THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week / Year 2 - Week 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, September 16, 2007

The first two titles in this week's review were library books that I had the pleasure of reading. Both take offbeat situations and characters and make them ring true, and both contain themes of responsibility, friendship and forgiveness. 

THE LAND OF SOKMUNSTER (All Ages)

Story and art by Mike Kunkel and Randy Heuser

Publisher: Astonish Factory

Format: book

Review: Sam's parents have decided that he needs a lesson in responsibility, so they give him a buffalo nickel to hold onto for a week. All goes well until the last day, when he sets the coin down on top of the dryer. Suddenly a Sokmunster snatches the coin and disappears into the lint catch! Determined to get his coin back, Sam follows it…and thus begins an extraordinary adventure. As great as his character designs for HEROBEAR AND THE KID were, Kunkel really cuts loose here, designing all sorts of unique characters. The colors combined with the pencil drawings produce a great visual style. It's a story that will appeal to fans of comics, animation, fantasy and children's books, but what elevates it above mere escapism is the fact that Kunkel and Heuser bring the message home by quoting a verse from the Bible.

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TOMMYSAURUS REX (Teen/Young Adult)

Written and illustrated by Doug TenNapel

Publisher: Image

Format: graphic novel

Review: Ely is an average boy trying to cope with the recent death of his dog. He's given permission to help out on his grandfather's farm. While there, he discovers a live, 40-foot T-Rex trapped in a cave. He tries to tame it and show the townsfolk that it isn't dangerous. TenNapel really asks the reader to suspend disbelief. No explanation is given as to how the dinosaur survived this long or how it ended up in that cave, and it's not really needed. Ely is surrounded by some wonderful characters. There's Randy, a bully whom we sympathize with when we learn abut his family's situation; Grandpa Joe, whose ‘trick ankle' hurts when something is about to go right; and the dinosaur itself, who somehow thinks it's a dog, and acts accordingly: loves bacon, learns tricks, eats cows and goes to the bathroom. But the heart of the story concerns Ely's coming of age by learning responsibility, how to cope with loss, and the power of forgiveness. Randy's way of apologizing for something he did wrong—and Ely's response—makes a perfect ending for this wonderful story.

Look out for: When we first meet Randy, he forces Ely to eat dog poop. Also, the dinosaur eats livestock and his own excrement as well. That's why I labeled this “teen/young adult.” Parents may want to read this first and decide if it's appropriate for younger children.

Editor's Note: To quote Tracey Edmund's review of this title a couple years back: " A word of warning; while this is a good book for all but the youngest kids, there is one line you ought to be aware of before handing it to a youngster. When Ely's parents drop him at grandpa's house, grandpa sends them away with, “…Go have fun! Go have some sex! Call me when summer's over!” "

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THE BATMAN STRIKES! #38: “Depths” (All Ages)

Bill Matheny (w); Christopher Jones (p); Terry Beatty (i); Heroic Age (c); Rob Clark, Jr. (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: Killer Croc's home are the sewers of Gotham City , and that "home" has led him straight to the Batcave! Batman's not going to be happy when he meets the cave's newest guest… (from dccomics.com)

Review: Killer Croc's back, and after being thwarted by Batman, Robin and Batgirl AGAIN, he decides to get Batman where he lives—literally. But both Batman AND Croc may be in for more trouble than they can handle when another villain shows up. This issue looks fantastic; the art team does a particularly nice job on Croc.

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MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #3: “Radioactive” (All Ages)

Paul Benjamin (w); David Nakayama (p); Gary Martin (i); Michelle Madsen (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Williams & Sotomayor

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Caught in a blast of gamma-radiation, brilliant scientist Bruce Banner now finds himself living as a fugitive, cursed to transform in times of stress into the living engine of destruction known as the HULK.

In this issue: What do you do when you're a gamma–irradiated monster on the run from the authorities? ROAD TRIP!! Bruce Banner hits the open highway with his best buddies, Rick Jones, Monkey and... Radioactive Man? Rick's not too happy with Bruce's new pal, but how does an ordinary guy get rid of a nuclear–powered super–villain who might be the key to saving Banner from the curse of the Hulk? (from marvel.com)

Review: Thanks to the Hulk, Radioactive Man—aka Dr. Lu—is accidentally freed. Banner thinks Lu will be able to help him find a cure for the Hulk, but Rick and Monkey don't trust him one bit. Does Lu really want to help Banner, or does he have something else in mind? You will have to find that out for yourselves, faithful readers. I'll go on record and say that Nakayama is one of the best Hulk artists I've ever seen. His Hulk is massive and powerful, yet capable of a range of emotions, such as the great smile he gives Rick toward the end of the story. I particularly like the focus on Banner's eyes to signal that the transformation is about to begin. And it also must be said that Monkey is ADORABLE!!

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NEW AVENGERS/TRANSFORMERS #3 (Teen/Young Adult)

Stuart Moore (w); Tyler Kirkham (p); Sal Regla (i); Annette Kwok (c); Todd Klein (l); cover by Ed McGuinness

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 : Assemble and rollout as the dream team-up continues! Hey, what's up with that giant Iron Man on the cool cover by Ed McGuinness? How has Dr. Doom turned the confrontation of the Earth's greatest teams upside-down? And how long until Megatron blows the Avengers and the Autobots to smithereens? Writer Stuart Moore (WOLVERINE) and artist Tyler Kirkham (X-MEN: PHOENIX–WARSONG) up the ante as Optimus Prime, Captain America, Bumblebee, Spider-Man and more of your favorites stare down Armageddon! (from marvel.com)

Review: Moore and Kirkham keep the action coming as a souped-up Iron Man leads the fight outside. Meanwhile, Prowl, Ratchet and Cage finally get inside, and they don't like what they find! Things come to a head when Megatron steps outside and is ready to take the gloves off…and so is Iron Man! Check out the great “next issue” image with Megatron and Spidey. ____________________

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #113: “Death of a Goblin, part 2” (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 maximum security facility in the Triskelion, once home to the Ultimates. Because Norman knows young Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Peter must rush to protect his Aunt May from this madman's vengeance. But Norman isn't the only enemy of the web-spinner to have been loosed on New York . Electro, master of electricity, also plans to fry Spidey on sight. This is the Goblin arc no Ultimate reader can afford to miss! Part 2 (of 6) (from marvel.com)

Review: Otto Octavius and Electro show up—and Peter Parker even makes an appearance—but the issue belongs to Norman Osborn. We see him break out of prison and present his side of the story on national TV, all in the hopes of bringing Nick Fury down. Bendis displays his knack for getting into the mind of a character, and through their thoughts and dialogue, getting under the reader's skin.

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TRADES/DIGESTS:

THE BATMAN STRIKES: DUTY CALLS trade paperback collects BATMAN STRIKES! #11-14 and 16-18.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

FLASH vol. 2 #232

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #6

MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #4

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #16

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #28

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

9/15/07

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