Marvel Penguin Picks: August 2026
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Ultimate Endgame
This is here by default more than any other reason. I mean, I’ve been following the relaunched Ultimate Universe since its start and while the second time around has been decidedly underwhelming – with the glorious exception of “Ultimate Spider-Man” – I’m still planning on seeing it through. Which is why I’ll be picking up this Deniz Camp-written and Terry Dodson & Jonas Scharf-illustrated finale. It’ll be dealing with the threat that’s been hanging over this universe since its inception as The Maker has finally found his way out of The City after being stuck inside it for thousands of years. It’s a safe bet to assume that he won’t be happy with the state of the world he’s created, but the real question is whether the combined might of Spider-Man, the Ultimates, the X-Men, Black Panther and Wakanda, and all the other mutants will be able to stop him.
Interestingly, this will be the second miniseries I’ve read where Camp has written an antagonist that has tried to take over the world with the help of thousands of years of time-dilated planning (see the pretty enjoyable “Children of the Vault”). It wouldn’t be surprising if he wraps this up the same way, but the real challenge will be in delivering a satisfyingly emotional finale to the struggles of the characters in this universe. Well, characters other than The Ultimates, but if he wants to treat this as the actual final volume of that series, it may be for the best. As for the art team, Terry Dodson usually does great work – when he’s given the time to do so, but Scharf’s art on “Ultimate Incursion” showed me that, whatever his merits are, he’s not ready for event-level superhero storytelling.
Nobody gets any points for guessing that I’d be much happier with this event if the writer who kicked off the new Ultimate Universe was writing it. However, Marvel has decided that Jonathan Hickman’s talents are better applied elsewhere. “On what?” I hear you ask…
Midnight: X-Men #1: With the runaway success of DC’s Absolute Universe, Marvel looked it at and thought, “Hmmm… it’s darker, edgier, and more violent than our regular superhero comics. Johnny-boy, do you think you can do something with that?” The result is the new horror-driven “Midnight” line of comics, of which “X-Men” is the first, and it’ll be followed by new takes on “Fantastic Four” and “Spider-Man.” The premise of this title is that mutants and vampires have been coexisting uneasily for a long time, and now these tensions are threatening to spiral into open war.
Given his track record, I’ve got all the time in the world for Hickman and whatever he wants to try. That he’s getting a chance to reinvent the “X-Men” from the ground up on his own terms would sound like an ideal project given how he walked away from the “Krakoan Era” halfway through. This, however, just seems weird. It’s not the first time mutants and vampires have mixed it up, but the last time they did it went straight down the memory hole, save for Jubilee becoming a vampire for a few years. Hickman’s world-building instincts are great, so maybe I’m worried over nothing. Or maybe Marvel has misread the room here and they’re trying to force a new direction on their characters that just wasn’t meant to be.
Amazing Spider-Man #36 (Legacy #1000): That’s right, this is the first Marvel comic to reach issue #1000, after multiple relaunches. The regular creative team of Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz are contributing the lead story here which will introduce the deadly new foe named… RAVAGE! We’ll also be getting multiple contributions from notable spider-creators past and present including Bendis, J.M. DeMatteis, Dan Slott, Stuart Immonen, Marcos Martin, John Romita Jr., and more! Even noted TV writer/creator Noah Hawley is getting involved here. As is legendary creator Frank Miller who will be collaborating with… Peach Momoko?!?! I’ve only been experiencing Miller’s recent work by reputation as nearly everything he’s done since the turn of the millennium has shown that he’s lost it. However, for him to be collaborating with Momoko, whose playful artistic style looks to be miles away from Miller’s hard-bitten work, sounds like the recipe for a train wreck nobody will be able to look away from. Which means I HAVE to read this issue now (and catch up on “Amazing” in general).
Spider-Man & Hulk: Fire & Brimstone #1 (of 4): Kevin Smith and co-writer Andy McElfresh have the two heroes teaming up for an exorcism… of Bruce Banner! Sure, why not. Given that these two will likely be sharing some screen time in “Brand New Day” it stands to reason that Marvel is wanting to get any comics involving them onto stands to draft some of the heat that movie will bring. While Smith isn’t the draw for me that he used to be, he and McElfresh are at least getting the help of a genuine A-lister to illustrate their story in the form of “Powers of X” and “One World Under Doom” artist R.B. Silva.
The Mortal Thor #14 (Legacy #800): While this continues Al Ewing’s run on the title, the publisher is adding some additional stories to mark the occasion. One comes from writer Chris Condon, who has no obvious connection to the character. The other, however, is likely something that I’m going to want to read as it’s from Kieron Gillen. This writer has an… interesting history with the character as he was originally brought on in the wake of J. Michael Straczynski’s run to deal with some leftover plot threads and wound up staying on for a little bit to deal with the “Siege” crossover and its aftermath. What Gillen did there actually had ramifications that played out over subsequent runs including the writer’s own “Journey Into Mystery” and “Young Avengers.” So while it’s a bit surprising that he was chosen for this issue, he certainly deserves his spot here.
Tomb of Apocalypse #1 (of 5): Apocalypse has been pretty quiet following his self-imposed exile after the end of the Krakoan Era and his selection of Revelation as his heir. While “Age of Revelation” implied that may have been a giant mistake on his part, it looks like he’s not done with getting others to do his dirty work. This time the lucky subjects are Wolverine and Jubilee, who have been chosen to do… something for him. Whatever that is, it’ll be written by Ashley Allen who gave us the recent “Magik” solo series and its “Magik & Colossus” miniseries follow-up. I’ve heard surprisingly good things about those, so even if the premise of this title is a little vague, it may be worth reading in the end. That said, this isn’t the only notable X-comic from Allen this month…
What If…?: X-Men #1: “What if… Cassandra Nova killed Professor X?” It was revealed partway through Grant Morrison’s classic “X-Men” run that new villain Cassandra Nova was actually the psychic sister of Charles Xavier that he had strangled while they were in the womb together. Writer Ashley Allen flips the outcome of that conflict on its head and the results aren’t good for anyone who’s a telepath in this world. So when Jean Grey and Emma Frost escape her clutches they’re going to find that the entire world is against them. This is an excellent premise for a “What If…?” story. My only concern is that Allen may not have all the necessary space in order to deliver on it with just this one issue.
Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren #1 (of 5): Uh… didn’t we already get this in “The Rise of Skywalker?” Regardless, this is being billed at the end of writer Charles Soule’s trilogy of projects involving the character. While I can’t say that the first half of “The Reign of Kylo Ren” was all that great, I’m currently reading through its conclusion and will have my thoughts on it in due course. Still, there’s no denying that Soule and artist Will Sliney will have their work cut out for them here in trying to deliver a wrap-up to a character’s story that we already saw play out on the big screen.
Indiana Jones: The Further Adventures Books 1 & 2 HC: Way back in the day, Marvel published comics based off of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” as well as adaptations of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.” These were originally collected in omnibus form by Dark Horse a while back, and now Marvel is reprinting everything they originally did in these deluxe hardcover editions. I picked up the first omnibus of “The Further Adventures” and remember liking it, but didn’t get around to collecting the remaining two. Which was a mistake as they now go for prices that make the $75 for each of these deluxe hardcover volumes come off like a real steal.
X-Men: Yesterday’s X-Men – Marvel Premiere Edition: Collects the first ten issues of “All-New X-Men” in the smaller-sized, new-reader-friendly format. Except that this comic isn’t exactly what I’d call new-reader-friendly at all. This was a comic that was steeped in “X-Men” history both new and old as the original X-Men – Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman, and Marvel Girl – were brought forward in time to help mutanity in the wake of Cyclops going full Dark Phoenix at the climax of “X-Men vs. Avengers.” It was an interesting idea… that ultimately never went anywhere as Bendis thought that this was a brilliant change to the status quo rather than the setup to a story that needed solving. I’ll certainly admit that things started well in the issues collected here – illustrated by the supremely talented Stuart Immonen and David Marquez – but it’s hard to imagine any of these new readers being satisfied by subsequent collections of this run (if they’re coming at all).