THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week-Year 3 - Week 28 ____________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, March 17, 2008

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #49: “Playing Hero” (All Ages)

Marc Sumerak (w); Sanford Greene (p); Nathan Massengill (i); Sotocolor (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Francis Tsai

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 : Every student at Midtown High knows that Flash Thompson is numero uno at every game he plays...and that rule applies to more than just varsity sports. Flash's video gaming skills are the stuff of legend, and they just got him noticed by a super-villain looking to test a brand new arcade machine -- one that could destroy all of New York City ! Will Peter Parker be able to swing into action and save his high school arch-nemeis before it's too late...or will this finally be "game over" for the spectacular Spider-Man?! Insert 12 quarters to find out... (from marvel.com)

Review: Being a spider-powered superhero in real life is one thing, but playing one in a video game is another…at least for Peter Parker. With Flash Thompson, the reverse is true. So when Spidey has to battle Arcade , the ultimate gamer, who better to help him? I like that Sumerak puts a twist on the Peter/Flash/Spider-Man triangle; neither Peter nor Spidey will be able to live Flash down after this. Greene provides some nice action and expressions, particularly the page where Peter runs out of quarters.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #9: “Contractual Discombobulations” (All Ages)

Paul Tobin (w); Jacopo Camagni (p/i); Chris Sotomayor (c); Dave Sharpe (l); cover by Cruz & Quintana

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: Join the Marvel Heroes for some amazing adventures.

In this issue: A PENNY SHORT IS A DAY SAVED: In a time long gone, the Ancient One fought a tremendous battle against the Dread Dormammu, ultimately banishing the ruler of the Dark Dimension back to his own reality by power of a mystically binding contract. Unfortunately for Dr. Strange, that mystical contract is hundreds of pages long, and the Dread One has now found himself one nasty lawyer, and a whole lot of loopholes. Dr. Strange is going to need all the mystical might he possesses, along with the legal prowess of one Mr. Foggy Nelson, Attorney At Law, in order to send Dormammu packing, or maybe just to stay alive! (from marvel.com)

Review: Okay, I'm all for superheroes getting into unusual situations, but this is stretching things. Strange and Wong are at the Guggenheim Museum, when they're attacked by a fire-breathing rodent that turns out to be Dormammu, Ruler of the Dark Dimension, in disguise. See, when the Ancient One defeated Dormy several decades ago, he took it upon himself to draw up an enormous contract spelling out the exact boundaries of Dormy's banishment. So…yeah. The issue reads just like that contract does: a lot of meaningless clauses.

TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED: THE ARRIVAL #5: “Survival Skills/Everything Must Go” (All Ages)

Marty Isenberg (w); Dario Brizuela/Boo (p); Leandro Corral/Boo (i); Liam Shalloo (c); Chris Mowry (l); cover A by Marcelo Matere & Priscilla Tramontano; cover B by Boo & Shalloo; cover C Optimus Prime art

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: A young OPTIMUS PRIME has an unsettling encounter during his days at the AUTOBOT ACADEMY . Plus an offbeat tale featuring BLITZWING, LUGNUT, and SWINDLE! (from grahamcrackers.com)

Review: FINALLY, at long last, I got my hands on a copy of this issue. Fortunately, it was well worth the wait. In “Survival Skills,” a young Prime faces Megatron in a battle in which one shall stand and one shall fall…until Isenberg throws us a twist. As usual, Brizuela's art is great, and he stages the action quite nicely. And as usual, Boo's artwork is great in the hilarious “Everything Must Go,” in which the aptly-named Swindle “helps” Blitzwing and Lugnut one-up each other.

COLLECTIONS

SUPER FRIENDS: FOR JUSTICE TP collects SUPER FRIENDS #1-7.

To be reviewed in next week's column:

INVINCIBLE #60

JOHNNY MONSTER #2

MARVEL ADVENTURES AVENGERS #34

SUPER FRIENDS vol. 2 #13

TINY TITANS #14

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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