THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 2 - Week 52! _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, September 02 , 2008

THE FAMILY DYNAMIC #1: "Into the Light Of the Dark Black Night" (Teen/Young Adult)

J. Torres (w); Tim Levins (p); Dan Davis (i); Dave McCaig (c); Sal Cipriano (l); cover by Sean "Cheeks" Galloway

Publisher: DC

Format: three-issue miniseries

Concept: J. Torres and Tim Levins introduce a new superhero family.

In this issue : Sirocco! Troylus! Terran! This is The Family Dynamic, defenders of Storm City who use their mystical Elemental Rings to battle the forces of evil. But what happens when members of their extended family want in on the superhero action? They say the family that plays together stays together - but does that count when they're playing the good guys? (from dccomics.com)

Review: Execution is as important as concept, and this debut issue is proof. Superhero families are nothing new; consider the Fantastic Four and the Incredibles. The Flash now has super-powered children, and there are other examples as well. Again, it's the execution that makes this issue worth reading. The series is very aptly titled, as the Family Dynamic really is a family-Pyralis (father), Sirocco (mother), Terran and Troylus (sons)-who get their abilities from elemental power rings, which were also worn by the original Family Dynamic, led by Pyralis' father, who retired after tragedy broke them apart. Through this family, Torres makes it clear that heroes don't always win and points out the difference between a hero and a vigilante. I loved Levins' work on BATMAN GOTHAM ADVENTURES, and his wonderful work here proves that he hasn't lost his touch. Add the nice cover by Galloway , and you have a great start to a very promising miniseries.

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #27: "Sooo-Wheeee!!! / And Some Other Small Problems" (All Ages)

Jeff Parker/Paul Tobin (w); Ig Guara/Jacopo Camagni (p); Sandro Ribeiro/Troy Hubbs/Norman Lee (i); Guillem Mari/Ulises Arreola (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Leonard Kirk, Tarry Pallot & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Super-soldier from World War II. Weather Goddess. Super-strong alter ego of scientist Bruce Banner. Spider-powered web-slinger. Giant-sized crimefighter. Brilliant armored inventor. Feral mutant brawler. Together, they are the world's mightiest heroes, battling foes that no single super hero could withstand!

In this issue: Marvel: Okay, 27 is your final Avengers issue- we're expecting something special.
Parker: Oh don't you worry, it will be. Heh.
Marvel: Really? Great! Who's in it?
Parker: Um... the guy with the thing- trust me, it's going to RAWK.
Marvel: You don't know what the story is yet, do you.
Parker: -think my phone's running out of juice-zzzz-can barely hear you--- bwip* (from marvel.com)

Review: If you think that solicitation is corny, wait until you read the stories in this issue! The Avengers (except Captain America and Iron Man) are judges at a county fair until Ant-Man accidentally shrinks them. Now they get to deal with a runaway pig that, for some reason, the Hulk has taken a liking to. Parker even throws in a " Charlotte 's Web" reference. Meanwhile, in New York , Tobin shows us that not even Iron Man can escape spam calls.and he and Captain America are ticked off enough to do something about it. Enjoy the stories for what they are.pure entertainment.

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #39: "Silent, But Deadly" (All Ages)

Chris Eliopoulos (w); Ronan Cliquet (p); Milton Santos (i); Guillem Mari (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Salvador Espin

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Irradiated by cosmic rays and transformed to possess superhuman powers, they joined together to fight evil. Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and the Thing. Together they call themselves the Fantastic Four!

In this issue: It's a day of pranks for Ben and Johnny, that is until reality kicks in and the two have to put aside their differences and save the day. But can these two work together after spending the day trying to GET each other? Find out in the all-silent issue, which we can only call "Silent but Deadly"! (from marvel.com)

Review: It's a well-known fact that Eliopoulos can write some hilarious dialogue, but in this issue, as the title suggests, the dialogue is absent. The artwork absolutely shines here, and Cliquet really proves himself to be a great storyteller in his own right. Particularly effective is the opening scene, in which Johnny tries to explain to both Sue and Reed what happened to him, and the scene in which Reed tries to explain a dangerous situation using technical jargon (visually represented by equations) and then explains it again in a clearer way. Each character is given wonderful expressions, especially Ben and Johnny. And it's a testament to both Eliopoulos and Cliquet's storytelling skills that you can imagine what the characters WOULD be saying.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #2: "Bad Sports" (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Alvin Lee (p); Terry Pallot (i); Val Staples (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Roger Cruz & Christina Strain

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Spidey, Iron Man and the Hulk team up for some zany superhero adventures.

In this issue : Iron Man, Hulk and Spidey rocket into space to stop a potentially devastating meteor shower from reaching Earth, but are surprised to find the meteors are actually Meteor Men, a group of intergalactic frat boys engaging in their most awesomely favorite extreme sport: Planet-Bombing. After negotiations (Could the Hulk quit hitting us, please?) the Meteor Men agree not to bombard Earth IF the heroes show them an equally good time on a variety of other planets, and other extreme sports. Will our heroes survive Albernathean Rhino Riding? How about Kree Karaoke? Or the galaxy's most dangerous extreme sport, Black Hole Bungee Jumping? (from marvel.com)

Review: You think the Olympic athletes faced some tough competition? That's nothing compared to what Spidey, Iron Man and Hulk find themselves up against! Trying to stop a bunch of meteors from hitting Earth, they discover that the meteors are really the Meteor Men, and they love extreme sports. So they'll lay off Earth if the three heroes go with them on an extreme sport tour. Thus, we find our heroes partaking in Albernathean Rhino Riding, Kree Karaoke, the Asteroid Belt Drag Race, Trellian Turtle-Wave Surfing, the Mebbledian Mystery Door, and the Black Hole Bungee Jump. The problem is that the Meteor Men are nothing but thrill-seekers who have no regard for rules, safety, or even each other. Our heroes aren't having any of that. This is a fun issue that has something to say about safety and responsibility.

RUNAWAYS vol. 3 #1: "Dead Wrong, part 1" (Teen/Young Adult)

Terry Moore (w); Humberto Ramos (p); Dave Meikis (i); Christina Strain (c); Joe Caramagna (l); cover by Ramos & Strain

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 : Come see the beginning of a whole new Runaways! Comics legend Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo) and super-star artist Humberto Ramos (X-MEN, WOLVERINE, SPIDER-MAN) run back to Los Angeles with your favorite teen heroes. But it's not the same city they left so long ago. The Runaways try to stay off the radar, but the sins of their parents won't make that possible.(from marvel.com)

Review: The kids are back in Los Angeles .well, actually, Malibu , at Chase's parents' old house. In addition to maintaining a low profile, there is also a monetary problem, which means that Chase has to get a job. The issue isn't really bad, but honestly, the book just hasn't been the same since Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona left. Whatever your thoughts of Moore and Ramos' work were before, this issue will most likely not change your mind.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #125 (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 : The War of the Symbiotes rages on - and the next victim may be Spider-Man himself! The high-flying Beetle has sliced off a tentacle of the slavering symbiote called Venom - but what does he want with it? Howling in pain, Venom gives chase to his tormentor through the streets of Manhattan , catching the attention of a certain wall-crawler. And when all three combatants come together, what occurs is so shocking, so unexpected, it could only happen in the book in which anything can happen! (from marvel.com)

Review: Things heat up in this issue as questions are answered and more questions are raised. Peter finds out more than he wanted to about his condition, but questions still arise as to what exactly the Beetle wants with the symbiote. There's no question, however, that this is a page-turner. Immonen does a nice job with Venom and the big chase through the streets. And the ending is for the issue itself to reveal, not a review.

Look out for: There are a couple of images of Venom feeding which aren't for young children's eyes.

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #6: "Little Girls" (All Ages)

Fred Van Lente (w); Salva Espin (p/i); Chris Sotomayor (c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Espin & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Return with us again to the early days of the all-new, all-different, X-Men for all-new solo adventures of Wolverine and Kitty Pryde!

In this issue : TONIGHT! On a brand-new "When Teenage Mutant Girl Sleepovers Turn Deadly": SIRYN and KITTY PRYDE get into a no-holds-barred throwdown of a catfight over COLOSSUS's love, with WOLVERINE caught in the middle! (from marvel.com)

Review: Wolverine may be an unpredictable wild man at times, but he is also Canadian through and through, which means he's passionate about his hockey.especially the Stanley Cup finals. And heaven help anything that gets in between him and the TV, whether it be Danger Room robots (check out the great scene in which he talks about watching hockey being his "moral right as a Canadian" while taking them down) or Kitty and Siryn fighting over boys. It's Amp (who appeared in the first issue) who provides the heart of the story, asking them to consider things from her point of view and reminding us all how lucky we are.

COLLECTIONS

MARVEL ADVENTURES IRON MAN vol. 3: HERO BY DESIGN digest collects MA IRON MAN #9-12.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

THE BATMAN STRIKES! #49

SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE Season 2 #2

VENOM: DARK ORIGIN #2

By thy side,

John "Figaro" Norris

------ Discuss this review on The Cat's Meow section of the Comics in the Classroom Forums ----- 

Note: The age ratings and opinions featured in these reviews are those of reviewer, John Norris, and may not be shared by the administrator of this web site.