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

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #32: “Big Guns” (All Ages)

Stephan Nilson (w); Dave Santana (p/i); Heroic Age (c); Robert Clark (l); cover by Zach Howard

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of the Justice League, based on the hit cartoon.

In this issue: Stargirl may be part of the league, but she's never had to face Darkseid, the villain who's in a League of his own! Can she hold her own with Superman and Guy Gardner to take down the Lord of Apokolips? (from dccomics.com)

Review: Superman and Guy Gardner, the second Green Lantern of sector 2814, don't always see eye to eye. Superman prefers to follow protocol, while Guy tends to act impulsively. When Guy clobbers a Granarian soldier under the assumption that he's going to try to harm Superman, he gets a lecture about following protocol. But when his impulsive actions help stop Darkseid from unleashing a powerful weapon, he proves that there is a time for that, too.

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MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #26: “ Reading , Writing and a Robot” (All Ages)

Chris Kipiniak (w); Patrick Scherberger (p); Roland Paris (i); Guru eFX (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Scherberger, Paris & Guru eFX

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: Peter Parker, a.k.a. SPIDER-MAN, is having a hard time concentrating in school: he's got to worry about a grumpy teacher, an angry bully, and the ultimate in pest-control - THE SPIDER-SLAYER! How can SPIDER-MAN defeat the relentless robot when Peter Parker's supposed to be in class? (from marvel.com)

Review: As if school, a crabby teacher, Flash Thompson and having a superhero alter ego weren't enough, now Peter Parker has something new to deal with…a Spider-Slayer! After their first encounter at a technology expo, Peter finds that the Slayer has arrived at school. Kipiniak and Scherberger keep things fast and lively by cutting from Spidey and the Slayer to Peter dodging Flash and trying to get out of class. It's a quick, entertaining read.

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RUNAWAYS vol. 2 #25: “Dead-End Kids” (Teen/Young Adult)

Joss Whedon (w); Michael Ryan (p); Rick Ketcham (i); Christina Strain (c); Randy Gentile (l); cover by Jo Chen

Publisher: Marvel

Format: 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: The kids start running in a different direction. Superstar JOSS WHEDON (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ASTONISHING X-MEN) and rising star MICHAEL RYAN (NEW EXCALIBUR, NEW X-MEN) take the Runaways to the Big Apple. While there, they make surprising allies and even more surprising enemies. This is the cannot-miss book of 2007! (from marvel.com)

Review: With this issue, Whedon and Ryan take the reins. After a recap, we find the group back in New York , having dinner with none other than the Kingpin, who will do a favor for them in exchange for them doing him one. Molly has some great lines, Karolina and Nico have a serious moment…and just wait until you see who shows up in the final page! It looks like Whedon and Ryan are off to a nice start.

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To be reviewed in next week's column:

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #32

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #23

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

4/7/07