THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 34 ____________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, April 28, 2009

BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4: “Menace of the Time Thief!” (All Ages)

Matt Wayne (w); Andy Suriano (p); Dan Davis (i); Heroic Age (c); Sal Cipriano (l); cover by Scott Jeralds

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Jumping out of your TV and into your comics comes the highly anticipated new cartoon BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD! Each month, The Dark Knight Detective faces challenges that only he can solve – with a little help from his DC Universe pals! Thrill as Batman visits new places and old friends. Chill as he chases down the most powerful villains in the DCU, armed with only his Bat-gadgets and his wits!

In this issue : Batman knows one must study the past in order to solve the problems of the future, but he never expected to literally be part of history! Now, thanks to the Time Lord known as Rip Hunter, Batman and Aquaman might never return to the present! (from dccomics.com)

Review: First of all, seeing Batman as a baby trying to outwit Felix Faust with the help of other babies is hilarious, as is the baby's comment about “growing up so fast” when Batman is restored to his normal self. From rapid age changing, Wayne (and Aquaman) take us into a story in which time itself is changing rapidly, thanks to Dr. Cyber…who's actually trying to save the world! How she proposes to do that is for the comic to tell you, not a review. But this is a fun time-travel issue, capped by Jeralds' great dinosaur-themed cover.

INVINCIBLE #61 (Teen.Young Adult)

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

Publisher: Image

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of young superhero Mark Grayson.

In this issue: INVINCIBLE WAR: AFTERMATH! The planet is in ruins. Everything has changed, the world's superheroes are in the hospital or dead. Invincible is left to rebuild -- but now he must face his most deadly and powerful adversary yet. Who... or what is CONQUEST? (from imagecomics.com)

Review: The epic battle from the last issue has ended, and the aftermath is disastrous. Major cities are in ruins, and Invincible isn't feeling too good himself. And then Conquest shows up. Kirkman's writing is fantastic and quite emotional, as Invincible comes to terms with conflicting feelings: the need to help people versus the guilt he feels over the destruction. And in Ottley's images, it's hard not to recall September 11 th . A well-done issue.

MARVEL ADVENTURES FANTASTIC FOUR #47: “The Terrific Trio in…GRIMM SMASH!” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Vicenc Villagrasa (p/i); A. Dalhouse (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Buran & Sotomayor

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: We all know the story: an accidental exposure to cosmic rays turns Reed Richards, along with Johnny and Sue Storm, into the Terrific Three---the World's Greatest Fighting Team! Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when their close friend, Ben Grimm, is bathed in gamma radiation due to a horrible mishap during a Gamma Bomb test---transforming Ben into the Incredible Hulk, the greatest threat the world has ever known! And then…umm, wait…DO we know this story? Who's playing with the past? And why? (from marvel.com)

Review: Looks like Batman and Aquaman aren't the only ones having time trouble. What if God got bored and decided to play around a little bit? That's pretty much the scenario here. The Keeper is in charge of making sure the pieces of the puzzle known as the universe fit. The thing is, though, she finds it BOOOOORING. So she has a little fun. Thus, the Four are now the Terrific Trio, Victor Von Doom leads the X-Men (who, thanks to the government's generous support of mutants, work closely with the military and the NYPD), Norrin Radd is the Sorceror Supreme. And, of course, Ben Grimm is the Hulk, which I find a nice twist on Tobin's part, given Hulk and Ben's history as sparring partners. So forget all those huge crossover events; if you REALLY want to see the Marvel Universe shaken up, just pick up this issue.

WOLVERINE FIRST CLASS #14: “Demon With a Crass Hand” (Teen/Young Adult)

Peter David (w); Ronan Cliquet (p/i); Ulises Arreola (c); Joe Caramagna (l); cover by Williams & Quintana

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 : What do you get when you take KITTY PRYDE, DAREDEVIL, ELEKTRA, THE HAND, and the willingness of ALL of them to beat the SNOT outta each other? Well…you get this comic! (from marvel.com)

Review: We're back in the American Japanese Institute, where Logan , Kitty, Daredevil and Elektra are still fighting the Hand. This time, we learn why the Hand wants the mask that's on display, and what happens when someone puts it on…something, unfortunately, that Kitty's friend learns firsthand. This second half of the story is equally as entertaining as the first. David provides some great dialogue, and Cliquet and Arreola's artwork shines once again.

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.