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

THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE #9: “Full Throttle” (Teen/Young Adult)

Marc Guggenheim (w); Andy Kuhn (layouts); Ron Adrian (p); Art Thibert (i); Richard & Tanya Horie (c); Pat Brousseau (l); cover by Ethan Van Sciver

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of Bart Allen as he assumes the identity of the Flash.

In this issue: Breakout writer Marc Guggenheim (SUPERMAN/BATMAN, Wolverine ) comes aboard for a new chapter in the heroic journey of Bart Allen! Bart has literally grown into the mantle of the Flash, but if he's going to be a team player, he must first choose a team. Does Bart belong with the JLA or the Teen Titans? (from dccomics.com)

Review: Robin wants Flash back in the Titans, but Flash has to take care of some business. First, he has to defeat Impulse. That's right, IMPULSE. (I will leave it up to you, faithful readers, to find out what's really going on.) He has an issue with Val which leads to a conversation that doesn't exactly go well. Finally, he has to battle Steppenwolf over a mysterious tech device. All of this while attending class at the LAPD Police Academy . (Whew…with an agenda like that, it's a good thing he read every book in the San Francisco Public Library!) As usual, the art team makes the book look gorgeous. Look for a DC in-joke in the text.

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RUNAWAYS VOL. 2 #24: “Live Fast: The End” (Teen/Young Adult)

Brian K. Vaughan (w); Adrian Alphona (p); Craig Yeung (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: In an explosive conclusion that changes everything forever, the Runaways bid farewell to co-creators Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, who prepare to turn the keys to the Hostel over to the incoming creative team of Joss Whedon and Michael Ryan! (from marvel.com)

Review: With this issue, creators Vaughan and Alphona say goodbye, but not before delivering one final masterpiece. Chase finally reveals the name of his human sacrifice. I won't spoil that for you, but I will say that Chase will have to watch his back from now on, as trust isn't always easy to gain…or regain. Molly continues to develop beautifully, we find out if God really can make a sandwich so big even He can't finish it, Pat Benatar gets name-checked, and we also see what happened to Alex Wilder. Whatever direction Whedon and Ryan take with the series, there's no doubt that Vaughan and Alphona have laid a solid foundation and given us wonderful stories featuring characters that are worth caring about. To them I say, “Thank you.”

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TEEN TITANS GO! #40: “Nearly Nabbed Me” / “Lightning In a Bottle”

J. Torres (w); Johane Matte / Sanford Greene (p/i); Johane Matte / Rob Haynes (c); John J. Hill (l); cover by Todd Nauck and Kanila Tripp

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of the Teen Titans, based on the hit cartoon.

In this issue: It's a Teen Titans double feature! The Hive Five each have a close encounter with a Titan, but who's really telling the truth about their run-ins? Meanwhile, Lightning is trapped by Chang, and Thunder must find the Teen Titans to save him! (from dccomics.com) =

Review: That's right, faithful readers! This week only, you get TWO Titans stories for the price of ONE! What a deal! In “Nearly Nabbed Me,” each member of the Hive Five recalls, in their own words, how they nearly got nabbed by a Titan. Everyone, that is, except Wykkyd, who remains quiet…or maybe not! Matte does a nice job with the art, and seeing what really happened contrast with what the Five SAY happened is hilarious. In “Lightning In a Bottle,” Sanford Greene handles the art as Thunder and the Titans try to stop Chang from turning Lightning into…a genie for a sultan? You can bet that the Titans will teach Chang that cheaters never prosper.

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TRADES / DIGESTS:

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS VOL. 2: MISCHIEF (Digest—All Ages) collects MA AVENGERS #5-8.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

HULK & POWER PACK #1

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #31

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #25

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #106

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

3/3/07