Welcome to The Forecast. Every Monday, Ninth Art's hand-picked team of crack comic pundits offer a rundown of some of the best, worst and most noteworthy books on the shelves of your local comic shop.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: HARD TIME

The best TV show you're not reading, HARD TIME returns to comic shelves this week for another 12 issues of backstabbing, suspense, and astral projection. Bear with me.

Somewhere between the gritty realism of OZ and the over-the-top pulp narrative of PRISON BREAK, DC's HARD TIME chronicles the life on the inside of Ethan Harrow, a spectacularly unlucky teenager who lands a 50-year sentence for his participation in a school prank gone very, very wrong. On the inside, he finds himself dealing with the wrath of psycho preachers and white supremacists, and contending with his good-natured lawyer, who just happens to be screwing his mom.

He also finds that he has the ability to project a weird telekinetic energy-thing, which is very handy for spying on said lawyer and beating the crap out of said white supremacists.

The series is the creation of the still-ahead-of-his-time Steve Gerber, he who, back in the 1970s, told an issue from the perspective of a disembodied brain, and created a villainous consortium whose members included a highly evolved dolphin and a stripper. Gerber officially re-teams on the writing with his longtime collaborator Mary Skrenes, with whom he co-created the 1970s series OMEGA THE UNKNOWN. That one made enough of an impression on award-winning writer Johnathan Lethem that he's doing a new miniseries at Marvel - and Gerber isn't too happy about that, but that's another story.

As with 'season one', the second season of HARD TIME boasts the pencils of the superhumanly talented Brian Hurtt, whose skills with both character and background design take the already-terrific series to a whole new level. Fans who missed the first run shouldn't worry - the first issue retells Ethan's tragic origin in more detail, and future issues, Gerber promises, contain some of the most twisted writing he's ever done. The first six issues of the last series are also available in a very affordable trade.

Featuring a wide variety of compelling characters and a story that can literally go in any direction, HARD TIME is the comic book equivalent of a superior ensemble drama. If you missed it last time, don't miss this opportunity to get on the wildest ride in comics. [Zack Smith]

CHECK ONE TWO

Although they've been doing English-language comics for a few years now, twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba really got noticed when AiT-PlanetLar published URSULA, their fairy-tale-with-gangsta-stylings. It was a sweet little story about what happens when you find your soulmate as a child, and rare in that it was labelled as all-ages, and totally delivered on that promise - it worked on many levels, none of them patronising. The art was astounding too; simple lines for the cute kids, and beautiful details for when they're grown up.

Music - rock and roll especially - has always had a place in comics. Think of LOVE AND ROCKETS, Paul Pope and his Rolling Stones obsession, and the whole comic-creator-as-rock star notion that comes around ever few years. Dave McKean made music visual in CAGES, letting it tell a story without words or sound, and, to quote the blurb for Ba and Moon's new book, "When it comes to rock 'n' roll, you don't have to understand what they're saying to know what they're talking about".

With ROCK 'N' ROLL, Moon and Ba have brought along two more brothers, Bruno D'Angelo and Kako, to each draw a chapter in the Moon-penned one-shot about the strange things that happen when life gets in the way. This is the first comic by Ba and Moon to be published by Image, though Ba is working on CASANOVA with Matt Fraction, the second book to try out of the FELL format (sixteen pages at a lower price). If their work on URSULA is anything to go by, the comic world will be all the better for having them in it. [Ben Wooller]

25 CENT ARCADE

First it was "veeeeeeee-weedle-weedle-weedle-vweeeeeee-krkrkrkrkrkrkrllllll", and later "chun-chun-chuuuuuuunk-chun", and after that "clik-SEEEEYGAAAA", and now it's more a quiet hum in the background. Ah yes, halcyon days of videogaming past. Once it was the youthful exuberance of wondering, will it load? Will I have to rewind the tape? Will I wait half an hour for the visual equivalent of Black Death? Now it's all jiggery-bits and poly-nons and morprpgs... I just can't keep up. Am I getting old? Are videogames getting younger? Should I just move on to whittling or carpet bowls?

Well, regardless of whether you spent an entire summer playing G-LOC or you can remember what to do with the rubber chicken in MONKEY ISLAND, the comic strip PENNY ARCADE is still funny. A regularly updated strip that has built up a near religious following, it's seen its creators, Jerry 'Tycho' Holkins and Mike 'Gabe' Krahulik, go from nerds making jokes about videogames to nerds getting paid to make jokes about videogames. And now, like its arch-nemesis PVP before it, PENNY ARCADE is making the leap from virtua-comic to actua-comic.

The blogosphere has been all of a tizzy on the subject of comic strips and their success relative to comic books of late. Compilations of well-known (and even lesser known) strips sell like hot cakes to cold old ladies. Why can't comic book collections sell that well? Aside from the problem of accessibility, most comic strips have spent years building up a fan-base before attempting collection. Modern Marvel pumps out collections barely a month after a story has ended, whether the series sells or not. PENNY ARCADE has not only built up its fan-base through constant, regular updates, targeted marketing and, more importantly, knowing the market... but the part that gets forgotten in all this is that they're actually really funny.

So now they're off to conquer the paper publication market. Dark Horse is releasing the first collection of PENNY ARCADE strips, 'Attack Of The Bacon Robots' in January. If you're not entirely certain about a bunch of nerds making jokes about obscure Japanese video games, then this little publication is exactly what you need: A short comic-length primer for the series for a mere 25 cents. Now I might be English and wouldn't know a cent from a sidewalk, but that sounds fairly good value to me. (There's a preview at Dark Horse's website too.) At that price, you'd be stupid to turn it down. [John Fellows]

NINE LIVES

Over three years ago, on June 24th 2002, filmmaker Kevin Smith went on Jay Leno's Tonight Show to promote his new comic book. Riding the wave of popularity generated by Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN blockbuster, THE EVIL THAT MEN DO saw a lovelorn Spidey rubbing... shoulders with former girlfriend The Black Cat in pursuit of malevolent mutant druglord Mister Brownstone. The first three issues were vintage Spider-Man, with hilarious banter, free-wheeling action and a frisson of nostalgia.

However, in the closing pages of issue #3 (solicited for August 2002) the story took a dark turn. Having reinforced the notion that the Black Cat was a flirtatious, sexually liberated individual (accentuated by Terry and Rachel Dodson's zaftig depiction), Smith proceeded to leave the character drugged and delirious and being loomed over by the predatory villain. In this pre-IDENTITY CRISIS time (before superhero rape became an exploitative joke) the prospect of watching a vivacious character like the Black Cat undergo such a life-changing sexual trauma was extremely distasteful - almost as if she were being karmically punished for her healthy libido. Indeed, Smith only got away with pulling a similar stroke during his DAREDEVIL run by having the whole thing explained away as a naughty fib.

Events conspired to keep Smith from finishing the series, but a three-year hiatus ends this week with the release of THE EVIL THAT MEN DO #4. And as this preview shows, the question of whether or not the Black Cat was raped has become subsumed within another mystery: What happened to Mister Brownstone (dead as we rejoin the action), and was the Black Cat responsible?

I have to admit, I'm extremely suspicious of this twist in the tale. The first half of the series indicated that the story would be exploring, if not resolving, the relationship between Peter Parker and Felicia Hardy. The second half appears to be more of an extended MARVEL TEAM-UP, bringing in other superheroes in order to resolve the plot. Worse, it appears to be building up to asenses-shattering revelation concerning a secret from Black Cat's pas, n o doubt designed to set up a sequel down the line. [Matthew Craig]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR DECEMBER 7th 2005:

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

DARK HORSE

AUG050018 AEON FLUX #3 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT050015D CONAN & THE DEMONS OF KHITAI #3 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT050013D PENNY ARCADE 1X 25 CENTS $0.25
SEP050021D SUPER MANGA BLAST #58 (MR) $5.99

DC COMICS

OCT050214D ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 SPECIAL EDITION #1 $3.99
OCT050223D BATGIRL KICKING ASSASSINS TP $14.99
OCT050221D BATMAN AND THE MONSTER MEN #2 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT050241D BLOOD OF THE DEMON #10 $2.50
OCT050297D DANGER GIRL BACK IN BLACK #2 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT050216D DETECTIVE COMICS #814 $2.50
OCT050225D GOTHAM CENTRAL #38 $2.50
OCT050250D HARD TIME SEASON TWO #1 $2.50
OCT050258D JLA CLASSIFIED COLD STEEL #1 (OF 2) $5.99
OCT050260D JONAH HEX #2 $2.99
OCT050259D JSA #80 $2.50
OCT050278D JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #16 $2.25
OCT050284D LOONEY TUNES #133 $2.25
OCT050301D MAJESTIC WHILE YOU WERE OUT TP $12.99
OCT050264D OUTSIDERS #31 $2.50
OCT050291D PIECES OF A SPIRAL VOL 2 $9.99
OCT050268D SEVEN SOLDIERS MISTER MIRACLE #2 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT050255D SHOWCASE PRESENTS JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL 1 TP $16.99
OCT050232D SUPERMAN #224 $2.50
SEP050226D SUPERMAN IN THE NAME OF GOG TP $17.99
SEP050225D SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2005 $4.99
OCT050326D SWAMP THING #22 (MR) $2.99
OCT050305D TEAM ZERO #1 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT050328D VIMANARAMA TP (MR) $12.99
OCT050325D Y THE LAST MAN #40 (MR) $2.99

IMAGE

OCT051724D AGE OF BRONZE #22 $3.50
OCT051725D AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS VOL 2 #3 $2.99
FEB051584D BATTLE HYMN #5 (OF 5) $2.99
SEP051664D IMAGE COMICS LTD SLIPCASE HC (RES) $75.00
SEP051668D ROCK N ROLL ONE SHOT $3.50
SEP051669D SPAWN MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99
AUG051661 WALKING DEAD SCRIPT BOOK #1 (MR) $3.99

MARVEL

OCT052041D ESSENTIAL SPIDER-WOMAN VOL 1 TP $16.99
OCT051964D FANTASTIC FOUR IRON MAN BIG IN JAPAN #3 (OF 4) $3.50
OCT051944D FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #3 $2.99
OCT051999D MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #10 $2.50
OCT051968D MARVEL TEAM-UP #15 $2.99
OCT052035D MARVEL TEAM-UP VOL 2 MASTER OF THE RING TP $17.99
OCT051977D MARVEL ZOMBIES #1 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT052030D MEGA MORPHS DIGEST $7.99
OCT052005D NEW EXCALIBUR #2 $2.99
OCT051981D NEW WARRIORS #6 (OF 6) $2.99
AUG051958 POWERS #15 (MR) $2.95
OCT052015D PUNISHER #28 (MR) $2.99
OCT051985D SENTINEL #2 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT051949D SPIDER-GIRL #93 $2.99
OCT051947D SPIDER-MAN BLACK CAT EVIL THAT MEN DO #4 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT052034D SPIDER-MAN BREAKOUT TP $13.99
OCT052017D SUPREME POWER NIGHTHAWK #4 (OF 6) (MR) $2.99
OCT051986D THOR BLOOD OATH #5 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT051974D ULTIMATE MARVEL FLIP MAGAZINE #7 $3.99
OCT051940D ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #87 $2.50
OCT051975D ULTIMATE TALES FLIP MAGAZINE #7 $3.99
SEP051900D ULTIMATES 2 #9 $2.99
OCT041812D VENOM VS CARNAGE TP $9.99
OCT051991D WHAT IF CAPTAIN AMERICA $2.99
OCT052040D WHAT IF CLASSIC VOL 2 TP $24.99
OCT052002D X-MEN COLOSSUS BLOODLINE #4 (OF 5) $2.99
OCT052013D X-MEN UNLIMITED #12 $2.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

SEP052977F ANTIQUE GIFT SHOP VOL 1 GN $10.95
SEP052747E ARCHIE #562 $2.25
SEP052750E ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #166 $3.59
OCT052721E BEAR #10 $2.95
OCT053121F BONEYARD #20 $2.95
SEP053019F CISCO KID GUNFIRE & BRIMSTONE #3 (MR) $2.95
OCT052690F DEMO COLLECTION TP $19.95
NOV032648E DRAGONBALL SHONEN J ED VOL 14 TP $7.95
OCT052723E EMO BOY #4 $2.95
APR042993E FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 11 TP VETERAN $9.95
FEB042073E GLOOMCOOKIE VOL 3 TP (MR) $14.95
SEP052978F HEAVENLY EXECUTIONER CHIWOO VOL 1 GN $10.95
AUG052922F LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #15 (MR) $4.50
AUG053019F NAT TURNER #2 (MR)(OF 4) $3.00
SEP052899E PURGATORI #2 (MR) $2.95
NOV032656E RANMA 1/2 VOL 25 TP $9.95
SEP053023F REVISIONARY #2 (RES) (MR) $2.95
SEP052766E SOULFIRE VOL 1 HC $24.99
SEP052639E STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 5 POCKET TP $17.95
OCT052737E VAISTRON #2 $2.95
AUG058061F WOOD BOY THE BURNING MAN TP (PP #688) $14.95
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.