Customer Reviews

Thunderbolts: Justice Like Lightning

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With the Marvel Comics series Thunderbolts, writer Kurt Busiek pulled off the surprise of the '90s. The finale of issue #1 revealed that this super-team, appearing as a result of "Onslaught", was really the Masters of Evil, posing as heroes in a plan to conquer the world in the absence of the FF and the Avengers. While it was a great trick, and some of the later issues were okay, I had a hard time swallowing the premise the further I read. Reading this trade collection only reinforces that. The reason why? Well, I've been reading Marvel Comics for quite a while, and I agree that you need to occasionally shake up the status quo and tweak characters in order to keep things interesting. I had no problem accepting a few of these villains posing as heroes, but Baron Zemo was just too much to ask. As far back as I can recall, this guy has been portrayed as an egotistical, ranting, power-mad schemer, and for him to simply slip on a different costume and convincingly adopt a heroic air as "Citizen V" was absurd. While I feel that Kurt Busiek is definitely one of the most talented writers around, this one thing knocked Thunderbolts out of whack. It doesn't ruin the story, but it requires a major suspension of disbelief for long-time Marvel fans. One other complaint about the writing: for a Busiek story, there seems to be more emphasis on fighting than on dialogue. I understand that there should be SOME fighting to establish which side these guys are pretending to be on, but I would have preferred more emphasis on the story. Also, the lackluster art by Mark Bagley and others did nothing for me.

HOWEVER... I will give it two stars for the nostalgic aspects of the story; namely, the appearances of lots of other third-tier '70s characters. Also, I found it interesting that some of the Thunderbolts, who have been considered hard-luck cases as villains, seem better fitted to their roles as heroes.

Marvel has undergone a renaissance in the last few years (in terms of creativity, if not sales) but they have definitely neglected their traditional audience. Thunderbolts was a product of the old administration and was a real Marvel book in style and substance. However, its now to be replaced by a hip (= embarrasingly dated within 5 months) version of Supervillain Fight Club, with zero connection to the original idea (and zero likeability). Avoid that travesty, buy this TPB which showcases some of their earliest and best stories

These guys were always my favorites. Before thast fateful day where I lost interest in comic books, I had every single issue. The first few year or so's worth of stories are still the best, where we get the bad guys NOT becoming sudden heroes, which was something unheard of in Marvel superhero books. The last page of the first issue is a classic. The stuff collected in this TPB is gold.

Justice Like Lightning reprints the first 4 issues of Thunderbolts, Annual 1997, their first appearance in Incredible Hulk #449, the T'Bolts story in Tales of the Marvel Universe, and Spider-Man Team-Up #7. What this collection amounts to is a gathering of the stories of their formative days as a team, and the unveiling of the master plan behind the concept of the T'Bolts.

If you haven't read this book, and don't know anything about the T'Bolts, you are in for a very special treat. The premise around this collection revolves around a very special concept, one which should blow you away when you discover it on your own. So get this book, skip the excellent Busiek introduction, and just start reading! There are spoilers on the front cover, back cover, and intro, so do your best to avoid them! AVOID THE SPOILERS! You'll thank yourself for it later!

The T'Bolts had their start in the aftermath of Onslaught, which, to the flesh and blood citizenry of the Marvel Universe, seemed to claim the lives of the world's greatest heroes, among them the Avengers and the FF. What's left of the world's remaining heroes can barely keep up with the defense of all that is good and decent, and so it is that a new team of costumed adventurers- the Thunderbolts- step in to save the day! With derring-do and good-guy gusto, Citizen V and his band of adventurers earn the graces and honest thanks of a world in peril by beating up the bad guys that threaten it's stability.

Heard it all before? I don't think so....do yourself a favor and catch up with the T'Bolts. The art is great, and there is the wonderful "origin" Annual with the legendary Gene Colan getting to draw a cameo of Daredevil (an unexpected treat!) The paper quality is excellent, too. This is a very nicely done trade package.

In a major coup Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley certainly surprised the fans with one of the greatest unexpected endings in comics. However, even without the shock of this revelation, the series is a superb example of good solid storytelling. The twists and turns will indeed keep you wanting more. This tale of redemption and villainy is the best new 'old-style' Marvel comic for a long time
This excellent graphic novel includes the initial appearance fighting the Hulk as well as the first few issues of their own comic, which is currently going through another purple patch under the guidance of Fabian Nicieza

In a major coup Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley surprised the fans with one of the greatest unexpected endings in comics. However, even without the shock of this revelation, the series is a superb example of good solid storytelling. The twists and turns will indeed keep you wanting more. This tale of redemption and villainy is the best new 'old-style' Marvel comic for a long time.
This excellent graphic novel includes their initial appearance fighting the Hulk as well as the first few issues of their own comic, which is currently going through another purple patch under the guidance of Fabian Nicieza

Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley surprised the fans with one of the greatest and most unexpected endings in the history in comics. I am not revealing any surprises since the cover clearly shows that the super heroic team of Thunderbolts are actually the villianous Masters of Evil. The twists and turns that the team of Busiek/Bagley include in the series keep the fans coming back. The villians enjoy playing the role of hero so much that some of them even begin to think about abandoning their lives of crime. The characterization is top notch and the artwork is outstanding.
This is an excellent graphic novel that includes all the first appearances of the T-bolts as well as the first few issues of their own comic.