The only thing about this arc that has thrown me off is Kev Walker’s art. It’s not bad, but it certainly looks a hell of a lot different from before. I couldn’t put my finger on why Walker just suddenly changed his style, but then it hit me. This book takes place in the 1940s right? Well, maybe Walker is just mimicking the art from comics at that time.

It makes sense when you first look at the cover. Maybe artists from the 1940s weren’t as crisp as Walker’s, but if you pick up a reprint of Marvel Comics #1 you can see a similarity. Inside the book you can see Walker trying to continue the style to various degrees of success. A panel like the T-Bolts wrecking into Baron Zemo’s lab certainly looks like something out of an old Captain America comic. While other panels, while beautiful to look at, fail to meet the original intent. Still, this is a very good looking book and Walker does a great job drawing whatever idea Jeff Parker has in his head. (Like Troll swinging an axe at an android or Namor and Satana getting….’busy’.

In fact, this is a pretty damn good script by Jeff Parker. Not to say the previous issues haven’t been good, but it’s been a while since I can remember a really action packed issue. A lot of stuff is happening, as usual, in these pages and nothing ever gets too confusing. Parker does a great job as always mixing in the action with some great character moments. Mr. Hyde is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters by being so proper but murderous at the same time. The only problem I had with this issue was Moonstone’s handling of Baron Zemo. Her idea of keeping the timeline safe felt a bit too safe for Parker and unnecessary.

While this book didn’t win ‘Pick of the Week’ honors for me personally, this is yet another solid and fun issue of Thunderbolts as always. Jeff Parker and Kev Walker (with other artists too) made this one of the best titles at the flagging Marvel right now. Maybe turning this into an homage of the Timely comics of the 1940s didn’t totally pan out. But if you want to see one of the most innovative comics on the stands right now, then look no further.