Thunderbolts #22 – Review

by Charles Soule (Writer), Carlo Barberi (Artist), Israel Silva (Colorist)

The Story: Who knew that Hell would be so violent toward those that tries to challenge and overthrow their ruler?

The Review: There are times when, even if one might really like character exploration, big concepts or huge surprises, a person crave for action. With super hero comics being definitely known for delivering on said conflicts and fisticuffs, it’s nice to see that you can sometime count on a genre to deliver on a specific desire.

It is exactly what this conclusion to this arc brings to the table, with plenty of demon-bashing and violent tendencies being shown on the page. However, while a certain aspect might be satisfying, does Charles Soule deliver on other important aspects as well?

It’s a fine enough job, although it certainly isn’t perfect by any means. What work, though, is the continued combination of violence, dysfunctional character and humor that makes the scenes flow very naturally together for the most part. The normalization of violence and the setting in which the team is currently in makes for a strangely effective story, with the focus on action only enhancing the general allure.

What’s also quite good is the way Soule plays around with the character, with him having quite a lot of fun with characters like Ghost Rider, Red Leader, Red Hulk, Punisher and Deadpool. Playing with their quirks, desires and their speech pattern, the humor, action and chaos is accentuated by their reactions, with some moments being satisfying for fans.

Not all characters gets the same amount of work, though, with Elektra and Venom being a bit left on the side. Having few lines and few incidences on the plot, their inclusion seems more like a necessity of the concept rather than a natural and integral part of this present arc. They are present, but certainly not that important.

Still, despite it all, the aforementioned action takes a bit of precedence on the plot, which allows for cool moments and a display of some of the more brutal inclinations. However, the action doesn’t remove the importance of the plot, with the fight for Hell being still a focal point to the evolution of the team in many ways. Mephisto’s machinations, the deal they made and how they want to remove Mercy from their grasp is still dealt with in a manner that is generally entertaining and satisfying.