Written by: Jeff Parker
Illustrated by: Kevin WalkerIron Man, Thor and the original Captain America guest-star in this 96-page 150th blow-out issue! First, in the 40-page lead story, The Thunderbolts reach their milestone as loudly as possible, when the golden figures of the Marvel Universe come to their gray world–none other than the Armored Avenger, the God of Thunder and the Super-Soldier! Thor has come to hold court with one of his people held in the women’s wing of The Raft, and when his fellow Avengers join him, things go to a realm no one expected! Iron Man comes face-to-face with Ghost, the man who almost killed him, and Steve Rogers confronts the man who did kill him, Crossbones!
I read the first issue of Jeff Parker’s post-Siege Thunderbolts and enjoyed it, but for some reason I stopped there. Have I been making a big mistake? The only way to find out is to follow the cut.
If the rest of Parker’s run has been this good, then I’m stupid for not reading it. I constantly bemoan the loss of the one-and-done in this era of writing for the trade, but Parker really wrote a great issue that could either be enjoyed as part of his ongoing story or as something fun for someone who just wanted to pick up something they normally don’t read. There is just enough exposition to fill in the blanks for those that haven’t been reading, but not so much that it bogs the story down. True, it certainly isn’t perfectly accessible to brand new comic readers, but if you’re familiar with the recent events of the Marvel Universe, that should be enough.
This issue received a lot of buzz prior to its release, as it featured the first real showdown between Steve Rogers and Crossbones since the former was not-quite-killed by the latter. What nobody really talked about, though, was the other Thunderbolt that came close to killing an Avenger: Ghost. Readers of Multiversity will probably know that I love Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man, and I greatly enjoyed how Parker used what has been going on in that title to accomplish things in the story he was telling. In general, though, I just enjoyed how he wrote Ghost. I’m not terribly familiar with the character, but it’s apparent that Parker has put a lot of thought into how he wants to write him, and it definitely worked for me. If the teaser for next issue is true, the next story will probably center on Ghost, and I want to see what else Parker has in store for the character.
The price tag of the issue — $4.99 — is honestly the only problem I have with it. I understand that 150 is a big number for an ongoing series, but did we really need a reprint of the entirety of #1 (especially when we had the saga pages)? Don’t get me wrong, I love Kurt Busiek, but it’s just unnecessary. If Marvel has removed the reprint from the back and cut the price to $3.99 then it would most certainly be worth the money. As is, the price tag is going to scare off prospective customers, especially since the extra cash is for an old issue that probably won’t be essential reading for Jeff Parker’s long term goals. I could be wrong, though.
What matters, though, is that this is a great issue. Parker tells a great story, and Kev Walker does a great job of conveying it. I am now going to go to my LCBS and pray that they have issues #144-149.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – Buy it, though you may want to wait for the trade to get more bang for your buck.
