I rode the previous Thunderbolts series all the way to the end (OK, all the way to the total revamp), but by that end, I was starting to feel like maybe the concept was a little long in the tooth and might have deserved a finale. So I wasn't as ecstatic about the return of the book as many of the other fans, but damn if this issue didn't make me a believer in Thunderbolts again. Nicieza gets a fresh start (and number one) with the team that allows him to fully put his stamp on the team, going back to the basics of what made the idea work in the first place while tweaking it nicely to fit in with current continuity. It just feels like the time is right for the Thunderbolts again, and I'm as excited about this new first issue as I was about the first issue of the original series.
One of the things I liked about the Thunderbolts originally was that these were a bunch of new characters with new dynamics, and thus the stories were as much about learning about the characters as they were about superhero plots and subplots. As time went on, the inevitably growing pile of continuity changed the feel of the book to something more like the familiar X-Men or Avengers, and the book lost some of its shock of the new, as well as some of its feel of being outlaws on the edge as opposed to part of the establishment. With the destruction of the Avengers (again) and the changes in the Thunderbolts dynamic as a result of the Avengers/Thunderbolts miniseries, Nicieza and Busiek have put these characters back out on the edge again, and given them a slightly tweaked reason for existence which pays homage to their original role in the Marvel Universe. They're like the parole officers of the Marvel Universe, in some ways, giving crooks a chance to reform and contribute to society rather than just throwing them back into jail again and again.
Part of the fresh feel of this book comes from the lineup of characters, which is a mixture of familiar faces and newer ones. Though half of the issue is given over to reunion type stuff between Mach IV, Songbird and the former Atlas, the changes they've undergone makes it all feel new, and I like that Nicieza manages a feel of both old home week and a new beginning, something few writers can pull off. Atlas's need to fit in with the team, despite the loss of his power, is a very telling bit of characterization, as is the tense relationship between Abe (Mach IV) and Melissa (Songbird). I'm also quite fond of the new addition that Nicieza makes in this issue, as his road to redemption actually started way back in some really good Iron Man issues by David Michelinie, and I'm glad to see Nicieza picking up those threads. I also quite enjoyed Captain Marvel's role in the issue. At first glance, his power level and personality make him an odd fit for this book, but his relationship with Songbird (which we first saw in Avengers Forever) makes him a good fit and a good foil for the more familiar friendships and relationships.
There's a nice moral flexibility going in the book as well, which is something that makes Thunderbolts stand out from other team books. Atlas does something here which is shameful, and though it's certainly understandable, it's also certainly going to come back and bite him in the ass. It raises the question of whether a villain can really change, or if he'll revert to the easy way out when nobody is looking, and given that Atlas really wanted to change, it should provide some nice internal conflict as well. Then there's the shocking twist, which reminds me in all the right ways of the shock ending to Thunderbolts #1 that nobody saw coming. I don't want to give it away, but Nicieza has found a way to jolt the book back to its "what the hell is gonna happen next?" self, and that shocker revelation helps a lot in that regard.
Which leaves the art to talk about, and I don't want to be so cheesy as to say that I've saved the best for last, but Grummett and Erskine really do a terrific job here. Grummett is a guy whose work I've liked since his Superman work during the '90s, but he's come a long way since then, and this is probably his strongest artwork since his thoroughly underrated work on Power Company. He's got the same storytelling clarity and strength of Mark Bagley, original Thunderbolts artist, but with detailed stylistic touches that remind me of Teen Titans' Mike McKone or Fantastic Four's Mike Wieringo. Strong anatomy and well-defined faces combine with an unashamed superhero look to create some fantastic action sequences and character moments that really help to make the reader care about these characters. 9/10
