Book Club

Don’t forget to join the Laughing Ogre Comic Book Club on Shelfari.com (http://www.shelfari.com/groups/75586/about). The book of the month is Casanova: Luxuria and it’s 20% off at your local Ogre Shop. So stop in, grab a copy and join the discussion.

Rack Pick: Thor the Mighty Avenger

  Since its first issue dropped in late summer 2010, Thor: the Mighty Avenger has gained a relatively small but very vocal following.  It's been a fun ride for this critically acclaimed all-ages miniseries, but all good things must end eventually- the eighth and final issue is on stands this week!

Each issue has featured a self-contained adventure while maintaining the continuing narrative of Odin's banished son as he adjusts to life on Midgard, befriends a woman named Jane, and meets other members of the Marvel Universe.  This installment is no exception: Thor is captured by scientists and teams up with a familiar iron-suited zillionaire to escape.  Writer Roger Langridge has crafted the series as an origin story and a jumping on point; it's light-hearted and accessible to new and younger readers, but entertaining and well-crafted enough to merit a look from those who have perhaps wearied of the endless grim n' gritty atmosphere permeating today's flagship titles.  It's got a really classic feel to it.  Chris Samnee's artwork looks very traditional at first glance, however it's flexible enough for moments of punchy action and silly levity alike, and is perfectly complimented by Matt Wilson's understated coloring.

Like many series cancelled before their time, T:MA ends a little abruptly, but it's a good stopping point.  The first trade is out now and the second is coming soon.  Check this underrated gem out today, and don't fight the inevitable urge to recommend it to your friends- it's an adventure everyone can enjoy!

Picks of the Week

 INFINITE VACATION #1

WELCOME TO THE INFINITE VACATION, WHERE CHANGING YOUR LIFE IS ALWAYS JUST A CLICK AWAY!

Mark lives in a world where alternate realities are up for sale, and buying and trading your way through unlimited variations of yourself is as commonplace as checking your email or updating your status. But when other "hims" start dying suddenly and he meets a mysterious girl who wants nothing to do with "life-changing," he'll learn the truth about the universe he stumbles through, and what happens when your vacation turns on you.

 DAREDEVIL REBORN #1 Of(4)

The apocalyptic events of SHADOWLAND have left the once-proud legacy of Daredevil in tatters. Now, far from the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen, a new evil is rising, and the only man crazy enough to face it is a man with nothing left to lose. The road to Hell was paved with good intentions, but the long road to redemption is the far harder path...

WONDER GIRL #1

Spinning out of the pages of TEEN TITANS comes this spotlight on Cassie Sandsmark, the wonderful Wonder Girl! Even though not every moment of Wonder Girl's life is spent being a Titan, strange adventures still follow her everywhere. In this issue, she'll cross paths with the odd new hero known as Solstice!

Junk: Record of the Last Hero

Hiro is a high school student refusing to go to school after a traumatic run-in with the local bullies.  But his feeble life is forever changed when, one day, he applies online for a new gadget called "JUNK". Once the mysterious package arrives, he activates the gadget and finds himself encased within a powered armor JUNK suit.  Apparently "the clothes DO indeed make the man" as HIro is granted abilities far beyond anything the muscle-bound jocks at his school could ever dream.  Soon after, he embarks on nightly rampages getting back at the bullies and destroying property until he discovers... There is another with a unit nearly identical to his own.  The owner of the other JUNK suit is a woman who's not too keen on Hiro's abuse of his new super-powered threads, and smacks him around real good for it.  To complicate matters even further, he accidentally destroys his home and kills his parents! (oops!) Now, a naive boy must learn to fend for himself and choose to use his power for good or evil.

Line

Normal. Carefree.

This was Chiko's life before the day she found the cell phone.  Before the voice on the other end said she had scant minutes to save the life of someone she'd never met.

Now, accompanyied by her classmate Bando, Chiko has just one night to stop a series of gruesome deaths before they can occur.