Thunderbolts #162 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Valentine de Landro & Matthew Southworth (artists), Frank Martin & Fabio D’Auria (colorists), Albert Deschesne (letterer), Rachel Pinnelas (assistant editor) & Tom Brennan (editor)

The Story: Betrayal is in the air as the Thunderbolts battle aquatic mutants that are boiling out of Lake Michigan.

What’s Good: Jeff Parker has a really tight handle on how to pace these stories.  I say it month after month about both Thunderbolts and Hulk (Parker’s other Marvel ongoing), but he is able to cram a huge amount of story into a single-issue.  The way Parker does this with a team book like Thunderbolts is really impressive if you’ve ever watched a writer flounder with the X-Men.  Everyone gets some page time in a Parker book.  It might not be a LOT of time, but it seems he makes a conscious effort to give each central character a line or two of dialog that shows what they’re doing and how they’re feeling.

Also in typical Parker fashion, we’ve got two stories going on at once.  The main events of this issue involve the potential betrayal by the Underbolts.  This has been building for 5-6 issues and it makes perfect sense for a team of villains.  But the richness of this series is that not all the characters are equally despicable.  Some seem to actually LIKE the hero thing.  Some might be tempted to run away, but their moral compass won’t quite let them do it when their teammates and innocent civilians are in danger.  And some are just villains.  Seeing each character make their sometimes surprising choices is part of the fun and we’re left with a cliffhanger as to what a couple of characters chose to do.

While that was going on in the background, we also had some fun monster action as the team(s) tried to take down these monsters that are coming out of Lake Michigan to ravage Chicago.  The monsters are all icky, gross and menacing so there’s no reason for the team to hold back while they splatter these things.  Parker also makes great use of Man-Thing in dealing with the problem.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Detective Comics #881 – The finale to one of the best Batman stories ever from the industry’s hottest new writer is, in my mind, quite possibly the best single issue of the year.  All too often, great series or runs end in lackluster fashion.  This is not one of those instances.  At all.

Most Anticipated: Journey into Mystery #626 – It’s a big statement, but I’ve officially decided to proclaim Kieron Gillen and Doug Braithwaite’s Journey into Mystery the pound for pound best monthly comic currently being put out by Marvel.  With every installment, I know that I’m going to be getting top of the line storytelling starring a character I’ve come to truly love and artwork impressive to the point of making me wonder how this book is so consistently on time. If you are not reading Journey into Mystery, you are very much in the wrong.

Other Picks: Daredevil #2, Captain America #2, X-Men: Schism #3, Superboy #11, Avengers #16, Invincible Iron Man #507

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Detective Comics #881 – Endings are hard, but Scott Snyder, Jock & Francesco Francavilla aced this one.  Not only did they bring an end to their instant classic year-long tale on Detective Comics, but they brought down the curtain on Detective Comics itself.  I know there will be a new #1 in a month, but it really won’t be quite the same so it was wonderful to see Tec end with such a wonderful story and issue.  If you haven’t read this storyline, you simply must do so immediately.  Runner-up: American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #3

Most Anticipated: Hulk #39 – This run on Hulk by Jeff Parker, Gabriel Hardman and a few other artists has been flat-out awesome.  Just as Snyder’s Detective Comics has been the best thing at DC for the past year, Parker’s Hulk has been the best ongoing at Marvel.  And this issue features (a) the final bit of the series drawn by all-star artist Hardman and (b) the culmination of a much teased storyline featuring this OMEGEX villain who is some kinda cosmic planet-killer.  Sounds awesome (and pretty)!

Other Picks: The Walking Dead #88, Avengers #16, X-Men Schism #3, Sergio Aragones: Funnies #2, Spider-Island: Spider-Girl #1 (with art by Pepe Larraz who I really enjoy)

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week:You know it was an underwhelming week when you’re choosing between Squirrel Girl and an X-men book that only got a C-. On a week when my personal pull list is this thin, I’d better not give out this award.

Most Anticipated:X-Men Schism #3 – I’ve been enjoying this run quite a bit. The production values are good and the whole arc is about waiting for the other shoe to drop…. And who doesn’t love the Hellfire Club?

Other Picks: Journey into Mystery #626, Thunderbolts #162, Deadlands: Death Was Silent One-Shot