Ellis Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts 110-121, Thunderbolts: Breaking Point

Man, Warren Ellis writes a great dysfunctional team.  He doesn’t even pretend that these people are good at their jobs, or that there’s a chance they’re going to get away with this masquerade.  Led by a slowly unravelling Norman Osborn, it’s clear that they’re going to fail. And it’s utterly engrossing to watch.

Summary: The new incarnation of the Thunderbolts consists of Songbird, Moonstone, Swordsman, Bullseye, Venom, Radioactive Man, and Norman Osborn.  They showcase their incompetence while apprehending some D-list heroes (Jack Flag, Steel Spider, Sepulchre, and American Eagle), then completely implode when some E-list telepathic characters (Caprice, Mindwave, Mirage, and Bluestreak (who???)) infiltrate the T-Bolts headquarters and start tweaking minds in just the right way.  

Ellis really knows how to show his readers a good time.  I had so much fun reading this. Everyone on the team has their own agenda, and watching them collide with each other is a treat.  Since most of them are despicable anyway, I have no emotional investment in who wins, I get to just enjoy the show. It’s the rare case where not caring about the protagonists works for the story instead of against it.  

The one sympathetic character, Songbird, more than holds her own amidst this wretched hive of scum and villainy, so I don’t have to spend the whole run worrying about how she’s going to make it out of this in one piece.  (Penance doesn’t count. I dislike him less for what he did (heinous as it was) than how he chose to deal with it. His woe-is-me act evokes no sympathy from me.)

The difference between Mike Deodato’s art in Thor from a few days ago and his work here is immeasurable.  Part of it has to do with the advancements in coloring, but the improvements in storytelling, anatomy, and action are crystal clear.  It’s as if he learned a thing or two in the thirteen intervening years :P

Rain Beredo on colors.

He certainly does a nice Tommy Lee Jones.

Other things that I liked:

Moonstone’s blatant ambition.  I’ve already called her out her Starscream tendencies here and here.  It’s refreshing that she never changes, especially since she never succeeds.  As hard as she tries, as smart as she thinks she is, she will never be good enough.  She’s always going to get smacked down, and I love it. This time around, it comes in the form of a horrible statue, an arrow through the wrist and a thrashing at the hands of Leonard Samson and Penance.  

Norman Osborn’s insanity.  He’s got Spider-Man on the brain, and he can’t hide it.  

That last line goes on the favorites list.

Venom just wants to eat things.  I can respect that. Swordsman has a messed up relationship with his dead sister.  I’m less okay with that. Their fight is a visual feast by Deodato.

Songbird’s decency.  Like with Jolt in yesterday’s Thunderbolts, this could have come across as corny, but she’s earned it over the years.  She’s a genuinely good person caught up in crummy circumstances, and her ability to stay on the light side is admirable.  She's the focus of the random Breaking Point one-shot that came in the middle of this run. It's fine, but lacks the pop of Ellis. (Christos Gage did the writing.)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes (No for Breaking Point)

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Really good. (Fine for Breaking Point)