Or - “Final Proof That We’re Not Supposed To Be Supporting The Protagonists.”

Thunderbolts is one of those titles that I’m always torn about. I’ve gone from hating the art to finding it appropriately unpleasant, from being irritated at the story to thinking I get it to being lost again. The only thing I can say for certain: it evokes a response. Even if that response is a gut-level, lizard-brain hatred for most of the membership (and yes, that includes Venom) it’s getting me talking and thinking every issue. These are some of Marvel’s most horrible villains, doing things that no one should be allowed to get away with, and their comeuppance is well and truly overdue. American Eagle, Steel Spider, and Nocturne are an unlikely trio in any case, but despite their flaws and personal issues, they are heroes to a man, and for the first time the ‘Bolts have a challenge on their hands.

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Or - “It’s Always Sad When You Grow Up Faster Than Your Friends…”

I’ve always said that the original New Warriors series could be read as a metaphor for young adulthood, the time when we’re figuring out who we are and what we can do to screw up the world as an adult. If we read the Warriors as being like a super-hero college experience, (and if my experience was at all representative, it is even more so then “Freshmen”) then we can view the surviving members of the New Warriors as being roughly age 23 to 25, when the effects of the decisions you’ve made really start to catch up with you. But, is Richard Ryder going to take the path that leads to the little plastic retirement home, or will his game of Life end up flat busted?

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Or - “Fat, Drunk, And Stupid Is No Way To Go Through Life, Son…”

Venom in that picture just reminds me of Flounder when he saw the damage to his brother’s car… I don’t know why. On the subject of comics, though, Thunderbolts also reminds me of something, another series from a couple of years ago. The Authority was, in it’s original incarnation, an innovative and fun thrill ride, but it’s metaphorical followers, including this title, have created a whole new species of comic: the big, loud, incoherent slapfight, now commonly (and only somewhat mistakenly) referred to as “Cinematic Storytelling.” This is the FIFTH issue of New Thunderbolts, and, in a way, we’ve learned more about their antagonists than we have the actual team itself. Perhaps that’s intentional on the part of writer Warren Ellis, but it leads to a weird dichotomy, in which we’re actually rooting AGAINST our supposed protagonists…

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Mike Deodato Jr. has posted early images of work he has completed for Marvel’s Thunderbolt #114. Take the jump for three pages that you’ll probably need to know the storyline to understand, or to check out fine skills of an artist, or simply to admire a work in progress. I’ll take all three.

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After Matthew’s review of Thunderbolts #113 yesterday, I figured you might be interested in seeing one of the inked pages of Thunderbolts #114 by Mike Deodato Jr. It looks pretty sweet, what with Venom getting his ass handed to him in the first panel.

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Or - “I’ve Worked With People This Crazy, But Only In Local Television…”

With this, I think I may be Salieri’s favorite person this weekend. Between yesterday’s Zombies and today’s Stone Killers, we’re better than a subscription service, with twice the snark. The cover of this issue features a cool shot of The Green Goblin and Bullseye in action, marred only marginally by the fact that Norman doesn’t suit up in this issue (indeed, hasn’t suited up yet in the series), and that Bullseye doesn’t appear anywhere in the pages, which brings up my current pet peeve of comics (now that Civil War is over): Non-representational covers. How in the Aitch Ee Double Hockeystics am I supposed to remember what happened in which issue when all the covers are just various interchangable action sequences, not even mentioning factors like variants and second printings? If Joey the Q REALLY wants to effect change at Marvel, he can start by having the covers actually TELL ME SOMETHING… End rant.

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Or - “Because Salieri Demanded It, And I Don’t Want To Wind Up Like Mozart…“

The Marvel Universe is a huge tapestry with hundreds of superhumans that we never see anymore, characters who seem to have just dropped off the face of the Earth, usually after quitting a team book or losing their “next big thing” status. For all it’s faults, at least Civil War tried to reflect that, with the likes of Prodigy, Typeface, and Thunderclap getting involved in the conflic (if only briefly), showing that the events affect EVERYONE, even those who are no longer active. Last issue’s capture (and crippling) of Jack Flag seems to indicate that Thunderbolts is about to become the Marvel Universe’s version of Superboy-Prime, come to cut away the chaff that the crops can grow. If only it weren’t so very vicious about it…

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Or - “Ohhh OHH! Thunderbolts ARE GO!”

That is one uuuugly Venom. He actually looks like Sludge from the late, lamented Ultraverse, doesn’t he? This issue really amps up the volume on the violence, and gives us our first actual glance of the Thunderbolts in action, and I gotta tell you… Somebody in the government owes somebody in the private sector a HUUUUGE apology. I’m talkin’ huge. We do get to see the “Big Guns” concept in action on a villain scale, and it’s a bad scene, on a par with taking the brown acid. It’s your trip, man, but… y’know, why mess up your karma, right? Butts are kicked, wills broken, and medications improperly administered, and, oh, yes… Norman Osborn is crazy as a football bat…

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Or - “Is It Still A Revamp When There’s Nothing Of The Old Concept Left?”

The year was 1997… It was cold in Hays, Kansas, I remember that much. Granted, it’s pretty much always cold in Hays, but nevertheless. My friend Bruce had picked up an issue of The Hulk that featured strange new heroes, led by a star-spangled goof in a pointy mask, and I immediately found them intriguing.

With The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man and The Hulk trapped in a parallel universe (a strange and bizarre place where someone foolishly thought that Rob Liefeld could draw a monthly comic and that it would draw money) new heroes had to step up to the plate. This was my introduction to a new breed of superhuman: Songbird! Atlas! Techno! Mach-1! Metorite! Citizen V! The ever-awesome Thunderbolts! I remember picking up issue #1 and actually being shocked by one of Marvel’s trademark shocking reveals. (Hint: Rhymes with “Casters of Stevil.”) 10 years down the road, there’s a new day dawning, and the Thunderbolts are poised to regain some of their (you should pardon the pun) thunder. How’d the debut issue go?

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Marvel Comics has announced Thunderbolts #110 has sold out at Diamond Comics. Marvel will be going back to press for a second printing that includes a new cover by artist Mike Deodata.

Thunderbolts #110 (second printing) will be on sale February 14, 2007 for $2.99.

via Marvel (link)

Marvel Comics has released the cover images to Thunderbolts #113. The variant cover is by Young Guns Reloaded Billy Tan, while the standard cover gets the Marko Djurdjevic treatment. As we have previously reported, each cover of the first arc will interlock to build a much larger image based on Mike Deodato’s design.

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In the wake of Marvel’s Civil War, the world has seen the debut of an all-new, all deadly Thunderbolts!  Comprised of some of the most dangerous foes in the Marvel Universe (Venom, Moonstone, Bullseye, Songbird, Chen Lu, Swordsman, Penance, and The Green Goblin) and under strict governmental control, this team is the best option the world has to bring in those secret, unregistered superhumans hiding among us that continue to defy the Registration Act. They’re making the world a safer place for ordinary people one would-be costumed hero at a time!

Marvel Comics has sent us a look at the variant cover to Thunderbolts #10.  This cover by Young Guns Reloaded Leinil Yu features a very lethal looking Venom.  Collect all of the covers to the first arc, and you will end up with an interlocking image of the most dangerous team ever assembled in the Marvel Universe.

Keep checking back here as we unveil each of the Young Guns Reloaded variant covers for the all new Thunderbolts.

The all-new, all-deadly Thunderbolts stood revealed at the end of Civil War #4; now see the team of villainous hero-hunters in action in Civil War #5.  Marvel Comics has sent Major Spoilers a Sneak Peek at these titles.

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At the end of Civil War #4, the comics world saw the shocking formation of a brand-new team of Thunderbolts comprised of some of the most evil super-villains in the Marvel Universe.  But these aren’t the only new members of the team.

Starting with Thunderbolts #110, Warren Ellis (Ultimate Extinction, Nextwave) and Mike Deodato (New Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man) will be coming on board to tell the story of this all-new, all-deadly squad.

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The Civil War between the heroes of the Marvel Universe gave Zemo the chance to amass the supervillain army he needed. In Thunderbolts #106, Zemo unleashes his newly-formed army against the Grandmaster and to the victor goes the entire world.

One thing is for sure, when the dust settles from Civil War and the contest between Zemo and the Grandmaster is decided, the T-Bolts will never be the same again. The Thunderbolts are reformed villains attempting to become heroes, but will the current Marvel Universe necessitate a meaner, badder team to make a difference?

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