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: OFF ROAD

On returning from San Diego this year, there was one book that I was looking forward to more than any other - and I was taken by surprise when I got to the comic shop last week and found it had snuck out without me noticing.

That book is OFF ROAD, from Oni Press, and what excited me about it is that it marks the arrival of a seriously talented new artist on the scene, one whose sense of style and grasp of storytelling language suggest that he's a remarkable talent.

The artist in question is Sean Murphy, and this is not his debut. He pencilled Jason Hall's CRUSH for Dark Horse's abortive Rocket Comics line, and this year's SCARECROW: YEAR ONE for DC. But OFF ROAD is all Murphy's own work, and it's a gratifying early chance to see just what the artist is made of.

OFF ROAD is a man comic, for men. It's not a man comic in the Garth Ennis sense, where all men are brothers until such time as they are morally obliged to shoot each other. It's a man comic in that it's all about the experience of being a man. It's about recklessness, striking a pose, trying to fix things by getting dirty, and being a slave to your own stupidity. Man things! Instead of being another black and white comic about a guy who sits at home in his apartment moping about how he can't get the girl, this guy bounces across the wilderness in a jeep with his buddies, exchanging insults and hero-worshipping Mr T, and only very occasionally mopes about how he can't get the girl. And then does something stupid. There are more fistfights, fireworks and forest fires in this comic than there is in your average Adrian Tomine strip.

Murphy has seemingly arrived from the same energetically cinematic post-manga skinny art student stable as Kaare Andrews and Skottie Young, and I live in fear that these artists are so emphatically informed by their youth that they'll burn out fast and fall out of love with comics even while they still have stories to tell. Here's hoping this guys love making their comics as much as I love reading them, because if Murphy can keep up this pace, I'm a fan for life.

OFF ROAD is a wonderful book, and I pity the fool that doesn't agree. But if you don't want to take my word for it, there's a 51-page preview you can try before you by. [Andrew Wheeler]

ROUGH TRADE

The paperback collection of Warren Ellis' OCEAN (DC WildStorm) arrives in stores this week. Featuring art by TOM STRONG's Chris Sprouse, OCEAN follows a UN weapons inspector as he journeys halfway across the solar system to investigate an artefact that just might hold the secret to the origins of life on Earth.

I don't read much straight science fiction, but that's not to say I don't enjoy a good genre potboiler from time to time. I've seen PITCH BLACK as many times as the next guy, for instance, but I'm more interested in people than in high concepts. I'm fairly sure I can rely on Ellis' lean scripting and Sprouse's clear, mature art to provide a story worth shelling out for.

But what sets OCEAN apart from this week's other new trades is the news that the author has rescripted part of the last chapter, clarifying some plot points that didn't quite come across in the serial comics. It sounds like a minor piece of tinkering, especially compared to what was done for the final INVISIBLES trade (two rather muddy pages that were supposed to explain the entire story were swapped out for pages drawn by a less abstract artist), but it raises an important question: what, exactly, are trade paperbacks for? Are they mere compilations, a way to eke the last few pennies out of a six-issue investment? Or are they the final artistic statement of the creators, the last chance to tell the story their way?

Whether this increases production costs, or reduces the serial comics to a sort of 'draft' version of the story (no doubt upsetting those readers who couldn't wait for the trade) is almost beside the point. In the current marketplace, with its emphasis on book-length comics, bookstore penetration, and book-length shelf life, trade paperbacks have to be prepared with at least the same level of care as the original comics. They have to be treated like brand new publications. They have to be the best books they can possibly be, and whatever it takes to get that job done, from fixing production errors to redrawing whole scenes, has to be worth it in the long run, both artistically and financially. [Matthew Craig]

LATE SUMMER

What would you say if I told you that you could buy an anthology featuring the works of (deep breath) Brian Bolland (JUDGE DREDD), Richard Case (DOOM PATROL), Amanda Conner (THE PRO), Steven Grant (THE PUNISHER), Cully Hamner (BATMAN), Dan Jurgens (everything), Ron Marz (GREEN LANTERN) and Jimmy Palmiotti (ASH) along with a load of other creators you've probably never even heard of? Well, you'd think it was some sort of I HEART SUPERHEROES anthology from DC, right? Well, guess again. It's a surprising 96-page collection from Image Comics - the new house of ideas.

NEGATIVE BURN has been running for a while now in its latest iteration, and it's always produced interesting results. Since it's original publication at Caliber, it's seen many, many highly successful creators tread its boards. NEGATIVE BURN saw the first publication of JINX from then unknown Brian Bendis, for example. To get a full idea of it's pedigree, read this list of creators. It would be harder to find a notable talent that hadn't worked on the anthology.

And even since it's phoenix-like return to publication at Image, it's featured a who's who of modern creativity, including Bob Burden (FLAMING CARROT), Zander Cannon (TOP TEN), Evan Dorkin (TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN), Phil Hester (DEEP SLEEPER), Erik Larsen (SAVAGE DRAGON), Jim Mahfood (STUPID COMICS), John McCrea (HITMAN), B Clay Moore (HAWIIAN DICK), Kurt Busiek (everything ever) and Fabian Nicieza (everything else). The format unchanged, but it's a perfect fit for the new Image.

It's always hard to sell an anthology series. Front-loading a series with this much talent and allowing them the freedom to do whatever they want, all wrapped in a cheap price and irregular publication schedule, makes it more of a special event. Anxiously waiting for a new release seems to be half of the joy of comics at the moment. We know almost too much about series before they're even released. But it's the rare publications that you anxiously wait for, because they could end up being just about anything. And NEGATIVE BURN is that. Anything. [John Fellows]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR NOVEMBER 30th 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

SEP050043D 13TH SON WORSE THING WAITING #2 (OF 4) $2.99
SEP050034D BPRD THE BLACK FLAME #4 (OF 6) $2.99
SEP050044D REVELATIONS #4 (OF 6) $2.99
SEP050023D USAGI YOJIMBO #89 $2.99

DC COMICS

SEP050206D BATMAN #647 $2.50
APR045243D BATMAN KNIGHTFALL PART 1 BROKEN BAT TP $17.95
JAN045251D BATMAN NO MANS LAND VOL 1 TP $17.95
JAN050276D BATMAN YEAR ONE DELUXE EDITION HC $19.99
SEP058282D DANGER GIRL THE ULTIMATE COLL TP $19.99
SEP050233D DOOM PATROL #18 $2.50
SEP050286D GALS VOL 4 $9.99
SEP058283D MR PUNCH SC $19.99
SEP050315D NEIL GAIMANS NEVERWHERE #5 (OF 9) (MR) $2.99
SEP050295D OCEAN TP $14.99
SEP050255D PLASTIC MAN #19 $2.99
SEP050296D SILENT DRAGON #5 (OF 6) $2.99
SEP050226D SUPERMAN IN THE NAME OF GOG TP $17.99
SEP050269D TEEN TITANS GO #25 $2.25
SEP050262D TEEN TITANS THE FUTURE IS NOW TP $9.99
SEP050281D TOWER OF THE FUTURE VOL 1 $9.99
SEP050266D WONDER WOMAN #223 $2.50

IMAGE

SEP051692D FERRO CITY #4 $2.99
SEP051667D INDUSTRY OF WAR ONE SHOT (MR) $7.99
JUN051793D NEGATIVE BURN SUMMER SPECIAL 2005 $9.95
JUL051632D PVP VOL 3 PVP RIDES AGAIN TP $11.99

MARVEL

SEP051922D AMAZING FANTASY #15 $3.99
SEP058241D AMAZING SPIDER-MAN SECOND PTG VARIANT #525 $2.50
SEP051993D AMAZING SPIDER-MAN VOL 10 NEW AVENGERS TP $14.99
SEP051913D BLACK PANTHER #10 $2.99
SEP051952D CAPTAIN UNIVERSE SILVER SURFER $2.99
SEP052009D ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER VOL 1 TP NEW PRINTING $16.99
SEP052010D ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL 2 TP NEW PRINTING $16.99
SEP051959D EXILES #73 $2.99
SEP051960D GENERATION M #1 (OF 5) $2.99
SEP051937D GIANT SIZE INVADERS #2 $4.99
JAN058161D HOUSE OF M DODSON VARIANT COVER #2 (OF 8) $2.99
SEP051936D INCREDIBLE HULK #89 $2.99
SEP051931D MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2005 $3.99
SEP051940D NEW AVENGERS #13 $2.50
SEP051965D NIGHTCRAWLER #12 $2.99
SEP051964D OFFICIAL HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE X-MEN 2005 $3.99
SEP051994D ORORO BEFORE THE STORM DIGEST TP $6.99
SEP041810D PUNISHER MAX VOL 2 KITCHEN IRISH TP $14.99
SEP052004D PUNISHER RIVER OF BLOOD TP $15.99
SEP051947D SENTRY #3 (OF 8) $2.99
AUG041860 SUPREME POWER VOL 2 POWERS AND PRINCIPALITIES TP (MR) $14.99
SEP051901D ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #25 $2.50
SEP051921D WOLVERINE #36 $2.50
SEP058048D WOLVERINE QUESADA VARIANT #36 (PP #692) $2.50
SEP051972D X-MEN #178 $2.50
SEP051968D X-MEN AND POWER PACK #2 (OF 4) $2.99
AUG051953 X-MEN KITTY PRYDE SHADOW & FLAME #5 (OF 5) $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JUL052552F COLONIA VOL 2 ON INTO GREAT LANDS TP $12.95
AUG052833F DEADBEATS #74 $2.50
SEP052891E DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES KURTH CVR A #4 (OF 8) $2.95
SEP052892E DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES WALPOLE CVR B #4 (OF 8) $5.95
AUG053244J EXALTED #1 POWER FOIL CVR ED PI
AUG053243F EXALTED #1 REG ED $3.49
OCT043079E FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 13 TP $9.95
AUG053285E KEKKAISHI VOL 3 GN $9.99
OCT053090F LIVING IN INFAMY #1 (OF 4) (MR) $2.95
AUG052922F LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #15 (MR) $4.50
DEC032770E ONE PIECE VOL 3 TP $7.95
SEP052971E PROTOPRIZE TP (MR) $14.95
NOV032656E RANMA 1/2 VOL 25 TP $9.95
SEP052756E SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #156 $2.25
SEP052639E STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 5 POCKET TP $17.95
SEP052759E TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #7 $2.39
SEP052837F TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #35 (MR) $2.95
SEP052838F TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE DLX ED #35 (MR) $19.99
AUG052662E VAMPIRELLA WITCHBLADE FEAST #1 $2.99
AUG052663 VAMPIRELLA WITCHBLADE FEAST LTD ED CONNER CVR #1 $9.95
AUG052664 VAMPIRELLA WITCHBLADE FEAST LTD RODRIGUEZ CVR #1 $9.95
SEP052760E VERONICA #166 $2.25
MAY053085 YU GI OH MILLENNIUM WORLD VOL 1 TP $7.95

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.