The Immortal Thor #1 - The God of Thunder hath returned! In this new series helmed by Al Ewing, we find Thor much changed by his time as king of Asgard; Wiser, more compassionate and merciful, but still willing to meet any threat to the Realms head-on if necessary. He is even willing to put aside his suspicions of Loki. The former god of mischief, and current god/goddess of stories, has come to their brother with an offer of powerful magic that can begin to mend the shattered pieces of Asgard. This new hope is short lived. Something ancient and powerful, a god among gods, has been unleashed, a significant character from Thor’s past may be connected. This issue sets an epic scope and appropriately mythic tone.

  

Venom #24 - Al Ewing pens a second great issue for this week with the latest Venom. The epic storyline of the main Venom title connects with the events of the thoroughly excellent and action packed Lethal Protector II. Eddie Brock is king of the symbiotes, but there are still limits to his power. Looking for a way to fix the mistakes of the past and protect his son Dylan leads Brock to Latveria and a second encounter with Doctor Doom. This meeting starts more amiably than the last, but both kings prove willing to engage in some very aggressive diplomacy to get their way. Doom is written in perfectly grandiose style, and the heavy dose of over the top action makes this one of the most fun issues of this series so far.

  

The Penguin #1 - The Penguin #1 released this week and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw it on the shelves, but I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. It opens showing The Penguin and Batman seconds away from drowning in the middle of Gotham River, before a flashback takes the story back one year. We then follow a retired Oswald, seeing his healthy new approach to life. Instead of being fueled by his anger, he chooses peace with every interaction, even when he would be correct to be upset. While his reputation still follows him, most of the people he interacts with have nothing to be alarmed over as he truly is just an average civilian now. Even as the government monitors him, they have zero reason to believe he will do anything malicious. The story ends with this life unfortunately being interrupted as Amanda Waller and her crew demand he return to being the notorious crime lord. Something I loved was the various points of view you get in the forms of narration from the various characters within the story and how they view Oswald. You never get his own thoughts, however his actions clearly show that he only wants to be left in peace. This issue is definitely worth the read and I can’t wait for the next one.

  

The Schlub #1 - The Schlub, created by Ryan Stegman, Kenny Porter and Tyrell Cannon (art), was a fantastic debut! The story is humorous, unique and doesn’t try to take itself too seriously, but still offers a satisfying experience. It follows a failing dentist named Roger Dalton who would do anything for another shot at life. One day, the god-like hero “Cirrus” crashes through his office battling Wyrm, one of the universe's darkest sorcerers and biggest threats. The fight is over a strange relic which Roger got ahold of and accidentally set off. He changes bodies with Cirrus, and after a few moments of bewilderment, fights off Wyrm. After the battle, Roger and Cirrus have a talk where Roger agrees not to use any more of his new abilities as he is untrained and could leave millions harmed or worse. He breaks this promise immediately, as we see him blowing up a billboard that his father and brother own, simply saying “Payback time”. Basically, a man with a vendetta against the world just became a god. I’m definitely going to keep my eyes on this series!