The Good
The idea of the Thunderbolts has always been a fascinating one. The success of the series depends on the execution and roster. During the Marvel NOW! initiative, we've been seeing big changes in creative teams as well as some minor ones in the titles. In THUNDERBOLTS, we're seeing some big changes for the team.
Daniel Way is taking a slight detour on the idea of villains operating as heroes. We still have some people with questionable methods such as Punisher, Elektra, Deadpool and others. What makes this roster different is they are all anti-heroes rather than villains forced to do good or villains trying to reform. At the heart of the recruitment is General "Thunderbolt" Ross, aka Red Hulk.
The idea of Ross, now mainly known and seen as the Red Hulk in charge of a this team is strange. That's the kicker for this series. We'll have to see what the reasoning and objective is for this team. Most of the members aren't what you'd call team players so we can count on plenty of friction between the team members. Just because Red Hulk is leading doesn't mean they'll all play together nicely.
This is the kind of book Steve Dillon excels on. The opening page featuring Punisher is a great way to start things off. We also get to see some of the how this team is being put together rather than just jumping into the action. Dillon is no stranger to action scenes and we can only imagine what we'll be seeing in future issues.
The Bad
Unfortunately this is a set up issue. I did mention that it's good to see how the members are gathered but we're still not quite sure why. It's an interesting choice in terms of the roster but there will be a challenge in making this team stick together. That will be the fun and charm of the series but will we be seeing changes to the characters, or evolutions to their nature as they (we assume) slowly turn into a more acceptable level of being a hero.
We're also left wondering how this will fit into other existing titles. We're currently seeing the Avengers vs. the Punisher in PUNISHER: WAR ZONE but Red Hulk is also recruiting him and he's been a part of the Avengers lately. The same goes with Venom. He's going to be busy in Philadelphia and has been in the Secret Avengers yet now he'll be working alongside other killers.
The Verdict
Get ready for a new incarnation of the Thunderbolts. Having Red Hulk lead this team may seem like an odd choice but the fact that General Ross' nickname is "Thunderbolt" is a brilliant twist. Ross is gathering up a group of very unlikely non-team playing individuals. It will definitely make an interesting dynamic but also brings a little hesitation over how this book will be executed. We get a bit of set up here as the team is slowly brought together. Steve Dillon comfortably slides into the art duties and you know you can expect a bit of carnage and mayhem with him and these characters involved. The big question will be how this title will fit in with the other titles such as VENOM and the Avengers comics. Daniel Way is off to a good start and it's going to be a blast when the action fully begins. We'll be seeing poop and likely assorted body parts hitting the fan once the team is fully together.