Following a thrilling run on Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly continue the saga of Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Having renamed himself the Revolution in the previous series, Bucky now finds himself with a trove of information on some villains. The question is, what’s his next move? Lanzing, Kelly, and artist Geraldo Borges reveal the answer in this trade paperback collection.
Marvel Comics
This dynamic creative trio crafts a captivating narrative, tracing the evolution of the new Thunderbolts team as they gear up to confront a formidable foe, the Red Skull. The journey commences with Bucky’s recruitment of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and the new Destroyer, Sharon Carter, setting the stage for an exhilarating adventure. The upcoming MCU Thunderbolts movie likely influenced the team’s lineup, but the comic book story seamlessly incorporates this change by taking the adventure global.
Marvel Comics
By traveling the world, it makes sense how characters like U.S. Agent, Red Guardian, and Shang-Chi get involved. The need to stay under the radar and not cause an international incident is where the Widows come in. I appreciate the care for continuity as Black Widow rocks the symbiote she is currently using. The initial showdown with the Red Skull is a great start, considering the history Bucky and Skull share; their battle nicely ties back into Bucky’s initial return as the Winter Soldier from Ed Brubaker’s time on Captain America. Lanzing and Kelly craft their story so nicely that it stands alone, but if you want to delve deeper, there are paths to follow.
Marvel Comics
After the initial battle with Skull, the team has to play dress up and face Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, who is now in charge of the Hellfire Club. The script allows artist Borges to let loose with some thrilling fights and showcase some layouts of how the Widows are some of the best spies in the Marvel Universe. Issue three of the series feels a little forced, but in the end, it works just to show how far the Red Skull’s reach is and gives a valid reason for the extra members joining the team. There are some great character moments in the issue that show this team has great potential for this iteration to be a group of characters that care for each other.
Marvel Comics
The conclusion led the team to Latveria, a great device to challenge the Thunderbolts in two ways. They still have their goal of stopping the Red Skull for all time, but now they have to do that and hopefully stay undetected by Dr. Doom as they are trespassing on his empire. Lanzing, Kelly, and Borges did a fantastic job with this Thunderbolts volume. I wish it were ongoing; I wonder if the series became limited due to the movie’s changing release date. Luckily, things do end with the door open for more adventures, and I hope we get to see that in the future with this creative team.
If you’re looking for an entertaining, fantastic adventure that highlights some of Marvel’s finest characters, this is the collection for you. It has all the outstanding elements that make comic books fun, and since this is a limited series collection, you will get a complete story that any fan can read in one sitting. Discover a deeper depth to these heroes of the MCU as they shine perfectly in the pages of comics.
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