THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 13 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, December 01 , 2008

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #42: “Doomed Election” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); David Hahn (p/i); A. Dalhouse (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Henry & Guru

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 Fantastic Four travel to Latveria after Doctor Doom bows to international pressure and opens the office of Supreme President to a democratic election! Of course, Doom has a plan for some serious election fraud, but when his voting scheme backfires the Fantastic Four are caught between Latveria's progressive new leader and one VERY angry ex-tyrant! (from marvel.com)

Review: At this point, there's very little Doctor Doom could do to surprise anyone, namely the Fantastic Four. But seeing someone else voted as Latveria's Supreme President was certainly not something I was expecting! With vote tampering, oppression, gasoline shortages, bursting dams and protestors, it's not hard to draw comparisons to events that have happened both in America and around the world in the past few years. It's a timely story with a satisfying final panel, even if we all know it won't last.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #5: “A Very Strange Day” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Jacopo Camagni (p); Norman Lee (i); Guru eFX (c); cover by Cruz & Quintana

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

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

In this issue: In his MA: Super Heroes debut, Doctor Strange encounters a cosmically powered creature known as a Zakimiya, which has been allowing its newborn babies to feed on the very fabric of reality. Dang! Luckily, Doctor Strange has a plan---recruit a magically souped-up Spider-Man to web shut the holes in the fabric of reality, and then hope the two of them can bluff their way to victory against the all-powerful Zakimiya. Good luck with that! (from marvel.com)

Review: Nothing against Iron Man and the Hulk, but it's nice to see another character in these pages. If, like Spidey, you are unfamiliar with Dr. Strange, don't worry; he'll gladly take you below reality to the past and bring you up to speed. Spidey's remarks are typically funny, but what's really cool is seeing him ham it up as a supposedly Hidden entity as well as the magical webs he's able to shoot with a little power boost.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #128 (Teen/Young Adult)

Brian Michael Bendis (w); Stuart Immonen (p); Wade von Grawbagder (i); Justin Ponsor (c); Cory Petit (l); cover by Immonen & Richard Isanove

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: The bite of a genetically-altered spider grants high school student Peter Parker incredible, arachnid-like powers.

In this issue: An unwelcome caller pays a visit to the Parker household in the form of Eddie Brock, the former host to the sinister Venom symbiote! Blaming Peter for his loss of the symbiote, Eddie will stop at nothing to regain it. As the situation comes unglued with the untimely arrival of Gwen Stacy, it's Ultimate Venom versus Ultimate Carnage as War of the Symbiotes comes to its crashing conclusion! Plus: More on the mysterious Beetle and his mission for the “master”! (from marvel.com)

Review: Gwen Stacy is certainly in a mess, so she's come to the only person she knows to turn to: Peter Parker. Unfortunately, things are about to get a whole lot messier. I like the way Bendis frames the story by showing Eddie sitting on the park bench talking to people as he's done before (but with a different outcome this time), and it says a lot about Peter that he's willing to help Eddie despite their past. But the real reason to check this issue out is simple: Ultimate Venom versus Ultimate Carnage, drawn by Immonen.

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #9: “Koan” (All Ages)

Fred Van Lente (w); Francis Portela (p/i); Ulises Arreola (c); Joe Caramagna (l); cover by Espin, Kesel & Quintana

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 : Flashing claws versus fists of fury! That's right -- Wolverine takes on SHANG-CHI, MASTER OF KUNG-FU! 'Nuff said!

Review: Wolverine meets Shang-Chi, and the result is a very thoughtful issue. Logan has long sought to tame the beast within so that Sabretooth won't get the best of him. But what if his real worst enemy is himself? Van Lente offers some thought-provoking questions, and Portela captures Logan 's emotions nicely, especially in the great final page.

COLLECTIONS

MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN: ARMORED AVENGER digest collects MA IRON MAN #13, IRON MAN: GOLDEN AVENGER #1, MA IRON MAN & HULK 2007 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION and MA IRON MAN & HULK & SPIDER-MAN FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2008 EDITION.

X-MEN FIRST CLASS: BAND OF BROTHERS trade collects issues #6-10.

To be reviewed in next week's column

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #10

JINGLE BELLE: SANTA CLAUS VS. FRANKENSTEIN

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED: THE ARRIVAL #5

WEAPON X FIRST CLASS #2

WOLVERINE & POWER PACK #2

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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