T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: All storms must end sometime, and with them go the thunder.

The Review: After my review of last issue, reader Don asked me what titles I could recommend to satisfy his craving for Nick Spencer material, once this series wrapped up.  I had to admit I knew nothing that blended superheroics and political thriller so seamlessly and with such sophistication, wit, and craft.  It reminded me of how much I’ve enjoyed Spencer’s work here since it debuted, and how sorry I am to see it go.

If you like T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents as much as I do, then you’ll also be particularly dismayed to see how quietly this issue pulls the curtain on the series.  Spencer obviously has a lot of affection for all these characters, however brief their working lives are, and he attempts to give each of them as neat a resolution as possible under the circumstances.  Even so, you can clearly tell he had a much longer endgame in mind, and things were never intended to end this way.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #5 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Apparently, even a simple question of “dead or alive” has no straight answers.

The Review: Of course, the thing about having a huge relaunch of your entire line of titles is you’re not only thinning out all the weaker series, but the strong ones as well.  While DC made certain to preserve its anchors (e.g. Batman, Green Lantern) more or less intact, its young critical darlings did not receive such protection, sending perfectly strong titles to an early end.  I would definitely list T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (as well as the underappreciated Xombi) as example.

This miniseries is thus something of a weird beast.  You’d think DC going through the trouble of releasing it in the first place would be an indication of their faith in the property, especially since they have no shortage of more popular ones to invest in.  Yet from the first issue, it’s clear the series doesn’t make itself out to be accessible or attractive to new readers.  Rather, this mini feels mostly like a continuation of the spare plotlines Nick Spencer left behind on his ongoing.

At the same time, Spencer’s plotlines aren’t of the kind that resolve neatly or quickly; if you’ve ever read Morning Glories or any of his other works, you’ll know his strength lies in letting his stories ferment, giving you the occasional potent taste, but otherwise reserving the rest.  For that reason, I find it hard to believe he ever intended for us to discover Colleen’s true loyalties this soon, or what her (and Emil Jennings’) ultimate goals are.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #4 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Wes Craig (artist), Hi-Fi (colorist), Sam Keith (feature artist), Jeromy Cox (feature colorist)

The Story: NoMan teaches us that living in a clone body can’t get in the way of friendship!

The Review: One of the things I really like about T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents—and there are many—is its point of view.  Most of the superhero titles on the stands are fairly clear-cut in who the good and bad guys are.  Even that darkest of knights, Batman, is obviously a force for good in the world, no matter what the urban legends say.  Very rarely do heroes have a moral quandary that’s truly unnavigable; in the end, they nearly always do the right thing.

About the only series that really mired itself in gray area was Gail Simone’s Secret Six, which almost took masochistic pleasure in confronting hard questions and having no answers.  Though completely different in tone and substance, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is very much a spiritual successor to the Six.  Both feature a cast of characters thrust into unpleasant situations for which no easy solutions can be found, forcing them to take uncertain moral chances in their attempts to come out the other side in the black, however slightly.

The major difference, of course, is the Six made no pretensions about being heroes, though (very) occasionally motivated by principles of justice.  The Agents, on the other hand, sincerely believe what they do, they do for the greater good.  Ultimately, however, they owe their existence to a wrongful war, and we all know that nothing exactly equates to the greater good in such circumstances.  At best, the Agents can only hope for what all war victors hope for: that history will vindicate them in the end.

That’s what makes Henry Cosgei’s (a.k.a. Lightning)—spoiler alert—sacrifice so meaningful and yet so tragically pointless.  While the death of Dynamo seemed sudden and had little emotional weight, given how little we knew of him, Spencer actually invested a great deal of time in Cosgei’s background and reasons for joining the Agents.  When you reflect on the fact that he put his life on the line to restore his honor after a bit of athletic cheating, you really understand the measure of the man, but too late.  And what did he die for?  For the Agents to retrieve their irreplaceable weapons?  To strike a blow against an oppressed people?

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Wes Craig (artist), Hi-Fi (colorist)

The Story: Here’s a tip—don’t talk about dead mothers and brothers on the first date.

The Review: In this new DCU, there are more superhero teams than ever, one of them even having backing from the United Nations which presumably also sponsor our heroes here.  Spencer sets them apart, however, by giving them a much more overt political agenda and making them more attached to the governmental body which employs them.  Even against their best judgment, their movements in the field are determined by white-collar men sitting on swivel chairs in a control room.

For that reason, a certain shadiness infects every aspect of this team, from their very mission statement to the choice of members to the technology that makes their work possible.  Yet that technology began, like many things, with pure objectives.  We learn more about Emil Jennings, the man responsible for producing the scientific breakthroughs which gave birth to the Agents, all to promote “peacekeeping, humanitarianism, fostering better international relations…”

To that end, he creates an actual mathematical method (well, about as mathematical as you can get in a comic anyway) to “calculate the likelihood that any action undertaken ill improve the human condition.”  See, it’s this kind of thing that makes Spencer a conceptual wizard in the tradition of Grant Morrison; these fantastic ideas seem to roll off the top of his head, and not only does he convince you of their fictional logic, they bear implications for real life as well.

The fact Jennings’ algorithm is intended to help the world’s survival doesn’t disguise the fact that its role in the Menthor helmet defeats free will.  Besides, “survival” is a rather vague objective, one that doesn’t necessarily go toward “the greater good.”  So perhaps we should worry about this formula running the show, especially since it also powers Daniel, the hive-mind at the heart of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ activities.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Santiago Arcas (colorist)

The Story: The Iron Maiden…she’s a cautionary tale for all the S&M lovers out there.

The Review: It’s tough to transition from one story arc to the next in a superhero comic.  After the noise dies down, you’ve got this obligatory timeout for the characters to lick their wounds and reflect on their latest adventure, and after that comes the gradual setup for the next storyline.  In a way, these interludes lose the momentum the writer spent the entire story arc developing.

Spencer does two smart things to address this point.  First, he neatly dovetails the conclusion to the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ first mission and the intro to their next in one issue—good.  That means events can just get rolling when we come back.  Second, he keeps up the tension by playing out the dramatic plot threads he set down throughout his introductory arc.

This strategy is particularly clever because it does double-duty: it allows the characters some growth, and it keeps you invested in their individual plotlines.  Dynamo’s finally experiencing the side-effects of his new powers (“…like I’m ‘bout to break apart.”  Doctor: “That’s normal.  Take your shirt off for me, please.”).  Lightning still can’t bring himself to connect with his estranged family despite knowing he may soon lose his chance.  And NoMan remains as forebodingly inscrutable as ever in the midst of his dwindling humanity.

Spencer doesn’t use a lot of dialogue or narration, and the characters don’t really do anything lively, but he writes the subtext so well you never have a problem sensing the conflict at stake.  One of many good examples: when his young daughter picks up, Lightning never says a word, but you know exactly why he calls and why he can’t or won’t speak up.  It’s a scene that breaks your heart without much fanfare or drama.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #5 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Santiago Arcas (colorist), Ryan Sook (guest artist)

The Story: She doesn’t know that he knows that they don’t know what he knows about that other guy knows about them—no, I’m not describing a Friends episode.

The Review: The first story arc of any new ongoing can be the most critical for the title’s livelihood.  Besides setting the tone and mission statement for the series, it also determines the loyalty of its first-generation readers.  A strong leading storyline can establish a fanbase that forgives possibly weaker arcs down the line; a poor or even mediocre lead wards readers away, so even with dramatic improvements, there’s no audience to help it survive.

This issue detonates a ticking time bomb that’s been lurking in the team’s midst, and the fallout is tremendous.  The revelation of Toby’s specific connection to Spider is definitely unexpected (using some complicated, but ingenious identity-transfer logistics).  But the twist at the end—the way his use of the Menthor helmet ultimately turns on him—really plays brilliantly.  It pays tribute to the original Menthor and elevates Toby from your typical smart-alec to mentally fractured dark horse—a big promotion for an already entertaining character.

Justice Society of America #47 – Review

By: Marc Guggenheim (writer), Scott Kolins (artist), Mike Ativeh (colorist)

The Story: Green Lantern in space!  Dr. Fate wrestles for Lightning’s soul!  Mr. Terrific experiences Flowers for Algernon firsthand!

The Review: When DC announced that it’d be holding the price line at $2.99 at the cost of cutting some pages from its titles, there was certainly a mix of emotions.  The jubilance over the savings was marred by the concern that each issue would have less substance to be engaging.  So far, most titles have taken the impact pretty easily, some even improving from the compression.  Others, however, have suffered from being forced to squeeze their stories into the more limited space.

Among the suffering seems to be Marc Guggenheim’s Justice Society of America.  This issue sees the team split up across literally cosmic distances, each with their own particular conflict to handle.  On the one hand, this sets things up so there’s no short supply of storylines filling up the pages.  On the other hand, with less page-time devoted to each, you’re left unsatisfied by all of them.  There’s just a strong sense that crucial parts of each plotline have been sacrificed at some point to fit them all in.

So instead of showing what’s going on, Guggenheim has to tell it to you instead.  Take Dr. Fate and Lightning in the spirit realm.  You don’t get to see how they get there; Jay Garrick catches Dr. Midnight up to speed and then Fate himself gives a thoroughly unsatisfying explanation of his work (“I took a few shortcuts, acted on instinct mostly.  I sort of…pushed things along…”).  And once all that talk is done, you get cut away to the next storyline, leaving you to wonder what the point of it all is.

Then you have Mr. Terrific’s supposedly degrading intelligence.  Instead of seeing symptoms of his dire situation, you get treated to two solid pages of Dr. Chaos’ obnoxious, know-it-all gloating.  Without actually seeing real signs of Mr. Terrific losing his smarts, the emotional impact of it is lost, making you feel as if he’s in no real danger.  But the worst handling has to be Alan Scott’s sudden jump into space.  Not only does it come out of nowhere, but it gets exactly one page to vaguely hint at the reason why it happens (the Starheart is in trouble—or something).

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 – Review

by Nick Spencer (writer), CAFU (pencils), BIT (inks), Santiago Arcas (colors), and Swands (letters)

The Story: We’re introduced to the world of the THUNDER Agents and their modus operandi.

What’s Good: I really wasn’t sure what to expect out of this book, but what I got was decidedly unique from anything offered by DC.  It’s very much a Nick Spencer book and feels sleek and modern much like a Marvel comic might, but still has that grain of DC kookiness.  It has the atmosphere of a spy-book and actually felt quite a bit like an answer from DC to Marvel’s Secret Warriors and, of course, the fact that I’m even making that comparison is a very good thing.  Honestly, as far as tone goes, I can’t remember reading a DC title quite like this.

There’s no mistaking that this issue is a high quality product on both the writing and art fronts.  As far as the writing goes, Spencer’s dialogue and plotting just feels smart.  It occasionally gets flowery in its dialogue, which is welcome, but it also carries the cold effiency and the crazy twists, turns, and back-and-forth conspiracies of a good spy yarn.  At times, the twists and the dialogue might strike some as a little too flashy or larger-than-life, but I loved every second of it.  It makes the book feel bold, exciting, and constantly intelligent, making for something far, far from your average, run-of-the-mill superhero comic.

CAFU also helps make the title stand out.  Despite this being a smaller property, CAFU gives the book a big comic feel.  His work is incredibly polished and slick and has a high-budget feel that looks distinct.  Combined with Arcas’ colors, the book also somewhat steers away from grittiness, opting instead for an inviting look with just the hint of a wacky, Doom Patrol feel.

Justice Society of America #37 – Review

by Bill Willingham (writer), Jesus Merino (pencils), Jesse Delperdang (inks), Allen Passalaqua (colors), and Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: Mr. Terrific tells the story of how the JSA tried to rally against the Fourth Reich while he, and some big name allies, plot a jailbreak.

What’s Good: It’s already pretty clear that Mr. Terrific is probably Willingham’s favourite character on the JSA and so it should be no surprise that Willingham also has the best handle on the character’s voice and how to write him in general.

He continues to be well-written and I really do enjoy having him as the lead character.  Willingham does a great job with Terrific’s dialogue; he’s snarky but genuine and you really do root for him.  Indeed, the fact that he’s a know-it-all and calls it like he sees it only adds to the appeal of the character.  Indeed, Terrific’s dynamic with his “memoir writer” was also quite well-done, achieving a good back and forth with a dash of hopelessness.

I’ve always loved Mr. Terrific and seeing him in more or less solo hero position and in a leader position over Superman and Batman, revealed to be two of his fellow inmates, is all kinds of awesome.  I found these prison scenes to be by far the most engaging and creative parts of the book.  The planned jailbreak had me intrigued, while the dialogue and the means the former superheroes are forced to employ to enact their plans really spelled out the brutality of the Fourth Reich’s world.  These portions said a great deal about the dystopic world Willingham is working with here and the sense of horror and desperation is tangible.