THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 2 - Week 41 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, June 16 , 2008

MONSTER ZOO (Teen/Young Adult)

Written & illustrated by Doug TenNapel

Publisher: Image

Format: graphic novel

Concept: It's Earthworm Jim and Cat Scratch creator DOUG TENNAPEL's next graphic novel! Hot on the heels of IRON WEST and FLINK, MONSTER ZOO tells the story of a young man who discovers his local zoo is more frightening and deadly than he could ever have imagined! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: Ty and his rather flatulent friend Carpo are visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, which happens to have a large, rare idol on display.one that just happens to contain a furious animal spirit who can-and does-turn the animals into hideous mutant creatures. That's the plot on the surface, and TenNapel really lets his imagination loose with some wonderful monster animal designs. Peel back the layers and you'll find some characters you can identify with. Ty and Carpo dream about girls-for Ty, that would be Rainy-and fear bullies, namely Rainy's 'boyfriend,' Rick. But as the night goes on and the plot thickens, Ty finds courage he didn't know he had. As in some of his other work, TenNapel touches on the father/son relationship in a beautiful scene in which Ty invokes the memory of his deceased military dad; he also uses Carpo and an elephant to do the same thing for the mother/child relationship in hilarious and truly touching ways. And that, I think, is TenNapel's greatest strength: taking far-fetched concepts and making them ring true.

Look out for: This is categorized as "all-ages" on the back cover, but I lean more towards "teen/young adult" because of the monster animals and the fact that they do some damage. There's also minor use of language (A bully says "ass," a security guard says "punk-ass," and Ty says  "poppin' wheelies be bitchin).  Plus, a scene in which Carpo has an 'accident' and takes off his underwear (implied, not seen).

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #46: "Beauty and the Beast" (All Ages)

Russell Lissau (w); Christopher Jones (p); Terry Beatty (i); Heroic Age (c); Jared K. Fletcher (l); cover by Andie Tong

Publisher: DC Format: monthly series

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

In this issue: Killer Croc's on the rampage, but this time he's not after money, he's after.true love? Batman's going to find out that Croc's heart is just as tough as his hide! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Killer Croc's in love! Who knew? And not with just ANY girl, either.he's got his eye on GCTV reporter Meredith Van Zeyl. Lissau & Jones offer their own "Beauty and the Beast" tale, and it's to their credit that the story feels fresh, despite the fact that the concept has been done many times before. I like how Lissau uses roses to connect Dick and Killer Croc (and, by extension, himself; as I learned in my interview with him, his late mother loved flowers; hence, "Marcy's Flowers"). We get to see another side of Croc, and Jones does a wonderful job of showing both the monster and the romantic in him. In Jones's hands, he looks by turns menacing and tender, sometimes at the same time. Meredith could have been written as an average girl who would be repelled at the very sight of Croc, but she's able to see past his exterior, which allows for a very touching ending. We know Croc will get caught, but Meredith's actions allow him to leave with some dignity intact. That's beautiful, indeed.

INVINCIBLE #50 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman (w); Ryan Ottley & Cory Walker (p); Ottley, Walker & Cliff Rathburn (i); Bill Crabtree, Kelsey Shannon & FCO Plascencia (c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Ottley & Val Staples; variant cover by David Williams, Arthur Adams & Shannon

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of young superhero Mark Grayson.

In this issue: It's all been building to this. After five long years, the best superhero comic book in the universe has reached its monumental FIFTIETH ISSUE! Invincible and Cecil Stedman face off and after this issue, nothing will ever be the same. Also in this issue, Science Dog returns in an all-new back-up story... and the ORIGIN OF CECIL STEDMAN! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: This is it.the issue we've been waiting for! After finding out a shocking secret, Invincible.well, let's just say that he doesn't exactly consider Cecil a friend anymore. This issue showcases everything that's great about the series: intense battles, sharp dialogue, tender character moments and humorous moments. Better yet, the two backup stories, in which we see Science Dog in action and learn of Cecil's origin, are every bit as entertaining. Unfortunately, this is also the issue in which Crabtree says goodbye, and he goes out with a bang. I probably haven't mentioned his name in these reviews as often as I should have, but whether it was a bloody fight or Mark and Eve sharing a romantic moment, he took Walker and Ottley's already superb artwork and really made it come alive. AS far as I'm concerned, he has had as much to do with the book's artistic success as anyone else, and he will be missed.

Look out for: blood

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #15: "In a Flash" (All Ages)

Jake Black (w); Robert Atkins (p); Rick Ketcham (i); Heroic Age (c); Pat Brousseau (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 : Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl finally get their second date, but the trend of nothing ever going as Chuck plans continues when they get hopelessly lost in virtual reality.with a fast-talking, impulsive brat named Bart as their guide! Can they put their differences aside to stop a virtual threat that gets very real, threatening the existence of New Metropolis? (from dccomics.com)

Review: Talk about getting your lines crossed! Bouncing Boy and Triplicate Girl are living it up in virtual reality, when suddenly virtual reality becomes VERY real! Keystone City 's only superhero, Bart Allen, makes his series debut. There's not much to say about this issue except that it's a fun story with nice artwork.

MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #9: "Become Like They Are!"

Michael Allred (w/p/i); Laura Allred (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by the Allreds

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: Frank "Madman" Einstein returns in an all-new series.

In this issue: An advanced Alien civilization has engineered a mind boggling secret headquarters in Snap City for Frank "Madman" Einstein and the surviving members of the Atomics Super Group. A celebratory party may be in the making, but something sinister is part of the new decor. Is it "curtains" for Frank and the gang? (from imagecomics.com)

Review: Frank and Gum (and later, the other Atomics) are trying to stop a bunch of flying, fishy-lipped beasts from having It Girl as their main course. Allred divides the narrative between Frank's dialogue with Gum and the thoughts going on inside his head. The artwork is just terrific; what more could you ask for than an entire issue of double splahs pages filled with Allred art? Special mention goes to Gum's fantastic expressions and body distortions. Look for an appearance by Kevin Smith's characters Jay and Silent Bob.

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #12: "Hulk Fu Hustle" (All Ages)

Paul Benjamin (w); Steve Scott (p); Nathan Massengill (i); A. Street (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by David Nakayama & Guru eFX

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: Get ready, fight fans! The ultimate warrior is coming at you live from the Milky Way: the Champion of the Universe! He'll take on Earth's greatest gladiators with the planet itself hanging in the balance. In Earth's corner: the jaw-breaking Juggernaut, daring Doc Samson, the ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing, and that jade giant, that green goliath...the Incredible Hulk! Are you ready to ruuuumble?! (from marvel.com)

Review: You wanna know the cool thing about this issue? Not only do we get to see four super-powered Marvel guys take on the Champion, but Bruce Banner even shows off some moves! It must be tough trying to protect yourself yet not get your heart rate up too high. But for all the fighting done by those muscle-bound men, it's Rick and Monkey-who are constantly proving themselves to be far smarter and more useful than I would have thought at the beginning-who come up with the winning strategy and inject a lesson on the difference between being confident and thinking you're better than anyone else.

TINY TITANS #5 (All Ages)

Art Baltazar & Franco (w); art and cover by Baltazar

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: It's all your favorite Titans, in their cutest possible form!

In this issue: Watch out as the Tiny Titans East invade the playground! See if Robin keeps his new identity as Nightwing! Find out the hilarity that only comes with knock knock jokes! And the penguins are back, as the boys play Batman for a day!! Another all ages all fun adventure filled issue! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Those of you who have a name that no one can ever seem to get right, take heart; Robin knows just how you feel. Heck, even Commissioner Gordon gets confused. But at least he gets to help impersonate Batman. The Tiny Titans East show up as well, and Speedy learns the hard way why you don't want to answer when Enigma says "knock knock." All this plus jokes and a bonus pin-up.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

DC SUPER FRIENDS vol. 2 #4

FLASH vol. 2 #241

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #25

By thy side,

John "Figaro" Norris

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