THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good On the Shelf This Week 

KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG #2 (of 6): “Crisis Of Infinite Kryptos” and “Ignatius Ignites” (All Ages)

Jesse Leon McCann (w); Min S. Ku (p); Jeff Albrecht (i); Dave Tanguay (c/l); cover by Scott Jeralds

Publisher: DC
Format: six-issue miniseries
Concept: Flying in from his hit TV cartoon, Krypto the Superdog arrives with a fun-filled six-issue miniseries!

In this issue: It's Crisis for Krypto as he and Kevin travel to different dimensions! But will everyone they meet be just as friendly and helpful as the Super Pup himself?

Review: Anyone with even just a little knowledge of 80's DC Comics history knows that the title of the first story is inspired by DC's massive saga CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. (Any other similarities between the two is something I am not able to tell you.) Krypto and Kevin encounter a fallen meteor containing—wouldn't you know it—red Kryptonite, which has, in Krypto's own words, “weird, unpredictable effects on anyone from Krypton.” Thus, they are transported through various dimensions. McCann and Ku seem to really let their imaginations run wild here. As each dimension has its own version of Krypto, it's fun to see all of the variations, some of which require you to look closely to spot. It's like, “How many different Kryptos can YOU find?” The backup story introduces the members of the Dog Star Patrol, as they help Krypto try to stop Luthor's pet, Ignatius, from using a ship to heat up the Earth.

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RUNAWAYS VOL. 2 #21: “Dead Means Dead” conclusion (Teen/Young Adult)

Brian K. Vaughan (w); Mike Norton (p); Craig Yeung (i); Christina Strain (c); Randy Gentile (l); cover by Jo Chen

Publisher: Marvel
Format: ongoing monthly series
Concept: At some point in their lives, all kids think they have the most evil parents in the world, but Nico Minoru and her friends really did. Discovering that they were the children of a group of super-villains known as The Pride, they stole weapons and resources from these criminals before running away from home and eventually defeating their parents. But that was just the beginning. Together, the teenage runaways now hope to atone for their parents' crimes by taking on the new threats trying to fill The Pride's void.

In this issue: It's the shocking conclusion of “Dead Means Dead!” As the Runaways face the biggest threat of their young lives, an old friend reappears.

Review: You may (or may not) have heard that most of Marvel's superheroes are currently engaged in a CIVIL WAR, which means no one's available to help the Runaways tackle a huge purple monster that may or may not have been caused by an old Pride artifact. That's the first plot line. The second involved Chase and his quest to bring his girlfriend back. Vaughan does a great job of keeping the reader guessing; you don't know what he's going to do next. It looks like he will do the right thing, but at the end, nothing is certain. It's solid storytelling, and it makes the issue a real page-turner.

To be included in next week's column:

PERHAPANAUTS: SECOND CHANCES #1
TEEN TITANS GO! #36
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #101

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

Any questions or comments, contact me at comicsintheclassroom @ gmail.com