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Thunderbolts (2012) (Collected Editions)
Thunderbolts, Vol. 1: No Quarter
Collects Thunderbolts (2013) #1-6. Red Hulk, Venom, Elektra, Deadpool, the Punisher. Forget the courts, the jails, the system — this team of Thunderbolts fights fire with fire, targeting the most dangerous and lethal players in the Marvel Universe with extreme prejudice. Led by General “Thunderbolt” Ross, a.k.a. the Red Hulk, this handpicked squad of like-minded operatives is going to make the world a better place —by any and all means necessary! But will even this crew approve of the team’s newest member: the Red Leader?! Can the Thunderbolts trust the Red Hulk to lead them, or is a larger agenda at play? Find out…NOW!
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2013
140 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
October 15, 2015
Eh. Kinda ok?
General Ross (aka Red Hulk) puts together a team of anti-heroes to...you know, do anti-hero stuff.
Who's on the roster?
Well, Ross, Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, and Venom make up the main group, but there's still a few more {spoilery characters} hanging around in the background. Still, the core group makes a pretty decent line-up if you think about it.
Um, I'm not sure what to say about No Quarter. It really wasn't bad, but I wasn't all that WOWed, either. It was a pretty standard bad-but-not-evil-team-up thing, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
And there were some decent one-liners in there.
Oh, wait! I thought of something else! Do you notice anything strange (perhaps, cute) about these guys?
Yep. Everyone matches with the red & black theme!
Hmmm. Well, that's about it.
I'm curious enough to keep going, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see how this one pans out for me.
General Ross (aka Red Hulk) puts together a team of anti-heroes to...you know, do anti-hero stuff.
Who's on the roster?
Well, Ross, Elektra, Punisher, Deadpool, and Venom make up the main group, but there's still a few more {spoilery characters} hanging around in the background. Still, the core group makes a pretty decent line-up if you think about it.
Um, I'm not sure what to say about No Quarter. It really wasn't bad, but I wasn't all that WOWed, either. It was a pretty standard bad-but-not-evil-team-up thing, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
And there were some decent one-liners in there.
Oh, wait! I thought of something else! Do you notice anything strange (perhaps, cute) about these guys?
Yep. Everyone matches with the red & black theme!
Hmmm. Well, that's about it.
I'm curious enough to keep going, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see how this one pans out for me.
December 23, 2014
Who writes Deadpool a speech that goes on for panels and not only makes no sense, but is unfunny to boot? Who writes a scene where Deadpool is battling a gang of French mimes and doesn’t include a bunch of good quips in a sequence that’s just begging for it? Answer to both: Daniel Way.
This volume is somewhat better than volume two (two stars from me), but that’s like saying regular Spam tastes better than turkey Spam or that Chicago XII is better than Chicago XIV. Still, the story line is fairly coherent and engaging – plenty of action and guns a blazin’.
Except for Elektra (she makes quite the entrance here), the Red Hulk’s recruitment is fairly formulaic and with Deadpool, as noted above, and the thuggish mimes, downright dull. You also have Frank Castle (aka The Punisher), Mercy, Venom/Flash Thompson, and The Red Leader (Formerly The Leader when he was green) to round out the Thunderbolts, Marvel’s go-to niche group.
Unless you’re a Thunderbolts continuity junkie or a masochist, you can skip volume two of Mr. Way’s run and jump straight to Charles Soule’s Thunderbolts.
This volume is somewhat better than volume two (two stars from me), but that’s like saying regular Spam tastes better than turkey Spam or that Chicago XII is better than Chicago XIV. Still, the story line is fairly coherent and engaging – plenty of action and guns a blazin’.
Except for Elektra (she makes quite the entrance here), the Red Hulk’s recruitment is fairly formulaic and with Deadpool, as noted above, and the thuggish mimes, downright dull. You also have Frank Castle (aka The Punisher), Mercy, Venom/Flash Thompson, and The Red Leader (Formerly The Leader when he was green) to round out the Thunderbolts, Marvel’s go-to niche group.
Unless you’re a Thunderbolts continuity junkie or a masochist, you can skip volume two of Mr. Way’s run and jump straight to Charles Soule’s Thunderbolts.
September 9, 2022
This was so fun omg!
So we get this version of Suicide Squad from Marvel and we see what the team is made up of: Punisher, Agent Venom, Red Hulk, Elektra and Deadpool and omg the way the writer brings them together is very fast and their mission is to free an island of Kata Jaya from its dictator and we see the origins of how it happened and I like how the writer criticizes American spy-ops tactics and what they do irl and using this story shows what it results in often and then in the story how the team comes together, their plans, each person getting a moment and a lot of blood which is just epic. Its gruesome yes but maybe thats the best part and the definitive Punisher artist drawing it makes it more lethal and I love it!
Its fast paced and doesn't hold back and then the story with the Leader and his brother Mad man and what their plans are, Ross's shady plans and ulterior motive, what it leads to next and how will this ragtag group of people will come together and solve whatever comes next has huge potential and I am excited to read ahead. Its one of those books I highly recommend you to check out for yourself and see if you like it!
So we get this version of Suicide Squad from Marvel and we see what the team is made up of: Punisher, Agent Venom, Red Hulk, Elektra and Deadpool and omg the way the writer brings them together is very fast and their mission is to free an island of Kata Jaya from its dictator and we see the origins of how it happened and I like how the writer criticizes American spy-ops tactics and what they do irl and using this story shows what it results in often and then in the story how the team comes together, their plans, each person getting a moment and a lot of blood which is just epic. Its gruesome yes but maybe thats the best part and the definitive Punisher artist drawing it makes it more lethal and I love it!
Its fast paced and doesn't hold back and then the story with the Leader and his brother Mad man and what their plans are, Ross's shady plans and ulterior motive, what it leads to next and how will this ragtag group of people will come together and solve whatever comes next has huge potential and I am excited to read ahead. Its one of those books I highly recommend you to check out for yourself and see if you like it!
November 17, 2013
General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross aka the Red Hulk decides to do something about the world’s dictators and forms a group designed to take them down: Venom, Deadpool, Elektra, the Punisher and himself. But as they set out on their inaugural mission to take down a military dictator in the fictional Asian island country of Kata Jaya, is there more to this scheme than simply bloody justice - and how does the Leader fit into it?
Team books that are made up of people who didn’t start out together as that team, are inherently tough sells. You buy the X-Men because they were conceived as a team with certain members like Wolverine becoming more popular over time and getting their own spinoff titles. But this version of Thunderbolts is made up of individuals like Punisher and Deadpool both of whom have highly popular titles of their own, so cramming them together with a seemingly random assortment of characters as diverse as Venom, Elektra and Red Hulk is going to be difficult to reason. Daniel Way knows this and doesn’t waste too long on the whys and wherefores and just gets the group together and moves on to the story. This is why I didn’t mind the short shrift we get, because the focus isn’t on getting the team together, it’s on the team’s interactions and the story, both of which are great. Some team books like the New 52 JLA not only have weak origins but even weaker stories which is why they’re so bad - Thunderbolts also has a flimsy foundation but a rattling good story with plenty of inventive scenes to make up for this.
The story is fairly straightforward - the main team get into shenanigans on the island with some characters getting captured, others getting shot, and so on, while Ross works his complicated sub-plots involving gamma experiments and the Leader and his brother. I would be lying if I said I knew what was going on most of the time but there’s enough imaginative action going on to compensate for any confusion plus it doesn’t hinder reading or enjoying the book any. In the same vein, despite this being a Volume 1 in a relaunch, this isn’t the best place for new readers to start as Way doesn’t spend any time on the characters’ backstories - you either know who these guys are or you don’t. I got a lot out of this because I know most of these characters pretty well, but I don’t know who Mercy is nor did I realise Deadpool and Elektra were dating until she cheats on him with Frank (I’m still not sure to be honest - Deadpool flits with Elektra earlier in the book but he flirts with every woman in the Marvel U, so were they dating or, like so much with Deadpool, was it all in his head?).
A big part of why I liked this book so much was Steve Motherfucking Dillon (that is his Christian name by the way). This guy is the definitive Punisher artist, for me. Check out his work with Garth Ennis on their Marvel Knights maxi-series, Welcome Back, Frank, and the Ma Gnucci stories years later, or his work with Jason Aaron on the final Punisher MAX issues - no wonder out of all of them, besides Ross, Frank has the most scenes. Some people don’t like Dillon’s art, that’s fine, I don’t understand it and they’re wrong, but fair enough - I think any comic is immeasurably improved when Steve Dillon climbs on board and, with Way as his frequent collaborator and co-creator of Daken, Wolverine’s son, the two do a great job on this first book.
Overly complex plot aside, Way gets all of the character voices right, especially Deadpool’s who gets some great scenes (while sporting a moustache pencilled on his mask), the characters interact nicely, and we get to see lots of bloody violence from this crazy group of people. This scene sums up the book and your reaction to it will determine whether you’ll like this comic or not: Frank Castle goes up against the villain who’s a mad man called Madman and is Hulk-ish big. He knows Madman’s going to try to crush him, a seemingly ordinary human, so he puts his gamma chest armour to good use by strapping a landmine - a LANDMINE! - to his chest, Madman bear-hugs him, and BOOM! Frank of course walks away with only some broken ribs while Madman is defeated. Elektra asks him how long until he passes out and Frank answers “Long enough” - and then they have sex! That is beyond alpha male, that is some next level shit. If this outrageous and obviously comedic scene doesn't make you at least smile, if not outright laugh like me, then you’re taking it too seriously and you’re not going to like this book. This book is trashy and silly and knows it, so just enjoy it for that.
I can see why some people might not like this iteration of the group, and the story definitely has some flaws, but I found I could overlook whatever minor complaints I had with the book. Also, I never cared about the Thunderbolts before and Way and Dillon have made me care about them now. No Quarter is an over-the-top bombastic and really fun comic that kept me entertained the whole time. It’s dirty, messy mayhem - the team and the story - that’s totally enjoyable.
Team books that are made up of people who didn’t start out together as that team, are inherently tough sells. You buy the X-Men because they were conceived as a team with certain members like Wolverine becoming more popular over time and getting their own spinoff titles. But this version of Thunderbolts is made up of individuals like Punisher and Deadpool both of whom have highly popular titles of their own, so cramming them together with a seemingly random assortment of characters as diverse as Venom, Elektra and Red Hulk is going to be difficult to reason. Daniel Way knows this and doesn’t waste too long on the whys and wherefores and just gets the group together and moves on to the story. This is why I didn’t mind the short shrift we get, because the focus isn’t on getting the team together, it’s on the team’s interactions and the story, both of which are great. Some team books like the New 52 JLA not only have weak origins but even weaker stories which is why they’re so bad - Thunderbolts also has a flimsy foundation but a rattling good story with plenty of inventive scenes to make up for this.
The story is fairly straightforward - the main team get into shenanigans on the island with some characters getting captured, others getting shot, and so on, while Ross works his complicated sub-plots involving gamma experiments and the Leader and his brother. I would be lying if I said I knew what was going on most of the time but there’s enough imaginative action going on to compensate for any confusion plus it doesn’t hinder reading or enjoying the book any. In the same vein, despite this being a Volume 1 in a relaunch, this isn’t the best place for new readers to start as Way doesn’t spend any time on the characters’ backstories - you either know who these guys are or you don’t. I got a lot out of this because I know most of these characters pretty well, but I don’t know who Mercy is nor did I realise Deadpool and Elektra were dating until she cheats on him with Frank (I’m still not sure to be honest - Deadpool flits with Elektra earlier in the book but he flirts with every woman in the Marvel U, so were they dating or, like so much with Deadpool, was it all in his head?).
A big part of why I liked this book so much was Steve Motherfucking Dillon (that is his Christian name by the way). This guy is the definitive Punisher artist, for me. Check out his work with Garth Ennis on their Marvel Knights maxi-series, Welcome Back, Frank, and the Ma Gnucci stories years later, or his work with Jason Aaron on the final Punisher MAX issues - no wonder out of all of them, besides Ross, Frank has the most scenes. Some people don’t like Dillon’s art, that’s fine, I don’t understand it and they’re wrong, but fair enough - I think any comic is immeasurably improved when Steve Dillon climbs on board and, with Way as his frequent collaborator and co-creator of Daken, Wolverine’s son, the two do a great job on this first book.
Overly complex plot aside, Way gets all of the character voices right, especially Deadpool’s who gets some great scenes (while sporting a moustache pencilled on his mask), the characters interact nicely, and we get to see lots of bloody violence from this crazy group of people. This scene sums up the book and your reaction to it will determine whether you’ll like this comic or not: Frank Castle goes up against the villain who’s a mad man called Madman and is Hulk-ish big. He knows Madman’s going to try to crush him, a seemingly ordinary human, so he puts his gamma chest armour to good use by strapping a landmine - a LANDMINE! - to his chest, Madman bear-hugs him, and BOOM! Frank of course walks away with only some broken ribs while Madman is defeated. Elektra asks him how long until he passes out and Frank answers “Long enough” - and then they have sex! That is beyond alpha male, that is some next level shit. If this outrageous and obviously comedic scene doesn't make you at least smile, if not outright laugh like me, then you’re taking it too seriously and you’re not going to like this book. This book is trashy and silly and knows it, so just enjoy it for that.
I can see why some people might not like this iteration of the group, and the story definitely has some flaws, but I found I could overlook whatever minor complaints I had with the book. Also, I never cared about the Thunderbolts before and Way and Dillon have made me care about them now. No Quarter is an over-the-top bombastic and really fun comic that kept me entertained the whole time. It’s dirty, messy mayhem - the team and the story - that’s totally enjoyable.
November 4, 2015
Retired General Thaddeus Ross has put together a team to take on missions no one else will.
Ross has assembled a team of people who either like or don't mind killing with The Punisher, Elektra, Deadpool, and Agent Venom. They're kind of like an anti-hero A-Team except they aren't helping those in need except themselves and when they shoot bullets they actually hit people...a lot of people. I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed with this volume. I expected all these anti-heroes together would be more fun, when it was really just bloody.
Ross has assembled a team of people who either like or don't mind killing with The Punisher, Elektra, Deadpool, and Agent Venom. They're kind of like an anti-hero A-Team except they aren't helping those in need except themselves and when they shoot bullets they actually hit people...a lot of people. I have to say I'm somewhat disappointed with this volume. I expected all these anti-heroes together would be more fun, when it was really just bloody.
October 10, 2016
That was awful.
Terrible story that has nothing interesting to say whatsoever.
Deadpool is not Deadpool.
Punisher is not Punisher
Red Hulk. Who gives a shit about Red Hulk.
The rest are just there to have some lines to say and also half the time out of character.
I was so excited to start the series... and volume 1 was just as boring as it could get with no reason or development whatsoever. No outcome either.
I always liked Dillon's art, and I like most of the characters so that's why I'm going to continue reading and see where this is going.
NOT Recommended. You'd be better off reading Betty and Veronica or some shit like that.
Terrible story that has nothing interesting to say whatsoever.
Deadpool is not Deadpool.
Punisher is not Punisher
Red Hulk. Who gives a shit about Red Hulk.
The rest are just there to have some lines to say and also half the time out of character.
I was so excited to start the series... and volume 1 was just as boring as it could get with no reason or development whatsoever. No outcome either.
I always liked Dillon's art, and I like most of the characters so that's why I'm going to continue reading and see where this is going.
NOT Recommended. You'd be better off reading Betty and Veronica or some shit like that.
October 18, 2014
Better than I thought it would be! I was kind of wary of a team book with Deadpool. He so doesn't strike me as someone who works well with others. But as it turns out, that was kind of the point. The majority of the characters in this team aren't exactly known for teamwork.
But man, I felt lost often. This is almost entirely because of my relative lack of Hulk knowledge. Sure, I sort of vaguely knew that General Ross became the Red Hulk. But I had no idea that anything had happened to the Leader, and I'm quite confident that I've never even heard of Mercy before. The Leader related stuff I was mostly apathetic to. Mercy at least seemed decidedly creepy, and I kind of liked that even though I had absolutely no clue who she was.
The actual story is nothing special, but the execution is good enough to keep me reading. And the characters are handled really well. Even though it's one of the strangest possible team combinations I can imagine, and even though I strongly suspect the characters were chosen for their red, black, and white costumes, they all bounced off each other better than I would have expected. Deadpool works really well when he has a true straight man to play off of (witness the issues of Cable and Deadpool that Cable was actually in) and the new Venom is kind of a cool character anyways.
In short, this is better than I'd thought it would be, but I'm still not sure I'm going to continue with it. I'm too far behind on Hulk stuff to really get into it. I don't know, maybe other volumes will be a bit less centered around the Hulk section of the Marvel U.
But man, I felt lost often. This is almost entirely because of my relative lack of Hulk knowledge. Sure, I sort of vaguely knew that General Ross became the Red Hulk. But I had no idea that anything had happened to the Leader, and I'm quite confident that I've never even heard of Mercy before. The Leader related stuff I was mostly apathetic to. Mercy at least seemed decidedly creepy, and I kind of liked that even though I had absolutely no clue who she was.
The actual story is nothing special, but the execution is good enough to keep me reading. And the characters are handled really well. Even though it's one of the strangest possible team combinations I can imagine, and even though I strongly suspect the characters were chosen for their red, black, and white costumes, they all bounced off each other better than I would have expected. Deadpool works really well when he has a true straight man to play off of (witness the issues of Cable and Deadpool that Cable was actually in) and the new Venom is kind of a cool character anyways.
In short, this is better than I'd thought it would be, but I'm still not sure I'm going to continue with it. I'm too far behind on Hulk stuff to really get into it. I don't know, maybe other volumes will be a bit less centered around the Hulk section of the Marvel U.
July 25, 2019
I really did not know what to expect. I was away from Marvel for years and it sure felt like I had when I read this collection. Not a big fan of the art. And General Ross a Hulk character? Flash Thompson a Venom? And to me Deadpool seemed way too tame (if such a thing is possible). Read this via Comixology Unlimited. Sometimes a hit and at times like this, a miss.
September 28, 2014
Good, clean fun. Well, not so clean. Pretty dirty, really. But that's why it's fun. That being said, I was expecting...more from this title.
September 2, 2015
So much potential, so much crap... 2/5 just because I'm a fan of Dillon's art since Preacher :(
May 9, 2025
Maybe it's the fact that my expectations for Daniel Way's Thunderbolts Red were rock bottom (and yeah, I usually hate his stuff...). But goddamn, this was a blast. Forget a great story or anything deep. This is just Punisher, Venom, Elektra, Red Hulk, and Deadpool going to town on a bunch of criminals. It's fast, it's brutal, and if you want a bloody massacre with some seriously cool deaths, this is it.
Seriously, don't expect anything profound. But considering I thought this was going to be a one or two out of five trainwreck, I'm giving it a 3.5. And for Goodreads, Let's bump that sucker to a four. What a surprisingly fun and stupid as fuck great first volume.
Seriously, don't expect anything profound. But considering I thought this was going to be a one or two out of five trainwreck, I'm giving it a 3.5. And for Goodreads, Let's bump that sucker to a four. What a surprisingly fun and stupid as fuck great first volume.
March 26, 2025
3,5/5 ⭐️
🇵🇱
Czerwony lider chcę im pomóc czy odzyskać siły i uciec ?! Co dalej..
🇺🇸
Red Leader want to help them or recover and escape ?! What's next?.
🇵🇱
Czerwony lider chcę im pomóc czy odzyskać siły i uciec ?! Co dalej..
🇺🇸
Red Leader want to help them or recover and escape ?! What's next?.
October 14, 2014
I don't know why I never made the connection that General "thunderbolt", aka the Red Hulk,should be the leader of the Thunderbolts team. How unfortunate, that this is probably the poorest version of the Thunderbolts to date.
We have the initial team of Villains pretending to be heroes, led by Baron Zemo
Then we have Norman Osborn's team of Villains controlled by the government, who would eventually become the Dark Avengers
Then we have Luke Cage's team of Villains, which was basically Marvel's equivalent of the Suicide Squad (That version, written by Jeff Parker, was my absolute favorite)
This team, filled to the brim with Anti-heroes is far more violent than any of the Villain teams. I guess that is what happens when you have Steve Dillion drawing the book. Boy can that man draw people being ripped apart by bullets.
I think this story was made far more convoluted than it needed to be, with the hope that it would make a compelling story, featuring the "Gritty" characters of the Marvel U. It was fun, but just barely.
We have the initial team of Villains pretending to be heroes, led by Baron Zemo
Then we have Norman Osborn's team of Villains controlled by the government, who would eventually become the Dark Avengers
Then we have Luke Cage's team of Villains, which was basically Marvel's equivalent of the Suicide Squad (That version, written by Jeff Parker, was my absolute favorite)
This team, filled to the brim with Anti-heroes is far more violent than any of the Villain teams. I guess that is what happens when you have Steve Dillion drawing the book. Boy can that man draw people being ripped apart by bullets.
I think this story was made far more convoluted than it needed to be, with the hope that it would make a compelling story, featuring the "Gritty" characters of the Marvel U. It was fun, but just barely.
December 24, 2014
I kinda feel like Daniel Way is under-rated.
And I am a huge fan of Steve Dillon,
who is particularly great a conveying expression,
he is amazingly consistent in his characterizations and his illustrations have the weight of reality in them for me.
If I had any criticism it would be that his action can be stiff and static at times.
I feel like his art brings out Daniel Way's subtle nuances, the way he did with Ennis back when Dillon illustrated "PREACHER".
So you have some awesome characters here that should so clearly not be in a group together ... Fun!
I hope they keep a strong artist on this series!
And I am a huge fan of Steve Dillon,
who is particularly great a conveying expression,
he is amazingly consistent in his characterizations and his illustrations have the weight of reality in them for me.
If I had any criticism it would be that his action can be stiff and static at times.
I feel like his art brings out Daniel Way's subtle nuances, the way he did with Ennis back when Dillon illustrated "PREACHER".
So you have some awesome characters here that should so clearly not be in a group together ... Fun!
I hope they keep a strong artist on this series!
July 9, 2013
Scratch this turd off the list.
January 2, 2023
I found this because I was looking for more Elektra and wow what a big ass mistake.
Red Hulk is putting a team of anti-heroes together, the Thunderbolts to idk do Thunderbolt stuff? The goal wasn't clear at all they just show up in a foreign country and make everything worse.
I loved the red and black color scheme of the team but also I hated every part of this. Elektra is the only woman (surprise one later on doesn't count because who) and what is her role here? Oh to be held hostage and then sleep with The Punisher.
Elektra x Punisher sounds like it would be a good ship in theory like yeah they kill people but to actually see it? Wrong, nasty, disgusting I was throwing up. Deadpool watching them fuck in the forest is even weirder.
Elektra has no personality, really she doesn't even say much like oh okay. Why have her then if you're going to be completely shitty? All of it was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the mission.
Times like this just get a big sigh from me because being a woman who likes comics is a fucking struggle because often female characters are just this??? Overly sexualized with weird portions but also the zipper on her suit down so we can see some cleavage. It enrages me to no end because I JUST want to read comics in peace but yet again I am reminded that this place isn't made for me.
Red Hulk is putting a team of anti-heroes together, the Thunderbolts to idk do Thunderbolt stuff? The goal wasn't clear at all they just show up in a foreign country and make everything worse.
I loved the red and black color scheme of the team but also I hated every part of this. Elektra is the only woman (surprise one later on doesn't count because who) and what is her role here? Oh to be held hostage and then sleep with The Punisher.
Elektra x Punisher sounds like it would be a good ship in theory like yeah they kill people but to actually see it? Wrong, nasty, disgusting I was throwing up. Deadpool watching them fuck in the forest is even weirder.
Elektra has no personality, really she doesn't even say much like oh okay. Why have her then if you're going to be completely shitty? All of it was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the mission.
Times like this just get a big sigh from me because being a woman who likes comics is a fucking struggle because often female characters are just this??? Overly sexualized with weird portions but also the zipper on her suit down so we can see some cleavage. It enrages me to no end because I JUST want to read comics in peace but yet again I am reminded that this place isn't made for me.
September 16, 2020
3/5 - 5,5/10
It was fine. It didn’t blow me away, and it made me kind of sad how deadpool wasn’t as fun and lively as most of the time. I kind of got lost a little bit (i don’t know all of the characters), but as a story, I feel like it was kind of generic¿
It was fine. It didn’t blow me away, and it made me kind of sad how deadpool wasn’t as fun and lively as most of the time. I kind of got lost a little bit (i don’t know all of the characters), but as a story, I feel like it was kind of generic¿
January 22, 2022
don’t care abt the plot i’m just here for frank and elektra
January 31, 2024
Some Goober who used to be in the military put together an elite team of actual serial killers and they're going to "help."
March 4, 2024
This was a violent little outing with a dash of intrigue and some interesting character dynamics. I’m on board for more.
November 25, 2024
I read it to get a vibe for the new movie and the cover art was cool. This is Marvel's boring version of the Suicide Squad. The story was meh, art was disappointing, and they put Elekrta (the only woman) randomly with the Punisher? They may be a thing in other comics but in this volume it was not set up well
January 15, 2018
War is ugly, so is the art. Engage at your own peril.
May 4, 2014
2.5/5
This is the first truly lackluster comic I've read this year.
The chemistry didn't work between the bad guys as a new crew of vigilantes in a foreign country. I felt like I was watching jarring scenes of characters who happened to be in the same comic book together and didn't want to be. Part of that is what they were going for, maybe? No chemistry was fleshed out. I had to flip back to the previous page several times when I thought two pages were stuck together but they weren't -- the story just jumped there, either in setting or conversation. The art was colorful but all of the perspectives and panel compositions were extremely pedestrian and uninteresting when not in bloody combat.
Which brings us to the violence.
Considering that I don't have a problem with blood and guts, the use of such elements here felt very exploitative and B-movie. I also take grave issue with the facial expressions -- they are VERY, VERY limited. The artist really had no range regarding faces. Angry, sad, quippy, startled: all the same face. Elektra was the worst offender. Maybe instead of making sure her Triple-D breasts were perfectly round, I don't know, maybe he could have given her face some personality and depth.
I really feel bad for tearing this one up, but a volume of six-issues at 20-pages each... eh, didn't have any plot complexity or promise until the final issue. Combine that with the fact that I see no potential for character growth -- besides Punisher and Elektra humping in the woods.
Marvel team: you've given me no reason to invest any further in the series.
This other run of THUNDERBOLTS from 2007 (six years before "No Quarter") sounds infinitely better and is much better reviewed. I would recommend starting there. Better writing and a different combo of characters: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
This comic has very low appeal to me. I'm not sure where the market is, except for uber-nerd MARVEL completionists who are bored with their usualy purchases and want to try something different off their local comic book store's shelf.
I cannot recommend this book, and wouldn't have finished it if Deadpool hadn't appeared. Surely, this is going to be canceled. I can't believe there are two other volumes after this one that were published in 2013 and 2014. They must have dramatically improved.
2.5/5
MH
This is the first truly lackluster comic I've read this year.
The chemistry didn't work between the bad guys as a new crew of vigilantes in a foreign country. I felt like I was watching jarring scenes of characters who happened to be in the same comic book together and didn't want to be. Part of that is what they were going for, maybe? No chemistry was fleshed out. I had to flip back to the previous page several times when I thought two pages were stuck together but they weren't -- the story just jumped there, either in setting or conversation. The art was colorful but all of the perspectives and panel compositions were extremely pedestrian and uninteresting when not in bloody combat.
Which brings us to the violence.
Considering that I don't have a problem with blood and guts, the use of such elements here felt very exploitative and B-movie. I also take grave issue with the facial expressions -- they are VERY, VERY limited. The artist really had no range regarding faces. Angry, sad, quippy, startled: all the same face. Elektra was the worst offender. Maybe instead of making sure her Triple-D breasts were perfectly round, I don't know, maybe he could have given her face some personality and depth.
I really feel bad for tearing this one up, but a volume of six-issues at 20-pages each... eh, didn't have any plot complexity or promise until the final issue. Combine that with the fact that I see no potential for character growth -- besides Punisher and Elektra humping in the woods.
Marvel team: you've given me no reason to invest any further in the series.
This other run of THUNDERBOLTS from 2007 (six years before "No Quarter") sounds infinitely better and is much better reviewed. I would recommend starting there. Better writing and a different combo of characters: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
This comic has very low appeal to me. I'm not sure where the market is, except for uber-nerd MARVEL completionists who are bored with their usualy purchases and want to try something different off their local comic book store's shelf.
I cannot recommend this book, and wouldn't have finished it if Deadpool hadn't appeared. Surely, this is going to be canceled. I can't believe there are two other volumes after this one that were published in 2013 and 2014. They must have dramatically improved.
2.5/5
MH
June 7, 2013
I really wanted to like this, after quite a few people told me good things about it. But it just fell very flat to me. It's always a risk putting The Punisher into the regular Marvel Universe. With a few exceptions (he works great with Daredevil, and I loved his role in Civil War), I prefer Frank Castle to be off in his own little world, independent of the rest of the Marvel books. This book is a good example why, as he just doesn't seem to fit naturally with the rest of these characters - I never bought that he would join this team, and especially not for the flimsy reasons Way offers up. Meanwhile, it also doesn't help that Frank and the rest of the team are written as complete bores. Seriously, this book needs an immediate charisma transplant. Heck, Elektra is NEVER really Miss Personality, but she is an absolute cipher of a character in this book. And while I actually kind of liked Punisher and Elektra hooking up (NOT because it is done well here, but rather because it FINALLY pays off an old Garth Ennis Punisher issue where Frank asked Elektra out on a date after she kept killing his targets before he could), the Punisher-Deadpool-Elektra triangle is fairly lame, since Deadpool's obsession with Elektra just comes out of nowhere. Seriously, would it have killed Way to spend a few more issues showing Deadpool fall for her, so that this storyline actually felt deserved? Anyway, MAYBE I would have been able to forgive the poor character stuff if the story itself was interesting, but this tale of the team helping to overthrow a dictator for reasons only Red Hulk is actually privy to is pretty darn underwhelming. This might also have something to do with Steve Dillon's art. Now, don't get me wrong - I love Dillon when he's on a book like Preacher or Ennis' over-the-top Punisher run, but he's always felt an odd fit for more traditional superhero stuff, and this is no exception. His action scenes just lack a certain dynamic quality that can liven up an otherwise lackluster story (and, really, having him draw this book just sadly reminds you that you're NOT reading Ennis' Punisher).
I always give every new series at least two stories before making a complete judgment, so I'll at least check out the next trade, as well. But as of right now my hopes for this one have just taken a pretty big hit.
I always give every new series at least two stories before making a complete judgment, so I'll at least check out the next trade, as well. But as of right now my hopes for this one have just taken a pretty big hit.
November 17, 2014
Stupid, awful garbage. Daniel Way is a mediocre writer, and Steve Dillon is a mediocre artist, and together, they put out a book that's mediocre at best. The team's reasons for working together aren't particularly elaborated on. Way basically just felt like having this team doing stuff, so he threw them together, and it reads like bad fanfic, particularly with Punisher and Elektra randomly hooking up.
Don't bother with any of Way's run on Thunderbolts.
Don't bother with any of Way's run on Thunderbolts.
April 23, 2016
I liked Daniel Way's run on the regular Deadpool, so this came as a surprise: yaaaaawn. It has the feel of too many cooks stirring the pot. I'd skip it, although it's certainly better than putting out one's eye with a sharp stick.
July 22, 2019
Wypuszczane dotychczas w ramach serii Marvel Now komiksy miały to do siebie, że nawet w przypadku słabszych pozycji jakoś to trzymało poziom. Recenzowana produkcja… No cóż. Nazwać to rozczarowaniem to mało, bo czy o „poziomie” tegoż działa może świadczyć fakt, iż najlepszym ich elementem są okładki…
Zawodzi tu w zasadzie wszystko. Począwszy od kreski, która jest tutaj toporna, sierżmiężna i zwyczajnie brzydka. Postacie są nieproporcjonalne i karykaturalne. O jakiejkolwiek powabności od strony kobiet nie ma co mówić, ani tym bardziej marzyć. I pal licho nawet drętwe i nudne dialogi. (mamy przecież tutaj Deadpoola, ale nawet on jest sztywny jak pensjonariusz kostnicy). Fabularnie to też dno.
Generał Ross, aktualnie działający jako Czerwony Hulk, który jest teraz generałem tylko z nazwy, zbiera ekipę postrzeleńców, aby wykonać pewną niewygodną misją, a cel której zachowuje dla siebie. Gdy się ma w zespole Punishera, Deadpoola, Elektrę, Venoma, a także ex-przestępcę, Leadera (który robi tu za chowańca, choć to uzasadnione nieco jego stanem) to takie niedopowiedzenie może prowadzić tylko do jednego. Iskrzy, a jakże, ale jest przy tym nudno.
Tak dla dobrej sprawy, za wyjątkiem Venoma, każda postać w jakimś stopniu "nie jest sobą" lub jest pozbawiona pewnych, charakterystycznych dla siebie cech. Mamy tu nawet chwilowy romans pomiędzy Elektrą a Castle’em, na który z zazdrością patrzy Wade Wilson, na co kładziony jest pewien akcent, co pozwala domyślić się w jakim kierunku wątek będzie kontynuowany. Dobrze, że przynajmniej jest tu krwawo, bo najemnicy nie cackają się z wrogiem, sprzedając komuś co i rusz kulki w łepetynki. Niemniej zanim dotrzemy do końcowej rozwałki z nijakim, bezpłciowym wrogiem, przyjdzie nam potowarzyszyć grupie w obalaniu reżimu, który wzorcem Al-Kaidy, został stworzony i wspierany przez wielkiego amerykańskiego brata, aż przestało mu to być na rękę, w efekcie czego taki twór obrócił się przeciwko swojemu twórcy. Miało być to chyba kontrowersyjne. Nie było. Wydawało by się, że walka partyzancka to jest ta chwila na soczyste walki z gamą barwnych dialogów. Nic z tego. Pozostałem na ten komiks obojętny. Tym bardziej, że do wykonania zadania tak naprawdę starczył by sam Red Hulk…
Pierwszy tom Thunderbolts jest rozczarowaniem i w zasadzie mogę go polecić chyba tylko komuś kogo nie lubię. Cała reszta niech trzyma się od tego tytułu z daleka, chyba że ktoś zbiera materiały na pracę naukową o tym jak nie należy robić komiksu, albo zwyczajnie ma pewne zamiłowanie do masochizmu. Moje pierwsze, soczyste jeden. Cóż, ten moment musiał nadejść.
Zawodzi tu w zasadzie wszystko. Począwszy od kreski, która jest tutaj toporna, sierżmiężna i zwyczajnie brzydka. Postacie są nieproporcjonalne i karykaturalne. O jakiejkolwiek powabności od strony kobiet nie ma co mówić, ani tym bardziej marzyć. I pal licho nawet drętwe i nudne dialogi. (mamy przecież tutaj Deadpoola, ale nawet on jest sztywny jak pensjonariusz kostnicy). Fabularnie to też dno.
Generał Ross, aktualnie działający jako Czerwony Hulk, który jest teraz generałem tylko z nazwy, zbiera ekipę postrzeleńców, aby wykonać pewną niewygodną misją, a cel której zachowuje dla siebie. Gdy się ma w zespole Punishera, Deadpoola, Elektrę, Venoma, a także ex-przestępcę, Leadera (który robi tu za chowańca, choć to uzasadnione nieco jego stanem) to takie niedopowiedzenie może prowadzić tylko do jednego. Iskrzy, a jakże, ale jest przy tym nudno.
Tak dla dobrej sprawy, za wyjątkiem Venoma, każda postać w jakimś stopniu "nie jest sobą" lub jest pozbawiona pewnych, charakterystycznych dla siebie cech. Mamy tu nawet chwilowy romans pomiędzy Elektrą a Castle’em, na który z zazdrością patrzy Wade Wilson, na co kładziony jest pewien akcent, co pozwala domyślić się w jakim kierunku wątek będzie kontynuowany. Dobrze, że przynajmniej jest tu krwawo, bo najemnicy nie cackają się z wrogiem, sprzedając komuś co i rusz kulki w łepetynki. Niemniej zanim dotrzemy do końcowej rozwałki z nijakim, bezpłciowym wrogiem, przyjdzie nam potowarzyszyć grupie w obalaniu reżimu, który wzorcem Al-Kaidy, został stworzony i wspierany przez wielkiego amerykańskiego brata, aż przestało mu to być na rękę, w efekcie czego taki twór obrócił się przeciwko swojemu twórcy. Miało być to chyba kontrowersyjne. Nie było. Wydawało by się, że walka partyzancka to jest ta chwila na soczyste walki z gamą barwnych dialogów. Nic z tego. Pozostałem na ten komiks obojętny. Tym bardziej, że do wykonania zadania tak naprawdę starczył by sam Red Hulk…
Pierwszy tom Thunderbolts jest rozczarowaniem i w zasadzie mogę go polecić chyba tylko komuś kogo nie lubię. Cała reszta niech trzyma się od tego tytułu z daleka, chyba że ktoś zbiera materiały na pracę naukową o tym jak nie należy robić komiksu, albo zwyczajnie ma pewne zamiłowanie do masochizmu. Moje pierwsze, soczyste jeden. Cóż, ten moment musiał nadejść.
October 15, 2020
I'm not sure why people don't like this - gathering Marvel's anti-heroes and putting them in a team is obviously MARVELLOUS!
So the premise is that General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (a.k.a. The Red Hulk) has recruited Agent Venom, Elektra, Deadpool and The Punisher to infiltrate the small nation of Kata Jaya to kill off a dictator called General Awa. Little do they know that Ross has his own reasons for the team and his own agendas; this puts Agent Venom on the case, trying to uncover Ross' secrets; plus there is a love triangle set up (in Deadpool's mind) with The Punisher and Elektra getting together, only Deadpool feels that he had his eyes set on Elektra first; and to add to the chaos and distrust, the Red Hulk has brought in Red Leader (formally a villain the original Hulk has had to battle).
This graphic novel is obviously setting for a grander story, but I found it a fantastic introduction to what looks like an interesting team.
So the premise is that General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (a.k.a. The Red Hulk) has recruited Agent Venom, Elektra, Deadpool and The Punisher to infiltrate the small nation of Kata Jaya to kill off a dictator called General Awa. Little do they know that Ross has his own reasons for the team and his own agendas; this puts Agent Venom on the case, trying to uncover Ross' secrets; plus there is a love triangle set up (in Deadpool's mind) with The Punisher and Elektra getting together, only Deadpool feels that he had his eyes set on Elektra first; and to add to the chaos and distrust, the Red Hulk has brought in Red Leader (formally a villain the original Hulk has had to battle).
This graphic novel is obviously setting for a grander story, but I found it a fantastic introduction to what looks like an interesting team.
July 23, 2017
It was a pretty poor idea to re-imagine the Thunderbolts, even if the idea of having General 'Thunderbolt' Ross take command seems like a natural fit. This has little to nothing to do with the earlier Thunderbolts run, which was awesome, villains as heroes, and instead brings together a team of a bunch of popular characters like Deadpool, Punisher, Red Hulk, Elektra, and Venom, which is completely against the spirit of the original story. The art is mediocre, the characters all act a bit 'off' and the story lazily flops around to missions nobody will care about, as these Thunderbolts just ruthlessly gun down or smash opponents that don't have a chance. I'll give it two stars if only because there is a solid sense of humor to the book, but man is it otherwise bland. Busiek Thunderbolts rule all.
October 8, 2023
I’m a big fan of the Punisher and Elektra. I don’t go out of my way to read the other characters, there are enough hints in this volume to bring me up a to speed of their back stories.
I liked the Part mishear and Elektra parts, the rest felt flat.
Basically, General Thunderbolt Ross puts together a mercenary team to settle personal vendettas. By the time 5e other characters realize this, they are in too deep to back out.
Steve Dillon, of course was the quintessential Punisher artist.
Three stars.
I liked the Part mishear and Elektra parts, the rest felt flat.
Basically, General Thunderbolt Ross puts together a mercenary team to settle personal vendettas. By the time 5e other characters realize this, they are in too deep to back out.
Steve Dillon, of course was the quintessential Punisher artist.
Three stars.
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