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: ELRIC

Fantasy writer Michael Moorcock started out as a teenage journalist before becoming the editor of TARZAN ADVENTURES, which in turn set him on the path to becoming one of the world's most prolific authors of pulp fiction. I haven't read a whole lot of Moorcock's output, but then he has written over one hundred books. (A lot of what I have read comes from a stack of old, yellowing issues of NEW WORLD QUARTERLY, which I mainly collected due to my fastidious reverence for reviewer, contributor and Pistol Kid M John Harrison.)

Moorcock made his big mark in the world of fiction with the sword-and-sorcery stories of the albino hero Elric of Melnibone, who has some kind of symbiotic (or is that symbolic) relationship with his wilful phallic sword Stormbringer. As Moorcock matured as a writer, he left TARZAN ADVENTURES for NEW WORLDS, and Elric became Jerry Cornelius (or rather, Jerry was another incarnation of the same 'Eternal Champion' as Elric, albeit better dressed). The writer's influence on creators like Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison is pretty evident.

Moorcock himself is amazed that Elric has lasted as long as it has (he made his debut in 1961), but ELRIC: THE MAKING OF A SORCERER (DC Comics) marks the second time Moorcock has teamed up with Walter Simonson to work on the character, the first being Vertigo's MICHAEL MOORCOCK'S MULITVERSE. As Moorcock has just finished writing the last Elric novel, it's fitting that this beautifully illustrated miniseries takes us back to the very beginning, to tell us how Elric became prince of Melnibone. [Ben Wooller]

WIDOW'S PEAK

While Marvel continues to rave on about its Young Guns creators (so called because 'Established Creators We Recently Poached From Other Companies' didn't have such a snappy ring to it), by far the most interesting artistic coup on the books this month is the presence of Bill Sienkiewicz on a new six-part BLACK WIDOW story, written by sci-fi novelist Richard K Morgan.

While Elektra remains Marvel's favourite desperate attempt to create a bona fide female lead to match the cult following of DC's Catwoman and Wonder Woman, the original, red-headed Black Widow seems long overdue for some serious attention. Elektra works as a foil, but she's too aloof to be a leading lady, and her story's been done quite literally to death. As Brian Michael Bendis proved in the most recent DAREDEVIL arc, Natasha Romanova has far more flair, wit and style than her rival, and she manages to look better in a body-covering catsuit than Elektra ever did in her little red napkins. The lady's got legs.

Of course, Elektra owes some of her finest moments to Sienkiewicz, creator of ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN, and it'll be fascinating to see what he can do with the Widow. One of America's finest illustrators, his inky abstractions and matchless momentum should make him a perfect fit for the former Soviet superspy. (It would have been nice to see him on covers, too, but that honour has gone to the singularly un-Sienkiewiczian Greg Land.) Sienkiewicz comics can seem like a rare treat. Sienkiewicz on BLACK WIDOW is too good an opportunity to pass up. [Andrew Wheeler]

LET'S TALK ABOUT SIX

Image has done it's best not to stumble and fall over the recent loss of it's lynchpin seller, POWERS. But truly, the stumble started some time back. Image Central, the biggest creator-owned self-publisher operating in the American market, has never had any larger ideology beyond putting the artist first. Having been started by a group of disgruntled artists at the height of the 90s, this is completely understandable. But aside from a few noticeable exceptions - including POWERS - the line has always played up to the artistic element of any project. And when you focus on the art, the lack of any narrative aesthetic leads to a more divergent line - but one that lacks focus.

It does, however, allow some truly interesting projects to emerge, which would never have seen the light under any other publisher's purview. Action comics without superheroes are a hard sell to the majors, but then drama-based action comics are a hard-sell to the indies. So anything that falls between the two stools ends up at Image.

SIX ploughs the classic 90s furrow of X-FILES-style aliens, MEN IN BLACK-style secret agents and INVISIBLES-esque insanity. What gets me interested is creator Mike Avon Oeming's comments to NEWSARAMA about this new 56-page black & white OGN, "The story is really weird, kind a of a mix of Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE and THE HIDDEN, a great B-movie from the eighties." See what I mean about falling between two stools?

Oeming's projects have always been a little strange and mired in pop culture (BASTARD SAMURAI especially), but this looks to be the weirdest of the lot. Oeming's joined in co-writing duties by Dan Berman and inks over Ethen Beavers. Beavers' pencils fall very neatly into the Pop Art 60s revivalist niche of Darwyn Cooke et al, and look gorgeous. Definitely one to look out for. [John Fellows]

WE'LL EVENTUALLY HAVE PARIS

Sometimes it's tough to be a dedicated comics fan, especially when it comes to reprints. Older works by some of the more gifted creators are frequently very hard to find, or simply not available due to some companies' reticence to plumb their back catalogues for the better-made but less-popular comics. Just a few years ago, you had to spend a few hours digging through longboxes at conventions just to find something as elementary and seemingly necessary as the Alan Moore SWAMP THING collection.

Thankfully, in the last few years DC Vertigo has made an effort to reissue some of the brighter spots in its canon, including Moore's SWAMP THING, Milligan's SHADE THE CHANGING MAN, and Morrison's fantastic runs on ANIMAL MAN and THE DOOM PATROL, both giant leaps in the storytelling possibilities in comics - some of the first appearances of postmodernism, surrealism, and dadaism in (marginally) mainstream comics - and that's especially evident in this week's issuing of DOOM PATROL: THE PAINTING THAT ATE PARIS.

If Morrison weren't ready to start a massive run on some original DC materials, it probably wouldn't be this way, but now we dedicated fans should be thankful that we've finally been freed from the tyranny of the back issue bins, and a stifling era of mild inconvenience is at last at an end. [John Parker]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR SEPTEMBER 22nd 2004:

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

DARK HORSE

JUL040020 CONAN #8 $2.99
DEC030060 HELLSING VOL 2 TP $13.95
JUN040053 HELLSING VOL 4 TP $13.95

DC COMICS

JUL040580 BATGIRL #56 $2.50
JUL040659 CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #1 $2.25
JUL040581 CATWOMAN #35 $2.50
JUL040666 CHALAND ANTHOLOGY VOL 1 FREDDY LOMBARD TP (MR) $17.95
JUL040690 DOOM PATROL VOL 2 PAINTING THAT ATE PARIS TP (MR) $19.95
JUL040664 ELRIC MAKING OF A SORCERER #1 (Of 4) $5.95
JUL040674 EX MACHINA #4 (MR) $2.95
JUL040619 FLASH #214 $2.25
JUL040625 HERO #20 $2.50
JUL040628 JLA VOL 14 TRIAL BY FIRE TP $12.95
JUL041614X JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED GREEN LANTERN MINI MAQUETTE $29.95
JUL040677 LIFE EATERS SC $19.95
JUL040699 LUCIFER #54 (MR) $2.50
JUL040637 MANHUNTER #2 $2.50
JUL040640 PLASTIC MAN #10 $2.95
JUL040579 ROBIN #130 $2.25
JUL040676 SLEEPER SEASON TWO #4 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
JUL040604 SMALLVILLE #10 $3.95
JUL040645 STARMAN GRAND GUIGNOL TP $19.95
JUL040683 TOM STRONG #28 $2.95
JUL040705 WITCHING #4 (MR) $2.95

IMAGE

JUL041806 DARKNESS VOL 2 #15 $2.99
MAY041420D KANE VOL 3 HISTORIES TP $12.95
JUL041768 PSCYTHE #1 (Of 2) (MR) $3.95
JUL041769 PUTTIN THE BACKBONE BACK TP (MR) $9.95
DEC031330D PVP DORK AGES TP $11.95
JUN041372 SIX GN $5.95

MARVEL

JUL041987 ASTONISHING X-MEN #5 $2.99
JUL042020 AVENGERS #502 (#87) $2.25
JUL042046 AVENGERS THUNDERBOLTS VOL 2 BEST INTENTIONS TP $14.99
JUL042047 AVENGERS VOL 5 ONCE AN INVADER TP $14.99
JUL041957 BLACK WIDOW #1 (Of 6) $2.99
JUL041990 EXCALIBUR #5 $2.99
JUL042015 MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #12 $2.25
JUL041965 MARVEL KNIGHTS 4 #10 $2.99
JUL042002 MYSTIQUE #19 $2.99
JUL041994 NIGHTCRAWLER #1 $2.99
JUL042001 ROGUE #3 $2.99
JUN041621 RUNAWAYS #18 $2.99
JUL041985 ULTIMATE ELEKTRA #2 (Of 5) $2.25
JUL041983 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #11 $2.25
JUL041989 UNCANNY X-MEN #449 $2.25
JUL042009 VENOM VS CARNAGE #3 (Of 4) $2.99
JUL041998 WEAPON X #28 $2.99
AUG041846D WOLVERINE #20 POSTER $5.99

OTHER PUBLISHERS

JUL043271E ANGEL SANCTUARY VOL 4 (MR) $9.95
JUN042895 ANIMERICA EXTRA SEPT 2004 VOL 7 #9 $4.99
JUN042406 ARMY OF DARKNESS ASHES 2 ASHES #2 (MR) $2.99
JUL043273E BASTARD VOL 5 TP 2ND ED (MR) $9.95
JUL042626E BETTY #141 $2.19
JUL042758E CAPTAIN CANUCK UNHOLY WAR #1 (OF 3) $2.50
JUL042810E COSMIC GUARD #2 $2.99
JUL042787E COUPLE VOL 2 GN $9.99
JUL042492F CROSSFIRE VOL 1 HOLLYWOOD HERO TP $9.95
JUN042468I DFE ARMY OF DARKNESS ASHES 2 ASHES PHOTO CVR #2 $6.99
JUL042865I DFE TRANSFORMERS WAR WITHIN ALT CVR VOL 3 #1 $6.99
MAY042604E DUEL MASTERS #8 $2.95
JUN042369 FULL HOUSE BOOK 1 GN $9.99
JUL043288E FUSHIGI YUGI VOL 12 GN $9.95
JUL042813E GI JOE #34 $2.95
JUL046153E GI JOE #34 2ND PTG $2.95
JUL042591E GOLD DIGGER PINK SLIP GN $9.99
JUL042930F HARRY JOHNSON #1 (Of 2) (MR) $2.95
APR042995 HOT GIMMICK VOL 5 TP $9.95
JUL042630E JUGHEAD WITH ARCHIE DIGEST #196 $2.39
JUL042710E KIZUNA BONDS OF LOVE BOOK 2 GN (A) $15.99
JUL042562E LITTLE SCROWLIE VOL 1 TP $10.95
JUL042784F NEO DAWN #3 (Of 3) (MR) $2.95
JUL042596E NEOTOPIA VOL 4 #2 $2.99
JUL042565E NIGHTMARES AND FAIRY TALES #10 $2.95
JUL042632E PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #88 $3.59
JUL042711F SELFISH LOVE BOOK 1 GN (A) $15.99
JUL042794E SLAYERS LINA THE TEENAGE SORCERESS GN $9.99
JUL043315E TUXEDO GIN VOL 8 TP $9.95
JUL042937E UNCLE SCROOGE #334 $6.95
JUL043321E VAGABOND VOL 15 TP $9.95
JUL042938E WALT DISNEYS COMICS AND STORIES #649 $6.95
JUL042539F WATERWISE GN (MR) $14.95

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.