Last Wednesday the talk of the town was Hickman’s House of X #1. There were a lot of new releases that flew under the radar and one of them was Jane Foster Valkyrie #1 brought to you by the tandem of Jason Aaron and Al Ewing with art by Cafu.

Jane Foster was the Mighty Thor when the Odinson was deemed unworthy to wield Mjolnir. After nearly losing her battle with cancer, Jane Foster has a new lease on life as Valkyrie.

Damage Control is in charge of collecting and protecting Asgardian weapons left behind in New York City after the Dark Elf Malekith’s War of the Realms. The villain Blue Streak and his team, the Fast Five, knock over a transport vehicle and try to steal the cache of magical weapons. Valkyrie heads into battle and defeats all the armored villains, save for Gold Rush, who runs off with the deceased Brunnhilde’s sword, Dragonfang. Gold Rush doesn’t get far as an unseen villain skulking in the shadows steals the sword and kills Gold Rush with it.

I don’t want to reveal the street level villain that wields Dragonfang but suffice to say Jane Foster may be outclassed by this formidable foe. Your lone clue: he is good but also a bit magic. Any guesses?

After losing track of Gold Rush, Jane is late to work at the hospital on the day of her performance review. Her boss, Dr. Regina Hagen, temporarily demotes her to intern at the morgue to show her some humility and as a warning she won’t take Jane’s tardiness or unreliability lightly. At one point, Jane laments how can Spider-Man juggle his life as a hero and fully employed individual so well?

Jane’s first failure as a superheroine and her troubles at work are a sharp contrast to her days as Thor. It will take some time for her to get used to Undrjarn, the All Weapon, and the powers that come with it. It’s this new status quo of Jane Foster and the supervillain turned god she must face to regain Dragonfang that has me excited for issue two.

Jason Aaron’s run on Thor will remembered in Valhalla alongside Kirby and Simonson. Adding Al Ewing to the mix guarantees that this series will be a bonafide hit. Ewing has had an absolute stellar run on Immortal Hulk and I cannot wait to see how these two masterminds will run Jane through the ringer as the newly minted Valkyrie.

Go back to your local comic shop and pick this issue up before its too late. You have been warned!

Jane Foster Valkyrie #2 will be released August 21, 2019