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: BAD COMPANY

This future war epic, BAD COMPANY: GOODBYE KROOL WORLD (DC/Rebellion), ranks as one of Pete Milligan and Brett Ewin's finest moments. Green young soldier Danny Franks has been roped into a hellish war against an alien enemy known as the Krool, and they more than live up their name; they kill without mercy, and those who survive are subjected to extreme torture and inhumane experiments.

With the Krool enjoying a seemingly unlimited supply of troops and weaponry, the odds certainly seem stacked against their human opponents. However, Franks soon learns that his new comrades in arms are just as lethal, their methods bordering on the very fringes of sadism and brutality. Led by the mysterious Kano, they wage a desperate guerrilla campaign against the Krool, with every expectation that they'll all end up dead.

Ewins' stylish artwork is perhaps best described as 'sweaty', and this is most definitely a compliment. The jungle setting and sci-fi soldiers are drawn with a full quota of grit and grime, like APOCALYPSE NOW retold with an even greater dose of psychedelics. Ewins has been a major influence on a lot of other artists, as evidenced by the shit-your-pants scary cover painting by Jock. If BAD COMPANY is ever revived as an ongoing series, and Ewins is unavailable for pencilling duties, then Jock could well fill his shoes.

Milligan must be feeling pretty crappy since the powers that be decided to cancel his Vertigo series HUMAN TARGET. It's a cruel (krool?) world where sales figures are the only measure of a title's quality that matters. But small consolation arrives in the shape of BAD COMPANY, and Milligan and his fans can rejoice that one of his earliest and most popular works is back in print. [Bulent Yusuf]

MOST WANTED

The second of Mark Millar's creator-owned MillarWorld series comes to an end this week with the publication of WANTED #6 (Top Cow). WANTED has been a curious read. From one angle, it looks like an audacious, if well-appointed piece of fan-fiction (let's all play 'Spot the Analogue'). From another, it looks like a blatant piece of Hollywood pitchery, borrowing themes from all over the place, and 'casting' the film using some terribly obvious likenesses.

But it's also far better than it ought to be.

Part of the problem, of course, is that JG Jones' art is achingly beautiful, even at its loosest. The action is expertly choreographed, the sets and backgrounds are realised without clutter, and the character designs (while echoing the original villains) are exquisite.

However, in reading the series over again, in preparation for this week's senses-shattering conclusion (though I doubt it will be as senses-shattering as the stench from the recent WANTED DOSSIER cash-in), I've also come to appreciate the dissatisfied characterisation of Millar's protagonist a little more.

WANTED will likely do well in trade paperback form (whenever that happens) for years to come. Until then, this week's sixth and final issue - which features flashback art by DC Comics legend Dick Giordano - should provide a strong conclusion to what has been a most satisfying, if hardly revolutionary, read. [Matthew Craig]

RAW DEMO

It's being a party-pooper, I know, but peeking behind the curtain is one of life's guilty pleasures. Seeing how it's all done is sometimes better than the result. I'm a sucker for DVD extras, especially commentary tracks. (Doug Liman's commentary for THE BOURNE IDENTITY is a corker, and should be mandatory for film students.)

DEMO: THE TWELVE ORIGINAL SCRIPTS (AiT/PlanetLar) will be the second time Brian Wood has let us have a peek behind the curtain. The first, PUBLIC DOMAIN, showed the development of CHANNEL ZERO, from art school project to publication, following the progress and changes as Wood grew as an artist and his influences shifted. The book came complete with commentary by Wood, plus sketches and other previously unpublished material.

The DEMO scriptbook looks set to be a pretty large read. The twelve scripts were written in a casual, conversational tone, as they were originally intended for artist Becky Cloonan's eyes only. They're full of the little nuances and background that don't always survive to the finished product. It might be a little geeky (hey, I watched Kenneth Branagh's HAMLET while reading along with the entire Second Quarto/First Folio edition when studying a doomed-to-fail Shakespeare class), but it'll be interesting to compare the scripts with Cloonan's completed pages. [Ben Wooller]

GOING UP

It's always interesting to pick your way through the suburbs of comics solicitations for the interesting stories, the stories you might not see or hear every day, but that are happening quietly, outside the superhero ghettoes of the inner city. With the entire internerd at my fingertips and the weekly solicits in front of me, I can discover a whole wealth of comic books from creators I've never heard of. And I consider it my duty to share this information.

When all you have to work from is a list of titles, it's the books with names that stand out that get the most attention. I have no wish to find out what's happening in WARRIOR NUN AREOLA. But one simple title, ESCALATOR, intrigued me.

ESCALATOR (Alternative Comics) is a collection of stories by Brandon Graham, and while there's precious little other information available, a visit to Graham's site should give you some idea of what to expect. It's excellent stuff. There's a definite Philip Bond influence, but it's infused with skater-punk vitality and the anything-goes attitude of graffiti art in a manga-honed blender. It's gorgeous and enticing enough to have piqued my interest. Here's hoping it's something special, and I don't have to wend my way back to the war-torn streets of DC and Marvel again next week. [John Fellows]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR JANUARY 19th 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

NOV040038D BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #97 (MR) $2.99
NOV040030D BPRD THE DEAD #3 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV040029D SAMURAI HEAVEN & EARTH #2 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT040048 SUPER MANGA BLAST #48 (MR) $5.99

DC COMICS

NOV040318D AUTHORITY REVOLUTION #4 (OF 12) (MR) $2.95
NOV040307D BAD COMPANY GOODBYE KROOL WORLD TP $17.95
NOV040238D BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #61 $2.50
NOV040262D BIRDS OF PREY #78 $2.50
NOV040352D BOOKS OF MAGICK LIFE DURING WARTIME #7 (MR) $2.50
NOV040310D CHAOS EFFECT TP (MR) $19.95
NOV040321D EX MACHINA THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS TP (MR) $9.95
NOV040269D HAWKMAN #36 $2.50
NOV040353D HUMAN TARGET #18 (MR) $2.95
NOV040355D LUCIFER #58 (MR) $2.50
NOV030277D LUCIFER VOL 5 INFERNO TP (MR) $14.95
NOV040279D MANHUNTER #6 $2.50
NOV040284D PLASTIC MAN #14 $2.95
NOV040300D POWERPUFF GIRLS #58 $2.25
NOV040302D SPACE GHOST #3 (OF 6) $2.95
NOV040288D TEEN TITANS #20 $2.50
NOV040327D TERRA OBSCURA VOL 2 #5 (OF 6) $2.95
NOV040356D TRIGGER #2 (MR) $2.95
NOV040292D WONDER WOMAN #212 $2.25

IMAGE
NOV041529D CLASSIC 40 OZ TALES FROM THE BROWN BAG TP $12.95
DEC041520 DAWN THREE TIERS #5 (OF 6) (RES) $2.95
NOV041541D PIGTALE #1 $2.95
MAY041434D SAVAGE DRAGON GOD WAR #1 (Of 3) $2.95
JUL041774D SAVAGE DRAGON VOL 10 ENDGAME HC $49.95
OCT041529 SMALL GODS #6 $2.95
JUN041408 WANTED #6 (Of 6) (MR) $2.99

MARVEL

NOV041780D BULLSEYE GREATEST HITS #5 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV041822D CABLE DEADPOOL #11 $2.99
NOV041787D DAREDEVIL #69 $2.99
NOV041824D DOCTOR SPECTRUM #5 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
NOV041829D EMMA FROST VOL 2 MIND GAMES DIGEST TP $7.99
NOV041823D EXILES #58 $2.99
NOV041785D MADROX #5 (OF 5) $2.99
NOV041834D MARVEL MASTERWORKS UNCANNY X-MEN VOL 5 NEW ED HC $49.99
NOV041835D MARVEL MASTERWORKS UNCANNY X-MEN VOL 5 VARIANT EDITION $54.99
NOV041800D NEW INVADERS #6 $2.99
NOV041816D NIGHTCRAWLER #5 $2.99
NOV041826D POWERS #8 (MR) $2.95
NOV041814D ROGUE #7 $2.99
NOV041775D SPIDER-MAN INDIA #3 (OF 4) $2.99
JAN041594 SUPREME POWER VOL 1 CONTACT TP (MR) $14.99
NOV041768D ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #71 $2.25
NOV041786D WOLVERINE #24 $2.25
AUG041783D WOLVERINE THE END #6 (OF 6) $2.99
NOV041811D X-MEN #166 $2.25

OTHER PUBLISHERS

OCT048048 AFTERMATH BLADE OF KUMORI #2 2ND PRTG $2.95
NOV043059 ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 6 GN $9.99
NOV042401 ARCHIE #554 $2.19
NOV042403 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #158 $3.59
SEP042600E ARMY OF DARKNESS ASHES TO ASHES DIRECTORS FOIL #1 $19.99
NOV043063 BANANA FISH VOL 6 2ND ED TP $9.95
NOV043065 BOYS OVER FLOWERS VOL 10 HANA YORI DANGO TP $9.95
NOV042336 COCOPIAZO #2 $2.95
NOV043000 CREATURE TECH GN NEW PTG $17.95
SEP042587J DARKSTALKERS CVR C POWER FOIL #1 PI
OCT042600J DARKSTALKERS POWER FOIL CVR C #2 PI
NOV042306 DEMO SCRIPTBOOK $12.95
NOV042718 DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #324 $2.95
JUL042535F ESCALATOR GN (MR) $12.95
OCT042694F GHOSTBUSTERS LEGION #4 (Of 4) (RES) $2.95
OCT042695F GHOSTBUSTERS LEGION BRERETON CVR #4 (Of 4) (RES) $3.50
OCT048047 GI JOE RELOADED #10 2ND PRTG $2.95
NOV043001 GOODBYE CHUNKY RICE GN REVISED ED (NEW PTG) $14.95
NOV042729 JANES WORLD #17 $5.95
SEP042635E KILLZONE #1 $2.95
NOV042699 LUBA #10 (MR) $3.50
NOV043050 MAISON IKKOKU VOL 9 2ND ED TP $9.95
NOV042719 MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #273 $2.95
NOV042565 MYTHOLOGY OF THE HEAVENS VOLUME 2 PHOENIX RISING GN $9.99
NOV042566 NAMBUL WAR STORIES VOL 3 GN CONFLICT (MR) $9.99
OCT042375 NEOTOPIA VOL 4 #5 $2.99
NOV042341 NEXT EXIT #2 $2.95
NOV042343 OUTLOOK GRIM VOL 1 DEAD NASTIES TP (MR) $12.95
NOV042318 PATTY CAKE & FRIENDS VOL 2 #13 $4.95
NOV043040 RANMA 1/2 VOL 15 (SECOND ED) TP $9.95
NOV043015 SHONEN JUMP VOL 3 MAR 2005 #3 $4.99
NOV042511 SIMPSONS COMICS #102 (NOTE PRICE) $2.99
SEP042317F STICKLEBACK GN $6.95
NOV042570 SWORD OF SHIBITO VOL 1 GN (MR) $9.99
NOV042311 TRUE TRAVEL TALES #4 (MR) $3.95
NOV043046 TUXEDO GIN VOL 10 GN $9.95

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.