THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 2 - Week 32 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, April 14 , 2008

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #10: “The Unstoppable Mr. Marko” (All Ages)

Paul Benjamin (w); Steve Scott (p); Terry Pallot (i); A. Street (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Sean Gordon Murphy & Moose Baumann

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Caught in a blast of gamma-radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner now finds himself living as a fugitive, cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as the HULK.

In this issue : He's big. He's angry... and he's not green. He's the unstoppable Juggernaut! Bruce Banner's looking for the mystical amulet of Cyttorak, said to be capable of chaining a mighty behemoth. But Bruce doesn't know that his guide is none other than the Juggernaut himself, out to destroy the artifact. What happens when an unstoppable force meets another unstoppable force? Do the words “Hulk smash!” mean anything to you? (from marvel.com)

Review: A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting artist Steve Scott at my local comic shop, Heroes & Dragons (Jeremy Dale and Sanford Greene were also there, and getting to chat with all three of them and see their work made for a great afternoon). Scott showed me some of his pencils for this issue and said that working on it (and next month's issue #11) was a ton of fun, and it shows. This is, after all, the gamma-spawned Green Goliath vs. the unstoppable Juggernaut, which means lots of action. Since the two are pretty evenly matched, this battle will have to be won with brains instead of brawn…but who's smarter? For his part, Benjamin does something he hasn't done before; he allows us to know Hulk's thoughts while he's trapped inside Banner. It keeps the Hulk's presence felt, if not seen, and is quite effective.
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POWER PACK: DAY ONE #1: “Parentnapped By Snarks From Outer Space!” (All Ages)

Fred Van Lente (w); Gurihiru (p/i/c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Gurihiru

Publisher: Marvel

Format: four-issue miniseries

Concept: The Pack's origin is revealed.

In this issue: Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie Power are just four regular kids, but in twenty-four hours, they're going to have to escape alien abduction, learn how to use their bizarre new super powers, rescue their parents from an intergalactic tyrant, and save Earth from total destruction! The origin of Marvel's premiere kid super-team establishes a new continuity for the Pack! (from marvel.com)

Review: After some fantastic adventures—and some GREAT miniseries—the time has come for Power Pack's origin to be told (Fortunately for us readers, we don't have to take the Super Sacred Secret Origin Oath). To satisfy Franklin Richards' curiosity, the Pack tell of their move to a new town, Dad's job with the government, the evil Snarks who want the parents, and the Sorcerer who's there to stop them. Van Lente makes the story fun and exciting, while allowing us to feel Alex's sadness at having no friends and his inability to talk to his dad about it. The reliable Gurihiru team works their magic to vividly bring the story to life as only they can. The Snarks and the Sorceror are particularly well-done, as is the wonderful cover, which shows the kids in mid-transformation. Also included is the first of four backup stories spotlighting each member and their power; in this case, Alex and gravity.
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TINY TITANS #3 (All Ages)

Art Baltazar & Franco Aurellani (w); Baltazar (p/i/c); cover by Baltazar

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: It's all your favorite Titans, in their cutest possible form!

In this issue: More zany Tiny Titans adventures! Alfred lets the boys spend an afternoon in the Batcave, a high-spirited debate occurs when the Tiny Titans try to figure out the difference between a superhero and a sidekick, Show and Tell day at Sidekick Elementary has hilarious results, and see how Beast Boy tackles science class. This plus even more fun as the Tiny Titans virtually leap off the pages! (from dccomics.com)

Review: If you're wondering why the penguins on the cover are wearing helmets and rocket packs, it's because they're the penguins from the movie. You know, “Batman Returns.” And they're quite the mischief-makers, as is Beast Boy, who constantly surprises the science teacher with his animals. Rose earns the respect of kids everywhere after she brings her brother to Show and Tell. The best story is “Sidekick's Superhero,” in which Robin's secret origin story doesn't measure up to everyone else's, and they laugh at him for being a sidekick…until Batman shows up.

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COLLECTIONS

CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK trade paperback collects the three-issue miniseries, plus THE NEW TEEN TITANS #16 and the original CAPTAIN CARROT AND HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW #1 and #14-15.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: THE TIES THAT BIND trade paperback collects JLU #16-22.

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK vol. 2: DEFENDERS digest collects MA HULK #5-8.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN vol. 9: FIERCEST FOES digest collects MA SPIDER-MAN #33-36.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #44

FLASH vol. 2 #239

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #13

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #23

PERHAPANAUTS vol. 2 #1

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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