THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 9 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, November 03 , 2008

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #41: “The Collectible Red Variant” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); David Hahn (p/i); Andrew 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: Volunteering for some heavy-duty landscaping at the city zoo, the Thing and the Human Torch run across the zoo's top secret new exhibit: Devil Dinosaur! But the Fantastic Four soon find out that it isn't all fun and games to find a dinosaur at a zoo, and between the mystery of the zoo's recent plague of nighttime break-ins, and having the cosmically powered Collector show up to claim the dinosaur he won on an interstellar auction website, the price of admission to THIS particular zoo is a world of hurt. (from marvel.com)

Review: From prehistoric times to modern times, Devil Dinosaur is one well-traveled saurian…and now he's in a cage at a zoo. How did THAT happen? Well, that's for you to find out, but Devil and Ben take an instant liking to each other. Of course, where Devil goes, Moon Boy follows. All they want is to be free, and through Sue and the presence of the Collector, Tobin raises animal-rights questions. My favorite scene, in fact, is one in which Ben almost lets Devil go himself.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #3 (Teen/Young Adult)

Brian Michael Bendis (w); David Lafuente (p/i); John Rauch (c); Cory Petit (l); cover by Mark Brooks & Richard Isanove

Publisher: Marvel

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

In this issue: The relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane is one of the most iconic and popular romances in all of comics -- and in this very special issue by series writer Brian Michael Bendis (SECRET INVASION), and red-hot artist David Lafuente [HELLCAT], that relationship delves into an area never before seen in any Spider-Man comic! Destined to be one of the most controversial issues of the year! (from marvel.com)

Review: Peter and MJ certainly have been through a LOT , but in this issue, they really talk to each other about their relationship and where they want it to go. There is a high-speed car chase and a subplot involving a guy with, shall we say, his head in the clouds, but the issue truly belongs to Peter and MJ. Bendis allows them to talk about “going all the way” in their relationship in a very honest, non-graphic way. It's a very well-written issue.

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #9 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman (w); Jason Howard (p/i); Howard & Fco Plascencia (c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Howard

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: When Gary Hampton is mauled and left for dead, his life takes a drastic turn. Gary is cursed — when the moon is full he transforms into a beast of the night — a werewolf! But this curse will not be used for evil — witness the birth or the world's most unlikely new superhero — The Astounding Wolf-Man!

In this issue : Gary Hampton is on the run. His identity is public, and he is wanted for murder. His life has taken a drastic turn for the worse at a time when things seemed their darkest. Now he no longer uses his newfound abilities to help others, he must use them to stay alive! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: It's really not a good time to be Gary Hampton right now. Everyone knows his identity, his daughter hates him, he's wanted for a murder he didn't commit, and he's running for his life. He's also being schooled in how to defeat a vampire. As it turns out, though, that's just the beginning of his education. As for the artwork, let me just say this: I don't go for gory stuff, but I can't get enough of Howard's art. There are few artists I've seen working today (with the exception of Ryan Ottley) who can take two seemingly contradictory things such as blood and beauty and produce art that is both.

Look out for: LOTS of blood

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #8: “Zone Of Alienation, part 2” (All Ages)

Fred Van Lente (w); Steven Cummings (p); Vicente Cifuentes (i); Sotocolor (c); Deron Bennett (l); cover by Michael Golden

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: Kitty Pryde is dead ... and Wolverine holds the Soviet Super-Soldiers responsible! Logan unleashes the most ferocious berserker rampage Russia has ever seen -- is the hero lost to the beast forever? (from marvel.com)

Review: You remember that great final scene in the last issue. Wolverine thinks the Soviet Super-Soldiers killed Kitty…and with that, he snaps and the gloves come off. And what a fight it is! Wolvie really takes it to the Soldiers, and the artists make it visually exciting. But underneath the excitement, Van Lente gives us a cautionary story about the dangers of nuclear radiation. How many all-ages comics even attempt to combine those two subjects, let alone do it so well?

X-MEN FIRST CLASS GIANT-SIZE SPECIAL #1: “Chilling Features From Beyond!” (Teen/Young Adult)

Written by Jeff Parker; illustrated by various artists; cover by Parker, Kevin Nowlan & Brad Anderson

Publisher: Marvel

Concept: The next step in human evolution has arrived—Homo Superior. Mankind isn't sure whether this represents hope for the future…or the end of the human race. In a private school in upstate New York, one brilliant mutant is teaching a group of five such gifted students what they'll need to survive in this new world. These are the untold stories of Professor Xavier's first class of X-Men!

In this issue : Just in time for Halloween, The Beast starts conducting investigations into his own "X" files around the world! Are there aliens among us- or things even weirder? Featuring special guest-star artists and classic material too! And emboldened by the safety net of Nowlan inks, Parker even drew the cover! (from marvel.com)

Review: I knew that Parker was a great writer; what I did not know was that he could draw as well. That's just one of many pleasant surprises in this giant-size issue. Professor X and Agent Baker allow Beast to investigate possible extra-terrestrial operations on Earth, taking a different group of X-Men with him each time. As the title suggests, the stories both spoof and pay homage to classic sci-fi and horror movies. Thus we have Beast and Iceman battling “The Thing (From Another Aisle),” which recalls both Howard Hawks and John Carpenter's film versions; “Invasion of the Bobby Snatchers,” in which—you guessed it—pod people impersonate the mutants; “Vigil of the Mad,” in which Li'l Charlie Xavier gets back at a neighbor; “The Day the Earth Just Would Not Stand Still,” in which Cyclops does a hilarious Gort imitation; and finally, a classic Roy Thomas-Don Heck story titled “The Mark Of the Monster.” The artist roster is quite impressive (Dean Haspiel, Michael Cavallaro, Tim Townsend, David Williams, Val Staples, Nick Kilislian, Chris Sotomayor, Roger Langridge, and Michael Cho). Check out the “Alumni” spread and see if YOU can name everyone.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SONS OF GENIUSES

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #193

SONIC X #38

SKRULLS VS. POWER PACK #4

VENOM: DARK ORIGIN #4

WEAPON X FIRST CLASS #1

WOLVERINE AND POWER PACK #1

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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