Giant-Size Little Marvel: A vs. X #4

The Avengers and the X-Men are working hard to impress the new twins in town, Zachary and Zoe, so they can get them to join their clubs — but things are complicated now, as the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Inhumans join the competition. This means there’s going to be a huge fight, with lots of Marvel characters rendered in Skottie Young’s cartoonish style, right? And who do the twins finally pick?

Verdict: Thumbs up. It’s wonderfully funny, and the double splash page, featuring several dozen characters, including Spider-Gwen, Ms. Marvel, Brother Voodoo, Cloak and Dagger, Shatterstar, and many more, definitely makes it worth the cover price.

Starfire #4

A creature called a chida monster from deep below the earth is wreaking havoc in Key West. Starfire has met up with Atlee — better known to fans of Palmiotti and Conner’s old “Power Girl” series as Terra. Atlee has a plan for dealing with the chida — throwing him over the ocean, have Kori blast him as he grows larger and larger, and let his weight drive him back underground. And what’s left after that? Brace yourself for… conversations.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Okay, it’s a lot of talking compared to action, but I didn’t mind the talking all that much.

Ms. Marvel #18

Kamala Khan’s big brother Aamir has been exposed to the Terrigen mists by her former crush Kamran — but wait, Captain Marvel is here and knows what Terrigen mists look like, and this ain’t them. Besides, Aamir is showing signs of superpowers, and he hasn’t even entered the Inhuman cocoon — so he doesn’t seem to be an Inhuman at all. So why is he demonstrating the ability to form protective force shields? Kamala and Captain Marvel return Aamir to the school, and Carol reveals to Kamala that the world is probably about to end. Will Kamala’s last night be marred by the usual strife that keeps blowing up around them?

Verdict: Thumbs up. I loved the heck out of this entire issue, but I think where this comic really sings is the fantastic family relationships we see here. Yeah, there’s lots of stress and irritation — let’s face it, Aamir may be a good guy, but he’s also a grade-A dick — but ultimately, there’s lots of affection and love. And I’m really looking forward to the next issue now, just so we can resolve that cliffhanger.

Today’s Cool Links:

• This new Hellcat comic looks way, way cool.
• I love all science fiction, but solarpunk — optimistic, green, diverse, fun — sounds especially appealing.
• A Dallas restaurant owner is leading the way on employing special-needs workers.

Ms. Marvel #17

The end of the world is happening, and Kamala Khan has finally gotten to meet her idol, Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. After the two Marvels bond for a bit, Kamala recruits Carol to help her find her brother, Aamir, who’s been kidnapped by the rogue Inhumans, including Kamala’s former crush, Kamran, so they can activate his Inhuman powers and try to turn him into a supervillain. Will they be able to make it across town, do some good for the people in Jersey City, fight the occasional supervillain, and figure out where Aamir is being held before it’s too late?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Fantastic writing, characterization, and art. It’s great seeing the little moments where Kamala can help her fellow citizens — as well as the moments where there’s little she can do. As always, the great joy of Adrian Alphona’s art is checking the fun bits hidden in the background.

Giant-Size Little Marvel: A vs. X #3

The Little X-Men and Little Avengers are still working hard to impress newcomers Zachary and Zoe to get them to join their teams. The X-Men give them their own (temporary) mutant powers and let ’em run wild in the Danger Room, while the Avengers take ’em to Asgard, let them jump on spider-web trampolines, and let them play with some of Iron Man’s Hulkbuster armor. The ensuing explosion introduces them to Galactus, Thanos, and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Skottie Young’s cartooning is endlessly awesome. Almost every panel is grand fun to look at.

Today’s Cool Links:

• J.A. Micheline has some good reasons to boycott Marvel Comics.
• Bill Willingham is an unrelenting douchegoblin, and it’s nice to know we never have to read his comics again.
• Why are dogs so happy to see us? It turns out they really do love us.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #7

Well, everyone in New York has gone a little fight-crazy. Squirrel Girl, along with her roommate Nancy and her fellow animal-themed crimefighters Chipmunk Hunk and Koi Boi have been dealing with people fighting in the streets, in classrooms, and everywhere else. The soon realize that Girl Squirrel is actually Ratatoskr, a Norse squirrel god who specializes in provoking people with slanderous gossip. Doreen figures they should ask Thor for help and takes everyone to Avengers Mansion — where everyone is arguing! And so, to keep everyone from arguing and saying mean things to each other, Squirrel Girl spends less than 30 seconds beating up Spider-Man, Captain America, Steve Rogers, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. As one does!

Luckily, Cap’s phone has Thor on speed-dial — the Odinson and Thor are in a cafe trying to break up fights with people who are arguing pancakes vs. waffles, but they know all about Ratatoskr. While they and Nancy go to Asgard to prepare a cage to hold the rodent god, Squirrel Girl, Chipmunk Hunk, and Koi Boi battle Ratatoskr — but can even Squirrel Girl’s legendary abilities handle the lying squirrel’s monstrous might?

Verdict: Thumbs up. There is so much going on in this comic. It’s amazing they can fit all of this into one issue. It’s funny, it’s exciting, it’s a little bit scary — and we even get to see a hint of Doreen’s fabled badassery.

Giant-Size Little Marvel: A vs. X #2

It’s more cartoon fighting between the pint-sized Avengers and X-Men! First, they fight over dodge ball, then they fight over who’s going to be friends with the new kids, Zachary and Zoe.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Skottie Young’s cartooning is just outstanding. Should I feel bad that I don’t recognize Zachary and Zoe? I assume I should know who they are…

Today’s Cool Links:

• What if horror master Thomas Ligotti reviewed pizzas?
• A quick look at Sherlock Holmes through infographics.
• If conservatives’ arguments about traditional/Biblical marriage don’t make sense to you, it’s because you think of marriage as something people do when they’re in love, and they think of it as something a man does to his servant.
• It’s flabbergasting that people out there can be so pointlessly cruel to other people. But pointless cruelty is one of the things we learn to expect from wingnut militias.

Giant-Size Little Marvel: AvX #1

Skottie Young glorious cartooning gets to move off the alternate covers and into a full comic of its own. Believe it or not, this is part of the Secret Wars crossover, though it seems to have very little connection to anything with Battleworld. It’s basically a whole comic book full of the Avengers and the X-Men looking for excuses to get into hilarious fights.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Marvel’s characters as particularly funny cartoon babies is something I will never, ever get tired of. I’d love it if they made this a regular series.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #6

In this issue, we meet a new supervillain — Hippo the Hippo, who is a bipedal talking hippo! He’s very angry and wants to rob a bank that Doreen and her roommate Nancy are guarding. But before Squirrel Girl can kick his ass, we meet new heroes — Chipmunk Hunk, who can talk to chipmunks, has chipmunk powers, and is awfully good looking, and Koi Boi, who can talk to goldfish and slowly grow to fit the size of his container. After Doreen convinces Hippo to turn from a life of crime, she decides maybe Nancy has the power to talk to animals, too, so they head to the zoo so Nancy can talk to every animal there. Of course, a crimefighting emergency presents itself, but before Doreen can get into her costume, the day is instead saved by a teensy squirrel superhero called Girl Squirrel! But is Girl Squirrel friend… or foe?

Verdict: Thumbs up. It’s very funny — and insane to a degree that you almost never find in comics today. The description I have above is seriously toned down, because if I mentioned all the crazy stuff that happened in this issue, it would’ve taken another three paragraphs to tell it all. Yes, this is absolutely a recommendation.