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: BOLLAND STRIPS

Brian Bolland is regarded as one of comics' finer artists, with a tremendous gift for composition and an equal gift for expression. Like the sculptor who sees the finished work in a block of stone and works to set it free, Bolland seems to see the art in the page, and uses his precise engraver's line to bring it to life.

It's therefore a great frustration that he's only known to most readers today as a cover artist for DC books like THE INVISIBLES and BATMAN. It's a task that he's eminently suited to, but he's pretty damn good at filling the pages between the covers too, and that's a side to his work that audiences have rarely had a chance to see since THE KILLING JOKE and CAMELOT 3000. Left to his own devices, he's also a terrific wit, as BOLLAND STRIPS (Knockabout/Palmano Press) emphatically demonstrates.

BOLLAND STRIPS is a well-deserved celebration of Bolland's work, collected into an elegant hardcover album. The bulk of the book consists of Bolland's 'The Actress and the Bishop' and 'Mr Mamoulian' strips, with a handful of shorts and a slender portfolio at the back.

'The Actress and the Bishop' is the highlight. The bishop is a man who has lost touch with God, though that doesn't stop him wearing his vestments around his suburban home in Rayners Lane while he ponders life's disappointments. The actress is a fallen woman who once had a religious experience of her own, but who now wears evening gowns around the house while she does the washing up. Two shorts from A1 are included, and there's a new 20-page story about a monstrous thing in the garden shed that rounds out their tale, all told in brilliantly funny rhyming couplets.

'Mr Mamoulian' is an entertaining curiosity. Originally published in NEGATIVE BURN, these 54 one-page strips see Bolland employing a looser, sketchier style as he explores the philosophical noodlings and frustrated sexual longings of his eternally perplexed avatar. Mamoulian is a lumbering hedgehog of a man, who spends his days trying to edify his punk friend Evey, and his nights dreaming of the scintillating Bubbles Bourbasch. It ends rather abruptly, but each strip is a perfect little joy.

If there's one thing that BOLLAND STRIPS proves, it's that we're missing a lot by relegating such a great artist - and an unexpectedly brilliant comedian - to the status of a mere cover artist. This is likely to be one of the finest collections we'll see in 2005. [Andrew Wheeler]

GET FELT

The relationship between comics and music is a close and complex one. Whether it's writers talking about the panel pacing of a scene in terms of beats and rhythm, or David J recording The Vicious Cabaret, there's always been an exchange of creative fluids between the second and the ninth arts.

Literal translation of comics into music and vice versa is relatively rare. To be fair, you'd probably have to be Rex Harrison or some sort of Gamelan troupe to want to adapt the average issue of X-MEN.

When it comes to comics that have been derived from or inspired by music, the results tend to be either very good - Eddie Campbell's adaptation of Alan Moore's SNAKES AND LADDERS, Kyle Baker and KRS-ONE's BREAK THE CHAIN - or they tend to be STREET-POET RAY.

Enter Jim Mahfood.

Mahfood is one of a number of popular comics artists who are involved with and influenced by hip-hop culture. His bold, angular style and frantic expressive faces have garnered him both creative and critical kudos, whether for self-published or more mainstream work. Mahfood is also something of a performance artist, creating live murals while onstage with DJs and musicians.

FELT: TRUE TALES OF UNDERGROUND HIP-HOP (Image Comics), is a 32-page collection of stories inspired by the album of the same name. FELT (or FELT TWO, to be more accurate) is a collaboration between DJs Murs and Slug. Annoyingly, the album isn't released until July (on the Rhymesayers label), but Mahfood describes it as "drenched in Seventies funk and soul". Interestingly, the first FELT was "inspired by Christina Ricci", so I'll be buying it out of morbid curiosity, as much as anything else.

FELT (the comic) features stories that cover subjects as diverse as broken hearts and broken teeth. As the cover suggests, this will likely take advantage of Mahfood's ability to draw hilarious, bonecrunching action, and beautiful women that don't look like they've been lightboxed off the cover of Swimsuit Letch Monthly. And frankly, that sounds like music to my ears. [Matthew Craig]

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS

Gail Simone has a new mini-series out! Woo-hoo! It's tied in to DC's MegaUltiSuperAllStar cross-over INFINITE CRISIS (To be followed by FINITE CRISIS, where we know exactly how critical the problem is - making it a lot easier for all involved), it semi-spins out of IDENTITY CRISIS, and, it has some glorious JG Jones covers and some pretty - yet wholly unexciting - interior art from Dale Eaglesham. (To get a glimpse on PDF, hop over here.)

If, like me, your every waking moment is concerned with what super-villains really do when they're not getting their asses handed to them by Captain Monthly-Man, then VILLAINS UNITED, depicting the creation of a Sinister Organisation, will be right up your street. The United Villains (A good name for a mini-series, a bad name for a Premier League football team) are Black Adam, Lex Luthor, Dr Psycho, the Calculator, Deathstroke, and Cheshire.

So that's Michael Jackson "eeh-hee!"-styled bad Captain Marvel, a bald guy with his own corner office, a man who got his doctorate from a cereal box, a guy whose powers fail when you put your thumb over his solar panel, the evil twin of Vinegarstroke, and a small county on the border of Wales. Also - Catman. I would say you couldn't make this shit up, but somebody has. And got paid!

I'm in two minds as to whether I like Gail Simone's work on serious comics (and this is the only time that I would call a work starring both Catman and Dr Psycho "serious") rather than in her natural home of comedy. For those who missed out on You'll All Be Sorry (Still archived at Comic Book Resources), it was a weekly treat and never grew old or tired during any part of it's run. When comics beckoned, she was obviously offered titles of a humorous vein and it worked. Her output for Oni and Marvel was a high point in a market resistant to funny books. And then she switched sides. At DC, there doesn't seem to be much opportunity for humour. Maybe the DC stands for Depressed Comics?

Aside from all the ranting and raving and pulling of hair and smelling of kidney and fish-paste - most fans will still end up buying these IDENTITY CRISIS spin-offs. This is the eternal catch-22 of the embittered fan, "I must complain about this shitty comic, yet I need to buy it to read it, thereby increasing sales and driving up demand for more shitty comics". However, putting good creators on these spin-offs (Greg Rucka, Bill Willingham, Dave Gibbons, etc) should allay any fears of them being casual cash-ins. So if you like bad guys, if you like Gail Simone (and I would never suggest any correlation - I'm sure Ms Simone never killed anybody who didn't deserve it), if you like mini-series, if you like comics (because sometimes I fear a lot of you don't) - then you could do worse than trying VILLIANS UNITED. [John Fellows]

CALL THE COPS

It's May. It's nearly summertime. It's time to start thinking about the sorts of books that will deflect the ennui of having to spend a night sleeping in Stansted Airport because they've had to go back for the pilot. And lawks-a-lordy, if it isn't time for a new printing of one of Paul Grist's mighty fine KANE paperbacks.

There are no coincidences.

39TH is the fourth volume in Grist's superlative police drama, and while the eponymous flatfoot barely puts in an appearance, the book will leave you too busy to care.

39TH weaves a number of disparate stories around notions of betrayal (of principle, community and the law), anger (with authority, people, and self) and memory. Stories include one officer's recollections of her first day on the job (aged eight), another officer's descent into bitterness, and a tale of civil unrest in the wake of a child's death at the hands of the police. Each thread compliments the others, and scenes resonate throughout the book.

Grist is a one-man band, of course: the art and the writing compliment each other perfectly. Grist's bold black and white artwork - a step abstracted from GOTHAM CENTRAL's Michael Lark, for example - flows wonderfully, and exploits a powerful range of pacing and framing techniques. The book opens with a fixed-perspective scene, drawn as if the reader were sitting in the back of a police car. It's somewhat reminiscent of those late night 'World's Wankiest Police Wipeout' shows, but without the blurriness and constant repetition (insert your favourite Bendis joke here).

39TH is part of the broader, ongoing KANE story. That said, it works extremely well as a discrete novel. Given that few plots are completely resolved - and some are only just beginning - that's a remarkable achievement.

Paul Grist's KANE is a bit of a cult classic, which of course means that it doesn't sell nearly as well as it should. Moving the books from Grist's own Dancing Elephant Press to the broader Image Comics banner means that the series will receive the increased exposure it most assuredly deserves.

Whatever it may say on the spine, one thing remains the same: KANE is bar none the finest police comic currently printed in the English language. As good as things like GOTHAM CENTRAL and DISTRICT X might be, they can't hold a candle to the comings and goings of New Eden's Finest. [Matthew Craig]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR MAY 4th 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

FEB050067 CONCRETE HUMAN DILEMMA #5 (OF 6) (MR) $3.50
DEC040022D JINGLE BELLE #4 (OF 4) $2.99
FEB050060 SUPER MANGA BLAST #51 (MR) $5.99

DC COMICS

MAR050370D BATMAN DARK DETECTIVE #1 (OF 6) $2.99
MAR050431D BATMAN STRIKES VOL 1 CRIME TIME TP $6.99
MAR050395D BLOOD OF THE DEMON #3 $2.50
MAR050363D DETECTIVE COMICS #806 $2.99
MAR050399D FALLEN ANGEL #20 (MR) $2.99
MAR050401D FIRESTORM #13 $2.50
MAR050405D HAWKMAN WINGS OF FURY TP $17.99
MAR050464D INTIMATES #7 $2.99
APR050406D JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER SPECIAL PAPA MIDNITE #5 (OF 5) $2.99
MAR050410D JSA THE GOLDEN AGE TP NEW EDITION $19.99
MAR050412D JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #11 (OF 12) $2.50
MAR050434D JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #9 $2.25
MAR050387D LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #3 (OF 5) $2.99
MAR050440D LOONEY TUNES #126 $2.25
MAR050467D MATADOR #1 (OF 6) $2.99
FEB050314 POWERPUFF GIRLS #61 $2.25
MAR050422D SEVEN SOLDIERS SHINING KNIGHT #2 (OF 4) $2.99
FEB050261 SUPERMAN #216 $2.50
MAR050492D SWAMP THING #15 (MR) $2.99
MAR050471D THUNDERCATS VOL 5 ENEMYS PRIDE TP $14.99
MAR050472D TWILIGHT EXPERIMENT #4 (OF 6) $2.99
MAR050424D VILLAINS UNITED #1 (OF 6) $2.50
MAR050494D Y THE LAST MAN #33 (MR) $2.99

IMAGE

JAN051592 DEADWORLD #1 $3.50
MAR051675D FELT TRUE TALES OF UNDERGROUND HIP HOP ONE SHOT (MR) $2.95
SEP041538 KANE VOL 4 39TH TP $16.95
FEB051600 SEA OF RED #2 (MR) $2.95

MARVEL

MAR051880D AMAZING FANTASY #8 $2.99
FEB051891 DAREDEVIL REDEMPTION #4 (OF 6) $2.99
FEB051921 EXCALIBUR #12 $2.99
MAR051901D GLA #2 (OF 4) $2.99
JAN058159 HOUSE OF M COIPEL POSTER $5.95
MAR051947D HUMAN TORCH VOL 1 BURN DIGEST $7.99
MAR051894D MARVEL MILESTONES WOLVERINE X-MEN TUK CAVE BOY $3.99
MAR051877D MARVEL MUST HAVES ULTIMATES 2 #1-3 $4.99
MAR051921D NEW X-MEN #13 $2.99
MAR041731D NEW X-MEN VOL 7 HERE COMES TOMORROW TP $10.99
FEB051875 POWER PACK #2 (OF 4) $2.99
FEB051926 ROGUE #10 $2.99
MAR051898D SHANNA THE SHE DEVIL #4 (OF 7) $3.50
MAR051951D SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN VOL 5 SINS REMEMBERED TP $9.99
MAR051885D SPIDER-GIRL #86 $2.99
MAR051887D SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #9 $2.99
MAR051948D ULTIMATE ADVENTURES ONE TIN SOLDIER TP (RES) $12.99
FEB051880 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #18 $2.25
MAR051955D X-MEN EVE OF DESTRUCTION TP $14.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

FEB052563 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #91 $2.19
FEB052564 ARCHIE DIGEST #216 $2.39
FEB053131 BATTLE ANGEL ALITA VOL 9 2ND ED TP $9.95
FEB053175 CERES CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 11 TP $9.95
MAR052899F DEATH & CANDY #4 (RES) (MR) $4.95
FEB053162 FLOWERS AND BEES VOL 7 TP (MR) $9.99
JAN052634 GI JOE MASTER & APPRENTICE VOL 1 TP $12.95
FEB052741 GI JOE RELOADED #14 $2.95
JAN042341 GI JOE VS THE TRANSFORMERS VOL 1 TP $15.95
FEB052856F LIVING WITH ZOMBIES #2 (MR) $2.50
FEB053158 NO NEED FOR TENCHI VOL 3 2ND ED TP $9.99
MAR052543E PIRATE CLUB #6 $2.95
FEB053192 PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH VOL 10 TP $9.99
FEB053160 RANMA 1/2 VOL 17 2ND ED TP $9.95
FEB053161 RANMA 1/2 VOL 18 2ND ED TP $9.95
FEB053159 RANMA 1/2 VOL 30 TP $9.95
MAR052546E SERENITY ROSE VOL 1 WORKING THROUGH THE NEGATIVITY TP $12.95
FEB052576 SOULFIRE COLLECTED ED #1 $6.99
JAN052576F SOULSEARCHERS #71 $2.50
JAN052624 STREET FIGHTER VOL 2 TP $13.99
MAR052784F STYLISH VITTLES VOL 3 FARE THEE WELL TP (MR) $13.00
FEB053195 X/1999 VOL 18 INVERSION TP $9.95
MAR052485F ZIG ZAG #1 $5.95

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.