THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week / Year 2 - Week 9 ___________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, November 04, 2007

This week, faithful readers, I present to you a delightfully macabre tale. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you…

THE SURREAL ADVENTURES OF EDGAR ALLAN POO (Teen/Young Adult)

Dwight MacPherson (w); Thomas Boatwright (art); Avery Butterworth (color assists); Thomas Mauer (l)

Publisher: Image

Format: graphic novel

Concept: Edgar Allen Poe just lost everything. His dead wife is haunting him in his dreams, his latest book has bombed and the imagination that fueled his stories has become a curse. His prayer to never dream again is answered one evening as he falls asleep in an outhouse. His discarded creativity takes the form of his dream child, Edgar Allen Poo, who must now undergo a strange odyssey through the poet's troubled mind.

Review: If you've not heard of this book before, I know what you're thinking. You're probably reading the title and thinking, “Edgar Allan…WHAT?!?” Rest assured, there is no actual poo to be found. What you will find is something much more appealing: a story that is by turns adventurous, witty and haunting, accompanied by gorgeous color-washed artwork. This is the tale of a tormented man who has lost his imagination—which takes the form of Edgar Allan Poo—and what Poo must go through to reunite with his creator. Along the way, we meet such characters as the charming Irving Rat and Master Terence and the terrifying King of Nightmares. Boatwright's artwork is an amazing mass of contradictions: detailed, yet loose; colorful, yet monochromatic; light, yet dark. This is a fantastic, intelligent tale that should please Poe fans and casual readers alike.

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TEEN TITANS GO! #48: “ Wrong Place , Wrong Time” (All Ages)

J. Torres (w); Todd Nauck (p); Lary Stucker (i); Heroic Age (c); Mike Sellers (l); cover by Nauck with Kanila Tripp

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

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

In this issue: Kilowatt is the lost Titan from the future! He helped the present-day Titans defeat the Brotherhood of Evil, but now he wants to go home. Will Raven and Herald be able to send him back to the future…or will he end up in the wrong place, wrong time? (from dccomics.com)

Review: There are countless worlds in the multiverse, and Kilowatt is from one of them. Raven once answered his cry for help and brought him to this world, where he fought alongside the Titans. Now she has sent him home…or so she thinks! It's cool to see an evil version of the Titans (the “Teen Tyrants”) and a good version of the Brotherhood of Evil (the “Brotherhood of Justice”), and in Nauck's hands, Kilowatt looks great. Look closely for an appearance by Nightwing.

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To be reviewed in next week's column:

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #39

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #33

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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