Thunderbolts #168 – Review

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Matthew Southworth (artist), Frank Martin, Jr. (colorist)

The Story: As it turns out, this particular man does have a name.

The Review: I spread a lot of DC love around here, and I think it’s time Marvel gets some of that as well.  Now, DC has given a lot of big talk about promoting diversity and highlighting minority characters, but at the end of the day, the most prominent non-white hero in its roster is probably John Stewart, honorary Green Lantern, whose popularity is mostly cultish.

Meanwhile, Marvel has several minority characters who’ve actually reached iconic status, like the highly beloved and respected Storm and, as of late, Luke Cage.  It’s really quite amazing how since his entry into the New Avengers some years ago, he’s made a meteoric rise to becoming one of the most prolific heroes adventuring in the Marvel Universe today.  Even so, for a long time, he still tended to be the “black” voice of the teams he works with, rather than a fully-formed personality of his own.

This issue shows how much he’s grown since his early proto-Mr. T. days.  As he grapples with Mr. Fear’s unexpected attack, we essentially get to see Parker break down Cage’s tough guy exterior, the one he relies on to command the respect of his peers and the loyalty (or, at least, obedience) of the Thunderbolts.  Once all that bravado and rough talk (“One day I’m going to bust in and hear: ‘Luke Cage?  Please don’t beat me like a cheap drum!  I surrender!’…  No time soon, I hope) disappears, we get a very different, vulnerable, and tortured sort of Cage.

At some point in every superhero’s life, they encounter a plotline where they must confront their deepest fears, either actually or via delusion, as Cage does here.  Either way, the experience is actually more valuable to us than anybody else, as we get to see the things that haunt and worry our heroes, and thus what makes up the backbone of their characters.  For Cage, we see not only his determination to escape the stigma of being a criminal, but his hope that others will do the same, as part of his hallucination involves the Thunderbolts giving into their worse selves.

Parker cleverly ties in this gnawing concern with the sequence where Songbird and Mach V confront the bureaucrats who commission the team.  In a neat twist, these suited-and-tied individuals are several times more pragmatic and ends-means oriented than the people they employ, coming off colder and more ruthless than the supposed criminals at work.  They make no apologies, however, and make it obvious they only care about the function of the team.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Witch Doctor: Resurrection One-Shot – It’s such a shame that the 4-issue Witch Doctor miniseries debuted right as DC was relaunching their whole universe because DC kinda sucked all the air out of the room and it’s allowed the OUTSTANDING new comic series to fly under the radar.  Witch Doctor is fun, well-written, humorous, witty and features all kinds of paranormal themes.  Plus, it has spectacular art that is very Wrightson-esque.  You really cannot go wrong with this comic and this one-shot was a perfect “try it out” issue.

Most Anticipated: Fatale #1 – Sean Phillips plus Ed Brubaker = Gold.  Have these two every collaborated on a mediocre comic?  I can’t think of one as every issue of Criminal and Incognito (and Sleeper before that) has been great.  So, I can’t wait to see how they handle a more paranomal story.

Other Picks: Sweet Tooth #29, Vescell #5, Rachel Rising #4, GI Joe #9, Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Warlord of Mars #14 – No surprise here. Nelson and Salazar totally wowed be with Warlord of Mars #14, their take on the scenes of rising action in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ The Gods of Mars. Lush, evocative art. Tight, action-filled adventure. Swash-buckling pulp under a hot Martian sun!

Most Anticipated: This week, it’s a toss-up. Ahhh! Flash Gordon or Dejah Thoris? I don’t know! The first issue of Flash Gordon was so cool! And yet we’re right in the middle of the Pirate Queen of Mars! Gaaah! Can I pick two? Flash Gordon – Zeitgeist #2 and Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris #9. It’s going to be a pulpy week.

Other Picks: Defenders #3, Avengers: X-Sanction #2, Thunderbolts #168, Uncanny X-Men #4, X-Men #23

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: American Vampire #22 – Another installment of Scott Snyder’s always excellent series.  We get a new decade (1950s) and a completely new protagonist of the non-vampiric sort.  It’s amazing how Snyder’s series manages to have a different feel that accords with each new time period it sets itself in.  The new lead is also a really good idea all around, a grittier and more grassroots approach to the kind of perspective Snyder explored in the excellent Survival of the Fittest miniseries.

Most Anticipated:  Fatale #1 – This is an absolute no-brainer.  Any comic-related collaboration between Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips is a guarantee of a very particular sort of excellence.  Throw in that this one’s got a paranormal/Lovecraftian slant, a female lead, and the fact that it’s the longest miniseries the two have ever tackled together (12 issues), and this is an absolute must-have.

Other Picks: Animal Man #5, Swamp Thing #5, The Punisher #7, Uncanny X-Men #4, Action Comics #5, Stormwatch #5, Detective Comics #5, Defenders #2, Sweet Tooth #29