COMIC: Jasotron: 2012 by Bill Amend

FoxTrot is my all-time favorite comic strip. So this new collection was one of the top items on my Christmas/Birthday list. The only disappointment came when I turned the last page. There were all sorts of fun strips about the sibling rivalries, the mom's cooking habits, the oldest son's eating habits and the dad's grilling habits. My favorites, though, are the ones that reference some piece of popular (or geek) culture - Star Trek, iPads, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc. Those are the ones I go back to time and time again (or make my husband drop what he's doing to read). This was a fun read, and I know I will pick it up and read it again soon.

4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: kids and adults, fans of previous books or of the strips from the newspaper. Folks who might not "get" the pop culture references will have plenty to enjoy just in the family interactions.

COMIC BOOK: Ultimate Spider-Man #1

[This is the final guest post from "Steve Rodgers." Next week my husband will sub in for three reviews, and then I'll be back. Hope you have enjoyed these reviews from my nine-year-old.]

This is the first issue in an Ultimate Spider-Man comic. In this story, Agent Coulson tells Peter Parker to keep an eye on Nick Fury while he was "out and about." Then Hydra pops out and attacks Nick. Spider-Man discovers that things aren't what they look like. Spider-Man even gets to test out Nick's flying car!

I would give this comic 4 stars out of 5. I thought the comic was going to be like the TV show but in this comic Spider-Man didn't have a team like he does on TV. But I still liked the story.

I would recommend this to kids who like comics or kids who like Spider-Man.

MONDAY: Young Justice Comics

Summary 
Sidekicks - Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Superboy. They have their own series on Cartoon Network and now they have their own line of comics.


The basic storyline is that the sidekicks want some respect and some missions of their own. Superboy is a clone of Superman; the sidekicks rescued him from the ones who created him and now he is trying to figure out who he is in relation to Superman and just as a person on his own. The first three comics in the series are out and the fourth is due out later this month.


In issue #0, Kid Flash and Superboy run into some trouble at the mall where they go to find Superboy some regular clothes. They are trying to lay low while Batman decides what to do with their request to have their own team and own missions. This kerfuffle at the mall is not exactly "laying low."


In issue #1, Superboy is trying to figure out where he fits in at Mount Justice while everyone else is out with a mentor (Superman avoids Superboy completely). There are some odd goings on at Mount Justice before a familiar face (from other DC stories) springs up.


In issue #2, Superboy must fight the surprise villain from #1, but things aren't exactly what they seem to be....

Review
Fun TV series. Fun comics. I found #0 to be the strongest story, but it was nicely self-contained. Issue #1 was mostly a set-up for #2, so I was glad we had both to read back-to-back. My son prefers #0 to the other two, although I found #2 to be a good story. I would recommend these for kids - I didn't find anything objectionable in these first few issues.


4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for: children 8 and up, readers who like superhero stories, fans of the TV show.


Cautions: none
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THURSDAY: Wrapped Up Fox Trot and Math, Science and Unix Underpants

I. Love. FoxTrot. 

Love it. Love the whole series. I love the interactions between the three children in the family. I love the movie and cultural references, especially to science fiction. I love the dad's ineptness with all things technological. I love the mother's long-suffering eye-rolls.

Wrapped Up FoxTrot includes some of the final daily strips from Bill Amend. Math, Science and Unix Underpants is a compilation of some of the science/math related strips over the years. This is the first "themed" book, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more in the future. 

If you are a fan of FoxTrot, both books are a treat to read through - and laugh through. 

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