Comic Vine Review

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Thunderbolts #3 - Unconventional Warfare

2

Rulk reveals the Leader's involvement and the team begins to train the rebels.

The Good

Previously, I was asking myself "why can't this team just go for a direct assault?" This powerhouse group could surely handle a dictator and his fodder forces, right? Well, writer Daniel Way gives more life to this story by re-introducing a villain and explaining why this matter is more complex than it seems. It's certainly a slight improvement in the story.

Deadpool's the highlight here, but even that comes as a double-edged sword. He has some decent zingers (yeah, I said zingers) and I will admit that the final page gave me a solid laugh. On the flip side, though, Deadpool feels painfully stupid at times and comes off as more obnoxious than usual.

Steve Dillon's art really is hit or miss. I've grown to like how he illustrates Frank Castle and his action sequences are done well, although they tend to feel stationary.

The Bad

I'm not going to lie, this series is a huge disappointment for me. This roster has so much potential but this story barely has any intrigue and feels completely uninspired. It essentially has the feel of an okay '90s action movie.

There's a few pages of Deadpool and Rulk talking in a red shipping container. Yup, that's right. Two prominently red characters surrounded by even more red. It's a freaking overdose of the color for your eyes and incredibly jarring. It's no fun shifting your sight from an all red image to white or yellow dialogue boxes and then back again. To make matters worse, there's four whole pages of this. SO. MUCH. RED.

Hey Flash Thompson, I'm not sure if you forgot or something, but you can use the symbiote as camouflage. You've actually done it plenty of times over in your ongoing, so I'm not sure why you'd pick that Dick Tracy-esque disguise over an advanced alien costume that can make you look like virtually anything.

Minor point here, but I think it's worth discussing. The rebels are using guns that fire green projectiles. The bad guys are using guns that seem to fire traditional bullets. So, how does the rebel die with a green projectile to his head? Sure, it looks cool, but it makes no sense.

Steve Dillon's faces are waaaay too similar in some cases. To be blunt, Elektra looks like Frank Castle in drag (even with that ridiculously large chest) and Rulk looks like hulked out Frank.

The Verdict

THUNDERBOLTS pretty much feels like Marvel NOW!'s unsuccessful attempt at duplicating The Expendables. It's a roster of badass characters you love, there's an able dose of action but the story leaves a lot to be desired. Except here, the action isn't even that grand or even energetic. Because I'm such a fanboy of these characters, I'm going to see this story arc through to the end, despite my better judgement. I sincerely hope it improves or else this is a title I'll absolutely drop. I want to like THUNDERBOLTS and was so excited for it, but man, it's just a letdown.

A bit off topic, but did anyone else feel like Deadpool and Rulk were hanging out with Sinestro?