Thunderbolts #155 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Kev Walker (art), Jason Gorder (some inks), Frank Martin (colors), Albert Deschesne (letters), Rachel Pinnelas (assistant editor) & Tom Brennan (editor)

The Story: The Thunderbolts need a magical member and recruit Dr. Strange to help find someone with a checkered enough past to be a true Thunderbolt.

What’s Good: Jeff Parker’s superhero comics are so bouncy and that’s one of the things that really defines him as a good writer.  He can do a lot of different styles and genres (as you know if you’re read any of his creator-owned stuff), but when he does superheroes, Parker clearly knows to make it fun and make it fast.  His issues almost remind me of old Bronze Age Marvel comics in how much story he crams into a 22-page story.

Spinning out of last issue (the outstanding one-shot about Man Thing), we had the government raising some concerns about the lack of magical firepower on the team and that’s a fair enough complaint since we’ve all read comics where our supposedly bad-ass heroes get flattened by a magical villain.  So, Luke Cage and Dr. Strange take Man Thing out to find a sufficiently morally-gray-area magic user.  I love who they found and it should be fun watching this person get integrated into the team.  Parker also does some very cool things with the magic itself.  Of course, the selected magic user fights with Dr. Strange, causing Cage to say something like, “Hey! I thought you were more powerful than _______!”  Strange basically says that magic isn’t like physical power because it is knowledge-based, so a character who has been out of sight for some time, could have been studying and developing new magic.  This was a really neat concept.

For most comics, this magic story would be a 3-issue mini-arc, but it all happens in one issue. But Parker also still has time for a B Story by having a new Thunderbolt team leader name AND having Fixer get heckled by the randy women inmates.  These ladies are definitely “frustrated” if they’ll hoot at Fixer.  “What kinda attachments you got for that arm!”  “Yoo Hoo, Fixer!  I’ve got something you can fix right here!”  Some of the funniest things I‘ve read in a while.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: 27 #4 – Endings are hard, and when I’m grading comics I definitely give points for “degree of difficulty”.  Charles Soule very skillfully landed his story about a guitarist who made a Faustian bargain in a way that was not only satisfying, but that also made you rethink what you thought you’d taken away from the first three issues.  What we’re left with is a great story about the nature of genius and the hard work that it takes to achieve true expertise.  Be 100% sure to buy the collected edition!  Runner-up: The Walking Dead #82

Most Anticipated: Unwritten #23 – Amazing that I came close to dropping this series ~6 months ago!  This series has really recaptured its magic over the last 3 months. Each month I was a little surprised, but now Carey and Gross are back to having a book that I expect to be one of the best books on the shelf! The ending of last issue where Tom Taylor learned how to splash from one story to another was sooooo cool and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Other Picks: 28 Days Later #21 (advertised as a jumping on point), Hack/Slash #2, Amazing Spider-Man #656, Hulk #30.1, Thunderbolts #155

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: PunisherMAX #11 – Jason Aaron has truly found his tone with this series, one that’s both all his own while also an acknowledgement to what has worked well in the past.  This was a fantastic issue with the best fight I’ve read in a comic in 2011 thus far.  Brutal, savage stuff and everything a PunisherMAX comic should be.

Most Anticipated: THUNDER Agents #5 – There’s a lot to choose from for me this.  Brubaker’s Fear Itself prologue offers us a glimpse of things to come in Marvel’s next big event.  Amazing Spider-Man follows one of the best issues in a while and features more Marcos Martin art.  Iron Man 2.0 intrigues, as does it’s big brother title Invincible Iron Man, both of which had strong offerings last month.

In the end though, I ‘m going with THUNDER Agents.  The twist/cliffhanger it ended on last month was outrageous and mind-blowing stuff that left me salivating for #5.  It seems unfair not to give the book top spot.  Almost as unfair that this title, as good as it is, sold just barely over 10K last month.  Yeah, that’s less than Doom Patrol and Rebels, both of which to be canceled.

Other Picks: Brightest Day #22, THUNDER Agents #5, DMZ #63, The Unwritten #23, Morning Glories #8, Amazing Spider-Man #656, Fear Itself: Book of the Skull, Invincible Iron Man #502, Iron Man 2.0 #2, Uncanny X-Force 5.1

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #1 – The concept of the series is to go back 500 years and look at the entourage of Martian characters when they were younger, dealing with different politics and challenges. This issue started strong and ended on a cliffhanger. I’m loving Dynamite’s new Barsoom!

Most Anticipated: Warlord of Mars #5 – This is chapter five in Arvid Nelson and Lui Antonio’s reimagining of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars. So far, it has been awesome and I can’t wait to see the new dangers and harrowing adventures in store for John Cart and Dejah Thoris (because that’s what John Carter is all about).

Other Picks: Kato Origins #7, Death of Zorro #1, Batman #708, Brightest Day #22, Red Robin #21, Uncanny X-Men Annual #1