THUNDERBOLTS #170

Review by: TheNextChampion

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Avg Rating: 4.2
 
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Story by Jeff Parker
Art by Kev Walker & Terry Pallot
Colors by Frank Martin
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover by John Tyler Christopher

Size: 0 pages
Price: 2.99

Let’s give it up to Kev Walker everybody! For once Marvel did something right and got a great talent to do what was a B-level series. Now thanks to Walker, and Declan Shalvey too, this has quickly grown as one of the best looking and fun titles on the stands right now. I really don’t think this series would be as successful if it wasn’t for the art. Then again with fun stories like this issue, Jeff Parker’s writing should get props too.

There are so many great pages in this issue that it’s hard to really count. You got the Troll Dungeon, a two page spread of a Dragon, Knights fighting said Trolls, and so much more. He really brings a ‘Mike Mignola-esque’ sensibility to this title because you could easily see this in the pages from Dark Horse. In fact that’s really what this series is isn’t it? It’s gone off from the Marvel banner and literally jumped ship, almost, to a completely different tone of a company. Everything in these pages are so beautiful to look at, even if some of the creatures are truly horrifying. Clearly a lot of detail goes into each page and it really shows. It must be a nightmare sometimes for inker Terry Pallot but credit should go to him cause he is able to make sense of the madness in some of these pages. Also, credit should go to Frank Martin Jr.’s colors as the bright and vibrant pages literally jump out as you turn the page.

I would love to see Parker do a Black Knight series, or just anything Medieval, in the near future. He definitely has a handle on the dialogue coming from Black Knight or Merlin. But I also like the scope of this whole issue even if it takes place in such a short amount of time. Like, Parker literally set up a big universe here with problems but as far as we know he’s never going to address them. It’s commitment like that to his pages that make Jeff Parker one of the hardest working writers in comics right now. There’s also some great character moments in this such as the ‘Magic v Science’ arguments and Mr. Hyde is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. He literally punches a dragon and calls it a ‘blighter’; that’s badass!

If you’ve been following this series since the beginning of Jeff Parker’s and Kev Walker’s run then you know what to expect in this issue. But if you’re new to this then I’ll keep it short: You’ll find a fun, action packed, and gorgeous comic opposite of this cover. While I wish we could continue Medieval Thunderbolts we have yet another great idea coming to us next week. ‘Old School vs New School’ Thunderbolts. Can’t wait!

Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 5 - Excellent

Comments

  1. Nice review. I agree with the Black Knight comments.
    I liked the issue, just not as much as the last one.
    I especially liked the panel that looked just like the movie “excalibur.”

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