I know there are a lot of people out there who will be going to see Thor this week, and I’m betting that a lot of these people have never read any of his comic adventures. I’m here to present a few comics that are worth checking out if after you leave the theater you want to check out some of the god of thunder’s printed adventures.

If you want to check out the original stories that brought the god of thunder into the Marvel universe, there are two ways to do that. If you’re on a budget, you can pick up a volume of Essential Thor (there are 5 volumes currently available). These are nice black and white reproductions of the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby stories (along with other creators in the later volumes) and each volume has about 25 issues each, so you get a lot of value. If you have a bit more money to spend, you might track down a copy of The Mighty Thor Omnibus. This is a massive hardcover that collects almost 40 issues’ worth of material and presents them in beautiful color. It is a little bit pricier, and may not be for the casual fan.

So Marvel’s big Summer event Fear Itself is underway and it’s blowing up all over the Marvel Universe. We’ve got early looks at some of the biggest issues this Summer.

It all starts in May when Fear Itself #2 of 7 hits store shelves. Award-winning writer Matt Fraction and artist Stuart Immonen continue the mystery of who the Worthy are. Seven hammers have fallen to Earth each capable of seemingly endless power. The race is on to see who the Worthy will be and without the Asgardians who have left Earth, will the Avengers be able to save the day? Covers for this installment if the series were done by Steve McNiven and variant by Stuart Immonen. Early images from Fear Itself #2 and previews for other Fear Itself releases are waiting for you after the jump.

In July Fear Itself hits the shores of Utopia in Uncanny X-Men #540 & #541. Writer Kieron Gillen and artist Greg Land bring fear to the unsteady balance between humans and mutant-kind.

Fear Itself #1
Written by Matt Fraction
Pencils by Stuart Immonen
Inks by Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos
Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release date: April 6, 2011

There is a delicate line between the amount of realism that I am looking for in my fantasy escapism and Fear Itself, the newest event from Marvel Comics, straddles the line very closely. The series, written by Matt Fraction with art by Stuart Immonen, is the next in a line of Marvel books that have taken a more “realistic” look at the world in comics. Marvel has prided itself by taking place in a world very much like our own. The President in our world is the President in the Marvel U. Problems in our world become problems in their world. They have examined many real world issues, such as drug use in Spider-Man, racism in Uncanny X-Men, and a host of other topics. However, I have to question just how much realism can exist in a fantastic world filled with colorful characters fighting against villains who can be blamed for all of society’s ills. How much realism is too much, and can real world issues exist in a world where they could be conceivably solved by the characters within that universe? I don’t just read comics for fun, I want my mind to be involved and I want the comics I read to inform the world around me. On the other hand, I still want to have fun while reading my comics, and I will admit that they are a form of escapism from the reality of my everyday life. So when reading this issue, I had to decide how much realism do I want, and how much do I just want to escape into a world where problems can be solved by an Ultimate Nullifier.

Invincible Iron Man 500.1
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Salvador Larroca
Colors by Frank D’Armata
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Marvel Comics
$2.99
Release date: February 2, 2011

A couple of months back when Marvel Comics announced their Point 1 Initiative, their stated goal was to get new readers to give some of their books a chance. Not just current comics readers who may not be reading particular series they were releasing, but they also wanted these issues to rope in new readers who had never picked up an issue before. The first of the these .1 issues has been released, with Invincible Iron Man 500.1, so it’s time to see if Marvel will be able to reach their stated goals.

So, is this issue going to bring in those unfamiliar with Iron Man, or maybe those only familiar with the movies? In my opinion, no. This issue is page after page of Tony Stark telling his past during an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. There is a lot of talking and hardly any action, and while it may be an interesting character study, it is page after page of talking, and I don’t think that is going to get you a lot of new readers. Hardly any mention is made of the current status quo of the book, and if you don’t already know a fair amount about Stark and his past, this issue isn’t going to make a whole lot of sense to you. Writer Matt Fraction clearly has a handle on the character, and he shows off his understanding in this issue, but that doesn’t make it an enjoyable read.

The Point One initiative is Marvel’s latest attempt at bringing new readers to some of their comics. They will be crafted to be great starting points for first-timers to the series. It all begins in February with the release of Invincible Iron Man 500.1. The Eisner-winning creative team of writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca that have made this series a must-read will be starting a new story arc in this issue as well as setting up all of the characters and as Marvel puts it “providing a unique insight into the mind of Tony Stark”.

Invincible Iron Man 500.1 hits store shelves February 2, 2011 for a buck cheaper than the regular books, also in an attempt to try and get new readers to give this series a try.

We have a bevy of images below for you to check out from the upcoming issue!