Marvel Penguin Picks: November 2025
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Exceptional X-Men vol. 2: The Deep End
I was prepared to write this series off when it debuted. Kate “Kitty” Pryde working as a bartender in Chicago trying to make a clean break from all things “X-Men” related? It sounded like a non-starter of a premise that would soon see her roped back in whether she wanted it or not. Surprisingly, that’s what happened and it didn’t ruin the book. Writer Eve Ewing delivered a really strong character-driven first volume that introduced some appealing new mutants who Kate got to know and decided to mentor – because if it wasn’t going to be her, it was going to be Emma Frost. The former White Queen also wound up being a smart addition to the cast in the way she pushed Kate forward while also pushing her buttons. Meanwhile, all of the action here was done without any real supervillain threat and managed to be involving nonetheless.
That’s going to change in a big way with this volume as Kate and her group of new mutants mix it up with a longtime X-foe whose antagonistic presence was a real highlight during the Krakoan Era. Though the solicitation text avoids mentioning him by name, the cover gives it away immediately: It’s Mister Sinister. The most fab-evil and amoral of mutants has his sights set on the city’s mutant population and the only thing standing between him and them are a few rookies and some veterans who are on the outs with the main teams. I have no doubt our heroes will triumph in the end, but hopefully we’ll see that Sinister hasn’t lost a bit of his stylish amorality since leaving the island. All this plus Ironheart, time travel, a nod in “X-Manhunt’s” direction, and more appealing artwork from regular artist Carmen Carnero too!
X-Men of the Apocalypse #1 (of 4): Wherein the X-Men from the Age of Apocalypse travel to the mainstream Marvel Universe and meet its X-Men. Hijinks, in the form of lots of misunderstanding-driven fisticuffs, no doubt ensue. Coming from writer Jeph Loeb, who also worked on some of the original titles from that seminal event, my guess is that there’s going to be a lot of angry talk from the AoA X-Men about how the mutants from the original timeline aren’t tough enough to stand up to threats like Apocalypse and are going to take a more proactive approach to neutralizing these threats. Only for them to realize they’re wrong, team up with the regular mutants, and then make up before they head back to their timeline. I’d like to be wrong, but there’s nothing about Loeb’s recent output that gives me hope this is going to be anything special. I at least hope artist Simone Di Meo is getting a good paycheck out of this.
Infernal Hulk #1: Continuing writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s storyline with returning artist Nic Klein. That Marvel is giving this title a relaunch with its regular writer indicates that they believe in the story he’s telling and are trying to give it a boost in the only way they know how (see also: Al Ewing’s “The Mortal Thor” and the recent renumbering of “Venom”). I haven’t been reading Johnson’s “Hulk,” but given how good his “Superman” work has been, I should sit down and make the time to see what he’s been doing with the Green Goliath.
1776 #1 (of 5): Wherein Captain America and several other Marvel heroes – possibly including Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Sue Storm, Thor, Ant-Man, and The Wasp, according to the covers – go back in time to safeguard our nation’s founding from an unknown threat. All in time for America’s 250th birthday next year, which will certainly be an interesting thing given our current cultural climate. As for the comic itself, this is coming from writer J. Michael Straczynski and artists Ron Lim and Sean Damien Hill. While I expect there to be a certain amount of valorizing of the men of the era and what they did, I would think that Straczynski won’t shy away from some of their obvious failings (read: slavery). Whether or not that turns out to be the case, I get the feeling we’ll find out right from the jump when this first issue arrives.
Aliens vs. Captain America #1 (of 4): Wherein Captain America seeks to foil a Nazi plot during WWII to weaponize the Xenomorphs. This comes to us from writer Frank Tieri and artist Stefano Raffaele and I’m sure that it’ll be fine for what it is. It’s just a little depressing to think that following “Aliens vs. Avengers” this is the future of the “Alien” franchise in comics going forward.
All-New Venom: Who Is All-New Venom?: If you’ve been following comics news like I do, then you already know the answer to that titular question. That’s certainly a little disappointing, but I’m still expecting to have a good time while reading this as it’s the next step in Al Ewing’s ongoing “Venom” storyline. Plus, Venom’s new host is someone who’s been close to the symbiote for a number of years but has never actually been a host for it. So I’m interested in seeing how their relationship is transformed here. However, I’m actually surprised by the fact that Marvel is collecting all ten issues of this series in one volume instead of dividing it into two. That’s unexpectedly generous of the publisher these days.
Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone vol. 3: Murder Me, Mutina & X-Men by Jed MacKay vol. 3: The Hellfire Vigil: The two main “X-Men” titles get their third collections, and the final ones before both go on hiatus for the “Age of Revelation” event. I’ve enjoyed both, and the “Raid on Graymalkin” crossover (review forthcoming), though I will admit to being more impressed by what MacKay is doing on “X-Men” at the moment. It’s also getting what sounds like the more consequential material here with the “Hellfire Vigil” one-shot and an issue setting up “AoR.” I’ve also got vol. 2 of both titles in my To Read pile, so it’s possible that my opinion could change regarding the better title soon.