Welcome to The Forecast. Every Monday, Ninth Art's core team of comment writers, the Ninth Eight, will be your guides to the best, worst, weirdest and most noteworthy books on the shelves of your local comic shop.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: ARROWSMITH

The trouble with most science-fantasy 'alternate universe' tales is that they traditionally take some real-world historical event and trivialise it, reducing subjects of great importance or great poignancy to twee, flippant stories about elves in tanks.

While ARROWSMITH does have the trappings of these stories, with all sorts of fantastical creatures fighting their own magical version of the First World War, the thing that really distinguishes Kurt Busiek's latest project is that he has retained an appropriate level of gravitas, of horror at the slaughter of attritional warfare.

In this first collection from DC WildStorm, SO SMART IN THEIR FINE UNIFORMS, the story revolves around a young man called Fletcher Arrowsmith, who joins up in his home country, a United States analogue, to go and fight for idealised reasons on the Western Front of a Great War being waged between the magic-wielding Old World states.

The story indulges itself with war clichés as well as fantasy ones, but when they're intermingled, the result is surprisingly fresh, despite a proliferation of pointy-eared, hairy-footed stereotypes. Carlos Pacheco's sumptuous artwork certainly helps in this regard - it captures both 'scenes of intense battle horror' and incandescent moments of wonder with equal skill. A great read. [Lindsay Duff]

PUNK POWER

How could you not love a book subtitled "The World's Greatest Junkie Superhero"? The TUPELO trade paperback from Slave Labor Graphics collects Matt DeGennaro and Phill Elliott's post-modern punk swan song into one conveniently throwable package. TUPELO follows the life and legend of a former Village punk band The Famous Monsters, and its members, The 11 O'Clock Man, Dark Tommy, the murdered Johnny Fatus, and of course, Captain Tupelo.

Don't let the names fool you. TUPELO is a genuinely raucous and inventive book, capturing the anti-authority spirit of the original punk movement and shoving it into a cuisinart with superhero comics, righteous indignation, social awareness, and drug-fuelled paranoia. DeGennaro is a smart and crafty writer, capable of remarkably clever dialogue and secure with his voice.

Elliott's layouts are smart and inventive, and though the illustrations get a little rough here and there, he's a talented cartoonist with a lot of potential. If you've been looking for something to read on those nights when you feel like putting a brick through a window, grab a copy of TUPELO, throw on some New York Dolls or Richard Hell, and strap yourself in for one of the weirdest, angriest comics you've ever read. Then go put a brick through a window. [John Parker]

ORDINARY HEROES

The idea behind POWERLESS, written by TV executives Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson, with art by Michael Gaydos, is a fairly simple one: What would the major characters in the Marvel Universe be like if they didn't have superpowers? Off the bat it's established that they'd still be heroes. Peter Parker would still fight with Norman Osborne, Matt Murdock would still be a blind lawyer, and Logan would still be a wandering bruiser with amnesia. So, on the surface, the difference is largely spandex and radioactive spider bites.

The major challenge with re-envisioning known characters such as Spider-Man and Wolverine in new situations is the overwhelming desire to bury the work in references, thus forcing the work into an inevitable conclusion that mirrors an already well-told adventure. Call it 'What If' or 'Elseworlds' Syndrome. What would happen if Captain America were elected President of the United States? He'd still fight the Red Skull. What would happen if the Amish raised Kal-El? He'd still be Superman.

POWERLESS has promise, though, and the interior art by Michael Gaydos is a definite draw. In his work on ALIAS, Gaydos has already explored the question of what makes a superhero: is it the person or the costume? Of course, in that instance he was working from Brian Michael Bendis scripts. Still, if Cherniss and Johnson have done their jobs right, POWERLESS could be one of the sleeper hits of the summer; and if not, it'll be yet another exercise in Elseworlds-style mediocrity. [Frank Smith]

SMOKING SALMON

I'm a sucker for the high concept. "It's Die Hard On A Boat", or "It's A Phone, But With A Camera", or "It's A TV Drama, But In Real Time". Those ingenious little ideas that seem so obvious to you now, but you would never have dreamt of on your own. Well, unless you're somebody like Adam Sacks. SALMON DOUBTS is an OGN from Alternative Comics. Not usually being a big fan of alternative comics (the niche, not the publisher), it takes something special to get me interested. And this really shouldn't...

I know next to nothing about the creator, I hate anthropomorphic comics, and I bore very easily with autobiog comics. But SALMON DOUBTS blithely collects the latter two under the watchful eye of the former and emerges victorious. It's the tale of salmon swimming upstream to mate, each with its own personality, each with its own worries and dreams and life to live. But not in a cutesy bowler-hat-and-cigar-chewing cutesy-animal way... In a completely straight and - dare I say it - humanistic manner. The idea that the only human facet you can apply to an animal is the retarded pre-puberty mannerisms of a child or the faux seriousness of works like CEREBUS is proven wildly wrong.

The artwork is gorgeous, and a sample can be found here on Sacks' website. The entire book consists of pages of two-panel spreads, but rather than this being a burden, it's an artistic awakening. Utilising the narrow confines of such a rigid structure alongside Sacks' obvious design aesthetic, Sacks creates the natural rhythm of the Salmon's ever-onwards journey. It's a relentless trek towards sex and death, two of the most overriding concerns of any animal's life. The limited colour palette belies the sophistication of his work. It's a joy to behold and a great work from a new creator. [John Fellows]

WEB MISTRESS

"She's fierce, she's sassy... she sticks to walls!" How can you go past a line like that?

It's the tagline to Marvel's new 'Spider-Girl' book, AMAZING FANTASY, which launches this week. The title AMAZING FANTASY has an important place in Marvel history; it was in the last of the original run of AMAZING FANTASY in 1962 that Stan Lee and Steve Dikto introduced a young nerd called Peter Parker who got bitten by a radioactive spider, yadda yadda yadda...

When the new AMAZING FANTASY was first announced in April, Marvel kept the details tightly under wraps. All they were giving away were the cover and some unlettered art. The creative team of Fiona Avery, Mark Brooks and Udon, weren't giving anything away either, except the above tag, and that the new hero was Latino, and her best friend was Japanese-American. Other details were leaked, such as a mentor figure named Miguel. Immediately the ears of the remaining twelve SPIDER-MAN 2099 fans perked up...

The entire first issue is now available online to "preview" at a few places, including here. While it introduces the main character, her friends, a mysterious stranger, and the enemy, it does deviate from Rule #1 of the First Issue Handbook for Superheroes: it doesn't show us how she gets her powers. In fact, she doesn't actually have any powers yet, unless being "fierce", "sassy" and standing up to bullies counts. Writer Avery seems to be taking things slow and is building up her cast.

It's manga-esque, it's aimed at a young audience, with a girl hero and enough action to appeal to the boys, and it's launching in time to take advantage of SPIDER-MAN 2, but whether or not it succeeds will still depend on whether anyone's interested in the adventures of a second 'Spider-Girl'. [Ben Wooller]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR JUNE 30th 2004:

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

DARK HORSE

APR040110D STEVE RUDE THE MOTH #3 $2.99

DC COMICS

APR040352D ARROWSMITH SO SMART IN THEIR FINE UNIFORMS TP $14.95
APR040273D BATGIRL #53 $2.50
APR040269D BATMAN #629 $2.25
APR040279D BATMAN HARLEY & IVY #3 (Of 3) $2.50
APR040297D CAPER #9 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
MAY040274D CATWOMAN NINE LIVES OF A FELINE FATALE $14.95
MAY040303D DOOM PATROL #1 $2.50
APR040340D ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 3 TP $9.95
APR040312D GREEN LANTERN #178 $2.25
APR040317D JLA #100 (Note Price) $3.50
MAY040346D KIDS WB JAM PACKED ACTION VOL 1 $7.99
APR040328D LEGION #34 $2.50
APR040376D MIDNIGHT MASS HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #6 (Of 6) (MR) $2.95
APR040384D ON THE ROAD TO PERDITION BOOK 3 DETOUR $7.95
APR040355D PLANETARY VOL 3 LEAVING THE 20TH CENTURY HC $24.95
APR040333D RICHARD DRAGON #2 $2.50
APR040357D SLEEPER SEASON TWO #1 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
APR040292D SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2004 $4.95
APR040335D TEEN TITANS GO #8 $2.25

IMAGE

MAR041385D AGE OF BRONZE VOL 2 SACRIFICE HC $29.95
APR041437D DARKNESS VOL 2 #12 $2.99

MARVEL

APR041660D AMAZING FANTASY #1 $2.99
APR041708D AVENGERS THUNDERBOLTS #5 (Of 6) $2.99
APR041742D AVENGERS VOL 4 LIONHEART OF AVALON TP $11.99
APR041714D IRON FIST #4 $2.99
APR041707D IRON MAN #85 $2.99
APR041736D MARY JANE 2 HC $14.99
APR041664D POWERLESS #1 (Of 6) $2.99
APR041670D SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #16 $2.25
APR041665D SPIDER-MAN 2 MOVIE ADAPTATION $3.50
APR041668D SPIDER-MAN DOCTOR OCTOPUS YEAR ONE #2 (Of 5) $2.99
APR041729D THE PUNISHER #8 (MR) $2.99
APR041676D ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #8 $2.25
APR041674D ULTIMATE X-MEN #48 $2.25
APR041727D WOLVERINE PUNISHER #4 (Of 5) $2.99
APR041724D X-STATIX #24 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

APR042947 2 SISTERS GN $19.95
FEB042547F ADVENTURES OF THE RIGHT HAND $3.95
APR042328 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #153 $3.59
MAY042740V CANDYAPPLEBLACK #2 (Of 7) (MR) $3.50
MAY042455F COLONIA #9 $2.95
MAR042364F DEADBEATS #65 $2.50
APR042352 FATHOM DAWN OF WAR #0 $2.50
APR042692 FLESHROT TALES FROM THE DEAD VOL 2 TP (MR) $9.99
MAR045112F GHOSTBUSTERS LEGION 2ND PRINTING #1 (OF 4) (PU #621) $2.95
MAR042466E GI JOE FRONTLINE VOL 4 TP ONE SHOTS $15.95
APR045160 GI JOE MASTER & APPRENTICE #1 REPRINT CVR (PU #625) $2.95
APR042245 GONGWANADON ONE SHOT (MR) $4.95
MAR042333E HEROES ANONYMOUS #5 (Of 6) (MR) $2.99
APR042995 HOT GIMMICK VOL 5 TP $9.95
MAY042863E LESS THAN HERO #1 (Of 4) (MR) $3.00
APR042773 MR MOTO #3 (Of 3) $2.95
APR043007 PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 5 TP $9.95
FEB042394F RAISIN PIE #3 (MR) $3.50
APR043012 SAIKANO VOL 1 GN $9.95
MAR042170F SALMON DOUBTS GN $14.95
JUN042451F SENTINELS BOOK 2 TP MASKS (Of 4) (MR) $14.95
APR042410I TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE VOL 2 PX LTD ED TP (MR)$34.99
APR042409 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE VOL 2 TP (MR) $24.99
APR042281 TUPELO VOL 1 TP (MR) $17.95
APR042350 VERONICA #153 $2.19

The Ninth Eight are Matthew Craig, John Fellows, Kieron Gillen, Alistair Kennedy, Zack Smith, Andrew Wheeler, Ben Wooller and Bulent Yusuf.

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.