Thunderbolts Engage!

One of Marvel's more offbeat titles that I have been reading and enjoying is Thunderbolts. I hopped on the bandwagon after Civil War when Warren Ellis took over writing it. I had not previously read much Thunderbolts at all up to that point, but I thought I'd give the new cast of crazies a try. Ellis's two arcs, Faith in Monsters and Caged Angels, were very entertaining and well written. The sheer magnitude of insanity came through on every page. My only complaint was Mike Deodato's art, while good, was a bit too photo-referenced for my taste. Norman Osborn looked a little too much like Tommy Lee Jones.

I was a little disappointed when I heard that Ellis was leaving Thunderbolts. I had heard good things about writer Christos Gage, but I was unsure he could hit all the same notes as Ellis. I liked the dark humor, the brutality, the fact that this was a government sponsored team of the most dangerous lunatics in the Marvel Universe with a PR department. Add into the mix that the next few issues are the requisite Secret Invasion tie-ins, and I had low expectations. And buying comics on a budget like I do means that if a book fails to impress, it stays on the shelf.

Despite my misgivings, I've read the first two, and I have to admit that Thunderbolts is not on my drop list yet. Gage has shifted the focus onto Norman Osborn which, after his total meltdown at the end of Caged Angels, has some very interesting potential. The latest issue #123 has plenty of action, as the Thunderbolts are deployed to Washington, D.C. to help battle the Skrull invasion force. After impressively taking out some Skrull warships, the team's collective mojo hits the fan again, as we see Moonstone negotiating the terms of her betrayal, and Osborn confronted with visions of Spider-men, sure to send him over the edge again.

The best part of this issue is Osborn setting Bullseye and Venom free, probably not the wisest move ever. Other great moments from the issue:

- The Thunder-skrull

- Venom's new diet of Skrull heads

- Bullseye's "friendly fire"....whoops!

Thunderbolts remains my monthly dose of madness. You all should check it out if you haven't already. Pick up the trades, you won't be disappointed.