THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week / Year 2 - Week 8 ___________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, October 28, 2007

THE FLASH #233: “The Wild Wests, part 3: Fleeting Lives” (Teen/Young Adult)

Mark Waid & John Rogers (w); Freddie E. Williams II & Doug Braithwaite (art); Tanya & Richard Horie (c); Travis Lanham (l); cover by Braithwaite

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Wally West returns as the Scarlet Speedster.

In this issue : The Justice League steps up to take away the Flash's loved ones in the name of the law! Also in this issue: "The Fast Life" begins! This backup feature by Waid, Rogers (BLUE BEETLE) and Doug Braithwaite (JUSTICE) picks up from INFINITE CRISIS and reveals the secrets behind the West Family's otherworldly exile! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Linda and the kids step up to the plate, helping rehydrate Wally and calling in reinforcements. But the heart of the issue occurs after the action, when Wally interprets something Superman says to mean that the Justice League is going to take his kids away. For an instant, and in a very effective scene, Waid and Williams visualize Wally's thoughts before returning to the reality of the moment. It's impossible not to sympathize with Wally and Linda as they reveal why they allow the kids to go into battle. Williams replaces Daniel Acuna as the artist, and I must say that I like the change. Speaking of art, Braithwaite provides some BEAUTIFUL visuals in the backup story, “The Fast Life, part 1 of 4: Garrick.”

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LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #7: “No Boys Allowed!” (All Ages)

Jai Nitz (w); Ethen Beavers (p/i); Heroic Age (c); Mike Sellers (l); cover by Alexander Serra

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of the Legion, based on their hit cartoon.

In this issue: The Legion is called to the planet of New Themyscira, where the only rule is No Boys Allowed. But when the princess is kidnapped and the boys decide to sneak in, will it be love at first fight? (from dccomics.com)

Review: The female Legionnaires go searching for Princess Xenobia on a world filled with beautiful women, and all the boys can do is wait in the ship! With Regent Circe's help, they find her, all right. This is a story about lies and how they can turn people against one another. Circe knows exactly what to say to get the girls steamed at each other; only Xenobia doesn't buy it. Meanwhile, the boys' expressions at the mention of Xenobia's name and at the sight of sword-wielding female warriors are just priceless, as are the superpowered pigs. That's right, superpowered pigs .

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MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN #6: “Destructive Reentry” (All Ages)

Fred Van Lente (w); James Cordeiro (p); Gary Erskine (i); Martegod Gracia (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Skottie Young

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Billionaire inventor Tony Stark built a suit of armor that saved his life. He now fights against the forces of evil as the invincible Iron Man!

In this issue: Iron Man dons his SPACE ARMOR to rescue a Stark orbital platform from his old enemy, the LIVING LASER – but during their zero-G battle they unleash an even deadlier threat: the all-new, all-terrifying SWARM! This sentient cloud of nanobots wants to consume and convert every bit of matter in its path – including Earth itself! Shellhead and Laser must forge an uneasy alliance to stop Swarm from laying waste to the planet. (from marvel.com)

Review: One thing I like about this book is how Van Lente is able to write an all-ages story without sacrificing the elements that make it an Iron Man story. In this issue, there's talk of geosynchronous orbit, lab stations, zero gravity and nanobots, but Van Lente writes in a way that makes them easy to understand in the context of the story. And even if you don't, there are always great action scenes. There's also a bad guy who's really more misguided than bad, and who's given a chance to redeem himself. The other thing that makes this book great is the fantastic job by the art team on Iron Man's armor, and the Space Armor is no exception; the splash page that begins the story is GREAT.

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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #115: “Death of a Goblin, part 4” (Teen/Young Adult)

Brian Michael Bendis (w); Stuart Immonen (p); Wade von Grawbadger (i); Justin Ponsor (c); Cory Petit (l); cover by Immonen & Richard Isanove

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: The bite of a genetically-altered spider grants high school student Peter Parker incredible, arachnid-like powers.

In this issue : Norman Osborn—the Green Goblin—has escaped the Triskelion and is headed toward Trump Tower ! A team of federal agents is on his tail, determined to take Norman down once and for all! And leading that team is none other than—Spider-Man: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! How did this happen and what does it all mean? You know you've got no choice but to read this one fast! (from marvel.com)

Review: Norman Osborn escapes and Spider-Man gets arrested. How's THAT for a lousy break? Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde steps in, and suddenly she and Spidey find themselves S.H.I.E.L.D agents. From the witty conversation between Kitty and Kenny to the serious talk between Peter and Carol Danvers to the downright chilling words between Norman and his future victims, Bendis never makes the dialogue feel forced. It sounds so natural that I can practically hear the lines being spoken.

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X-MEN FIRST CLASS #5 (Teen/Young Adult)

Jeff Parker (w); Roger Cruz (p/i); Val Staples (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Eric Nguyen

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: The next step in human evolution has arrived—Homo Superior. Mankind isn't sure whether this represents hope for the future…or the end of the human race. In a private school in upstate New York, one brilliant mutant is teaching a group of five such gifted students what they'll need to survive in this new world. These are the untold stories of Professor Xavier's first class of X-Men!

In this issue : My X-Men! Have you reached the area where the Hulk was reported?
"Uh...yeah..."
Excellent! Containing him will win favor in the public eye for all mutants.
"Yeah... speaking of mutants, would you rather us go fight Magneto? Or how about Juggernaut! Ooh- The Blob, let us fight the Blob!"
This mission isn't going well, is it? (from marvel.com)

Review: When a character makes a guest appearance in a comic, it's common to have a brief recap of their origin somewhere in the story. In this issue, however, Parker does it one better, and I don't think I've ever seen it done this way before; in addition to Rick Jones giving the X-Men the rundown on how Dr. Banner saved him from the gamma bomb only to be consumed by it himself, the issue opens with a view of that very scene from the classic comic itself! I like how Parker points out the similar situation both Banner and the X-Men are in, and Cruz draws a very nice Hulk. There's also the hilarious backup story “The Talking Board” by Parker and Colleen Coover, featuring the group and a Ouija board.

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To be reviewed in next week's column:

GARGOYLES BAD GUYS #1

TEEN TITANS GO! #48

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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