Tiny Titans #45

November 6, 2011

Title: Batgirl! Batgirls!

Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
Art: Art Baltazar
Cover Artist: Art Baltazar
Editor: Kristy Quinn
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

In the batcave, Barbara finds a stash of Batgirl costumes and decides to have a little party. It’s Batgirl, Batgirl, Batgirl and Batgirl in “Batgirl! Batgirls!” As the Batgirls start to run rampant, Robin rounds up a few Robins of his own. Also: the Secret Six. Once again, the team behind Tiny Titans produces one of the most entertaining comics on the shelf. The book is sharp and wonderfully referential, bringing in tidbits and commentary about a lot of what’s gone on in the DC Universe(s) in the last few years. As with all great parodies, though, this is done with a very loving touch, presenting the characters in a way that’s really funny, but still making clever quips that will work just fine for older readers. The younger readers, fortunately, won’t notice anything and will still enjoy the book as a simple kids’ comic. The fact that they can bring in the Secret Six, probably the least kid-friendly DCU comic of the last decade, and still make it work so well is a fine testament to the talents of Art Baltazar and Franco. This is the best comic out there for kids, and fortunately, there’s plenty for their parents to enjoy as well.

Rating: 8/10

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12

December 23, 2009

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12 (DC Comics/Johnny DC)
By Landry Q. Walker & Eric Jones

Batman is looking forward to a nice, relaxing Christmas of busting the Calendar Man in comission of his latest goofy plot, but the destruction of the world has a way of ruining a hero’s yuletide plans. Batman is whisked away from Earth to Rann where he has to join forces with Adam Strange to save not just Earth, but the entire universe from a mad Psion. Walker and Jones have, as usual, put together a highly entertaining comic. The story and art are sharp, they’ve got some of the most entertaining sound effects I’ve ever seen, and the climax of the story is rather surprising. They manage to work in a rather unusual Christmas twist that works pretty well in the context of the “Brave and the Bold” universe. This issue was an awful lot of fun.
Rating: 8/10

Super Friends (2008 Series) #20

October 17, 2009

Super Friends #20 (DC Comics/Johnny DC)
By Sholly Fisch & Dario Brizuela

It’s Halloween, and the Super Friends are called out to take place in a parade. The fun is disrupted, though, when the scientist who called them directs them to a menace that’s out to ruin the fun — the Shaggy Man. Super Friends, of course, is a book for younger readers, and the content here works pretty well for that audience. Shaggy Man isn’t nearly the enemy he is in the mainstream JLA book, of course, and the ending is a tad anticlimactic, but the story is solid enough. Dario Brizuela stays on-model with the toy line fairly well, but I’m not a fan of his Wonder Woman at all. I don’t have the toy itself for reference, but just taken on her own, she looks entirely too bulky and solid, with very little femininity. I’m not suggesting that the kid’s version of the character be sexed up, of course, but there’s certainly a middle ground. For the little ones, this book is fine.
Rating: 6/10

Tiny Titans #42

August 1, 2011

Title: Young Bizarros in Love

Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
Art: Art Baltazar
Editor: Kristy Quinn          
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

Supergirl’s imperfect duplicate Bizarrogirl has come to Earth. This being Tiny Titans, though, rather than coming to blows, Supergirl invites her to a pancake breakfast. Also there is Superboy’s duplicate, Match… and it’s love at first sight. Now in the real DC Universe, this would invite all kinds of uncomfortable, squicky questions about genetics, cloning, and Bizarros, but in the world of Tiny Titans we just move right on to Beast Boy’s fruitless pursuit of Terra. It’s an all-love issue, and it’s really funny. Art Baltazar and Franco have really mastered the light, gentle comedy of this title, creating something that’s got enough wit and cleverness to appeal to the adults, while still maintaining its entertainment value for the intended audience of much younger readers. This is one of the strangest spotlights they’ve done yet, and they sell it really well. This is the best comic being published for the beginning reader, and if you’ve got a kid that’s trying to learn (and that you’d like to get into comics) you need to swarm on it right now.

Rating: 8/10

Looney Tunes (1994 Series) #200

July 13, 2011

Title: Hole in Wonderful; Soccer Blocker; Tee For Two

Writers: Bill Manthey, Sam Agro
Pencils: Walter Carzon, David Alvarez, Pablo Zamboni
Inks: Horacio Ottolini, Mike DeCarlo
Colorist: Heroic Age, David Tanguay
Letterer: Dezi Sienty, Ryan Cline, Mike Sellers
Cover: Scott Gross
Editors: Chynna Clugston-Flores, Joan Hilty, Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

As much as I love the classic Looney Tunes characters, I don’t often buy the comic book. Their particular brand of insanity is really difficult to capture in comic book form, so I only get it when I have a specific reason to. Issue #200 of the current series, I thought, would be a good reason. Unfortunately, while the comics I got was perfectly acceptable as an issue of Looney Tunes, it wasn’t really anything special enough to mark such an anniversary.

Instead, we got what appears to be an all-sports issue, beginning with “Hole in Wonderful.” Here, we see Bugs Bunny wrapped up in a golf match with his Scottish nemesis, McTavish. Although the Scots invented golf, they didn’t have to deal with Bugs. His idea of miniature golf includes the use of pool bumpers, baseball pitching machines, and drag racers, leaving poor McTavish worn to the nub.

In “Soccer Blocker,” a group of Bugs’ more monstrous foes – including Witch Hazel and Gossamer – lure him into a trap with the promise of an international soccer festival. From here, things are predictable enough – Bugs winds up playing his part to the hilt, pitting the villains against one another while he waltzes to victory. This is probably the strongest story in the book, and the one that most completely captures the feeling of the cartoons. It’s always fun to see Bugs outwitting his foes, especially when he gets to use goofy disguises and maximum frustration.

The book returns to golf in the final story, “Tee For Two.” This time out, it’s Foghorn Leghorn who gets the spotlight. Foghorn has constructed his own backyard golf course, but when he tees off, he finds himself caught in one trap after another (and these traps are more of the “booby” variety, not the expected water traps.) This one isn’t bad – it plays with the old Foghorn Leghorn formula, but not in a way that’s disrespectful or untrue to the character.

If I was picking up this comic because I wanted sports-themed cartoons, I’d be very happy. I just wish they’d done a little more to mark 200 issues. Heck, come September, this will be DC’s second longest-running comic, after Hellblazer. You’d think that would be worth something.

Rating: 7/10

Young Justice (2011 Series) #4

June 23, 2011

Title: By Hook Or By Web

Writers: Art Baltazar & Franco
Art: Mike Norton
Colorist: Zac Atkinson
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Cover: Mike Norton & Alex Sinclair
Editors: Jim Chadwick & Michael McCalister       
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

The Black Spider and Hook have captured three of our heroes, but Robin’s got something special up his sleeve. Once he, Kid Flash, and Aqualad bust out, we get what amounts to a slam-bang action issue, as our three heroes tussle with the two villains. The action works very well, with the writers giving each hero a bit of a spotlight, showing off their powers and what sets them apart from their teammates. The villains are somewhat generic, but in truth, they mostly amount to living MacGuffins anyway – important only in that they give the heroes someone to fight and a way to show off what they can do. This is, sadly, Mike Norton’s last issue on this series. It’s a real shame, too – he’s got a perfect style and sensibility for these heroes. He’s long proven himself one of the most dependable and underrated superhero artists in the industry, and while I’m sure he’ll be happy to move on to more high-profile projects, this series is going to miss him.

Rating: 7/10

Teen Titans Go! #17

March 28, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Anger Management

The Titans help Hotspot learn to curb his temper.

Writer: J. Torres
Pencils: Mike Norton
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Cover Art: Sean Galloway
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

We get another pretty solid issue in this title that spins off of the popular Cartoon Network series. The quasi-Titan named Hotspot gets into a little trouble when his uncontrollable temper leads to the villain called Adonis slipping through the team’s fingers. To prevent a reoccurrence of this, each of the members decides to show him how to control his temper – with varying degrees of success.

This is a good issue, a pretty funny one. As you’d expect, the attempts to give Hotspot a cooler head are quite amusing. It’s low on action but high on comedy, which is to be expected. It’s aimed at the younger readers, but not to a degree that the adults who browse through it will be bored. It will work for anyone who’s a genuine fan of the television series.

Speaking of the television series, Mike Norton does a really impressive job with the artwork when it comes to capturing the same art and style you get when you watch the show. The only thing that still doesn’t really work for me are the frequent lapses into overly-cartoony bits for asides or quick jokes. Apparently this is something you see with the more Manga style the title is going for, but it’s not something I really care for.

Overall, it’s a decent book if you like the show.

Rating: 7/10

Teen Titans Go! #14

December 19, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em…

It’s the Teen Titans and Speedy versus Plasmus!

Writer: J. Torres
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Tom Palmer, Jr.
Cover Art: Dave Bullock
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

This issue special guest-star Speedy hooks up with the Teen Titans to take down the monstrous Plasmus.

That’s pretty much it. The entire issue is a fight scene. We don’t even see what leads to the fight – the first panel shows Speedy about to fire his arrow at the beast – and the issue ends two panels after the fight does. It’s nothing but a throwdown issue. It’s fun, to be sure, but there’s no real meat to this story. Fight scenes are fun, but for one to last for an entire issue, you really want there to be more to it, even if the comic is written specifically for the younger demographic.

The artwork is fine. Nauck and Stucker do a great job emulating the style of the TV show, and there are some great scenes as our heroes have to find an army of mini-Plasmuses (Plasmusi? Whatever.) that are swarming upon them. I particularly like the effect they and the color team manage to create with Raven’s powers.

I’ve warmed up to this title, mostly because I happen to know a certain six-year-old who’s in love with it, and when you look at it through her eyes you see its charm and its virtue. But I think there have been much better issues than this one.

Rating: 6/10

Teen Titans Go! #11

September 27, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Countdown

Terra is part of the team now… but will that protect them from Slade?

Writer: J. Torres
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Tom Palmer Jr.
Cover Art: Dave Bullock
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

This was a pretty good issue of Teen Titans Go!, something that ties directly into recent events of the TV show. It may have done with a little note informing the readers that it takes place before recent episodes – mainly for the benefit of particularly young readers (of which I know there are many). Still, with a little help from their parents, it should be easy to figure out where this story fits in.

The Titans, with their newest member Terra, engage in a fun-filled game of “Capture the Flag.” What the viewer/reader knows that the Titans don’t though, is that Terra is a double agent, working for their enemy Slade (the TV version of the DCU’s Deathstroke). The team gets led into a dust-up with some of Slade’s forces, and Terra’s loyalties are clearly divided.

By necessity, this is an issue that can’t really show much change or growth of the characters. The story, after all, has to be able to fit seamlessly between episodes of the TV show. However, it can give a little insight into the characters, particularly Terra and Beast Boy, and it does very good in that respect.

Todd Nauck, as usual, is quite well suited to the art on this book. He doesn’t have to adapt his own style very much to match the style of the show – each of these characters is perfectly on-model, and for a cartoon show adaptation, that’s really the best you can say.

Although I’m still not a fan of some of the sillier Anime-style elements this property has, I’ve warmed up both to the TV show and the comic. It’s definitely got its place, especially among younger fans who may not yet appreciate the more sophisticated storytelling of Justice League Unlimited.

Rating: 7/10

Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi #2

March 6, 2006

Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Dark Agent and other stories

Amy and Yumi dump Kaz!

Writers: Sean Carolan, Jennifer Moore, J. Torres & Abby Denson
Pencils: Christopher Cook
Inks: Mike DeCarlo & Al Nickerson
Colors: Heroic Age
Letters: Nick J. Napolitano & Travis Lanham
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Phil Moy
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

The Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi comic book experience continues this month with another collection of short stories that may hold some appeal for hardcore fans, but will likely leave everyone else wondering how these two ever got their own TV show.

In “Dark Agent,” Ami and Yumi finally get fed up and dump their loser manager, Kaz, replacing him with a new agent, “Mr. Scratch,” who (as it turns out) has less-than angelic goals for the band. The girls grow disenchanted and must turn to Kaz to get them out of their predicament. The basic premise, if done before, is all well and good, but there’s no logical transitioning in this story. There’s no explanation as to why they decide the life of a superstar isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. They simply sign the contract, there’s a one-page montage of how great life is, and then out of the blue, they’re tired of it. Adults will get the joke about their new agent, but kids will most likely wonder what the heck made the girls change their minds.

The second story, “Tiki Torture,” is a little better. Kaz gets the girls a Tiki statue to decorate their bus, but a curse follows it, and the girls must find a way to rid themselves of a statue that doesn’t want to go. Not a great story, but at least one without any gaping logic holes in it, and it’s cute enough for what it does.

The final story, “Puffy Amiyumi $ell Out,” splits the difference. The girls, facing waning popularity, agree to let Kaz license their music and images out to sell products, something which works fine and makes them rich, until they see one product they don’t like and they shut down the whole thing. This is one where the adults are more likely to see the logic gap than the children.

As I said before, I just can’t see the appeal of this franchise, either as a TV show or a comic. If you like it, more power to you, but it’s just not for me.

Rating: 3/10