Thor

Contemporary superhero comics exist in an ongoing state of sales-finessing reinvention. To avoid exhaustion, loyal readers might do well to stop judging by how the game has changed and simply ask whether they make for good stories. The answer here is a resounding yes. When the classic Thor is no longer righteous enough to wield his hero-making mallet, the only person worthy enough to take up the mantle is . . . well, you don't find out in this volume. But the point is that it's a lady, and she's every bit up to the task, as she proves by taking on bloodthirsty Frost Giants, the Minotaur CEO of megacorporation Roxxon, and the Dark Elf Malekith. Marvel stalwart Aaron ensures that there's enough humor and scrappy personality to offset all the standard trappings, by, for instance, counterpointing Thor's grandiose dialogue with a more down-to-earth, self-deprecating internal monologue. Dauterman's majestic, gleaming figures, meanwhile, smash through intricately imagined fantasy environments. Though it may be a marketing gambit, this revamped Thor is a success.--Karp, Jesse Copyright 2015 Booklist