Marvel Penguin Picks: February 2026

Above-the-Board Recommendation:

Hulk Smash Everything #3 (of 5)

That’s right, the middle issue of a miniseries gets the top spot this month.  “How is that even possible?” I hear you ask along with, “Were the trade paperback offerings this month THAT bad?”  We’ll get to that, but the main reason I’m putting this here is down to being the rare instance where everything in a Marvel solicitation text is absolutely true.  Coming to you courtesy of writer Ryan North and artist Vincenzo Carratu is:

“It’s the fight you never knew you needed. HULK VS THE SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE AT THE CENTER OF OUR GALAXY! Will the uncaring force of physics be enough to end Hulk’s rampage at last or will the Jade Giant conquer the cosmos itself?!”

Mind you, we’re only halfway through the miniseries at this point.  If this is what they’re doing at this point, then who knows how they’re going to top themselves over the next two issues.  One thing is for certain:  Al Ewing was right in that we should be afraid of the Breaker of Worlds.

Death Spiral #1:  Kicking off the latest Spider-Man/Venom crossover with regular “Amazing Spider-Man” writer Joe Kelly, “Venom” writer Al Ewing, and former “Carnage” writer Charles Soule.  Former “Carnage” artist Jesus Saiz provides the art for this starting point as a superpowered serial killer has emerged and is coming for Spider-Man, Venom, and everyone they know.  Carnage is also involved, and he may know something important; though, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether or not he’ll bother to tell them.  Even though I need to catch up on “Amazing,” I’ll likely be picking this up as it’s bound to be relevant to Ewing’s ongoing “Venom” storyline.

Wolverine:  Weapons of Armageddon #1 (of 4):  Not just a random “Wolverine” miniseries written by red-hot writer Chip Zdarsky!  No, it’s really the lead-in to the next Marvel event which is actually being called “Armageddon.”  Wolverine’s role in it is to – wait for it – follow up with an old acquaintance who gets him involved in the legacy of the Weapon X project that’s being resurrected by a corporation known as Primewarrior and their latest hire, Nuke!  One has to wonder how much of this is actually a “Wolverine” story Zdarsky wanted to write and whether or not he’s using the “Armageddon” setup as a means to do so.  Regardless, this sounds like the kind of thing that makes me glad I still have my subscription to Marvel Unlimited so I can read this when it hits that service.

Punisher #1:  “Red Band” writer Benjamin Percy relaunches Frank Castle’s ongoing adventures in a way that follows on from that miniseries, I would think.  We’re told that Castle’s memory is damaged and he’s hunting for answers from the scum of the earth.  First on his list:  Jigsaw!  This is actually the first of two new series launches from Percy in these solicitations and arguably the safer bet given that the other character he’s relaunching appears to be… cursed?

Godzilla:  Infinity Roar #1 (of 5):  This sees writer Gerry Duggan and artist Javier Garron following up on their “Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe” miniseries (collected here in these solicitations) in the only logical way:  By sending him into space!  Even if he’s the King of All Monsters, it seems doubtful that the likes of the Galactic Empire of Wakanda, and the Kree/Skrull and Shi’Ar Empires would have that much trouble dealing with him.  Unless Godzilla ran into a certain King in Black along the way and began a new streak of galactic dominance under one of its most malevolent foes.

TL;DR:  Duggan and Garron steal one of the best bits from Jason Aaron’s “Godzilla vs. Thor” and try to make a go of it with a title that’s a great pun if nothing else.

Marc Spector:  Moon Knight #1:  It’s another “Moon Knight” relaunch written by Jed MacKay.  How many is this now?  Is he trying to beat Aaron’s “Thor” record for who can write the most #1 issues for a single character?

Magik & Colossus #1 (of 5), Storm:  Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1 (of 5), Generation X-23 #1:  There are a bunch of new “X-Men”-related launches this month, most of which are miniseries.  They’re also indicative of which of the previous series were most well-received as Ashley Allen’s “Magic” and Murewa Ayodele’s “Storm” are both getting follow-ups from their original writers.  Not Erica Shultz and “Laura Kinney:  Wolverine,” however.  Jody Houser takes over with “Generation X-23” and I’m more inclined to give that a look based on what I’ve read from that writer before.  Plus, this solicitation makes it clear that Gabby is going to be a central part of this new series and that’s definitely a good thing.

Wade Wilson:  Deadpool #1:  You’d think that after having two massively successful solo films and a team-up movie with Wolverine that turned into the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time would make launching a “Deadpool” comic the easiest thing in the world.  Yet no writer since Gerry Duggan and his multi-year run has managed to deliver a “Deadpool” series that has lasted a little more than a year.  What gives?  Were they all that bad?  This bears investigating, now that I think about it… stay tuned for the podcast in 2026.

Oh, this relaunch?  This was the other one from Percy that I mentioned earlier and he’s got a killer artistic partner in Geoff Shaw.  I’m not so sure about the solicitation text’s promise of a Deadpool who’s been pushed to the edge by a dark memory with no promise of redemption, but if the silly and self-aware version of the Merc-With-a-Mouth hasn’t been working, maybe this will?

Spider-Men:  Worlds Collide (Marvel Premiere Edition):  Peter Parker’s first and second encounters with Miles Morales in “Spider-Men” and “Spider-Men II” are collected together in this smaller and more affordable ($15) edition.  The first miniseries is a collection of sharply-written fun moments.  The second is garbage in the way that it tries and fails to introduce a proper Marvel Universe version of Miles.  I appreciate the effort Marvel is making with these Premiere Editions, but this is one case where a real caveat emptor warning is necessary.

X-Men:  The Messiah Trilogy Omnibus HC:  Collecting two of the more memorable “X-Men” crossovers I’ve read with “Messiah Complex” and “Second Coming.”  Oh, and the one in between, “Messiah War” is thrown in for completionist’s sake as well.  “Messiah Complex” and “Second Coming,” however, are great examples of classic crossover storytelling as they told coherent stories that had a real impact on the “X-Men” titles over the course of multiple series.  Sure, some of the big deaths were subsequently reversed, but these events were also the beginning of the end of the “No More Mutants” era and did so in striking fashion.  The finale of “Second Coming” also has the one moment involving Bastion I’ll always remember, and that’s not nothing.

Punisher & Fury MAX by Garth Ennis Omnibus HC:  Collecting “Punisher:  The Platoon,” both volumes of “Fury MAX,” “Get Fury,” and “Punisher:  Soviet.”  All of Ennis’ post-”Punisher MAX” mature-readers work for Marvel, in other words.  All of these are good comics, and some of the writer’s best latter-day work, but the reason I didn’t give it the top spot was because I think there was a better, more focused collection to be made from the writer’s work depicting Frank Castle’s time during the Vietnam War.  For example:

  • Punisher:  The Platoon – Shows Castle’s entrance into the war.
  • Fury MAX #’s 7-9:  His first team-up with Fury and showcase of his skills as a special forces operative.
  • Get Fury:  Castle rescues Fury in his last special forces mission that sees him sent to…
  • Punisher:  Born – Firebase Valley Forge where he ends the war and meets his destiny in shocking fashion.

I already own all of the comics mentioned above and if you don’t own any of them then the Omnibus is still worth picking up.  That said, Marvel, is it possible to get a Premiere Edition collecting these comics, or does their Mature Readers status make them off limits to that line?

Ultimate Wolverine vol. 2:  Logan:  Writer Chris Condon delivered an “Ultimate” (not “ultimate”) mash-up of “Enemy of the State” and “Weapon X” in his first volume that was competently executed if nothing else.  Will he extend that competence to rehashing other classic “Wolverine” stories in vol. 2, or will we get something new this time around?  At least Alessandro Capucchio is illustrating the entire volume, which means that it’ll be graced with some striking art throughout.

Ultimates by Deniz Camp vol. 3:  Rescue Mission:  I was marginally more impressed with vol. 2 over vol. 1, and that mainly came down to how its final issue subverted superhero cliche and actually tried to address the series’ own failings.  Whether or not it continues to do so in this volume is anybody’s guess as reading Camp’s latest creator-owned series “Assorted Crisis Events” did not give me any optimism in that regard.  Which means it might be up to co-writers Taboo and B. Earl to deliver the goods in their “Ultimate Hawkeye” one-shot, which is also being collected here.

Eddie Brock:  Carnage vol. 2 – The Killing Muse:  Vol. 1 is in my To Read pile.  That said, if that subtitle has you thinking that we’ll be seeing an artistically-minded serial killer from writer Charles Soule’s “Daredevil” run featured here, then you’d be right.  While we’re on the subject of Soule…

Star Wars:  Legacy of Vader – The Reign of Kylo Ren vol. 2:  I read vol. 1 earlier this week and a review will be forthcoming.  It’s not the writer’s best work in the sequel era, but is it his worst?  I honestly can’t say as it takes a strong starting point, Kylo Ren’s status as Supreme Leader of the First Order after the events of “The Last Jedi,” and then follows him as he tries to make good on his efforts to kill his past over and over again.  This appears to be the concluding volume of the series, no new issue was solicited this month, and I’ve got no strong feelings about that after reading the first volume.