THUNDERBOLTS #61
"Living in a Vise"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Patrick Zircher
Inks: Al Vey
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
There are a lot of words that come to mind in an attempt to describe Thunderbolts, but one seems more appropriate than the others at the moment: intricate. Nicieza has crafted a story that relies equally on plot and character, making for a dense but satisfying read. Zircher's crisp, detailed art brings a plethera of colorful characters to life as well.
As the Thunderbolts look for a way to get back to Earth from Counter-Earth, they come to realize that they cannot shirk their responsibilities, even if they are on an alien world. Meanwhile, Hawkeye and the three super-villains on the run end up killing a Guardsman, and SHIELD dispatches Songbird to track the quartet of prison escapees down.
They say a team book is a major challenge for any penciller. Lots of characters and only so much space in which to feature them. Zircher faces double such a challenge in Thunderbolts, as he has to juggle four different casts of characters -- the title characters, the Counter-Earth T-bolts, Hawkeye's gang of villains and SHIELD's task force. Despite the unwieldy number of players in this little drama, Zircher seems to be more than equal to the task. The action is told clearly, even when it jumps around (and it does so quite a bit).
One of my ongoing concerns about this book has been accessibility, but it's not a worry this month. Nicieza crams a lot of exposition into the narration and dialogue. I definitely appreciated the reminders of various subplots and history, and they didn't seem to intrude on the story. The plotting is ambitious and complex, and I'm enjoying the less conventional storytelling; there are no cut-and-dried conflicts here, no easy answers.
With so many characters and plotlines, I remain impressed with how Nicieza finds time to spotlight and develop so many different characters. The heroes and villains (and those in between) all boast a refreshing depth. Though I think the writer throws the characters into new circumstances too quickly after resolving old scenarios, I'm enjoying following the unusual lives of these fantastic characters, and that's because they're presented as human beings who are struggling to just get by.
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