Thor The Mighty Avengers #1- While out of continuity books that look like they might be part of the normal chunk of Marvel continuity can be confusing to explain, this first issue was just damn good. If I had to pick a Thor title out of the five or six being released in the next few months to recommend to a newcomer this one would be it. First of all Langridge just provides a solid script, good dialogue, and a fresh new perspective on the Marvel Thor myth. Then you have Chris Samnee’s art, which is clean, dynamic, crisp, and offers great emoting and overall storytelling. Plus hey, only $2.99! It's a friggin' deal! I'll go ahead and say this is one of the best first issues Marvel has released for the year so far and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys books like Agents of Atlas, Incredible Hercules, or just anything fun and well done. A+

Batman Odyssey #1- This issue........really hurt. I like old school Neal Adams a lot, but most of his work in the past decade looks cluttered and over textured. Modern coloring methods don’t compliment him at all, and I’m not a big fan of him inking himself either. The story was possibly more painful than the art with bad dialogue, forced plotting, and screwy continuity. Why is Dick Grayson wearing Tim Drake’s outfit from the ‘90's? I can’t say I was surprised because the Neal Adams variants for DC over the past two years have been beyond horribly ugly and I don’t recall a particular reason anyone thought the guy could write. This book had way too much hype going into it though and I seriously have to wonder what editor looked at this and gave it the ok without some major revisions. Wait, I can look that up......Mike Marts with Janelle Siegel for assistant editor. Seriously guys. Painful. Also, am I the only person who just thinks that cover is stupid? D

Steve Rogers Super Soldier #1- A solid first issue with a great creative team offering a secret agent type thriller with Steve Rogers. I really love Eaglesham’s work but I’m not entirely convinced this is the right tile for him. The overall package didn’t grab me as fast as Secret Avengers did, but I can see it being a sort of slow build. No real need for the reprint in the back if it could have saved us the dollar. B

Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four #1- A fun flashback story with great writing that captures all the characters and beautiful art. If you’re a fan of Spidey, the FF, or Dr. Doom then you should check this out. B+

Hit Monkey #1-It’s a monkey, so I sorta had to get this. That being said, it was a solid enough read, except it was strangely lacking in the funny department. I suppose a monkey making monkey noises at the ghost of an assassin who has recruited said monkey for unholy revenge should be considered funny in its own right. Again, decent story with nice art, maybe the finished trade package will be stronger. B

Avengers Children’s Crusade #1- About time Heinberg and Cheung got back together for this series. Fun story, great art, the scripting felt a little forced in some areas but nothing horrible. Kind of wondering why Steve Rogers was dressed as Captain America, but maybe it’s the only thing he had around the house. B+