Comics

It’s been awhile since Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew flexed their puns and muscles on a comic all their own.  The three-issue mini-series by Bill Morrison and drawn by co-creator Scott Shaw brings us back to this wacky world where animals walk and talk, and some even put on spandex and try to save the day.  With a few surprises and the return of some big bads and one of the team’s own, here’s a comic no Captain Carrot fan should pass up!.

Captain Carrot and the Final Ark
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From the very first page the puns start flying.  Our adventure begins at the Sandy Eggo Comic-Con.  With tons of slightly skewed remarks (like the names of the comic artists or the newly announced comic teaming up of the characters Krypto and Bat-Hound called, what else, Best in Show) and plenty of furry friends going gaga for comics, this is certainly the right way to re-introduce the world known as Earth-C.

The adventure really gets started with the appearance of the Zoo Crew’s old nemesis The Salamandroid who arrives to cause trouble and destroy the only known copy of Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew! issue #1 (worth twenty thousand simoleans).  After the Crew chase him off we get a short look back over the important events of the Crew and the “Collar I.D. Initiative” which caused the team to hang up their capes (nice Civil War spoof).  The recent trouble at the Comic-Con and now the rising tensions between sea and land dwellers bring the team out of retirement just in time to face a new threat (but that’s in the next issue!).

This is a great beginning, and fans of the puns the series is known for can make themselves deliriously happy with just the Comic Con scenes alone; make sure you take your time here because the pages are filled with puntastic goodness.

The second issue gives us the return of Alley-Kat-Abra complete with a Dark Alley doppelganger, and a Neither World, in an amazingly on the nose rewrite (nicely spoofing comics continuity issues in numerous titles today) which clears the magician of the murder of Little Cheese and brings her back into the fold.  Nice to have you back Kat!

We also get Red Herring, Rash Al Paca, and a third villain slightly out of frame (but easily recognizable) discussing their plans to flood the Earth!  Oh, and did I mention there’s a giant frog terrorizing the city with a crush on the Statue of Ribbity (heh).  That’s right folks, Frogzilla is back, and he’s swallowed Pig Iron!  Sweet!  Who hasn’t wanted to see a giant frog/lizard monster take out a major metropolitan city (or is it just me)?

And I’ve got to mention the spoofing of one of my favorite Bat villains as Rash Al Paca takes a dip in the “Blaberous Pit” and discusses his plans with his Panda man servant Bamboo, and then, for no reason in particular, puts on a puppet show.  Nice.

A pretty good second issue with the return of Alley-Kat-Abra and the big fight all over Gnu York City.  It’s a slight step back from the first issue but still a fun read with plenty to enjoy.

The third issue begins with the Crew facing the sudden loss of their powers and the reveal of the brains behind the plan to destroy the surface world, Starro the Conquerer (if you didn’t guess from last issue, man are you are sloooow!).

The issue is packed with action including the appearances of the Just’a Lotta Animals (Green Lambkin, The Crash, Aquaduck, Batmouse, Hawkmoose, Zap Panda) the flooding of the Earth, the mass exodus onboard Boa’s Ark, a space/time vortex, the New Dogs (Orihound, Lightstray and Muttron), and the final fate of all Earth-C creatures on our own world.  C’mon, you gotta’ love characters called Muttron and Hawkmoose!

All this plus a squabble in space, a ride through a Kaboom Tube of Barkseid’s (heh), and the Crew find themselves accidentally transported to New Earth as regular animals, with their powers and intelligence but unable to communicate to the heroes of the main DC Universe.  Is this the end for our furry friends?  At least for now the answer appears to be yes and so the Crew goes out not with a bang, but a whimper.

I’ve been a fan of these characters for years.  The series is really designed for old fans like me but there’s certainly enough backstory gone over that anyone can enjoy it.  Although I quite enjoyed the short series I saddened at the chosen ending which leaves Earth-C gone and the Zoo Crew stuck on our world as ordinary animals.  With the reboot of the Multiverse I was hoping for more wacky adventures with the Crew, which, at least for the time being, seems unlikely.  Still I’ve got to thank Bill Morrision and co-creator Scott Shaw for giving fans of the characters this big send-off.  I’m just hoping we haven’t seen the last of Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew!  For more on the Cap’n and his Crew check out the fourth issue of our Comic Spotlight.

Five by Five.  Another piece of Buffy Season 8 is put in place with the conclusion of the Faith arc in “No Future for You” Part 4.  A slayer will die, Giles will kill, and Faith with get an offer she can’t refuse.  Oh, and there’s a cameo by everyone’s favorite former mayor of Sunnyville.  If that’s not enough to make you pick-up this issue I honestly don’t know what to say.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #9
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“We could perform those peacekeeping missions ill suited to others in our line of work.  Maybe I could be the Steed to your Peel?”

“No Future for You” part 4 brings the end of Faith‘s story arc, but thankfully not the end of our beloved “bad” slayer.  The final chapter starts with a memory of Faith and Mayor Wilkins.  Equally parts sweet and creepy it reminds us again just how fucked up this girl has gotten over her short life (and what a terrific villain the Mayor really was).  From there we jump right into a slayer vs. slayer battle and some magic thrown in too (see Giles isn’t just watching anymore as he lets a little of the old Ripper loose).

We also see Buffy and Giles haven’t completely made up after the Spike incident from Season Seven and glimpse a new partnership between Giles and Faith which might be something worth pursuing in future issues.  And we finally get a peek at the name and face of this season’s big bad – Twilight (okay, so it’s the masked face, but that’s something right!).  From the short ending scene with his minion we are given more hints about his plans and the lengths he will go to obtain his goal, the “coming purge,” and the focus of all his plans – the death of Buffy Summers.

In many ways Faith is a more compelling character than Buffy and I’m glad she got her own story arc here, but is some ways I wish they would spin her off in her own book which could deal more in-depth with emotionally screwed-up sex pistol who can take care of the world, but isn’t quite sure how to take care of herself.  And I must admit I loved the flashback and always enjoy some of Mayor Wilkins.

We get what we need from this issue.  Although there are no surprises there’s plenty of hurt to go around including Buffy’s bruised ego at Giles’ dismissal, Faith once again forced into a role she seems uniquely suited for, and, finally, the appearance of our villain.  It’s not all it could be, but it moves the season along and with Whedon returning for the next issue it looks like a promising new year, maybe not for Buffy herself (knowing Whedon’s joy in putting his beloved creation through pain), but definitely for her fans.

“Thy Kingdom Come” continues as the Kingdom Come Superman takes his first steps trying to fit into a new world.  Plus some new and returning heroes, more with the Cosmic treadmill, a kick ass battle or two, and a tender moment between two lost super-humans without worlds of their own.  It’s Justice Society of America issue #11 folks, and this is the review!

Justice Society of America #11
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“My Earth is gone.”

“The Second Coming,” part two of “Thy Kingdom Come” finds the Justice Society and the Kingdom Come Superman coming to grips with each other.  I really enjoyed the early uncomfortable scenes as different members of the JSA react to Superman in their own ways.  I like Johns too-short take on Batman in these scenes and wonder if he might get to take a stab at one of the Bat-books in the future.  We learn that Earth-22 has been destroyed and there is no home for this Superman to return to.  It’s a fun ride as the “new” Superman takes his tentative steps to be part of the new world and the JSA.

We also get a new Judomaster (which was okay but nothing special).  When you fill the pages with more and more heroes as this version of Justice Society is doing many of these marginal heroes just don’t make the cut.  I’m a little concerned the cast is getting too big (it will grow even larger next issue), what I liked about the previous JSA was Johns making the group just big enough to emphasize their characters but not going overboard.  We’ll have to see how this plays out.

Also in this issue: Wally and Jay play with the Cosmic treadmill (which didn’t really live up to the promise from the teaser in the last issue), plus a very touching between Superman and Power Girl – both lost heroes from other worlds now gone, and the re-appearance of Mr. America.  All these moments are laying ground for stories to come, and I like the idea of teaming up the two lost souls together in Supes and Power Girl, and any mention of Barry Allen makes me happy (but is anyone else wondering, with all the Countdown tie-ins why hasn’t a Barry Allen shown up from any alternate reality??).  Oh, well.

There’s a huge fight between Judomaster and the Ketsueki Sensei, but as with all of Geoff Johns tales the real fun comes in the characters interacting with each other and dealing with new and unusual circumstances.  Sadly there’s now flashbacks in this issue showcasing the art of Alex Ross, but we do get a pretty darn good cover and a story credit for him; guess that will have to do ‘til next issue.

So far the “Thy Kingdom Come” has started out subtly.  I’m not sure exactly where Johns plans on taking our new Superman, how long he will stick around, or what his role in the larger DCU will end up being, but I’m psyched to see his introduction and very pleased to see how well and naturally he fits into the Justice Society.  I hope they keep him around a very long time.