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

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THE BATMAN STRIKES! #36: “Gearhead 2.0” (All Ages)

Josh Elder (w); Christopher Jones (p); Terry Beatty (i); Heroic Age (c); Mike Sellers (l); cover by Sanford Greene & Nathan Massengill

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of Bruce Wayne in his early years as Batman.

In this issue: Gearhead's turning Gotham City into a gigantic demolition derby! Batman's going to need all the help he can get, even if that means letting Batgirl get behind the wheel of the Batmobile! (from dccomics.com)

Review: It's what every teenager wants when they get their driver's license: to borrow the car. And with the “car” being the Batmobile…well, who WOULDN'T want to drive it? Batgirl does just that while Batman tangles with an upgraded Gearhead in this fun tale. Jones and the art team really do a nice job in this issue; check out the dialogue-free, nine-panel fight between the two guys.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #36: “Wild Geese” (All Ages)

Simon Spurrier (w); Min S. Ku (p); Jeff Albrecht (i); Heroic Age (c); Mike Sellers (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: The Question is on the trail again, and this time he's investigating the entire Justice League! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Spurrier and Ku deliver a story that's puzzling enough to put even the Question through the wringer. After battling a Durlan, the Justice League suggests that the Question take a break for a while. But his suspicions propel him to do otherwise, and as he goes deeper, things get more complicated. He's left with a lot of questions, as is the reader. Will he solve the case? In his own words, “Obvious, with hindsight.”

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NEW AVENGERS / TRANSFORMERS #2 (Teen / Young Adult)

Stuart Moore (w); Tyler Kirkham (p); Sal Regla (i); Annette Kwok & Blond (c); Todd Klein (l); cover by Jason Pearson

Publisher: Marvel / IDW

Format: four-issue miniseries

Concept: Optimus Prime and the Autobots meet Captain America and the Avengers in this limited series.

In this issue: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the robots with "more than meets the eye" collide! Symkaria and Latveria sit on an international powder keg, and Dr. Doom just lit the fuse! What do the Decepticons have to do with the escalating danger -- and can a group of warriors including Captain America, Optimus Prime, Wolverine, Prowl, Spider-Man and Ratchet avert Armageddon? Writer Stuart Moore (WOLVERINE) and artist Tyler Kirkham (X-MEN: PHOENIX–WARSONG) assemble and roll out two fan-favorite forces! (from marvel.com)

Review: Moore and Kirkham crank up the action (and craziness) as the Avengers are hit with the Aggression Wave. If you thought Wolverine was feral BEFORE, wait ‘till you see him NOW. Add Dr. Doom and power-enhanced Decepticons to the mix, and you've got quite a scene. Amid all this are some hilarious moments, particularly Ms. Marvel's “containment-by-airbag.”

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THE PHANTOM #18: “Invisible Children, part 2” (Teen / Young Adult)

Mike Bullock (w); Silvestre Szilagyi (p/i); Bob Pedroza (c); Troy Peteri (l); cover by Darryl Banks, Terry Austin & Pedroza; limited cover by Joe Corroney

Publisher: Moonstone

Format: monthly series

Concept: "The Ghost Who Walks" comes alive, as the classic comic strip character is put through his paces in all new adventures. Thrilling adventure fraught with dire peril!

In this issue: Torn from today's headlines, The Phantom continues his one-man war against the evil warlord known only as HIM. But, what terrible secret is the warlord hiding and what will he do to The Phantom when he discovers it? (from moonstonebooks.com)

Review: Here's where the story shifts into high gear as the Phantom takes the fight right to HIM's door. Bullock and Szilagyi really begin to get into HIM's mind, and the way they show the psychological effect the Phantom is having on him is brilliant, as is the scene where the Phantom's presence is revealed in his bedroom. The action scenes are nicely staged, and best of all, real effort is made to reunite the children with their parents. It just goes to show that in a world where the good guys fight each other as much as the bad guys, the Phantom is one of the few genuinely humane heroes left.

Look out for: HIM shoots a couple of his men. There's no blood, but you see them take it in the chest.

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This week, I look at a different kind of TRANSFORMERS tale. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you…

TRANSFORMERS: INFILTRATION (Teen/Young Adult)

Simon Furman (w); E.J. Su (p/i); John Raunch (c; with Burcham, Myers, Bork, Englert, Raj and Senft); Robbie Robbins & Tom B. Long (l); cover by Su

Publisher: IDW

Concept: Earth: 2006, and the fate of the planet is already sealed, its destiny decided... by the marauding mechanical beings known as DECEPTICONS. In their way stand an embattled crew of seven hardy AUTOBOT warriors, sworn to prevent the impending Armageddon at any cost, and an unlikely trio of human misfits, pulled kicking and screaming into a hitherto hidden world of pain and hurt. The can of worms is open, the genie out of bottle... and nothing will ever be the same again! (from idwpublishing.com)

Review: Furman has been writing classic TRANSFORMERS stories for over twenty years, but INFILTRATION finds him doing something he's never done before…going back to the beginning. This is the beginning of his personal take on the saga, which continues into STORMBRINGER, ESCALATION and DEVASTATION—all of which I hope to review in this column. Furman acknowledges the classic story and characters and updates them at the same time. He reinforces the notion of being robots in disguise …they appear in vehicle mode as much as, if not more than, robot mode, and Ratchet and Bumblebee use their holograms a lot. Since the series is set in the present day, vehicle modes have been somewhat modified. Furman delivers on the human side as well with the introduction of three very likable characters: Verity, Hunter and Jimmy. Best of all, he kicks the ‘awe' factor up several notches. In this area, he is aided immeasurably by Su, whose style fits TRANSFORMERS like a glove. The robots and the action sequences are nothing less than huge , while the interaction of the three main human characters with Ratchet and among themselves adds spice to the mix. There are scenes which had me going “Wow, just…WOW.” It's a new take on a classic saga that's accessible to fans old and new, and it's enormously entertaining. Available at bookstores everywhere.

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TRADES/DIGESTS:

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR vol. 6: MONSTERS & MYSTERIES digest collects MA FANTASTIC FOUR #21-24.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

THE FLASH #231

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #2

SONIC X #23

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #112

John “Figaro” Norris

Aug 12, 07