THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 2 _ _________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, September 15 , 2008

DC SUPER FRIENDS vol. 2 #7: “Just My Luck” (All Ages)

Sholly Fisch (w); Dario Brizuela (p/i); Heroic Age (c); Travis Lanham (l); cover by J. Bone

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Introducing SUPER FRIENDS — a brand-new series for younger readers to meet the heroes of the DC Universe, based on the hot toy line from Mattel! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Aquaman are here to save the day — and be your friends, too!

In this issue: Amos Fortune believes winning is mostly a matter of luck – and he's going to make his own from now on! But the Super Friends bet it takes skill to win. Who's right? Plus, puzzles, games and more! (from dccomics.com)

Review: Amos Fortune has had bad luck all of his life. Whether it was sports, education or getting a job, everyone always seemed to do better than him. So he vowed to never have bad luck again, and now he's using his Stimoluck to help ensure that his kids' skateboarding team wins at any cost. But when the Super Friends show up to help another team, they show them what Amos missed, and I think it's a great lesson for young and old: hard work and practice can help you overcome “bad luck.” I'm loving Brizuela's artwork; it's perfect for this book. This issue's games and activities are really inventive; they include a jigsaw jumble, a “Race to the Rescue” game and two “Super Friends Super Stumpers.”

INVINCIBLE #52 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman (w); Ryan Ottley (p); Cliff Rathburn (i); Fco Plascencia (c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Ottley & Bill Crabtree

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of young superhero Mark Grayson.

In this issue : INVINCIBLE vs. KID OMNI-MAN! This partnership is not off to a good start! It's brother versus brother and the outcome of this all out brawl will amaze you. Who will be left standing? The bold new direction of INVINCIBLE continues here! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: Invincible sure has faced a lot of conflicts, both personal and in the form of the villains he's fought, but his toughest conflict might just be with his own kid brother, Oliver. As Kid Omni-Man, he's rushed off to fight the Mauler twins (check out their fantastic double-page splash), despite Invincible's objections. Let me say this: to say that Oliver comes into his own in this issue is a HUGE understatement. I won't go into details here, but believe me, it ain't pretty. And you know what? That's not the most shocking moment in the issue. Nor is it when Mark finds out that Oliver may have a bit more of his dad in him that anyone thought. No, the most shocking moment for me happens on the last page: Mark's expression and one-word response to Oliver's question. I can't say any more, but something tells me that Mark and Oliver's relationship won't be the same again.

Look out for: LOTS of blood when Oliver fights the Mauler twins. Like I said, it ain't pretty.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31 st CENTURY #18: “Failure To Communicate” (All Ages)

J. Torres (w); Ethen Beavers (p/i); Heroic Age (c); Travis Lanham (l); cover by Alex Serra & Heroic Age

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

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

In this issue: Computer chaos hits New Metropolis, crippling the high-tech city and throwing the Legion into the Dark Ages as communications crash, starships collide and magic takes over! Brainiac 5 has to prove that science is stronger than sorcery...but will he have to give up his place in the Legion to do it? (from dccomics.com)

Review: Adults may remember the now-famous line from the movie COOL HAND LUKE: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” This issue is appropriately titled, and that title refers to two things. First, it refers to the fact that communications have gone haywire due to the fact that Interlac, the official language of commerce and communication of the United Planets is suddenly nowhere to be found on anyone's system. This means, of course, that no one can understand what anyone else is saying. It also refers to Brainiac 5's lack of communication skills as team leader, and the effect that has on the other teammates. While the Legionnaires may have a failure to communicate, Torres and Beavers certainly don't. They make their point quite clearly: lack of communication of any kind leads to bad results.

MARVEL ADVENTURES HULK #15: “Following the Leader” (All Ages)

Peter David (w); Juan Santacruz (p); Norberto Fernandez (i); Angel Marin (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Santacruz, Cifuentes & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly seeries

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: The United Nations has tried to for years to bring the nations of the world together, and facilitate peace. The gamma-enhanced super-villain, the Leader, likes that idea—he just thinks the best way to get it is for him to rule the planet! Now it's up to Hulk and his constant companions, teenager Rick Jones and Monkey the monkey, to save the UN from the big-brained baddie! But can even Hulk smash a whole army of the Leader's squishy pink androids? (from marvel.com)

Review: The Leader just wants us all to get along…his way! Which is easy to do when you can control the mind of anyone you come into physical contact with. In this issue, we get a look at the how the Leader became who he is. Ironically, he'll become more of a follower when all is said and done. As for the Hulk, he seems to have a bit more of an arrogant tone than usual, calling Rick “annoying” and “stupid,” but still remembering that Rick's his only friend.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #43: “A Whale of a Tale” (All Ages)

Marc Sumerak (w); Carlos Ferreira (p); Robert Campanella (i); A. Street (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Patrick Scherberger, Terry Pallot & Guru eFX

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Bitten by an irradiated spider, which granted him incredible abilities, Peter Parker learned the all-important lesson, that with great power there must also come great responsibility. And so he became the amazing Spider-Man!

In this issue : When Peter Parker's biology class goes on a field trip to a popular aquatic theme park, Pete can't wait for a day full of water, whales and walruses. But our hero never expected to find himself face-to-fin with an Atlantean villain determined to release the park's animal inhabitants back to the freedom of the ocean! Looks like Spidey is in DEEP trouble! (from marvel.com)

Review: Ahh, school field trips. Who doesn't (or didn't) look forward to the chance to, as Peter puts it, escape the confines of campus and have some fun while on the clock? Peter is about to get more than he asked for when a villain named Orka decides to do the “free Willy” thing and release Kantu the killer whale, whether Kantu likes it or not! Ferreira draws a great orca…and a great Orka. The best part is that Kantu plays as much a part in saving the day as Spidey does. I have to say that I had a whale of a time with this one.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #191: “Metal and Mettle, part 1” (All Ages)

Ian Flynn (w); Tracy Yardley! (p); Jim Amash (i); Josh Ray (c); John Workman (l); cover by Yardley! & Jason Jensen

Publisher: Archie

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of Sonic and pals, based on the hit video game.

In this issue : The Council of Acorn is dragging its feet to take back Freedom HQ, and Sonic's not the kind of guy to wait! Our hero is ready to rumble, but is he ready for King Scourge and the newest Metal Sonic? Meanwhile, Knuckles is still haunted by his time as Enerjak. Can his bond with Julie-Su take the strain? (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: When I started reading SONIC X (with issue #21), I loved its blend of humor and action. (I still do.) So when I decided to give SONIC THE HEDGEHOG a try, I figured it would be more of the same, pretty much. Boy, was I wrong! This series is all-ages entertainment in its truest sense, and this issue is rich with proof. There's some terrific fighting action between Sonic, King Scourge and Metal Sonic, and there's the appealing artwork from Yardley, Amash and Ray. But in the midst of battle, Flynn has Sonic and Scourge talking morals, with a twist. They're part of each other, so we expect Sonic to tell Scourge that he could be good, but then Scourge turns it around and tells Sonic that he could be bad. But the most powerful—and emotional—scenes belong to Knuckles, who has turned out to be a deeper character than I would have thought. Here's someone who is so ashamed of what he once was and decisions he once made that he can't even face his beloved Julie-Su. Only when he admits that he's messed up can the two of them move on. That's another great thing about the series: the characters are allowed to grow.

SONIC X #36: “Petastrophe” (All Ages)

Joe Edkin (w); James Fry (p); Terry Austin (i); Jason Jensen (c); John Workman (l); cover by Pat “Spaz” Spaziante

Publisher: Archie

Format: monthly series

Concept: During a battle between Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman, an explosion hurled Sonic, his friends, and Dr. Eggman across dimensions until they found themselves on planet Earth. Dr. Eggman is determined to establish his Eggman Empire, beginning with Earth…and Sonic is determined to stop him.

In this issue : If Sonic thinks he has a hard time with Eggman, wait until he sees the trouble Chris' rival Milan Ramada dishes out! This spoiled daughter of a rich businessman could give Veronica Lodge a run for her money (literally)! Determined to win the title of "richest kid in town," Milan travels in style in a souped-up limo made of special components her father's company dreamt up. Eggman promptly steals those components to build a new robot, but still needs a chaos emerald to complete the task. Lucky for him, first prize in the pet show is chaos emerald-encrusted collar! Can Bokkun dressed as a cat really win the judges' hearts in any category other than "worst in show?" (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: Think pet shows are boring? You'll like this one! While Sonic lists Dr. Eggman as his nemesis, Chris has a nemesis of his own: rich girl Milan Ramada (gotta love that name!), who is as mean as Chris is nice. She gets what she wants…and what she wants is for her Chihuahua , Precious, to win “best in show” at the pet competition. But when the prize is a collar with a Chaos emerald in it, you can bet Sonic and Dr. Eggman will be there as well. How they attempt to win “fair and square” is a hoot! Fry provides some nice art, while Edkin slips in messages about kindness to animals and other people with the laughs and action.

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED: THE ARRIVAL #2: “Attention Surplus Disorder / Whatever Happened to Whatisname?” (All Ages)

Marty Isenberg (w); Dario Brizuela (p); Leandro Corral (i); Liam Shalloo (c); Chris Mowry (l); cover A by Irineo Maramba & Kersti Myrberg; cover B by Marcelo Matere

“Whatever Happened to Whatisname?” art by Matere

Publisher: IDW

Format: five-issue miniseries

Concept: The first ALL-NEW ORIGINAL comic based on the hit TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED series airing on Cartoon Network!

In this issue : Transformers Animated series head writer Marty Isenberg and artist Dario Brizuela continue their new tales of Detroit's favorite alien robots with "Attention Surplus Disorder," in which the Autobots clash with Detroit's former favorite hero, who's craving to steal the spotlight back from the giant cybernetic upstarts. Also, in the backup story "Whatever Happened to Whatisname?", Isenberg teams with artist Marcelo Matere to tell the untold tale of what became of a certain Decepticon after his defeat by the Autobots. The answer may surprise and disturb you! (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: A lot of jobs in town have been taken over by robots, but the Wraith thought his job was secure. But there's nothing worse for a costumed hero than being upstaged and having your secrets revealed, especially by some upstart Autobot named Bumblebee! Isenberg and Brizuela work their magic once again as we find out how far the Wraith will go to restore his name…and possibly ruin Bumblebee's. And what happens in “Whatever Happened to Whatisname” may or may not surprise or disturb you, but I guarantee it will make you laugh!

To be reviewed in next week's column:

ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #8

BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #2

FAMILY DYNAMIC #2

FLASH vol. 2 #244

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #28

MARVEL APES #2

SKRULLS VS. POWER PACK #3

TINY TITANS #8

X-MEN FIRST CLASS vol. 2 #16

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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