REVIEW: THUNDERBOLTS #1

(w) Daniel Way
(p) Steve Dillon

If the Punisher wasn't in Thunderbolts, it would be damn near perfect. I don't follow Frank Castle's grisly exploits and even I know you don't put Punisher on a team. In early interviews, Daniel Way explained that he had a concocted a genuine reason for Castle to be part of the new Thunderbolts, and that his continued presence would make sense. Unfortunately, neither of these claims seem to be true. Thunderbolts #1 sits at the middle of the spectrum for 'Marvel NOW!', not quite as good as Uncanny Avengers and Thor: God of Thunder, but definitely not as trite and superflous as Deadpool.

General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross has been dead to the world for some time, though he's actually been operating as Red Hulk with the Avengers. It seems that not only has Ross forsaken his ties to Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but he's somewhat lost hope in the idea of law-abiding justice and is now actively seeking out deranged killers and mercenaries to be on his own personal execution squad. Way has stated that in a more perfect world, he would have titled the series Thunderbolts' with the purposeful grammar to convey that this is Ross' team through and through.

Thunderbolts #1 offers up a montage of recruitment with a blackmail situation between Ross and Castle as the connecting narrative. In some nameless warehouse, Ross has the Punisher chained with a litany of gangsters and mafia thugs lining up outside to get a chance at torturing and killing the man who slaughters men like them. Ross waxes poetic about the nature of the job offer, how it's different from the usual. It all feels a little forced, Castle being taken hostage by an old man, even if he can become a Hulk. While the idea of having Punisher be a more central character in the Marvel universe sounds intriguing...does it really? Every Punisher movie has been a major flop, and unlike many other Marvel characters, Frank Castle is pretty one-dimensional (pause for gasps of shock and awe). The man is vengeful and stubborn. There's not much more to him. Yes, there are ways to tell interesting Punisher stories, but it's not by placing him in the company of Venom, Deadpool, and Elektra.

As I mentioned earlier, if Punisher were out of the picture, Thunderbolts could be an amazing series. As it stands, there's obviously going to be a lot of focus on Frank Castle and frankly, that's not very interesting. Plus, this should really have been Thunderbolts #0 due to the origin story-like feel of the narrative. I'm excited to see the rest of these anti-heroes hanging out together, but if Punisher gets an inordinate amount of panel space, I'm out.

GRADE

6/10

FEATURED REVIEW: DEADPOOL #1

(w) Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan
(p) Tony Moore

Am I the only one disappointed with this series? 

I've been looking forward to the 'Marvel NOW!' Deadpool pretty much since it was announced. At the time, I was blowing through my friend's complete Uncanny X-Force collection, and found myself growing to like Marvel's most comedic character (besides Howard the Duck, of course). So when the news dropped that alternative comedian Brian Posehn was co-writing along with Gerry Dugan, I was pumped. I've been a big fan of Posehn's stand up for quite some time, so I figured putting him on Deadpool would be a comedic treasure trove just waiting to be consumed.

Boy, was I wrong.

Posehn and Duggan try so hard to make Deadpool #1 funny, that it completely misses the mark. It's not just a one- or two-time thing -- the entire issue is bogged down by forced humor. The dialogue hovers at an awkward position between 'comic book campy' and relatable vernacular, the plot is flimsy at best, and the tertiary characters are devoid of personality.

Let's start with the man himself. Wade Wilson (a.k.a. Deadpool) as written by Rick Remender was (is) one of the funniest, wittiest comic book characters to ever grace the pages. Deadpool as written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan is flat and boring. "Just roll Deadzilla to the curb. A hobo will eat it," is one of the many one-liners that's supposed to evidence Deadpool's witty charm...or maybe his deadpan style? It's not clear at all. And the line is really unfunny. "Are you hitting on me, Captain Porn-Stache? I'll be fine in a minute" is a response from Deadpool after a fireman displays concern over Wade's wellbeing. In no way do the fireman's words provide foder for innuendo, so the joke falls painfully flat. Overall, Wade simply doesn't have the same flair for comedy that he did in Uncanny X-Force and that's a real shame, especially considering the creative team.

Next, let's talk about the plot. Deadpool is recruited (in one of the loosest senses of the word) by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Preston to assassinate the resurrected, zombified corpses of all the past Presidents of the United States of America. Agent Preston is supposed to be relatable because she's nervous, somewhat inept, and overweight. Unfortunately, Posehn and Duggan don't give Preston any character development beyond a offhanded comment about it being her birthday and how she's upset no one remembered. Sure, that's a generally universal human story, but it's not enough to make a character interesting at all. The Presidents themselves are probably the best part of the issue, and that's only because it feels like Posehn and Duggan really did 'let go' with them in terms of craziness. FDR is raging in his wheelchair down the middle of Manhattan (before screaming "Here's a New Deal -- DIE!"), and a glowing, ranting George Washington is one of the funnier interpretations of our first POTUS I've seen.

Deadpool #1 is seriously underwhelming. Already, I've seen multiple 5-star reviews for this issue and for the life of me, I can't understand why. The only explanation I can imagine is that Posehn's position on the title preceded itself -- everyone expected it to be really funny, so it just is really funny. And unlike other series, Deadpool suffers so much more because it fails at providing the one thing it's supposed to offer that other titles can't -- humor.

GRADE

4/10

THE WEEK (NOV 7-13, 2012)

FEATURED REVIEW

Deadpool #1
(w) Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan
(p) Tony Moore
One of America's funniest comedians takes on Marvel's merc with a mouth: it's Brian Posehn writing Deadpool! And it's going to be awesome! Deadpool vs. resurrected Zombie American Presidents? Sign me up.

Action Comics #14

(w) Grant Morrison
(p) Rags Morales
Superman faces off against the Multitude...on Mars! If I've said it once, I've said it a handful of times; Grant Morrison's stories don't have a lot of previews. His writing's too intricate to offer much in the way of sneak peeks.

Earth 2 #6
(w) James Robinson
(p) Nicola and Trevor Scott
It's the conclusion of the first arc of Earth 2 as Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl, and the Atom take on Grundy, the scion of death! James Robinson's parallel Earth series has been fantastic to say the least. To say I'm looking forward to this is a total understatement.

Green Lantern #14
(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Doug Mahnke
Geoff Johns continues this great introduction of Simon Baz that will eventually intersect with "Rise of the Third Army". So far, Baz has been far more interesting than Hal Jordan's been in years. 


Iron Man #1
(w) Kieron Gillen
(p) Greg Land

Extra! Extra!

Animal Man #14
(w) Jeff Lemire
(p) Steve Pugh

Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 of 2
(w) J. Michael Straczynski
(p) John Higgins

Stormwatch #14
(w) Peter Milligan
(p) Will Conrad

Swamp Thing #14
(w) Scott Snyder
(p) Yanick Paquette

Uncanny X-Force #33
(w) Rick Remender
(p) Phil Noto

World's Finest #6
(w) Paul Levitz
(p) Kevin Maguire and George Perez