Great Pages: THUNDERBOLTS #1

From Thunderbolts (Vol. 1) #1 (1997)

After an attack by the villain Onslaught, the Marvel Universe thought that their greatest heroes had perished. The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Avengers were off in the Heroes Reborn pocket universe. That left Earth without its best defense against villainy. Into this void stepped the Thunderbolts. Consisting of new heroes Citizen V, Techno, Mach-1, Songbird, Atlas, and Meteorite, this super team first arrived on the scene battling the Rat Pack and the Wrecking Crew. Everything seemed normal enough for this team’s debut.

The first issue’s final page threw readers for a loop. When Citizen V removed his mask to reveal a burned face, readers were shocked to learn that this man who had earned the trust of the remaining Marvel heroes was actually Baron Zemo, leader of the Masters of Evil. The rest of the Thunderbolts were fellow Members of Evil who were pretending to be on the side of the angels. The idea behind the villains’ plan made sense and its reveal was handled expertly. It was an effective twist because there was little indication that a twist was actually coming. True, the issue’s cover promised a “shocking secret” behind the team, but readers haven’t believed comic covers’ hyperbole for years. Kurt Busiek wrote a page that people would still be talking about 15 years later and Mark Bagley executed it extremely well.

Comments

  1. AHHHH Mark Bagley!!!! 15 years ago his style was great. Now, still looks like 15 years too old.

    • I think people need to ease off “The Bags”. He’s a fine storyteller with a clean style that isn’t heavily dependent on photo-referencing or overly stylized. His latest work hasn’t been his best but he’s been drawing comics as long as I’ve been alive.

    • @icn1983 On that topic, a pal of mine and I were talking about Bagley and his theory is that his work has gotten “lazy” because of the amount of work he puts out. I couldn’t speak to the truth of that but I do know that one of my favorites, Paulo Rivera, couldn’t put out a book a month for 12 months in a row and maintain his beautiful pencils. I agreed to “Maybe there is some truth to that”.

      If that’s the case, they’re probably having him on the books because he can put out stories quickly and because his name sells comics. I like “The Bags” even if he isn’t Connor, Cooke, Pitchilli or Samnee.

    • I thought his work was okay on Thunderbolts and Ultimate Spider-Man, but sucked badly on JLA and his DC work. A really good inker can make his stuff look nice, but without one, his stuff can look a little amateurish.

  2. One of the best twists in the history of comics!

    • Also, it occurs to me that part of what made Kurt Busiek’s writing so enjoyable was his vast knowledge of Marvel Universe continuity, a trait not many writers carry these days, except perhaps for Rick Remender.

  3. Genuine surprises like that in comics are just so rare anymore. What’s sad is that the Marvel of today would likely have a press release spoiling the end of Thunderbolts #1 a day or two before it even went on sale.

  4. iFanboy community: Where do I find this story? I’ve heard so much about the Thunderbolts and now the “Dark Avengers”. I don’t care if the story is older or “not relevant” because the continuity is 15 years new. If it’s a good story then sign me up anytime.