Buy this Comic: The Secret Science Alliance

Sorry I haven't been around much recently -- vacation sandwiched between lots of work has meant less time for writing about comic books -- but I'm hoping to get back on the horse soon. In the meantime, here's this week's edition of Buy This Comic (a couple of days late):

Buy This Comic is an ongoing feature in which I recommend one comic book -- and one book only -- arriving on shelves that Wednesday.

There was a lot of very promising stuff out this week, like Strange Tales #1, Cat Burglar Black, and Stitches (which I have reviewed here), but I only get to pick one, so here's this week's pick:

The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook, by Eleanor Davis, Bloomsbury USA, 160 pages, $10.99

Here's the description from the publisher's website:

Supersmart Julian Calendar thinks moving to a new school will mean he can shed his nerdy image — but then he meets Ben and Greta, two secret scientists like himself. The three form a covert club, complete with a high-tech lair. There, they can work to their hearts content on projects like the Stink-O-Meter, the Kablovsky Copter, and the Nightsneak Goggles. All that tinkering comes in handy when the trio discovers an evil scientist’s dastardly plan to rob a museum. Can three inventors, armed with their wacky creations, hope to defeat this criminal mastermind?

Illustrated in full color throughout, The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook is a treat for the eyes, with marvelous gadgetry rendered in elaborate detail. And stay on the lookout for more Secret Science Alliance adventures from comic supergenius Eleanor Davis!

Davis wrote Stinky, which is one of my favorite children's comic books (my kids like it too). I really like her art, and she definitely seems to have fun packing in little details and messing with the form.

Check out this drawing of the kids' hideout (click for a larger version):


Plus, the story sounds great -- who wouldn't want to read about whiz kids inventing nutty things in their high-tech lair? (Anybody remember the 80's movie The Explorers? With a young River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke? This sorta reminds me of that.) Anyway, go check it out -- whether or not you have kids, this looks like a winner.

Here's a nine-page preview.

I reviewed Stinky here.

You can read more about The Secret Science Alliance at its website or just go and buy it here: The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook