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Avengers: Fairy Tales #3 (of 4) (Marvel - Cebulski / Plati / Wendling)

The Avengers continue to assemble in Marvel Fairy Tales as we focus on the story of a robot who wants nothing more than to be a real boy! Brought to life by the kindly inventor Hank Pym, the Vision is ostracized by other boys his age. When the Scarlet Fairy reveals she can grant his wish to become an actual human boy, The Vision is sent on an extraordinary adventure of self-discovery where he meets an amazing cast of alternate Avengers!

This is the second part of a series of fractured fairy tales starring Marvel’s mightiest heroes.  The story was a well-constructed take off of Pinocchio.  And it faired much better than even some full blown animated flicks (anyone catch Pinocchio 3000?).  The art was a joy to look at, Nuno Plati does a marvelous job of giving the feel of a great old children’s book.  Where the book falls flat is in it’s targeting.  If this is targeted at children, then all of the nuances with Avengers history and cameos are lost.  And if it’s targeted at older comic fans (the ones in tune with the Pym / Ultron family issues)… well, it’s written like a children’s book and it would be tough for any fanboy, even an Avengers fanboy, to fork out $12 for this four issue series.  Even though I believe there is a lost audience here, it is still a pretty well-constructed issue.

Issue Grade: B

The Oconocon, the premier Comics event of Wisconsin and it’s coming up soon! The Oconocon is May 4^th at The Olympia Resort & Convention Center 1350 Royale Mile Road, Oconomowoc, WI 53066. Oconomowoc, WI is located right in between Milwaukee and Madison. The Resort is conveniently situated less than 2 miles off of Interstate 94.

Some of the guests are: Jim Krueger (Justice, Project: Superpowers), Sean McKeever (Teen Titans, Countdown), John Jackson Miller (Star Wars: KOTOR), Mark Stegbauer (Femme Noir, The Four Uncles of the Apocolypse), Worth Gowell (Kid Houdini), Matt Anderson (White Picket Fences), Micah Farritor (White Picket Fences), Andy Brase (Kull, Incredible Hulk), Josh Elder (The Batman Strikes!), Rich Koslowski (Marvel Comics Presents), Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes!), Tom Nguyen (Batman, Green Lantern Corps), Ande Parks (Green Arrow, Superman Confidential)… plus many, many more… check out the complete list here!

The architect and driving force behind the Oconocon is Joshua Goes. I have had the pleasure of knowing Josh for a year or two now. Recently I was able to get a few words out of him about the Oconocon, his life and how he uses his powers of geekdom for good!

Check out below for Josh’s interview, an insight into setting up a convention and monkeybread sweet deals on airline to and from comic conventions!

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The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury #295 (Archaia - Thomas / Ferguson)

She’s the greatest adventurer in this, or any other galaxy, the kind of old-fashioned, classic science-fiction heroine that can successfully defeat The Time Raiders of Xaxium, brave the wonders of The Glass Planet, survive The Perils of Yor, and battle The Infinity Class to a veritable standstill! All while facing the one enemy that perhaps even she cannot defeat, a microscopic poison rushing through her veins, courtesy of her greatest adversary, Cyrus Vega.  With only one year left to live, Miranda Mercury will have her morality tested and values shaken to see her life’s mission completed.

The first time I read through Miranda, I didn’t quite get it because it wasn’t what I had expected.  I had thought it would be a one dimensional action-fest funneled towards a tween crowd. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!  While Miranda Mercury definitely is family-friendly, this modern look at the classic pulp hero might be a bit too dialogue-driven for the elementary school reader.  Miranda is a strong female character, she uses a balanced approach of brains and brawns to fight the good fight.  And in alignment to the pulp heroes she was crafted after, she has unflappable morals.  In this first issue (even though the numbering starts at 295), Miranda outplays a whole mass of bad guy lackeys, outwits a mad scientist, uncovers and solves an ancient puzzle guarded by a genie and is granted a wish for solving it… even though she has a deadly disease, she wishes for the puzzle to become impossible so an evil-hearted bad guy can never get at it.  I liken Miranda to a future-tech female version of Indiana Jones.

The art is great and the story is a blast, if not wordy.  It would seem that Tweens, teens and adults everywhere might have a new role-model hero… and her name is Miranda Mercury.

Issue Grade: A

Justice League Unlimited #43 (DC - Giffen / Jones / Davis)

An untold tale of the Justice League by 52’s Keith Giffen! Meet the early Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, who want to join the League — because that’s where the big money is! They have much to learn…

So the other day, one of my daughters starts asking me about Booster Gold.  I though it was odd, but maybe they had seen my copies of Geoff Johns’ series hanging around… so we did Booster Gold 101, and then they started pressing me about Blue Beetle… some more detailed questions and I knew something was up.  I got my daughter subscriptions to some DC childrens’ comics for Christmas and this month’s JLU was a “Blue and Gold” issue.

Right away I was able to recognize the fun artwork of Chris Jones on the cover and the interior.  Jones (The Batman Strikes!) does a  fantastic job of having a balance of cartoony art and yet still detailed and attractive.  I gave JLU a read and was impressed by how true to the characters this issue was… then I looked, duh, written by Keith Giffen.  Not only is he the Statler and Waldorf of DC comics wrapped up in one person, but he is a true living legacy in the comic field.  Sort of an amalgamation of Clint Eastwood and Walter Matthau… except from the land of geek.

Anyways, Great issue… good background for parents / kids trying to get a grip on the JLA roster.

Issue Grade: A

Teen Titans #3 ( DC / Wolfram / Kerschl / LaPointe / Peru)

“The newly formed Teen Titans must face off against the possessed Justice League of America to the death! And in this battle, there are no winners.“

The write-up from DC isn’t exactly accurate. There are winners, and in this case it’s the Teen Titans. Because let’s face it, if the Titans lost the book would be a whole lot shorter. I digress: I was happy that writer Amy Wolfram did not play the Starro card when dealing with possessed DC heroes, as such often is the case. Instead she brought in the Antithesis, an interdimensional being that posses multiple hosts. The Titans use team work to throw their JLA mentors off balance and best them. But it’s a shallow victory for some when they realize that while Batman was possessed, he’s still a crab-ass towards Robin. Which if you read All Star Batman & Robin, seems to be the way DC is treating the Batman / Dick Grayson-Robin relationship.

This is a very solid book for new fans of the Teen Titans. A perfect starting point for someone new to the Titans mythos, or someone new to comics in general. This would also be a great pick-up for you struggling student readers and kids new to comics. From an older and experienced comic reader’s point of view, this book just isn’t quite meaty enough. It’s a fun book, but one that could be just as easily enjoyed with the trade paperback comes out.

Grade: B

Check out Kowabunga Comics… the most family-friendly and awesome comic store around

Mouse Guard 1152 #3 (of 6) (Archaia Studio Press - Petersen) - The Black Axe Celanawe and Young Mouse Guard Lieam dig into the snowy landscape for shelter during an ice storm, and the horrible weather leaves them with fewer supplies than before. The Guard mice Saxon, Kenzie, and Sadie - trapped below the surface in the weasel homeworld of Darkheather - upset the nocturnal inhabitants there. Saxon takes drastic measures and gets carried away!”

It really is hard to talk about the modern classic of Mouse Guard in blurbs, David Petersen has created such an wonderful epic tale. The vision of the Mouse Guard world has a rich history and complexity to it while still being accessible. The Winter 1152 arc is the second of three presently planned. If you haven’t picked up the trade of Fall 1152, this should be on your family must have list. It is fantastic family fantasy reading that is far from fluff.

The Winter story arc watches the revived Guard struggle to keep the kingdom in one piece. With enemies at the door, the elements against you and politics eating you from within, even the most valiant of heroes will have a rough time. With this second series, Mouse Guard has given me a struggle though. While it has to be one of the most beautiful books on the market, the time in between issues is a tad much. I had to go back and re-read issues #1 and #2 to feel up to par to follow our rodent protagonists. Sometimes that time element is cost of a gorgeous independent book. Watching the Mice as a race interact with other race-species is incredible, and it appears as if Petersen has taken his studies into both history and sociology to make sure it’s believable. In this issue the readers are introduced to the bat culture, a great amalgamation of scary and fantastical!  I still can’t recommend this book more, I just wish it wouldn’t be a few more months before I get to read issue #4.

Issue Grade: A

Scooby-Doo #129 (DC - Rozum / Angelelli / Ottolini)

With school back in session, take a class in some horrific history with Professor Scoob and the gang! Plus, longing for the blockbuster days of summer movies? No worries, Scoob’s got the scoop on Snacks on a Plane and it’s deelish!

Okay, I know this is a new one for the Pullbox, but some of the best creators today did start working on off-beat comics, even ones specifically written for the under 10 crowd.

DC’s / Kids WB’s Scooby-Doo is exactly what it appears to be… good fun for kids and kid-like adults. While not necessarily having the charm of the original show that I remember watching when I was eight (then again, very little can stand up to the wonderment of the Saturday morning cartoons of the late 70’s / early 80’s), it is great fun. The book has the same classic Scooby feel with updated gags and references (Snacks on a plane :)). The book is broken into several smaller stories specifically written for younger readers and includes a preview of the new Super Friends book. If you are looking to put a comic in the hands of a youngin’ in your life, you probably aren’t going to do better than this modern update on classic.

Issue Grade:B / A for family-friendliness

Check out Kowabunga Comics… the most family-friendly and awesome comic store around!

On Saturday, Feb 23rd, David Nakayama had a comic signing appearance at Kowabunga Comics. Most of you know that Kowabunga is my uber-favorite comic shop to begin with… but when you add a guy like David showing up, it became a geek Nirvana.

David was there talking about how he has just finished his run on Marvel Adventures: Hulk and will be doing work on Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four. I was lucky enough to see some of the pages of the upcoming issues, and as always, David’s art looks incredible! He had also mentioned he has a project coming up that is in the mainstream Marvel Universe that will be pretty big… he didn’t give any more detail no matter how many times and different ways I asked So I don’t know what it is (and I hope they don’t suck him into the black hole that is all the X-books) but I am sure it will rock!

After you go to conventions and signings for several years, you get a sense of how creators and geek “celebrities” can be. Sometimes, they come across as just being interested in you handing them cash for their time and don’t seem to care about the fan base, perhaps even annoyed that you are there (*cough* Lou *cough*) and sometimes they come across as friendly and just as excited to meet you and you are them. David is one of the later group. I watched him do sketches for anyone who asked and answer every question given to him from all ages. He had elementary students asking him who his favorite characters, what books he reads… even what his favorite scene from the Spawn Movie was? David took it all in stride, no matter how the question was. He had the time and patience to talk to everyone who came through the door and really scored big points for Marvel Comics with the parents. With his mainstream work coming up, I hope David gets marked as one of their Young Guns for ‘08. Thank you for coming David and good luck with your upcoming books / projects! And everyone make sure to reserve your copy of his upcoming work in MA: Fantastic Four!

Here is David’s Myspace, Here is David’s page on Deviant Art.

Oconomowoc is home to The Oconocon, the biggest Midwest Comic Convention premiering this year… go on, check out the guest list… you will be impressed!

Check out Kowabunga Comics… the most family-friendly and awesome comic store around!

Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer #1 (IDW - Kaplan / Musso / Torres / Jensen)

“Mach Go Go Go!” Speed Racer and all of the characters you know and love—from Trixie to Chim-Chim and beyond—is back in all-new adventures! Kicking off a new era of Speed, writer Arie Kaplan (Mad Magazine) and artist Robby Musso (The Transformers) expand the mythos in exciting, new (and old) ways in a story that spans generations of Racers! Artist Alex Garner (Dominatrix) provides a special painted cover, and fellow Transformers artist extraordinaire E.J. Su offers a retail incentive cover, too.

Chronicles of the Racer is the newest vision in the long line of modern comic versions of everyone’s favorite “demon of wheels!”, no doubt with the perfect timing to compliment the new Wachowski Brothers live action movie. The new IDW series takes the history of Speed Racer and sort of turns its on it’s ear. Dating back as far as 3100 BC, there is born a Racer in every generation from a long-line of those who came before him that is given “the inherent superhuman speed and agility to outrun the evils of the world”. During the course of his life, he will need grow in training and discipline to fully understand the powers of the Racer. Thankfully our main character has family and friends that love him and the book chronicling his family heritage to help him out.

Flashbacks have the reader catch Racer stories from ancient Nubia, Rome and WWII. Arie Kaplan’s tweaked story of Speed Racer was enjoyable and out-and-out family friendly, if not a bit melodramatic, cheesy and predictable… but truthfully, we wouldn’t want it any other way :). Kaplan’s vision will be great fun for new reader and yet will keep the old-school fans happy too! The issue is split between two artists, Robby Musso and German Torres. Musso’s art comes off as what you would expect, a very competent manga-ish style… Torres tries to do the same thing, but isn’t up to snuff. The art in the later half of the book is by far the weak link here. Even with that pitfall, I do look forward to the next issue.

Issue Grade: B+