An epic tale from the distant land of. . . Newark!

Hi guys! The blog is back in business, and I have a couple comics to go over for today. Both of them I got on impulse, because both of them looked like campy fun. One of them came out last week, and the other came out this week.

Can you guess what they are? Keep on reading to find out!

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1
by Chris Eliopoulos, Ig Guara and Colleen Coover

I really did not plan on getting this thing. The problem is, the 13-pg preview was just too adorable to pass up! You can find it here. Plus, Colleen freakin' Coover is doing the art, and I haven't seen her since I gave up X-Men: First Class, along with Ig Guara, who I haven't pal-ed around with since I gave up Marvel Adventures: Avengers! I was so weak, I even succumbed to buying the variant cover by Niko Henrichon. sigh.

The comic itself consists of Lockjaw slobbering and teleporting and eating random things, while recruiting the pets of superheroes to reacquire the Infinity Gems. It's a pretty standard Avengers #1 issue with the "Hey you. Join the Avengers." --> "Sure." deal-y, except this time. . . they're animals!

It is too adorable. I love Coover's storybook art for Throg's origin. Each pet has their own personality, from the dutiful Lockjaw (teleporting bulldog of the Inhumans) to the noble Throg (frog Thor), from the proud Falcon (Falcon's Falcon) to the grumpy Hairball (Speedball's cat!) and the depressed Lockheed (dragon to the now-departed Kitty Pryde), all the way to Ms. Lion, Aunt May's longhair pup!

They really gotta be scraping from the bottom of the barrel there! Of the. . . four Avengers books on right now, this is the fun-est. Call me set for the next 3 issues of this mini!

Power Girl #1
by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Conner

This has got to be the most outspoken guy I've ever read in comic books.

Dude. Forget about Geo-Force. You're my new hero.

Seriously, look at the way he cheers Pee-Gee on!

Anyways, Jimmy, Justin and Amanda take on the Herculean task of trying to make Power Girl more than just a pair of breasts. I didn't really think of getting this, mostly because well -- why would I wanna read about a pair of breasts?

But then I read the preview, and there's certainly a lot of potential with her. The writers know how to have fun with, and not exploit, Power Girl, and there couldn't be anyone better to draw it than Amanda Conner! In the comic, Pee-Gee, AKA Karen Starr, sets up her own company -- Starrware -- and get this: it's devoted to ecological and environmental R & D! I can totally dig that.

The Ultra-Humanite undergoes an assault on Manhattan, and the plot twist cliffhanger thing-y is really interesting! It's a good way to play on Power Girl's ubiquitous assets.

I could definitely see this as a superhero sitcom down the road, and lord knows we need more fun in our comics.