THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 2 - Week 47 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, July 28 , 2008

DC SUPER FRIENDS #5: "Monkey Business" (All Ages)

Sholly Fisch (w); Stewart McKinney (p); Phil Moy & Mike DeCarlo (i); Heroic Age (c); Travis Lanham (l); cover by J. Bone

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Introducing SUPER FRIENDS - a brand-new series for younger readers to meet the heroes of the DC Universe, based on the hot toy line from Mattel! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Aquaman are here to save the day - and be your friends, too!

In this issue : This issue is full of monkey business! The entire world has gone ape, and the Super Friends better find out why! So it's off to Gorilla City for a mystery so exciting, you'll go bananas for this issue! Plus, the usual fun and games! (from dccomics.com)

Review: When the Super Friends get an emergency alert from King Solovar in Gorilla City , they know they can't monkey around.because every human on Earth has been turned into a primate, including our current President of the United States ! (Read into that what you will). Sure enough, the Friends undergo the change as well. Another writer might have turned them into any species, but Fisch has specific ones in mind, and it all makes sense when Batman (Bat-monkey?) explains things. Of course, all this monkey business originating from Gorilla City can only mean one thing---Gorilla Grodd is at it again! McKinney does a nice job with the monkey designs; Aquaman looks funny and Flash looks absolutely adorable! And while the plot is bananas, Fish doesn't monkey around with the message: being proud of what you are, and not jealous of what others are. The Flash is the subject of the fact file; activities include making a door hanger and a "race-the-clock" puzzle. Finally, Aquaman & Green Lantern help visualize how you can make friends with a new kid at school.

INVINCIBLE #51 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman (w); Ryan Ottley (p/i); Fco Plascencia (c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Jim Lee & Bill Crabtree

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of young superhero Mark Grayson.

In this issue: New costume! New beginning! New home! New Partner! Everything is all-new starting with this issue. Featuring an all-new cover by comic book super-star JIM LEE! If you've ever thought about reading INVINCIBLE this is the jumping-on point you've been waiting for. The next fifty issues start here! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: Issue 51 is here, and with it comes a new costume, a new colorist and a new tagline: "all-new, all-awesome." (Personally, I liked "probably the best superhero comic in the universe" better.) But this book IS still awesome. Mark's training Oliver, and the Teen Team and Guardians of the Globe are picking up the pieces and trying to move on. For all the action in the series, some of my favorite moments have been the smaller, character-driven ones, and this issue is full of them. The scenes with Mark and Oliver are charming, whether they're training together or discussing the pros and cons of using a name like "Kid Omni-Man," and there's a great final scene with Mark and Eve.

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #38: "Dear Aunt Petunia" (All Ages)

Chris Eliopoulos (w); Graham Nolan (p/i); Guillem Mari (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Pagulayan, Huet & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Irradiated by cosmic rays and transformed to possess superhuman powers, they joined together to fight evil. Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing. Together they call themselves the Fantastic Four!

In this issue: The FF have received an invitation they can't refuse...on the moon. But who could it be and what do they want? Be here to see if the Fantastic Four survive or if they need to change their name to the Terrific Three. (from marvel.com)

Review: Aunt Petunia's favorite nephew decides to write, and boy, does he have a story to tell. Ben is always wondering why Reed always has to check and recheck stuff, and basically worry all the time. He gets a chance to find out when the Four find themselves going to the moon. When they learn the reason for they're journey, Reed's ready for it.ready to give his life for his friends, if need be. There's a quick recap of the how the Four got their powers; it's necessary in order to get the emotional impact when Ben learns the answer to his question, and it makes a nice jumping-on issue for new readers. Eliopoulos & Nolan have delivered a winning story about the precautions one man takes, and what he'll do for those he loves.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #1: "Best Of Show" (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Alvin Lee (p); Terry Pallot (i); Emily Warren (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Roger Cruz & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Spidey, Iron Man and the Hulk team up for some zany superhero adventures.

In this issue : It's probably a bad sign when Hercules comes asking for a favor. It's juuuuuust a little job that needs doing, but this is Hercules; isn't he supposed to be REALLY good at doing labors himself? Before they know it, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Hulk are stuck looking after Orthus and Cerberus, the two legendary hounds of the underworld! Luckily, the dogs learn to behave after chewing up only a few cars, a statue, and Iron Man, and finally they're obedient enough for the Metro Dog Show! Only problem, Hercules wants the dogs back. Oh no, Herc, not before the Hulk gets his ribbon! It's two dogs with five heads between them, and all the action you can handle. (from marvel.com)

Review: Spidey, Iron Man and Hulk are hanging out (literally, in Spidey's case) at Iron Man's mansion, when along comes Hercules, who asks for a small favor: watching his dogs (meaning Orthus and Cerberus) for a while. If you've ever tried to train an animal before, you know how tough it can be, but considering that these dogs have five heads total, and that Cerberus has volcanic breath, vast strength, acidic drool and a snake tail.well, it's a challenge for any super hero! Against all odds, the trio manages to pull it off. This issue is nothing special, but it's a lot of fun. And if the two legendary hounds of the underworld can be trained, there's hope for your dog yet.

MONSTER PILE-UP #1 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman, Phil Hester, Todd Dezago, & Alex Grecian (w); Jason Howard, Andy Kuhn, Bill Crabtree, Craig Rousseau, Rico Renzi, Riley Rossmo & Adam Guzowski (p/i/c); cover by Rousseau, Kuhn, Howard & Rossmo

Publisher: Image

Format: one-shot

In this issue : ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN! FIREBREATHER! PERHAPANAUTS! PROOF! If you've heard of any of these great Image Monster series, but just haven't gotten around to reading them - we're making it easy for you! MONSTER PILE-UP #1 features ALL-NEW stories by the regular creative teams of these four titles, specially designed to tell you everything you need to know about each series in compelling tales essential to each series! This specially priced issue is not to be missed! (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: I didn't see this listed on Image's website, so it was a VERY pleasant surprise to see it at my shop. I've never read PROOF before now; having said that, I believe this book represents some of the best series Image has to offer. It's worth it for the cover alone. Where else will you find Craig Rousseau, Andy Kuhn, Riley Rossmo AND Jason Howard on the same cover? They draw the main characters from their respective series, and their styles complement each other nicely. But if you require further incentive, consider this: for a mere $1.99, you get four stories by the original creative teams. (As with last week's PERHAPANAUTS #3, this delivers a lot of bang for your buck.) Better yet, the book is designed with both fans and new readers in mind. For the fans, the stories are all-new, and the WOLF-MAN story advances the plot and leads to issue #8. For newcomers, it's the perfect jumping-on point.

About those stories.WOLF-MAN begins with a funeral and ends with Gary about to die himself, FIREBREATHER gets help with his homework from a loser super villain, THE PERHAPANAUTS make people hear voices in the night, and PROOF brings food to some men for Christmas.

Look out for: WOLF-MAN contains some blood and one use of the phrase "son of a bitch." There's also one "damnit" in PROOF.

USAGI YOJIMBO #113: "Snitch" (Teen/Young Adult)

Written & illustrated by Stan Sakai; cover by Sakai & Tom Luth

Publisher: Dark Horse

Format: monthly series

Concept: The adventures of the rabbit samurai known as Usagi.

In this issue : The rabbit ronin Usagi and his bounty-hunting friend Gen pursue a dangerous criminal only to find themselves at odds with their sometimes-ally Stray Dog! After missing out on the reward for the rogue swordswoman Inazuma, Gen coerces the reluctant Usagi to join him in pursuit of another outlaw. Little do they know that Stray Dog is after the same bounty and determined to get it. One person knows where the outlaw is, and he's willing to tell, but for a price! Aware he has landed himself in a profitable situation, this scheming individual plays Gen and Stray Dog off each other--leaving Usagi caught in the middle! (from darkhorse.com)

Review: Usagi and Gen are running out of money, and they'll take anything, including bounty hunting for a small reward. Little do they know that their informant is the same one Stray Dog is using, and it doesn't take the snitch long to realize that he can make some money in this situation (It's enough to make Gen admire him, and Gen's one of the people being played!). But when the snitch is finally cornered, it's by someone unexpected. This is an entertaining, well-paced story that proves that it doesn't pay to be a snitch.

And I just LOVE Usagi's expression on the cover!

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #5: "Citadel"

Fred Van Lente (w); Clayton Henry (p/i); Chris Sotomayor (c); Simon Bowland (l); cover by Espin & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Return with us again to the early days of the all-new, all-different, X-Men for all-new solo adventures of Wolverine and Kitty Pryde!

In this issue : "TO ME, MY X-MEN! You must immediately pursue
Wolverine into Canada ! He has defected back to ALPHA FLIGHT...and taken Kitty Pryde with him!" (from marvel.com)

Review: Wolverine's taking Kitty to Canada to hook up with Alpha Flight.but not for the reason Professor X thinks. On the way there, Kitty- and the reader-gets a recap of Wolverine's origin, from his discovery in the wild to his early battles with Wendigo and the Hulk to his leading Snowbird, Aurora and Shaman on a mission to free hostages, including the Governor General. What he finds will surprise him. Van Lente & Henry deliver a thrilling tale of government cover-ups and Wolverine's willingness to do whatever he can to help a soldier in need.

ALETHEIA #2 & 3 (Teen/Young Adult)

Bob LeFevre (w/p); Mostafa Moussa (i); James Offredi (c); Ed Dukeshire (l); cover by LeFevre

Publisher: Image

Format: three-issue miniseries

Concept: Mythological gods appear and wreak havoc on a town, and one woman vows to stop them.

In this issue : #2: Bruised and beaten, Aletheia is transformed into the mythical monster, Medusa! Meanwhile, Zeus and Poseidon launch simultaneous attacks on Air Force One and the U.S. Navy...and all Hades is about to break loose!

#3: The mysterious Ruse reveals his true identity, only to leave Medusa with a stone cold choice that forces her to decide between love or death - with the fate of the Ancient Gods in the balance! (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: When I write these reviews, I try to find something positive to say about the comics I'm reviewing. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time coming up with something positive to say about these issues. I read them before I read the synopses, and only after reading the synopses did I get a clue as to what was going on. I cannot recommend this series.

Look out for: language

COLLECTIONS

MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS vol. 1 trade paperback collects issue 1-7.

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR, vol. 9: NEW YORK 'S FINEST digest collects MA FF #33-36.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

SKRULLS vs. POWER PACK #1

X-MEN FIRST CLASS vol. 2 #14

By thy side,

John "Figaro" Norris

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