THE CAT'S MEOW: What's Good on the Shelf This Week / Year 2 - Week 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
Reviews by John Norris, September 29, 2007

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #3 (Teen/Young Adult)

Robert Kirkman (w); Jason Howard (p/i/c); Rus Wooton (l); cover by Howard

Publisher: Image

Format: bi-monthly series

Concept: When Gary Hampton is mauled and left for dead, his life takes a drastic turn. Gary is cursed — when the moon is full he transforms into a beast of the night — a werewolf! But this curse will not be used for evil — witness the birth or the world's most unlikely new superhero — The Astounding Wolf-Man!

In this issue: After the cataclysmic, status quo altering events of last issue, Gary Hampton is left to pick up the pieces of his life. After everything he's been through, things are about to get worse. Could The Astounding Wolf-Man's career as a crime-fighter be over before it's even truly begun? Also in this issue: WEREWOLF FIGHT! (from imagecomics.com)

Review: After issue 2's jaw-dropping final image, I was eagerly awaiting to see what would happen next. (Note: If you have not yet read issue #2, STOP RIGHT NOW and go find a copy.) Where would Kirkman go from there? For one thing, he reminds us that Gary has a human side, complete with a family and a company. Things don't seem to be going well in the business world, either…and that might complicate things on the home front as well. The good news is that Gary 's in control of his wolf-form again, but Zechariah's mystique continues to grow as he offers no easy answers to Gary 's questions. Artistically speaking, Howard continues to impress; not only do we get to see Gary 's transformation work both ways, but we're also treated to a great, if brief, werewolf fight! Here's hoping the book will eventually become a monthly series, because the two-month wait is nearly killing me!

Look out for: some blood

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FRANKLIN RICHARDS, SON OF A GENIUS: MONSTER MASH (All Ages)

Chris Eliopoulos & Marc Sumerak (story); Sumerak (w); Eliopoulos (p/i/l); Brad Anderson (c); cover by Eliopoulos

Publisher: Marvel

Format: one-shot

Concept: Follow the hilarious misadventures of young Franklin Richards (son of Reed and Sue Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four) and his wise-cracking robot companion, H.E.R.B.I.E!

In this issue : Things get frightful this Fall as Franklin Richards returns to explore the deepest, darkest corners of his father's lab. Join Franklin and H.E.R.B.I.E. as they unleash all kinds of monstrous adventure! It's five brand new tales that will be so much fun it's downright scary! (from marvel.com)

Review: Eliopoulos and Sumerak continue to delight with this new collection of Franklin and H.E.R.B.I.E's comic misadventures. This time it's Yetis, monsters, ghosts, and even the Fantastic Four's powers! Pay close attention and you'll find references to Mike Wieringo, Spider-Man, Thor, a Disney World podcast site and Scott Kurtz's comic PvP.

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PHANTOM #19: “Invisible Children, part 3” (Teen/Young Adult)

Mike Bullock (w); Silvestre Szilagyi (p/i); Bob Pedroza (c); Troy Peteri (l); cover A by Marat Mychaels, Adelso Corona & Adam Street; cover B by Darryl Banks, Terry Austin & Pedroza

Publisher: Moonstone

Format: monthly series

Concept: "The Ghost Who Walks" comes alive, as the classic comic strip character is put through his paces in all new adventures. Thrilling adventure fraught with dire peril!

In this issue : Torn from today's headlines, the electrifying conclusion to The Phantom's one-man war against the army of HIM is now! Don't miss out as our hero comes face-to-face with his worst nightmare. Can he overcome HIM or will The Phantom become his next recruit?

Review: One of the thrilling things about this series lies in not knowing just how the Phantom will outwit the bad guys next. But outwit them he does, which leads to the moment we've been waiting for: the final confrontation between the Phantom and HIM. I said it in my review of the previous issue, but it bears repeating here: Bullock and Szilagyi are experts at getting into the mind of a madman. When HIM is alone in his chambers, look at how the word balloons are used, printed in light print and pointing to the back of his head. And his facial expressions speak volumes by themselves. This is a fitting conclusion to an outstanding multi-part story, notable not just for its real-world subject matter, but its concise storytelling; there's not a wasted panel or line of dialogue to be found. And in these days of moral and ethical ambiguity, it's refreshing to see a clearly-defined hero standing up for what's right and sticking it to a clearly-defined villain.

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TEEN TITANS GO! #47: “Regarding Robin/One Morning…” (All Ages)

J. Torres (w); Michael Chang/Christine Norrie (p/i); Heroic Age (c); John J. Hill (l); cover by Todd Nauck & Kanila Tripp

Publisher: DC

Format: monthly series

Concept: Follow the adventures of the Teen Titans, based on the hit cartoon.

In this issue: Finally, the origin of Robin can be told! Plus, witness a day in the lives of Starfire and Raven. Which one of them will stop Gizmo's latest crime spree? (from dccomics.com)

Review: It's a Titans double shot, and a chance for Torres to showcase his ability to write comedy and drama. First up is a touching story featuring Robin, narrated by someone who knows him quite well. It's a sad day for Robin for a reason which I won't explain here, but it's enough to cause him to shed a few tears. Torres shows that everyone needs to cry sometimes, even heroes—and that's OK. The second story showcases one morning from Starfire and Raven's perspectives. Starfire, of course, is anxious to begin the day and upset that Raven has decided to sleep in again. Or is Raven really doing something else?

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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #114: “Death of a Goblin, part 3” (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: Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, has escaped the maximum security facility in the Triskelion, once home to the Ultimates. Because Norman knows young Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Peter must rush to protect his Aunt May from this madman's vengeance. But Norman isn't the only enemy of the web-spinner to have been loosed on New York . Electro, master of electricity, also plans to fry Spidey on sight. This is the Goblin arc no Ultimate reader can afford to miss! Part 3 (of 6) (from marvel.com)

Review: It's completely understandable that MJ would panic upon seeing Norman on TV. Bendis' dialogue between Peter and MJ is great as he tries to calm her down. After tending to her and Aunt May, the sparks really fly…literally. The art team makes Electro look great. Just wait until you see where Peter ends up when it's all over.

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USAGI YOJIMBO #106: “Sparrows, chapter 2” (Teen/Young Adult)

Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai; cover by Sakai & Tom Luth

Publisher: Dark Horse

Format: monthly series

Concept: The adventures of the rabbit samurai known as Usagi.

In this issue: Boss Bakuchi, eager to avenge the death of his son, has placed an extraordinarily large reward on the head of Inazuma. By doing so, he has signed the death warrant for more than a few greedy bounty hunters, as Inazuma is actually possessed by the terrible demon Jei, The Black Soul! Wounded and relentlessly pursued, Inazuma has retreated to a peasant's hut. It is there that Gen and Stray Dog encounter the mysterious samurai, along with a band of competing bounty hunters. Desperate to win their reward, and none too interested in sharing it, Gen and Stray Dog soon find themselves at the heart of a heated battle. Rarely impressed by the skills of other warriors, the two bounty hunters are nothing short of awestruck upon witnessing Inazuma's skills. Then, just as this deadly brawl is about to escalate out of control, the rabbit ronin Usagi arrives! (from darkhorse.com)

Review: Sakai juggles several plots in this issue. Jiro and Senzo are still dealing with the aftermath of Jiro's being possessed. Keiko and a wounded Jei try to rest and recover. Meanwhile, Usagi meets a former samurai whom he blinded some time ago, and Gen and Stray Dog—and later Usagi—encounter a mysterious and quite skilled samurai. It's enough to leave me eagerly waiting for the boiling point.

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X-MEN FIRST CLASS: “Road Trip” (Teen/Young Adult)

Jeff Parker (w); Julia Bax (p); Kris Justice (i); Val Staples (c); Nate Piekos (l); cover by Eric Nguyen

Publisher: Marvel

Format: monthly series

Concept: The next step in human evolution has arrived—Homo Superior. Mankind isn't sure whether this represents hope for the future…or the end of the human race. In a private school in upstate New York, one brilliant mutant is teaching a group of five such gifted students what they'll need to survive in this new world. These are the untold stories of Professor Xavier's first class of X-Men!

In this issue: All the custom-made oversized shoes are missing. Someone's cleaned out the pantry of all the candy. Warren is missing one of his cars. Cerebro, what do your calculations say? ROAD TRIP... HANK AND BOBBY-STYLE. (from marvel.com)

Review: School's out for two weeks, and everyone's gone except Hank and Bobby, for reasons of their own. Professor X encourages Hank to take a vacation, so the two hit the road. This is one of the most entertaining “buddy road trip” stories I've ever heard of, and the art reflects the light-hearted tone perfectly. The two guys do it all, from gambling in Atlantic City to visiting Miami and Key West , Florida . (They even make a stop in my home state of South Carolina !) The issue is one wonderful scene after another and is filled with moments that are just golden, such as Hank in the “Devil's Vortex” and especially Hank learning to drive. But beneath the fun and (mis)adventures is another layer: the boys really do bond together, as seen in the beautifully written next-to-last scene.

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TRADES/DIGESTS:

MADMAN vol. 1 (Teen/Young Adult) collects Mike Allred's classic MADMAN #1-3 and MADMAN ADVENTURES #1-3.

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To be reviewed in next week's column:

FANTASTIC FOUR & POWER PACK #4

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #32

TRANSFORMERS: DEVASTATION #1

By thy side,

John “Figaro” Norris

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