THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 49 ____________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, August 10, 2009

AGENTS OF ATLAS #8: “Monster Makers” (Teen/Young Adult)

Jeff Parker (w); Carlo Pagulayan (p); Jason Paz with Noah Salonga (i); Jana Schirmer with Elizabeth Dismang (c); Tom Orzechowski (l); cover by Leinil Yu & Laura Martin

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Reunited in the present to save their leader Jimmy Woo, an incredible team of 1950s FBI agents discovered Woo was the heir to an ancient underground empire known as the Atlas Foundation! Assuming command of the worldwide syndicate, Woo and his fellow agents plan to use its far-reaching influence for good. Now Master Woo, Gorilla-Man, Namora, the Urania, Venus and the killer robot M-11 are regarded as global threats—and known to the underworld as the AGENTS OF ATLAS.

In this issue: Jimmy Woo picks a bad time (or maybe a GREAT time) to leave on a personal mission with M-11-- when one of ATLAS' operations comes across something BIG and GREEN and out of control! The Atomic Age heroes meet the original gamma ray giant and learn the meaning of HULK SMASH!!! (from marvel.com)

Review: This issue opens with two men shooting a drifter full of tranquilizers, not realizing that the “drifter” is actually Bruce Banner. One hilarious “Brady Bunch”-style recap page later, they—and the doctors who intend to make him their new test subject—will find out the hard way just how BIG of a mistake they made. And while Jimmy and M-11 are elsewhere, the rest of the team learns that the only thing worse than an angry, rampaging Hulk is a MINDLESS angry, rampaging Hulk. This is by no means a dull issue, and I gotta give bonus points for the note Jimmy Woo leaves when a bunch of gold is returned.

Look out for: The lab test subjects—and what they do to one of the doctors—are not recommended for young children. Also, in the panel where Venus sings in order to calm the Hulk, her breasts are revealed [with well placed twinkles to keep everything pg 13 – Editor Scott].

FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SCHOOL'S OUT #1 (All Ages)

Chris Eliopoulos (w/p/i); Brad Anderson (c); cover by Eliopoulos

Publisher: Marvel

Format: one-shot

Concept: Join Franklin Richards and H.E.R.B.I.E. as they get into all kinds of misadventures!

In this issue: Enough of the pencils, enough of the books, enough of teacher's dirty looks! It's summertime and school is out of session which gives Franklin more time to get into trouble. Join Franklin, his robot nanny, H.E.R.B.I.E., his teleporting dog, Puppy, in more adventures and laughs. Put on your shorts and come out and play! (from marvel.com)

Review: How's this for timing: I review a comic entitled “School's Out” around the time school is about to START again! I figure I'd better get right to it. That's just what Eliopoulos does; the laughs start with the cover and don't stop. Franklin certainly has an eventful summer: he tells a big lie; battles giant ants with Katie Power, Squid Kid and Puppy; extracts a nightmare; and turns a cloud into a dragon. Squid Kid looks adorable, and the characters' wide-mouthed expressions are hilarious. These are fun, feel-good stories, plain and simple.

IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES #1: “The Heart of a Hero/Moving Target” (All Ages)

Eugene Son (w); Dario Brizuela (p/i); Chris Sotomayor/L. Molinar (c); Dave Sharpe (l)

Publisher: Marvel

Format: one-shot

Concept: From the new hit show on Nicktoons Network comes Iron Man Armored Adventures!

In this issue: After a tragic airplane crash, 16-year-old Tony Stark loses his father and is so injured that he must use his dad's repulsor technology to keep himself alive. In the aftermath, Tony also discovers a prototype for the IRON MAN suit, and donning it, Iron Man resolves to fight the enemies of World Peace! Fortunately, he has the help of Jim Rhodes and Pepper Potts, because in addition to trying to save the world he also has to deal with one of the most formidable forces in the known universe: HIGH SCHOOL! (from marvel.com)

Review: If you haven't seen IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES, it's a great show. Now it's in comic format, courtesy of Son and Brizuela. The nice thing about the issue is that both stories keep the high school aspect to a minimum, focusing instead on getting to the heart of Iron Man, literally and figuratively. In “The Heart of a Hero,” we get a recap of the fateful plane crash while Iron Man fights the Living Laser and ensures that a boy's dad won't share the same fate as his own father. Then, in “Moving Target,” we meet rookie S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Clint Barton (code name: Hawkeye), who's been assigned to find out everything he can about Iron Man…which he does! But once he's able to see through the armor to who Tony Stark is, he has to decide if it's better to keep Iron Man's identity a secret, even if it costs him his own career. The stories have a lot to say about character and integrity without talking down to anyone, and they're wonderfully brought to life through the artwork. In the end, Hawkeye concludes that Iron Man just wants respect. And that's just how Son and Brizuela have treated both him and the reader.

LOCKJAW AND THE PET AVENGERS #3 (All Ages)

Chris Eliopoulos (w); Ig Guara (p/i); Chris Sotomayor (c); Nate Piekos (l); covers by Karl Kerschl & Niko Henrichon

Publisher: Marvel

Format: four-issue miniseries

Concept: And there came a day, a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes were unaware of a threat greater than all of them could handle. And on that day, a teleporting puppy scoured the world to assemble a team of animals to fight the foes no single beast could withstand!

In this issue: If you thought battling Devil Dinosaur was bad, you were barking up the wrong tree! Join Lockjaw and the rest of the Pet Avengers on a voyage under the sea! Their search continues for the Infinity Gems, and it leads them right to the bottom of the ocean. Can they find the gem before drowning or getting eaten by Giganto? If you don't pick up the third part of this fan-favorite series, you're all wet! (from marvel.com)

Review: This issue opens with our heroes falling into the ocean, which thrills no one, least of all Hairball. From there, it's one thing after another as they meet Namor's Honor Guard, get swallowed by a whale, and then teleport only to end up…well, I won't reveal any more. Eliopoulos continues to give Hairball some great dialogue, and the team of Guara and Sotomayor continue to impress. One of my favorite panels is the one in which Throg gives Zabu a look that is just priceless.

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #38: “Ms. Isaacson's Third Grade Field Trip” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Jacopo Camagni (p/i); Sotocolor (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Casey Jones & Sotomayor

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Tough-skinned mama's boy. Weather goddess. Spider-powered web-slinger. Pint-sized scientist. Super-strong alter ego of scientist Bruce Banner. Together they are the world's mightiest heroes, battling the foes that no single super hero could withstand!

In this issue: Ms. Isaacson's third grade class has about the coolest homework assignment in the world! They've won a contest to hang out with the Avengers for a day, and whether that means learning to rock climb with Spider-Man, or heading to the petting zoo with the Hulk, or having Storm teach them all about meteorology, it's going to be a great day! All except for how the Avengers get kidnapped by the Mandarin as a part of his bid to take over the world by harnessing the Avenger's individual powers into an unstoppable super robot while the kids are guarded by about the hungriest looking dragon in existence. Okay, that part reeks. And what part does Ant-Man play? Hint: it involves ants. (from marvel.com)

Review: Forget Field Day…for the kids in Ms. Isaacson's third grade class, nothing could top a day with the Avengers! It's part educational and all fun…that is, until the Mandarin shows up, picks them off one by one—except Ant-Man—and adds their powers to his robot. So what part DOES Ant-Man play in all of this? That's for the book to tell you, not a review. I'll say that it's another fun story from Tobin, and major props go to Camagni and Sotocolor for that cool dragon.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #53: “A Sense of Responsibility” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Matteo Lolli (p); Christian Vecchia (i); Guru eFX (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Skottie Young

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Bitten by an irradiated spider, which granted him incredible abilities, Peter Parker learned the all-important lesson, that with great power there must also come great responsibility. And so he became the amazing Spider-Man!

In this issue: A NEW ERA BEGINS!!!!!! New creative team PAUL TOBIN and MATTEO LOLLI proudly present a new take on the most popular character in the Marvel Universe: A young mind-reader named Emma Frost may have figured out Peter Parker's secret. Question is, what does she do with this deadly information? Twenty-two jam-packed pages of fun, all wrapped up in a gorgeous Skottie Young (Wonderful Wizard of Oz) cover! (from marvel.com)

Review: Peter Parker works so hard at keeping his identity a secret. But when you can read minds, as Emma Frost can, secrets don't stay secret for long. She and Sophia Sanduval (aka “Chat”) show up at Midtown High because she's got a hunch that Peter and Spider-Man are the same person, and she wants to prove it. She's able to get into Peter's mind and find out everything. The perfect plan is set to see Spidey in action until something unexpected happens. I think this is one of Tobin's best stories yet; it's a bit more serious in tone than his other Marvel Adventures stories, and like the IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES one-shot (reviewed above), it focuses on really getting to the heart of the hero. It also shows the difference between Peter and Emma; one uses their powers for good, while the other uses their powers for themselves. Lolli's artwork is great, especially his panels for the origin sequence. That the character's origin is retold makes this a great jumping-on issue.

TINY TITANS #18 (All Ages)

Written by Art Baltazar & Franco; art & cover by Baltazar

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

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

In this issue: School's over, but the Tiny Titans can't leave yet – they're stuck in detention! How did that happen? Meanwhile, elsewhere in the school, Principal Slade's got some dirty jobs...and Darkseid's gotta do them! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Whether it's after school or on Saturday morning, detention is undoubtedly the worst part of school. How did the Titans get it? Why is Darkseid working as a janit—er, maintenance engineer? Will Batman ever come to pick up Robin? Baltazar and Franco answer these questions and more while poking some fun at DC's “Blackest Night.” I love the Green Lantern jokes. Also included: Kroc gives us a bowling demonstration and Enigma shares some jokes.

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #17: “Two Wongs” (All Ages)*

Peter David (w); Ronan Cliquet (p/i); Ulises Arreola (c); Joe Caramagna (l); cover by Cameron Stewart

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: “I'll show ya who's the real Cyclops!” Logan goes undercover as the mysterious “Patch” to visit an old enemy posing as a good guy…but the eye sees all…(from marvel.com)

Review: Logan 's got his eye (and I do mean EYE) on Senate candidate Benjamin Wong. Kitty thinks highly of him, but his father is an old enemy, and Logan 's convinced that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In this page-turner, David and Cliquet suggest that that's not always true. Whether it is or not in this case is for you to find out, faithful readers.

*Look out for: There's one panel in which Logan is standing over Wong's father, claws out and seriously ready to strike.

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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