morrison's last issue, make it your last issue too. [Fisher]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR MARCH 17th:

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

DARK HORSE

SEP030027 GO BOY 7 HUMAN ACTION MACHINE #5 $2.99
DEC030060 HELLSING VOL 2 TP $13.95
JAN040030 STEVE RUDE THE MOTH DOUBLE SIZED SPECIAL $4.95
JAN040025 TALES OF THE VAMPIRES #4 $2.99

DC COMICS

JAN040223 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #626 $2.25
JAN040230 AQUAMAN #16 $2.50
JAN040209 BATMAN ADVENTURES #12 $2.25
JAN040206 BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #51 $2.75
FEB040425 CATWOMAN THE DARK END OF THE STREET TP (
JAN045230) $14.95
JAN040233 DC THE NEW FRONTIER #3 (Of 6) $6.95
JAN040265 ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 2 TP $9.95
JAN040277 KAMIKAZE #6 (Of 6) $2.95
JAN040296 LUCIFER #48 (MR) $2.50
DEC030282D MIGHTY LOVE HC (MR) $24.95
JAN040280 PLANETARY CROSSING WORLDS TP $14.95
JAN040221 ROBIN #124 $2.25
JAN040258 ROSE AND THORN #4 (Of 6) $2.95
JAN040273 SCOOBY DOO #82 $2.25
JAN040228 SMALLVILLE #7 $3.95
JAN040227 SUPERMAN SECRET IDENTITY #3 (Of 4) $5.95
JAN040260 TEEN TITANS #9 $2.50
JAN040263 WONDER WOMAN #202 $2.25
JAN040305 Y THE LAST MAN VOL 3 ONE SMALL STEP TP (MR) $12.95

IMAGE

FEB031242 SPAWN #133 $2.50
DEC031343D STREET FIGHTER NYUGEN CVR B #6 $2.95
DEC031342D STREET FIGHTER TSANG CVR A #6 $2.95
DEC031344 STREET FIGHTER TSANG FOIL CVR C #6 PI

MARVEL

JAN041529 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #505 (#64) $2.25
JAN041554 CAPTAIN MARVEL #21 $2.99
JAN041619 CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL 3 CRAZY LIKE A FOX TP $14.99
JAN041565 DAREDEVIL #58 $2.99
JAN041608 DAREDEVIL VOL 8 ECHO VISION QUEST TP $13.99
JAN041567 ELEKTRA #34 $2.99
JAN041563 FANTASTIC FOUR #511 (#82) $2.25
JAN041629 FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 3 AUTHORITATIVE ACTION TP $12.99
DEC031560D HULK GRAY #6 (Of 6) $3.50
DEC031570D HULK NIGHTMERICA #6 (Of 6) (RES) $2.99
DEC031599D INHUMANS #11 $2.99
DEC031600D NAMOR #12 $2.99
NOV031540D NEW MUTANTS #10 (Note Price) $2.99
JAN041574 NEW X-MEN #154 $2.25
JAN041561 PUNISHER THE MOVIE #3 (Of 3) $2.99
JAN041539 RUNAWAYS #13 $2.99
JAN041551 THANOS #8 $2.99
JAN041543 THOR #76 $2.99
JAN041540 THOR SON OF ASGARD #1 (Of 6) $2.99
JAN041527 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #55 $2.25
NOV031523D WEAPON X #19 $2.99
JAN041570 WOLVERINE #12 $2.25
DEC031588D X-TREME X-MEN #43 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

OCT032269 ABADAZAD #1 $2.95
NOV032182E ABADAZAD #2 $2.95
JAN042798 ANIMERICA EXTRA APR 2004 VOL 7 #4 $4.99
JAN042140 ASPEN EXTENDED ED $5.99
JAN042803 B B EXPLOSION VOL 1 $9.95
JAN042802 BANANA FISH VOL 1 2ND ED (MR) $9.95
DEC032157 BETTY #136 $2.19
JAN042124 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #146 $2.39
JAN042463 DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #314 $2.95
DEC032348 DRAGONLANCE THE LEGEND OF HUMA #2 $2.95
JAN042217F ELVIRA #131 $2.50
NOV031982E EVENFALL #6 (MR) $2.95
JAN042339 GI JOE FRONTLINE VOL 2 TP ICEBOUND $12.95
JAN042341 GI JOE VS THE TRANSFORMERS VOL 1 TP $15.95
JAN042058 GLOOMCOOKIE #19 (MR) $2.95
DEC032358 HEDGE KNIGHT YEATES CVR #4 (Of 6) (RES) $5.95
JAN042486F JANES WORLD #12 $2.95
JAN042127 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #102 $3.59
JAN042278 KISS KISS BANG BANG #3 $2.95
JAN042618 LOVE FIGHTS #8 (MR) $2.99
JAN042818 MAISON IKKOKU VOL 4 TP 2ND ED $9.95
JAN042464 MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #263 $2.95
DEC032361 MISPLACED #3 VOL 2 (RES) $3.50
DEC032561 MR MOTO WELCOME BACK MR MOTO #2 (Of 3) $2.95
JAN042822 NAUSICAA OF VALLEY OF WIND VOL 2 TP 2ND ED $9.95
JAN042823 NEON GENESIS EVANGELION VOL 8 TP $9.95
SEP032232F NODWICK #24 $2.99
NOV032193E PATH #23 $2.95
JAN042825 PROJECT ARMS VOL 4 TP $9.95
DEC032307 ROUTE 666 #21 $2.95
FEB042593F RUNNERS #3 BAD GOODS (Of 5) $2.95
JAN042192 SIMPSONS COMICS #92 $2.99
JAN042130 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #134 $2.19
DEC032371 TRANSFORMERS WAR WITHIN VOL 2 #5 $2.95
JAN042830 VAGABOND VOL 9 TP $9.95
JAN042349 VOLTRON VOL 2 #3 $2.95

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.