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: TRUE PORN

Ah, TRUE PORN. If there's one thing I can say for sure about TRUE PORN, it's that mentioning it here will make this one of the most popular editions of the Forecast ever to appear in search engines. Not as popular as if I were to mention 'hot lesbian action', or 'dirty furry fun', or 'amputee schoolgirl bukkake' (comics commentary is really rather niche, by comparison), but it'll be popular nonetheless.

I've no idea if the second volume of TRUE PORN (Alternative Comics) contains any hot lesbian action or dirty furry fun, let alone amputee schoolgirl bukkake, but it seems a slim chance. And perhaps that's just as well, as I'm not keen on seeing Chester Brown's or Jim Rugg's interpretations of any of those things.

What the TRUE PORN anthologies actually offer is a potentially even more terrifying prospect - true-life sex stories of indie cartoonists. A class of creators usually more prone to offer outpourings of angst and introspection gets to share outpourings of another sort entirely. But if the acclaimed first volume from 2003 is anything to go by, this won't be a collection of slightly embarrassing 'reader's letters'-style attempts at titillation, but a frank and honest exploration of a subject that's rarely intelligently handled.

The second volume's line-up doesn't offer as many familiar names as the first, but that's understandable - anthology editors these days must have a real fight on their hands trying to find someone whose anthology schedule isn't packed solid through to the SPX after next. It does offer Hope Larson, Rich Tomasso, David Lasky and the aforementioned Jim Rugg, and with over fifty creators represented, there's bound to be something in there you'll like. And a couple of somethings you'll hate, of course. But as any Google search will tell you, there's a lot of unpleasant porn out there. [Andrew Wheeler]

ARBEIT SNIKT FREI?

Flying in the face of fashion, this week's WOLVERINE #32 features a tale that some might find unusual in the midst of all the line-wide crossover chaos. Capping Mark Millar's year-long run of unparalleled brutality, WOLVERINE #32 takes us back in time to World War II, where we find the ol' Canucklehead slap-bang in the middle of a concentration camp.

That's right. Marvel's (other) flagship character, the hairy yellow midget, the mononucleosis of superheroes, serving time in a death camp. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.

On one hand, it's nice to see Marvel trying something genuinely novel within their increasingly conservative comics universe. On the other, there's something a little bit icky about seeing a character so closely associated with garish action figures and Saturday morning cartoons in such an emotionally charged real world environment.

That said, Wolverine is a character with at least a little emotional depth (although he may not get to show it that often). He's just human enough to be placed in such an environment without the resulting story becoming utterly risible. And furthermore, there are at least two genuinely good reasons for wanting to see this book.

The first, of course, is the artwork. Kaare Andrews has rapidly become one of Marvel's greatest assets. His superlative covers for HULK and PETER PARKER showed him to be an intelligent and versatile artist. Andrews' art for Zeb Wells' DOCTOR OCTOPUS novel married the classicism of Tim Sale to the paranoia of Sam Kieth, resulting in a dark, intense aesthetic that matched the script perfectly. As this preview shows, Andrews' art perfectly captures the frightening chill of such a nightmarish place.

The second reason is the dedication of this issue to the late Will Eisner. Mark Millar is notorious for his name-dropping, but by taking advice from the veteran artist in the months before his death, he may have found a way to approach this story that retains the essential truth of the character without betraying the absolute tragedy of the real-life events. Rather than the lecherous slashing bruiser that we all know and love, this issue sees a silent Wolverine acting as an accusatory ghost, more in the mold of a horror character like the Swamp or Man-Things. It should make an interesting change from the usual Grand Guignol that follows Wolverine wherever he goes.

WOLVERINE #32 will be available in two editions: the regular full-colour version, and a black and white variant. While the variant comic culture has gotten out of hand in recent times, the themes and artwork on display in this story may afford the practice some small artistic validity. Let's hope that Marvel can resist the temptation to exploit this approach in other, less well-meaning ways. [Matthew Craig]

READY STEADY COOK

I may be the last person on the internet to say this, but just in case I'm not: why the hell aren't you reading Sinji Saijyo's IRON WOK JAN?

I know, I know: it's not on this week's shipping list. But if you're reading this Forecast, you're probably planning on hitting a comic shop sometime soon. When you do, you could do a lot worse than picking up a volume of this fantastic manga.

The story follows the eponymous chef Jan Akiyama in his quest to become Japan's King of Chinese Cooking. An arch perfectionist, competitive to a fault, and arrogant with it, Jan believes he'll blaze through the contest unopposed, until he discovers that one of his fellow contestants is a fellow Gobancho chef with a forensic flair. When one of the judges turns out to be a food critic with a grudge, can even Jan's seemingly bottomless bag of tricks save him from failure?

IRON WOK JAN is an unexpectedly stunning book. I always knew that there were Japanese comics for every subject, from office jobs to Buddhism, but I never expected to be blown away by a comic that, essentially, turns Doctor Doom into Jamie Oliver - Jan looks more like a megalomaniac than a maker of munchables. While he's not always likeable, you'll find yourself always wanting him to win.

The story structure would be familiar to anyone who's had the misfortune to catch BEYBLADE, POKÉMON or any of those Saturday morning dreck-fests, and the pacing is frantic, but the depth of thought with respect to cooking theory and the minutiae of Chinese cuisine is remarkable, and the artwork is superb. Even when the characters are buzzing around the page like big-hatted bluebottles, the storytelling is clear and engrossing.

I've long suspected that there's a comic out there for everybody - a way in to this marvellous artform that could bring even the most passionate pulpophobe into the fold. And even though it reads right to left and is in black and white, and even though it's about a chef who lifts weights to make his chopper arm stronger, IRON WOK JAN just might be that book.

But the proof of the pudding, of course, is in the tasting. [Matthew Craig]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR SEPTEMBER 21st 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

JUL050026D GOON #14 $2.99
JAN050089V SAMURAI EXECUTIONER VOL 5 TP 10 FINGERS 1 LIFE (MR) $9.95

DC COMICS

JUL050194D BATGIRL #68 $2.50
JUL050192D BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #69 $2.50
JUL050199D BATMAN JEKYLL AND HYDE #6 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL050202D BATMAN WAR GAMES ACT THREE TP $14.99
JUL050220D BIRDS OF PREY #86 $2.50
JUL050298D BOOKS OF MAGICK LIFE DURING WARTIME #14 (MR) $2.75
JUL050227D GREEN LANTERN CORPS RECHARGE #1 (OF 6) $3.50
JUL050299D HELLBLAZER #212 (MR) $2.75
JUL050231D HUMAN RACE #7 (OF 7) $2.99
JUN0050352D IDENTITY CRISIS HC BOOKMARKET VERSION $24.99
JUN0050351D IDENTITY CRISIS HC DIRECT MARKET VERSION $24.99
JUL058032D JSA CLASSIFIED #2 SECOND PTG $2.50
JUL050239D JSA CLASSIFIED #3 $2.50
JUL050306D LUCIFER #66 (MR) $2.75
JUL050241D MANHUNTER #14 $2.50
JUL050243D PLASTIC MAN #18 $2.99
JUL050267D POWERPUFF GIRLS #66 $2.25
JUL050196D ROBIN #142 $2.50
JUL050251D SEVEN SOLDIERS MISTER MIRACLE #1 (OF 4) $2.99
JUL050290D SLEEPER VOL 4 THE LONG WAY HOME TP (MR) $14.99
JUL058232D SUPERMAN IN THE FIFTIES TP NEW PTG $19.99
JUL058231D SUPERMAN SECRET IDENTITY TP NEW PTG $19.99
JUL050293D TOP TEN BEYOND THE FARTHEST PRECINCT #2 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL050256D WONDER WOMAN VOL 3 BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS TP $19.95

IMAGE

JUL051614D BLACK FOREST VOL 2 CASTLE OF SHADOWS GN $6.99
JUL051654D GIRLS #5 (MR) $2.99
JUN0051783D GODLAND #3 $2.99

MARVEL

JUL051870D BLACK PANTHER #8 $2.99
JUN0051979D CAPTAIN AMERICA #10 $2.99
JUL051874D DAREDEVIL FATHER #3 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL051937D ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL 1 TP $16.99
JUL051854D EXILES #70 $2.99
JUL051929D EXILES VOL 11 TIME BREAKERS TP $17.99
JUL051935D HULK VISIONARIES PETER DAVID VOL 2 TP $19.99
JUL051887D MACHINE TEEN #5 (OF 5) $2.99
JUL051895D MARVEL 1602 NEW WORLD #3 (OF 5) $3.50
JUL051900D MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #4 $2.50
JUL051920D MARVEL MASTERWORKS CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL 1 HC VARIANT ED $54.99
JUL051919D MARVEL MASTERWORKS CAPTAIN MARVEL VOL 1 NEW ED HC $49.99
JUL051886D MARVEL MILESTONES GHOST RIDER BLACK WIDOW & ICEMAN $3.99
JUL051914D MARVEL SELECT FLIP MAGAZINE #4 $3.99
JUN0052008D NEW AVENGERS #10 $2.50
JUL051928D ROGUE FORGET ME NOT TP $14.99
JUL051898D RUNAWAYS #8 $2.99
JUL051939D SPIDER-MAN THE OTHER POSTER $5.99
JUL051909D SUPREME POWER HYPERION #1 (OF 5) (MR) $2.99
JUL051855D ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #23 $2.50
JUN0051987D ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1 $3.99
JUL051858D ULTIMATES 2 #8 $2.99
JUL051873D WOLVERINE #32 $2.50
JUN0058214D WOLVERINE BLACK & WHITE VARIANT #32 (PP #683) $2.50

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JUL052839F ACTION PHILOSOPHERS #1 2ND PRINTING $2.95
JUL053264E BANANA FISH VOL 10 TP $9.99
JUL052638E BETTY #150 $2.25
JUL052752F CBLDF SPX 2005 ANTHOLOGY $12.95
JUN0052729E CHRONICLES OF THE UNIVERSE DESPERADO BROTHERS TP $9.99
JUL052876E DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #332 $2.95
JUL052791E DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES KURTH CVR A #2 (OF 8) $2.95
JUL052792E DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES WALEPOLE CVR B #2 (OF 8) $5.95
JUL053268E FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 8 2ND ED TP $9.95
JUL052788E GI JOE SNAKE-EYES DECLASSIFIED #2 (OF 6) $2.95
JUL052606E GOLD DIGGER VOL 6 PKT MANGA TP $9.99
JUL053058E HELIOS IN WITH THE NEW #1 (OF 8) $2.99
JUL052642E JUGHEAD AND FRIENDS DIGEST #5 $2.39
MAY052439E LENORE #12 $2.95
JUL053256E MAISON IKKOKU VOL 13 2ND ED TP $9.95
JUL053572I MALLRATS TP $14.95
JUL052877E MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #281 $2.95
JUN0052742E MIGHTY TINY PKT MANGA TP $9.99
JUL052644E PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #97 $3.59
MAY052710F PS238 #13 $2.99
JUL052647E SONIC X #1 (OF 4) $2.25
MAY052356F STRANGEHAVEN VOL 3 CONSPIRACIES TP (MR) $14.95
SEP042269E STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 15 TOMORROW NOW TP $14.95
JUN0053107F TEMPORARY A DIRT NAP #4 $2.95
JUL052571F TRUE PORN VOL 2 TP (A) $19.95
JUL053247E TUXEDO GIN VOL 14 TP $9.99
JUL053248E VIDEO GIRL AI VOL 13 TP $9.99

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.