There are some interesting parallels between the first two books we’ve looked at this week, with Thunderbolts also acquiring a new writer as it dives into a crossover. Unlike Fabian Nicieza, Christos N Gage enjoys the advantage of having a clearly apportioned segment of an overall story to tell, but chooses to save this element of the plot for the second half of this issue, opening instead with his characters going about their day-to-day business. There’s a brazen honesty to Gage’s approach, as he obviously structures the issue in three acts, each ticking off one of his objectives. We open with an introduction to the team, as Osborn demands a psychological evaluation of each of his charges. A short interlude of ongoing character development follows, before an expanded version of a scene from Secret Invasion issue one, with the Captain Marvel doppelganger attacking the team’s HQ. With the writer’s cards shown so openly in terms of plot, it’s up to his dialogue to maintain the reader’s interest. The result is largely a success, due in part to his having one of the Marvel universe’s most refreshing anti-heroes to play with. Norman Osborn was a central part of Warren Ellis’s previous run on the book, and Gage continues that focus, giving the Thunderbolts’ director some sparkling lines. Moonstone is used rather obviously as a straight woman for Osborn’s wit, but doing so allows the writer to provide a great deal of exposition for those less familiar with the ongoing character arcs begun by Ellis.

Fernando Blanco initially provides some extremely high quality art, although this deteriorates somewhat as the issue progresses. The absence of shading on later pages suggests that he was rushed by deadlines, although the results are never less than adequate. Blanco sensibly uses the energy manipulation shown in the issue’s second fight as a reason to tone down the detail in his work, compensating with the dynamism of his portrayals.

Marvel have obviously taken to heart the complaints about discrepancies between the Civil War core book and the ongoing series it crossed over with, and much dialogue delivered during the final act of the issue is taken directly from Brian Bendis’s work. It’s possible to feel faintly cheated by paying money to see another artist drawing previously shown panels, but the feeling is mitigated by the months that have passed since we first witnessed these events, and Osborn’s final comment still manages to steal the show, despite its familiarity. What really sells the issue is the pacing, with Gage impeccably judging when to move the story to a new setting or introduce a new plotline. Despite being spread across several locations, there’s almost a “day in the life” feel to the issue, as Osborn deals with the day-to-day annoyances of leading a collections of militarised super powered psychopaths. In a way, this issue sells the series more effectively than a leap into uncharted waters- if the writer can traipse through another’s story in such an entertaining fashion, it’s understandable to be curious as to what will happen when he moves into uncharted territory.

Tags: Christos N. Gage, Fernando Blanco, secret invasion, Thunderbolts
Publisher: Marvel