Alpha-better

If you haven't checked out Marvel's Thor relaunch by writer J. Michael Strazcynski, I strongly rcommend that you give it a try; the book offers a distinctive reinterpretation of Lee and Kirby's Thor, re-establishing Asgard right in the middle of the US. It's surprising, unpredictable, and stylish.

But it has one problem.

This book has some of the worst lettering I've ever seen. Oh, the craft itself is fine--but the font, which is designed to have a slightly Teutonic, slightly Scandinavian, slightly Anglo-Saxon look, is confoundingly difficult to read. It doesn't scan well, and it actually slows down the flow of the story. I know it's a stylistic choice by Marvel's editorial staff to have the letterer use this style, but it strikes me as the wrong choice. Lettering should never become a barrier to reading; it's the ultimate case of style over function.