THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 2 - Week 33 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, April 21 , 2008

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #44: “A Tale of Two Cities” (All Ages)

Josh Elder (w); Christopher Jones (p); Terry Beatty (i); Heroic Age (c); Swands (l); cover by Jones & Beatty

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of Bruce Wayne in his early years as Batman.

In this issue : Batman heads to Metropolis on the trail of a Gotham City supervillain! But to bring the baddie down, he's going to have to deal with the one, the only…Superman! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Batman and Superman are two heroes with two different viewpoints on dishing out justice. Elder, Jones and Heroic Age immediately establish this dichotomy in the first five pages by dividing the page in half and contrasting Metropolis and Gotham . Metropolis is sunny and brightly colored, while Gotham is dark and seedy, rendered in shades of red. Two things both cities have, however, are criminals and heroes, and we are finally introduced to the one criminal (and his organization) who will bring both heroes together. It's a brilliantly-executed setup. How Superman and Batman end up saving the day is not something I will spoil here, but it works. So does the story.
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THE FLASH vol. 2 #239: “Fast Money, part 2” (Teen/Young Adult)

Tom Peyer (w); Freddie E. Williams II (p/i); Tanya & Richard Horie (c); Travis Lanham (l); cover by Williams

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Wally West returns as the Scarlet Speedster.

In this issue: "Fast Money" continues! Wally West's family and allies take sides as he weighs an opportunity to profit from his powers at the risk of the precious Flash legacy. Meanwhile, the increasingly powerful media-villain Spin molds intangible mass anxiety into solid unstoppable force against the Flash! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Why is it that when a good person makes one mistake, we as a society forget all the good things they've done and focus only on the bad? Racing through the streets in the wake of a remark he made on TV, the looks on people's faces tell Wally that they don't trust him anymore. A reporter even calls Jay “the honest Flash.” But even Jay is susceptible to Spin's control, resulting in a showdown that's beautifully brought to life by Peyer and the Hories. And if the last page is any indication, Spin (and Peyer) have even more in store for the Scarlet Speedster.
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LEGION OF SUPERHEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #13: “Back In Metropolis” (All Ages)

J. Torres (w); Alexander Serra (p); Rick Ketcham (i); Heroic Age (c); Sal Cipriano (l); cover by Serra

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of the Legion, based on their hit cartoon.

In this issue: Someone is recording Superman's activity in Metropolis…but who is it?

Review: Superman does a lot in this issue: has an interview with Lois Lane , puts out a fire, trains with the Legion and battles Lex Luthor's new battle suit. What's interesting is the way in which Torres looks backwards and forwards: cutting from Metropolis to the 31 st century, Lois' remarks about the possibility of a “league” or “legion” of heroes (and villains as well), and the presence of a villain (besides Luthor) who will become one of Superman's major enemies.
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MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #23: “New Avengers” (All Ages)

Marc Sumerak (w); Kevin Sharpe (p); Jay Leisten (i); Ulises Arreola (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Leonard Kirk

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Super-soldier from World War II. Weather Goddess. Super-strong alter ego of scientist Bruce Banner. Spider-powered web-slinger. Giant-sized crimefighter. Brilliant armored inventor. Feral mutant brawler. Together, they are the world's mightiest heroes, battling foes that no single super hero could withstand!

In this issue : AVENGERS RE-ASSEMBLE! What happens when you take the "Earth" out of Earth's Mightiest Heroes? You end up with a bunch of Avengers that have mysteriously vanished off the face of the planet! Now Captain America and Spider-Man must call on some of their newest allies to help them rescue their missing teammates. But will this new roster of unpredictable heroes be able to work together long enough to save the day... or will they just end up making things even worse? (from marvel.com

Review: What do you do when almost all of your team gets abducted by a villain who wants to capture the most unique races in the universe? If you're Captain America , you assemble a new team. Though they have aided the Avengers before, they're all loners, but Cap knows the right button to push for each one. The villain claims to have captured beings in the name of preservation, but any way you look at it, it's abduction and it's wrong. As always, you can count on Spidey's wisecracks to lighten things up, especially when the targets are *NSYNC or the other Avengers titles (“New, “Mighty” and “Ultimate”) currently on the stands.
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PERHAPANAUTS vol. 2 #1: “Kah-Tone Triangle, part 1” (Teen/Young Adult)

Todd Dezago (w); Craig Rousseau (p/i); Rico Renzi (c); covers by Rousseau and Art Adams

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: There are places in this world where the fabric of reality has worn thin, where strange and terrible creatures have crossed over to lurk in the shadows and the night. There is an organization dedicated to finding these creatures and sending them back from whence they came, sealing the rift behind them, and maintaining the integrity of those borders. The organization is called BEDLAM. Its agents are…THE PERHAPANAUTS!

In this issue : "TRIANGLE," Part One
The official debut of the all-new on-going series from Image! A new storyline begins as the PERHAPANAUTS delve deeper into the Bermuda Triangle to rescue Karl from the Mothman Tribunal! As the team prepares to battle these Angels of Doom, they are separated and cast into the unpredictable and unfathomable Perhaps! Will they ever get out...?! Back at Bedlam, Arisa is confronted by her past and Choopie is crowned King of the Gremlins. Yes, really. (from imagecomics.com)

Review: At long last, the moment fans have been waiting for (not to mention the creators)…the launch of a PERHAPANAUTS monthly series! New readers need not worry, as Molly fills us in on what's going on. They're trying to rescue Karl the Mothman from the OTHER Mothmen, and in so doing get cast into the Perhaps, where their fates are…not quite WORSE than death, but pretty close. Having Molly and Choopie break the fourth wall in the opening scene is a great way to begin the series, and the creators seem ready and eager to take both the team and the readers on some great new adventures. DO NOT miss the 2-page backup story, “Choopie Goes to Church,” penciled by Dave Tata; it's concise, hilarious storytelling. I wouldn't have pictured Choopie (or the rest of the team) in a church setting, but it makes sense when you read the story. Choopie's expressions are wonderful as he takes it all in, until…well, just read it, OK? I can't speak for anyone else, but as a regular church-goer myself, I loved it.
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COLLECTIONS

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS vol. 5: SOME ASSEMBLING REQUIRED digest collects MA AVENGERS #16-19.

MARVEL ADVENTURES TWO-IN-ONE #10 collects MA HULK #1 and MA SPIDER-MAN #36

To be reviewed in next week's column:

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #35

MICE TEMPLAR #4

POWER PACK: DAY ONE #2

RETURN OF THE GREMLINS #2

SUPER FRIENDS vol. 2 #2

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #121

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS vol. 2 #11

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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