In a tale of two worlds, Thor fights epic battles against trolls, evil scientists and super-villains-and balances his life as a god, a hero and a doctor as Loki manipulates him from afar and Odin banishes him from Earth! What is the Godstorm, and can the God of Thunder hope to defeat it? Plus: in a tale of Asgard past, Thor battles Uroc, the Uru Monster! Collecting: Thor: Godstorm #1-3; Thor (1966) #408-409 (Tales of Asgard backups); Busiek/Rude; bonus story by Mike Mignola

    So when Norman Osborn becomes the head of US security, the Punisher sets about taking Osborn down. But when his assassination attempt fails, Frank finds himself in Osborn's crosshairs. The Hood resurrects several longdead super villains and sends them against Frank ... but it is the twisted son of Wolverine who manages to kill the Punisher. With his remains stitched back together, the Punisher is reborn as the terrifying Franken-Castle!Collecting: Punisher 1-16, Annual; Dark Reign: The List Punisher; Franken-Castle 17-21; Dark Wolverine 88-89; Punisher: In the Blood 1-5

    Hidden in its vast superstructure is a murderous creature that severs the right hands of its victims. A rebellious young aviatrix and a secretive scavenger boy are about to come face to face with a robotic Stalker that is terrifyingly out of control.

    Like in every culture, Chinese folktales too have been instrumental in passing on Chinese tradition, beliefs, customs and values from one generation to the next.Chinese folklore consists of fables, legends, mythology tales and historical accounts. Magical creatures, demons, mythical animals, malicious step-mothers and witty and valiant protagonists take you through the common themes of the triumph of cleverness and wisdom.This collection of Chinese folktales includes the well-known tale of the 'Valiant Shu Lang', the woman who dressed herself as a man to join the military, 'The Laughing Monks' who taught the path to a contentted life throguh the only language they knew - laughter, and 'The Great Discovery', the tale of how a phenix led a young couple to a treasure they later discover to be salt.

    He grew up on Earth convinced he was the last of his kind. He was wrong. Superman, Supergirl, and the half-Kryptonian, half-human clone Superboy must now face their biggest threat: H'El on Earth.

    She’ll do anything to help them – and herself – get ahead.Actress Maggie Hall has been America’s sweetheart for nearly twenty years. And she’s about to learn that there are two things in life you just can’t fight: growing older and falling in love.Dylan Mercer – young, beautiful and defiant – has run away from New York to try her luck in Hollywood. She’s not after fame and fortune, though. Dylan’s on a quest to find her birth mother.All three women are swept up in the search for the actress who will score the role of a lifetime. But ambition and desire can bring out the worst in people. And in a town built on illusions, believing you can escape your past might just be the biggest deception of all.

    For the first time in Marvel history, the Wicked Webslinger called VENOM gets his very own Annual! This one features a few walks down memory lane from some of the best creators in comics today -- and even a few surprise guests from Venom’s past! Serving as a great jumping on point for readers new and old, this is one issue of VENOM you can’t afford to miss!

    But a few brave souls struck out into that desolate wilderness, desperate to free themselves from the restrictions of the civilized world…KING OF THE MOUNTAIN: Nathaniel King doesn’t need much incentive to escape the confining, bustling city of New York. When his uncle starts spinning tales of a great treasure hidden in the wilderness, Nathaniel finds the lure of the West impossible to resist. Nathaniel’s trail leads from danger to danger, and into the uninhabited Rocky Mountains. If he can survive, Nathaniel will unearth a treasure far more valuable than he ever imagined.LURE OF THE WILD: Nineteen-year-old Nathaniel King and a rugged mountain man named Shakespeare McNair are headed to a rendezvous of trappers and fur traders in the Rocky Mountains. But hostile Utes and Blackfeet Indians pursue them relentlessly, determined to have their scalps. Despite the protection of a friendly band of Shoshone, Nathaniel and his companion risk the loss of their freedom…and their lives.

    Across the galaxy, the most-wanted criminals shudder at the mere mention of his name… Boba Fett!Following the events of Dark Empire II, a Hutt's misguided affections lead to a death contract on a faraway planet. Hired by the Hutt, Boba Fett pursues an intergalactic magician who may hold the key to the Hutt's future. The fact that the magician has died only poses a slight problem for the bounty hunter, as not even the dead can escape from Boba Fett!

    Gambit plays his cards right and vaults into his own kinetically-charged solo adventures! He's a lover and a thief, but what else does ragin' Cajun Remy LeBeau get up to when he isn't hangin' wit' de X-Men? Would you believe raiding lost temples of doom? Clashing with the deadly X-Cutioner? Or teaming up with Sabretooth? Still, there's always time for the ladies, like old friend Storm and his favorite cherie Rogue...but who is Gambit's gaseous green guardian?Collects Gambit (1999) #1/2, 1-11, Gambit Annual '99, Marvel Authentix: Gambit #1, Material from X-Men Unlimited (1993) #18

    She calls his cell to have it out with him, only to discover that he's in New Hampshire with his current girlfriend. But if Nick's in New Hampshire...who did she encounter on the street?Frank Lindbergh's dreams have fallen apart. He wanted to get out of the grim neighborhood where he'd grown up and out of the shadow of his alcoholic father. Now both his parents are dead and he's back in his childhood home, drinking too much himself. As he sets in motion his plans for the future, he's assaulted by an intruder in his living room...an intruder who could be his twin.In an elegant hotel, Tess will find mystery and terror in her own reflection. Outside a famed mansion on Beacon Hill, people are infected with a diabolical malice...while on the streets, an eyeless man, dressed in rags, searches for a woman who wears Tess's face.

    The fact that New Attilan is in the Hudson River puts Manhattan and Spider-Man right in its crosshairs! Jeff Loveness (The Jimmy Kimmel Show, Death of Wolverine: Logan's Legacy) pens all three chapters with tremendous artists!Collecting: All-New Captain America Special, Amazing Spider-Man Special, Inhuman Special

    But in the aftermath of his father's tragic death, David Haller will finally attempt to tame his fractured mind, conquer his inner demons and embrace his legacy! But first Legion will have to overcome two new villains -one lurking within his own psyche, and the other hiding among the X-Men! He'll turn down an invitation to join the team, but the young mutant Blindfold will catch his eye! Will their uncanny romance change the fate of mutantkind?Collecting: X-Men: Legacy 1-24

    Follow Mira's story as she faces life as a single mother, wrestles with the constant call of the ocean to her mermaid nature, and joins an all-male salvage team who is less than thrilled to have her. When my mother died, I ran to the ocean like a coward. Its cradle of salt puckered my memories and withered my sorrow like a grape drying in the sun. I had cheated grief and was foolish enough to think I had gotten away with it.When Nathan died, I couldn’t run away. No matter how much I flinched, bending toward the Atlantic the way ivy strains for rays of light, I could not leave. Grief was back to take what belonged to it for the time it was allotted. I had everything I wanted a few short years ago. My mate. My daughter. A home, a family. It made my head spin to think how much could change so suddenly. I mused, wondering later if I was the only mermaid to ever walk fully through the five stages of grief. But I had my daughter.Targa had yet to turn, the color and shape of her fins were yet to be revealed, but she would. I had been so sure of it then. Siren genes are passed from mother to daughter, without fail. Young legs melded into a shimmering virgin tail in response to a salty sea. But Targa didn’t turn in response to ocean water, not the first time, not any time after that. Something was wrong. I shoved my fear down deep into some dark corner where Targa would not see it and said with a smile that we’d just have to keep trying. I had turned at the age of three, but if there could be late-bloomers in the human race, why not ours too?Her fifth birthday came and went, still she hadn’t turned. Concern sent its barbs into me like a thistle, then it rooted and grew.Targa and I had weekly late night secret swims in the Atlantic, which had once been fun but were now polluted with expectation and suspense. Coaching sessions (my idea), where I attempted human psychology exercises I’d found in outdated textbooks at the library; guided visualization, breathing techniques, and even a failed go at hypnosis. The memory of her skinny little frame sitting in a bathtub containing more salt than water (Targa’s idea) is still enough to fill my eyes with moisture.I don’t know exactly when she lost hope, but she hid it expertly, patiently participating however I asked.I ignored the creeping thoughts that whispered in my mind; she didn’t even like water, didn’t really want to go for swim, couldn’t hear the ocean calling her. I would shove the thoughts away violently, excusing them as nothing but my own anxiety. It was ridiculous. A daughter of a mermaid who disliked the ocean. Impossible. When I muzzled those fears, I became aware of others of a different kind. Not my own, but hers, for me.She could see the want in my eyes. Whatever mechanism bees and dogs used to smell fear, Targa had it for despair. She could sense it on me, reeking like cheap perfume. Her eyes dipped in desperation, her obvious desire not to disappoint me sliced through me like a white-hot blade from heart to gut. She thought she was my tormentor. The realization struck like a hammer and gave me the strength to do what was needed: Let it go.The ocean could call. I’d let the smell of it crucify me, the sound of its waves crash against me, echo through me, call me, beg me.Targa’s need and my love for her was greater. If she never turned and I was locked in a land-cycle for the rest of our lives, so be it.So be it.

    And since the missing box is ancient, has no keyhole and holds tremendous darkness inside, Kaylin knows unknown forces are once again playing with her destiny—and her life.CAST IN FURYWhen a minority race of telepaths is suspected of causing a near-devastating tidal wave, Private Kaylin Neya is again drawn into a world of politics…and murder. To make matters worse, Marcus, her trusted sergeant, gets stripped of his command, leaving Kaylin vulnerable. Now she's juggling two troubling cases, and her dreaded magic lessons are starting to look good by comparison…CAST IN SILENCEPrivate Kaylin Neya has sacrificed much to earn the respect of the winged Aerians and immortal Barrani she works alongside. But when the city's oracles warn of brewing unrest in the outer fiefdoms, a mysterious visitor from Kaylin's past casts her under a cloud of suspicion.