Thursday Morning Superhero

Before you do anything else you want to pick up the Valiant Humble Bundle right here.  For a mere $15 you can get over 80 amazing titles from one of the best indie publishers in the business.  The Humble Bundle has had some amazing deals in the past, but so far the Valiant bundle is by far the best bang for your buck.  This week I didn't pick up too many titles at my LCS.  I have heard that this week's Fables was a tear jerker and that Spider-Gwen is a title that is worth checking out, so I may be making a second stop after work.  At least I got to check out the new lady Thor.

Pick of the Week:
Oddly Normal #1 - As a proud father of two nerdy kids it gives me great pleasure to read a great all-ages titles like Oddly Normal.  Oddly is a half-witch who is having a hard time fitting in.  She has two great parents, but they don't seem to understand what she is dealing with at school.  This book debuts on her 11th birthday and we learn that Oddly Normal is anything but normal.  I have been searching to fill the Harry Potter void in my life and feel that this title is a contender.  While I recommend this to any parent looking for a good title for their son or daughter, I quite enjoyed it as well.  If you, like myself, have enjoyed Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, this title is worth checking out.

The Rest:
Thor #25 - The reign of the current Thor has come to an end.  When Nick Fury revealed certain secrets on the moon, Thor became unworthy to wield Mjolnir.  What we learn in this final book in the series is that he regains his worthiness and has three granddaughters who seek to understand their past.  I will admit that I have not read any of the other Thor titles in this run, but found this one intriguing enough to check out the new lady Thor, even though it seems like a gimmick. At least I can tell my grandchildren that I read the first issue where lady Thor made her debut.



Stray Bullets: Killers #7 - What an odd coincidence reading this book today.  This title opens up at an Orioles game the day after they clinch their first American East title since 1993.  To top it off, the events that unfold started on my 8th birthday!  Sadly this is where all of the happy coincidences end and the dark ones begin.  David Lapham delivers another stunning, yet depressing, issue.  Lapham has a unique ability to tie stories together in a way that is completely plausible that doesn't feel forced.  Eli seems to have a lot going for him, but when you associate with people that are friends with criminals in this world, watch out.  Great series that feels shockingly real.

Daredevil #8 - Matt Murdock is getting settled in San Francisco and things really pick up in this issue.  We are introduced to Killgrave, the purple man, who has mind control thanks to an experimental nerve gas.  When will we learn? Anyhoo, Killgrave has been using this control to seduce women to birth a new army of purple-skinned mind-controlling children!  It sounds silly, but Waid delivers another thrilling issue with a twist that has me itching for the next issue.





POSTED BY MIKE N. -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Microreview [Comic]: I Was the Cat

A Good Idea Will Only Get You...Fleas, Maybe

I like cats. I have some. I have kids, too, who also like the cats, so when I Was the Cat came across the ole blotter, I was really excited. The premise is great: a (talking) cat who is on the last of his nine lives hires a reporter to ghostwrite a memoir about his multiple incarnations here on Earth. There were some off-putting things right at the start — like the reporter character being unbelievably named "Allison Breaking," and her successful blog called "Breaking News," and Allison's roommate? friend? lover? Reggie being absolutely insufferable — but I was still hopeful. There were some really nice moments early on, too, like finding out that Burma, the eponymous cat, is a multimillionaire living in a posh London home, attended by a butler. It's cute.

Then we get into some of Burma's previous lives. It was a neat idea to space them out, so that his nine lives weren't lived consecutively over some 70 years, but instead reach all the way back to ancient Egypt. Other adventures were also well-chosen, such as an interlude in Victorian England with Jonathan Wild, a shady, Dickensian underworld figure I wasn't previously acquainted with, and the revelation that Burma had a crush on Audrey Hepburn and was the cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's. But the thread that holds them all together, and holds together the action in the present, as well, is that in each of his lives, Burma has been trying to take over the world. I don't disagree that the story needed a narrative drive, rather than stringing nine vignettes together, but this device did two things: 1) it just kept reminding me of Pinky and the Brain, and 2) it opened the door for a surprising amount of sex and violence, as we see Burma's enemies murdered in a number of bloody cases, and frolicking in the sack in several other cases. This seemed oddly out-of-place in a kids' comic about a talking cat.

On the whole, it's this incongruity that plagues the book. I guess in Hollywood you'd call it "tone problems," but I was never sure how seriously to take the book, or how funny writer Paul Tobin was trying to be. If you want funnier animals trying to take over the world, watch Pinky and the Brain, or if you want better social commentary about the corrupting influence of money in today's society, read Matt Taibbi's The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap. And unless you want to start explaining sex to your seven-year-old, you may want to opt for Batman '66 or something similar for your young outlandish-action-fan at home.

Tobin, Paul and Benjamin Dewey. I Was the Cat [Oni Press, 2014].

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 7/10

Bonuses: +1 for Audrey Hepburn; +1 for the historical milieus used for Burma's lives

Penalties: -2 for a female lead character (and reporter, no less) who has no agency, character development, or awareness of what's going on all around her; -1 for its remarkably uneven tone; -1 for awkwardly utilized social themes

Nerd Coefficient: 5/10. Equal parts good and bad.

Posted by — Vance K, daily cat litter scooper-outer, owner of two movies with Cat People in the title, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Halloween ComicFest

If this time of year wasn't good enough, with the candy, the jack-o-lanterns, corn mazes, and The Great Pumpkin, we now have Halloween ComicFest!  Diamond Comic Distributors and the good folks behind the Comic Shop Locator Service teamed with multiple publishers to bring us Halloween ComicFest.  So in addition to dressing up in costume, getting and giving candy, and scaring resident children, we now get free comics. 

On top of that they are hosting the Greatest Costume Contest ever and are giving away over 500 prizes in an online costume contest on their website.  Visit www.halloweencomicfest.com to find a participating store near you and to vote for me as Axe Cop in the Indy category!

Once you find a participating store in your area here are some of the free books that you can get your hands on.  There are four full-size comics and 11 mini-comics for you to try to get a hold of.  My five-year old son is most excited about Cow Boy, Johnny Boo, and Axe Cop.  With a great selection of comics for all ages, this is one event I hope becomes an annual tradition.

Full Size Comics

Batman Adventures/Scooby Doo Flip Book #1 - DC Comics

"Just in time for Halloween, it's a FREE all-ages flip-book comic reprinting classic BATMAN and SCOOBY-DOO tales! In his side of the comic, The Dark Knight meets Gotham City's new vigilante, the Cavalier, and battles the evil of Ra's Al Ghul in stories from BATMAN ADVENTURES #1 and #4. And in the other side, the Mystery Inc. Gang tries to get to the bottom of "The Costume Caper," in a story from SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #2" 






Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Halloween Edition - IDW

Special reprint of the first issue in the ongoing series. 











Marvel Universe: Avengers and Spider-man - Marvel Comics

"Celebrate Halloween with two thrilling tales featuring everyone's favorite Wall-Crawler and the Earth's Mightiest Heroes! It can't get any better than free Spider-Man and Avengers comics, so don't forget to stop into your local comic shop and pick up a copy!"








Jack Davis' Tales from the Crypt - Fantagraphics

"Heh, heh! Got a real chiller-diller this time fiends! Join me, The Crypt-Keeper, your host of howls, along with Jack Davis and Al Feldstein as we creep our way through four spine-tingling, hair-standing, blood-curdling tales of terror from the vaults of EC Comics! We'll scare you silly! Trick or treat? Treat!!" 








Mini-Comics


Axe Cop Halloween 2012 - Dark Horse

Ghost Busters: Time Scare Halloween 2012 - IDW

"First time in print! A long-dead gangster is terrorizing Times Square, wreaking horrific havoc on a building that once housed a spirited speakeasy. But the place is now a toy store, and when the ghostly gangster starts shooting ectoplasmic bullets at terrified patrons, the Ghosbusters - Egon, Ray, Peter, and Winston - are called in to nab the speakeasy spook! Written by Brian Lynch (Angel, Spike, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and illustrated Marcelo Mueller (Lady Death, Aliens), Ghostbusters: Time Scare! serves as a hauntingly hilarious gateway into IDW's smash-hit line of Ghostbusters comics" 




Zombie Kids Diaries Halloween 2012 - Antarctic Press

"In the madness of the Zombie Apocalypse, amid the throngs of living dead and terrified victims, the Littlest Zombie roams. He's just an inquisitive chap filled with curiosity about the world on fire around him. Pushed around by his fellow undead (who always get to the brains first), and positively frowned upon by the remaining living citizens, the poor little guy just wants a friend. And maybe something to chew on. Like your face" 






Strawberry Shortcake/Scouts Flipbook - Diamond Publications

"Our 2012 Halloween mini-comic flip-book features 3 short stories! One side features the boys of the Weasel Troop in a SCOUTS! short story, "Meet the Pets". And the flip-side features the stories from our wildly successful STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE comic, "Custard & Cake" and "A Little Kitchen Help"! This sweet treat is sure to please boys, girls, AND their parents!"







 Cow Boy: Hallow's Eve - Archaia
"All y'all step right up for the showdown of their century: Cow Boy vs. Billy the Kid! From the acclaimed team of Nate Cosby (Jim Henson's The Storyteller, Pigs) and Eisner-nominated Chris Eliopoulos (Franklin Richards, Misery Loves Sherman) comes an all-new Cow Boy yarn from Archaia Entertainment, just in time for Halloween, and for free!" 






New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes - Red Circle Comics

"Red Circle Comics proudly presents the next generation of super heroes: The New Crusaders! From the ashes of the past, a new generation must rise! Get acquainted with the most exciting group of young super heroes that comic books have to offer in this free introduction. Get The New Crusaders!" 








Adventure Time - Kaboom!

"It's ADVENTURE TIME! Join Finn the Human, Jake the Dog, and Princess Bubblegum for all-new adventures through The Land of Ooo. The top-rated Cartoon Network show now has its own comic book! With the show exploding in the ratings, garnering rave online reviews, major cosplay at the San Diego Comic-Con, and huge displays dominating the New York Comic Con, it's clear fandom is obsessed and 2012 is the Year of Adventure Time! Don't miss out on this new phenomenon!"





Spacehawk - Fantagraphics

"Blast off into outer space with Basil Wolverton's weird and otherworldly SPACEHAWK! Two tense and terrific tales of terrible adventure and tumult from comics' Golden Age! You ain't seen nothing like this!"









Ernest and Rebecca: The Haunted House - Papercutz

"Papercutz presents a special Ernest & Rebecca minicomic for Halloween! Rebecca is a vivacious 6 1/2 year-old girl whose best friend happens to be a germ named Ernest. He's not only her best friend- he's also her partner in mischief, adventure companion, and confidant. An inseparable duo, the zany adventures of these two continue to delight in this award-winning series from Papercutz."






Johnny Boo and Harold Tricky Treaters - Top Shelf 

"Johnny Boo is the best little ghost in the world. Don't believe it? Just ask him! What wacky Halloween adventure are he and Squiggle up to now? Plus: meet Harold, the star of Upside Down: A Vampire Tale. He's a friendly vampire kid who loves candy, so trick-or-treating is just about his favorite thing in the world! Tricky Treaters is a blast for all ages: a great introduction to James Kochalka's hit series Johnny Boo and Jess Smart Smiley's delightful debut Upside Down! Grab this free mini-comic and spook yourself silly!"





Little Miss Daredevil: The Incredible Race! - Viz Media

"From Viz Media. Little Miss Daredevil is competing in the Incredible Race, and she's in it to win it! Whether scaling to the top of Mount Dillydale or taking a wrong turn and rocketing into outer space, no thrill's too thrilling for Little Miss D!"

Microreview [Comics] - Cow Boy

The Meat

Boyd Linney is a ten year old bounty hunter who is traversing the wild west with only his horse for a companion and his trusty gun by his side.  After a rough childhood, he is determined to round up his entire family of outlaws and collect the ransom.

Cow Boy draws on nostalgic comics including Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.  The book remains light and fun despite numerous shootouts straight out of a spaghetti western.  Boyd is the emotional glue that holds this story together.  Flashbacks provide context to why he is driven to bring his family to justice and moments when he is alone at night with his horse we are reminded that he is only a child who has a lot on his plate to deal with.

Nate Cosby hooks you from the first chapter in which Boyd rounds up his own father to collect his first ransom.  The dialog between father and son first humanizes Boys and reveals the tragic hero that this young 10-year old is.  Cosby's ability to write emotionally charged scenes while keeping it light and entertaining for adults and children is remarkable. 

Through the artwork of Chris Eliopoulos, we are able to see the grit and determination this Cow Boy has.  Boyd's facial expressions are true to nature and reminded me of my own children if I imagined them in his boots.  Eliopoulos captures the over-dramatic nature of children, puts together fun shootouts, and constructs moments when you want to jump in the page and comfort Boyd with a big hug. 

Is this a Back to the Future Easter egg in Cow Boy?

This book is not only a book I love, but a book my son loves.  There are few better moments as a parent then you have your child excited about reading.  A book like Cow Boy, which delivers on both the graphic and story elements, is what I seek out as a father.  It is often the first comic I suggest to any parent looking to involve their children in this medium.  Not because it is a book that children will love, but it is one that parents will enjoy as well.

If you don't believe me you can try reading it yourself for free at http://www.cowboycomic.net.  If you want to read more for free before buying this great book, then you can pick up their Hallow's Eve mini comic next Wednesday if your local comic book store is participating in Halloween Comic Fest.  Click here to find a participating location.

The Math

Objective Quality: 8/10

Bonuses: +1 for Boyd's gun, which looks like a child's stick horse.  +1 for the short stories between chapters

Penalties: -1 for the book ending too soon.  I would have loved a few more chapters of side stories mixed in

Comic Coefficient: 9/10 very high quality/standout in its category.

[See explanation of our non-inflated scores here.]