The Thunderbolts return to comic stands next week, so it’s prime time to brush up on the characters. Marvel knows this, as they tend to release collections at opportune times, which is where Thunderbolts: Dark Reign comes in. Overall, this collection is a mixed bag but never forgets a prime element that makes the Thunderbolts unique: Everyone is a villain.
Spanning Thunderbolt tales between 2008 and 2009, the biggest element that reigns supreme is the power of Norman Osborn. Collected here are Thunderbolts #122-131, one-shots highlighting each team member, and Deadpool #8-9. The “Dark Reign” period was one where Norman became a guiding light for Americans while continuing to be a homicidal maniac and darkly evil man behind the scenes. One might say his characterization represented how people saw politicians at the time, or maybe it was just a fun way to take a longstanding villain and do something different.
The character mostly meddles as he doesn’t do the dirty work, yet his presence is always known and strong from cover to cover. It’s an interesting exploration of an evil man you kind of side with since he’s manipulating even more evil and dangerous characters.
The main team consists of Bullseye, Moonstone, Swordsman, Songbird, Radioactive Man, Penance, and Mac Gargan, donning the Venom symbiote. Of all these characters, Songbird is the only one with a good bone in her body, with most of the others either happy to kill and be evil or too messed up to know the difference between good and evil.
Norman loves to pull the strings. From ‘Thunderbolts-Desperate-Measures’ one-shot.
Credit: Marvel
A few themes persist as far as character writing. Penance has a lot of emotional growth to make up after blaming himself for what caused Civil War. Bullseye is a bonafide psycho killer. Moonstone is about as evil and conniving as they come, and Venom is a monster to fear more than any other. All told, it’s an exciting era for the team with so many misfits and lunatics. Creative teams leaned into a fully evil and totally loving-it vibe. It’s what stands out in the closing chapters of this collection when Songbird attempts to escape them.
The Deadpool issues collected here are a little random, with the focus far more on Deadpool than the Thunderbolts. It does take place during Norman’s reign and fits within the period, however, and the art by Paco Medina is great. It has a cartoony and in-your-face look that suits a Marvel comic.
When not facing Skrulls–which take up a chunk of the issues–the Thunderbolts are fighting villains like Swarm and even Mar-Vell. The latter hero they fight is the best example of how Norman doesn’t have to go goblin mode to defeat a threat.
Most of the creative team attached to this collection you’ll probably know, with writers like Paul Jenkins, Christos Gage, Andy Diggle, and Daniel Way all contributing. A ton of the artists went on to do incredible books, like Steve Lieber, Ben Oliver, Paco Medina, Fernando Blanco, and Carlos Magno, to name a few. For many, this is an earlier era for their art, so it’s certainly rougher around the edges, but it’s competent. The most obvious element that carries visually through all the issues is the dark shadowy edge. It’s obvious on every page this is a book about evil characters who have somehow wound up on a team the public deems heroes.
Thunderbolts: Dark Reign is a good example of why the Thunderbolts works so well. Take a team the public thinks is heroic and fill it with truly evil characters. The concept works in an age when we can’t trust our own politicians, let alone our neighbors. It’s a reflection of what we fear most: The unseen enemy pretending to be our friend.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.