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: BIRTHRIGHT

My reaction to Superman is one of BA Baracus-like disdain: I ain't reading no Supes, fool. He's a big dork in red pants! Yet now I find myself owning a Superman trade. In hardcover, no less! And it's all Mark Waid's fault. Well, him and Leinil Yu.

I don't buy a lot of mainstream comics, and I didn't become aware of Waid as a writer until my flatmate dumped EMPIRE on my reading pile, saying, "You'll like this. There's people playing basketball with severed heads." Ooo, said I, and devoured it immediately. So when friends started talking about how good Waid and Yu's twelve-issue SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT miniseries was, I borrowed a few issues. And I found, to my surprise, that amongst the fifteen different DC books involving Superman on the shelves in January, here was one I liked.

Why? Well, it's basically Ultimate Superman - the Man of Steel's origin, once more, with feeling. Everything works in Birthright. Lex Luthor is nasty as hell, but has clear motivations. Lois isn't just a simpering love-object. Superman/Clark Kent is shown taking his first tentative steps both as an adult and as a superhero, and he makes mistakes. And, like all of Waid's stuff, there's a nasty edge to it waiting to sneak out. Witness the dissection scene, and the populace of Metropolis's mistrust of their new hero.

SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT is for everyone who thinks the magic is gone with Superman, and for those - like me - who can't be bothered catching up seventeen years of continuity or sieving through all the Superman titles on the shelf for 'the good one'. Oh god, I can't believe I'm buying a Superman book. Don't tell anyone, OK? [Alex de Campi]

FLYING SOLO

SOLO, DC's new anthology series, was announced two years ago. Now, it's all well and good to throw hyperbole like, "and it's been worth the wait", around, but, y'know what? I think in this case it might be true.

SOLO is the brainchild of Mark Chiarello, the same guy who came up with the striking BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE a few years back. Like that book, SOLO is all about the artistic talent, and the creators have been given the option to either create short stories set within DC continuity, or to move outside the pigeon hole and create something completely original.

The line-up of talent looks impressive. The first issue sees Tim Sale again reunited with Jeph Loeb on a SUPERMAN story and working with Brian Azzarello on a BATMAN/CATWOMAN story, while Diana Schutz and Darwyn Cooke provide a SUPERGIRL tale. And that's just for starters. Future issues include contributions from (deep breath): Mike Allred, Brian Bolland, John Cassaday, Richard Corben, Dave Gibbons, Scott Hampton, Adam Hughes, JG Jones, Kevin Nowlan, Paul Pope, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walter Simonson, Jill Thompson, Bruce Timm, John Van Fleet and Matt Wagner.

Me, I'm really looking forward to Pope's contributions, which will apparently be a Golden Age Robin story and a retelling of the Minotaur story. But everyone will have their favourites, and you'd better hope yours turn up early in the run. A project with this scope and vision has barely more than a snowball's chance of surviving in the current market. [Ben Wooller]

REVOLUTION NUMBER ONE

I remember picking up the very first issue of Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's AUTHORITY and being blown away. It wasn't the fascinating characters, because they were actually fairly uninteresting. It wasn't the riveting stories, because most of them were classic stories tarted up in Ellis's trademark dialogue. It was the shock of how things were being done differently. Splash-pages with epic detail and depth; colouring that was actually part of the art; Hollywood-style story structure - it was a brave and glorious twelve-month affair.

Then came Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, who built on Ellis and Hitch's groundwork and provided consequences for the characters' actions. Ellis cared little for the reaction when the Midnighter ploughed a 35-mile wide spaceship through the capital city of an evil dictator, but Millar had The Authority answer for its crimes. Hamstrung by artistic musical chairs, the run ended on more of a whimper than a bang - a sad end to a groundbreaking series. The recent Robbie Morrison/Dwayne Turner relaunch failed to reach the highs of what the series used to be, despite its 'mature readers' tag, and drastic action was required.

Now Ed Brubaker has been gifted his first team book, and it's a doozy. Joined by rising star Dustin Nguyen, he's launching his own 12-issue run on the title, AUTHORITY: REVOLUTION. Brubaker seems an odd fit for a book built on bombast, but with this and CAPTAIN AMERICA, he's clearly looking to expand his oeuvre. His promise to look into the team's problems following their recent takeover of America doesn't set my soul on fire like Ellis's work, but this long ago ceased to be Ellis's book, and the presence of WILDCATS artist Nguyen guarantees that it will at least look stunning. [John Fellows]

THE SHIPPING LIST FOR OCTOBER 27th 2004:

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

DARK HORSE

JUN040040 LAST TRAIN TO DEADSVILLE A CAL MCDONALD MYSTERY #4 (Of 4) (M $2.99
AUG040046D SUPER MANGA BLAST #46 (MR) $5.99
AUG040032D USAGI YOJIMBO #79 $2.99

DC COMICS

AUG040376D ADAM STRANGE #2 (Of 8) $2.95
AUG040377D AQUAMAN #23 $2.50
AUG040435D AUTHORITY REVOLUTION #1 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
AUG040355D BATMAN #633 $2.95
AUG040346D BATMAN AS THE CROW FLIES TP $12.95
AUG040362D BATMAN DETECTIVE #27 SC $12.95
AUG040363D BIRDS OF PREY #75 $2.95
AUG040414D CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #2 $2.25
AUG040354D CATWOMAN #36 $2.50
AUG040433D DEVLIN WAUGH SWIMMING IN BLOOD TP (MR) $19.95
AUG040380D DOOM PATROL #5 $2.50
AUG040424D ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 5 TP $9.95
AUG040453D FABLES VOL 4 MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS TP (MR) $17.95
AUG040384D FLASH #215 $2.25
AUG040383D GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH #1 (OF 6) $2.95
AUG040449D HELLBLAZER #201 (MR) $2.75
AUG040395D JLA #107 $2.25
AUG040456D LOSERS #17 (MR) $2.95
AUG040403D OUTSIDERS #17 $2.50
AUG040442D PLANETARY #21 $2.95
AUG040434D RED RAZORS TP (MR) $12.95
AUG040406D RICHARD DRAGON #6 $2.50
AUG040461D SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER VOL 2 THE FACE AND THE BRUTE (MR) $19.95
AUG040462D SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE VOL 1 THE TARANTULA TP NEW PTG (MR)$9.95
AUG040443D SLEEPER SEASON TWO #5 (Of 12) (MR) $2.95
AUG040407D SOLO #1 $3.95
AUG040366D SUPERMAN #210 $2.50
AUG040370D SUPERMAN BIRTHRIGHT HC $29.95
JUL040703 SWAMP THING REGENESIS TP (MR) $17.95
AUG040415D TEEN TITANS GO #12 $2.25
AUG040464D WE 3 #2 (Of 3) (MR) $2.95
AUG040463D WITCHING #5 (MR) $2.95
AUG040411D WONDER WOMAN #209 $2.25

IMAGE

AUG041627D HUMANKIND #3 $2.99
AUG041570D LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW GN $7.95
JUL041807 MYTH WARRIORS GN $9.99
AUG041571D NOBLE CAUSES CVR A BUENO #4 $3.50
AUG041572D NOBLE CAUSES CVR B PONCE #4 $3.50
JUL041767 NYC MECH #6 (MR) $2.95
JUN041368 PVP #10 $2.95
MAY041434D SAVAGE DRAGON GOD WAR #1 (Of 3) $2.95
AUG041580D SPAWN #139 (RES) $2.50
AUG041622D WITCHBLADE SGN #80 $19.99

MARVEL

AUG041819D AMAZING FANTASY #5 $2.99
AUG041816D AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #513 $2.25
AUG041812D BLACK WIDOW #2 (Of 6) $2.99
AUG041805D DAREDEVIL #66 $2.99
AUG041848D DOCTOR SPECTRUM #3 (Of 6) (MR) $2.99
AUG041813D ELEKTRA THE HAND #3 (Of 5) $2.99
AUG041786D EXCALIBUR #6 $2.99
AUG041858D EXCALIBUR VOL 1 FORGING THE SWORD TP $9.99
AUG041855D EXILES VOL 8 EARN YOUR WINGS TP $14.99
AUG041797D MYSTIQUE #20 $2.99
AUG041839D POWERLESS #5 (Of 6) $2.99
AUG041840D SILVER SURFER #14 $2.99
AUG041814D STRANGE #2 $3.50
AUG041802D ULTIMATE ELEKTRA #3 (Of 5) $2.25
AUG041774D WOLVERINE #21 $2.25
AUG041779D WOLVERINE WEAPON X PROSE HC $24.95
AUG041781D X-MEN #163 $2.25

OTHER PUBLISHERS

AUG043122E ALICE 19TH VOLUME 7 TP THE LOST WORD $9.99
AUG043123E ALL NEW TENCHI MUYO VOL 5 TP POINT AND SHOOT $8.95
AUG042453E ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #156 $3.59
JUL042807E ARMY OF DARKNESS ASHES 2 ASHES #3 (MR) $2.99
DEC032034 AZUMANGA DAIOH MANGA VOL 3 TP $9.99
FEB042038 AZUMANGA DAIOH MANGA VOL 4 TP $9.99
AUG042552E BART SIMPSON COMICS #20 $2.99
JUN042707 BLUE MONDAY PAINTED MOON #3 (Of 4) (MR) $2.99
AUG042639E BREAKDOWN CVR A #1 $2.95
AUG042640E BREAKDOWN CVR B #1 $2.95
AUG042337F BRIGHT ELEGY GN (MR) $12.95
AUG042794V CANDYAPPLEBLACK #5 (Of 7) (MR) $3.50
AUG043127E CERES CELESTIAL LEGEND VOL 9 TP PROGENITOR $9.95
JUN042096 CHRONO CRUSADE MANGA VOL 2 TP $9.99
AUG042638E COSMIC GUARD #3 $2.99
JUL042535F ESCALATOR GN (MR) $12.95
AUG043133E EXCEL SAGA VOL 9 TP $9.95
MAY042338E FATHOM CANNON HAWKE #0 $2.50
AUG043132E FLOWERS AND BEES VOL 5 TP (MR) $9.95
AUG042645E GI JOE PX CVR #35 $3.95
AUG042644E GI JOE REG CVR #35 $2.95
SEP042580 GI JOE RELOADED #9 $2.95
SEP042581 GI JOE VS TRANSFORMERS VOL 2 CVR A #3 $2.95
SEP042582 GI JOE VS TRANSFORMERS VOL 2 CVR B #3 $2.95
JUL042514E GUNPARADE MARCH MANGA VOL 1 TP (MR) $9.99
JUL043026F I LOVE A MYSTERY GN $10.95
JAN042816 INU YASHA VOL 9 TP 2ND ED $8.95
JUL042710E KIZUNA BONDS OF LOVE BOOK 2 GN (A) $15.99
SEP042469 KIZUNA BONDS OF LOVE BOOK 3 GN (A) $15.99
AUG042342E MYTHICAL DETECTIVE LOKI MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99
AUG048089E NO NEED FOR TENCHI TP 2ND ED VOL 1 (PU #641) $8.95
AUG042348E PEACEMAKER KUROGANE MANGA VOL 1 TP $9.99
AUG042344E PRETEAR MANGA VOL 3 TP $9.99
AUG043145E RANMA 1/2 VOL 13 TP (SECOND ED) $9.95
AUG043144E RANMA 1/2 VOL 28 TP $9.95
SEP042470 SELFISH LOVE BOOK 2 GN (A) $15.99
JUL042537F SLOWPOKE AMERICAS GONE BONKERS TP (MR) $12.95
JUL042649E SOULFIRE #2 (RES) $2.99
AUG042321E STRANGERS IN PARADISE #69 $2.95
AUG042691E TRANSFORMERS GEN 1 MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE VOL 1 TP $24.95
AUG042778E UNCLE SCROOGE #335 $6.95
AUG042471E VERONICA #156 $2.19
JUL043014V VIDEO #3 (Of 6) $2.95
AUG042779E WALT DISNEYS COMICS AND STORIES #650 $6.95
AUG042562F WITCHES & WHATNOT POCKET ARTBOOK (MR) $9.99
AUG042563F WITCHES & WHATNOT POCKET ARTBOOK SGN (MR) $15.00
AUG043165E X 1999 VOL 16 NOCTURNE TP $9.95
JUN042156 X-RAY COMICS VOL 1 TP FILTH (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.