What a pleasant surprise! After seeing the new Thunderbolts* film in theaters a few weeks ago, I was excited to dive into this Thunderbolts Epic Collection trade paperback… and it did not disappoint! Filled with compelling villains-turned-heroes, bonkers battles with deep cut baddies, and some salacious relationship drama, Targeted for Death collects an under-appreciated and surprisingly fun run of Thunderbolts.
Mainly written by Kurt Busiek, Joe Casey, and Fabian Nicieza, the plots of this Thunderbolts collection sometimes border on being too nonsensical, but that does not detract from the solid writing and legitimate character growth seen throughout the arcs. In addition, the art from Mark Bagley, Leonardo Manco, Norm Breyfogle, and Richard Howell, with coloring by Joe Rosas and Tom Smith, really make this trade a delight to flip through.
Marvel
This Epic Collection compiles Thunderbolts #26 – 41, as well as the Avengers Annual 2000 and Thunderbolts Annual 2000. Interestingly, while a lot happens during this run of Thunderbolts, it definitely seems to be an under-appreciated time for the complex team. The Marvel Fandom page on the team turns this entire 15-issue run into less than two paragraphs, a shockingly insufficient summary for major events that befall characters like Hawkeye, Songbird, and Moonstone.
The trade begins with a major bang, featuring an absolutely gorgeous story illustrated by Bagley and Manco, which sees Mach-1 in a massive prison battle against Rhino. The action sequences are stunning, and I noticed myself spending way more time on these Bagley pages than some of the other issues. Moving right along, much of the collection focuses on the team re-acclimating to a more heroic life with Hawkeye as their leader, Mach-1 imprisoned, and existing in a mysterious new base. Newer characters like Jolt and Charcoal, who was the winner of a “Create-A-Villain” contest from Wizard Magazine, feature heavily, and there is ongoing romantic tension between Clint and Karla that add some spice to the team.
Marvel
While overall this Thunderbolts Epic Collection edition is a fun time, there are two majorly questionable choices made that gave me great pause, both from writer Fabian Nicieza (whose writing I usually love!). First off, I think it was a terrible decision to kill off Jolt in issue #34. Although she eventually comes back, the sarcastic electric teen was the heart of the team, and her death was a great loss for the social dynamics of the Thunderbolts. Secondly, and more importantly, Nicieza decided to bring Mach-1 back… but turned him from a white man into a visually Black man. Yes… you read that right. To escape from the public knowing his true identity, Techno/Ogre used technology to transform him into a Black man.
This plot felt so unnecessary, even if Nicieza was trying to show the impact of modern racism. 30 years before this issue debuted, Lois Lane was turned into a Black woman for a day to show the experience of Black folk in America… and this plot feels like it added nothing to that already controversial moment in comics history. Abe being transformed visually into a Black man also led to some incredibly awkward racism coming from his longtime girlfriend, Songbird, who appeared incredibly uninterested in dating a man with darker skin. I am sure someone smarter than me could write a really thoughtful thinkpiece about this moment, but for me, it just felt really out of left field and inappropriate.
I think this book is worth it if you enjoy early-2000s comics, anything related to the Thunderbolts, or really out-there superhero stories that have a surprising amount of heart. Even with some of the weird, questionably offensive stuff sprinkled in there, it was a fun read, I promise! If you’re an avid collector of Marvel’s Epic Collections, this would be a solid addition to your shelf, and I could even see myself reading this again in a few months.
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