T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives, Vol. 2

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives #2

by Wallace Wood, Steve Ditko (Illustrator), Reed Crandall (Illustrator)

A secret team assembled by the United Nations, Dynamo and his Thunderbelt, the android Noman and his invisibility, and Menthor and his psionic helmet, combat tyranny throughout the world, and especially the villainous Warlord.

Genres: Comics, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Adventure

238 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, best known for his work in EC Comics and Mad. Although much of his early professional artwork is signed Wallace Wood, he became known as Wally Wood, a name he claimed to dislike. Within the comics community, he was also known as Woody, a name he sometimes used as a signature.

He was the first inductee into the comic book's Jack Kirby Hall of Fame, in 1989, and was inducted into the subequent Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame three years later.

In addition to Wood's hundreds of comic book pages, he illustrated for books and magazines while also working in a variety of other areas — advertising; packaging and product illustrations; gag cartoons; record album covers; posters; syndicated comic strips; and trading cards, including work on Topps' landmark Mars Attacks set.

For much of his adult life, Wood suffered from chronic, unexplainable headaches. In the 1970s, following bouts with alcoholism, Wood suffered from kidney failure. A stroke in 1978 caused a loss of vision in one eye. Faced with declining health and career prospects, he committed suicide by gunshot three years later.

Wood was married three times. His first marriage was to artist Tatjana Wood, who later did extensive work as a comic-book colorist.

EC editor Harvey Kurtzman, who had worked closely with Wood during the 1950s, once commented, "Wally had a tension in him, an intensity that he locked away in an internal steam boiler. I think it ate away his insides, and the work really used him up. I think he delivered some of the finest work that was ever drawn, and I think it's to his credit that he put so much intensity into his work at great sacrifice to himself".

EC publisher William Gaines once stated, "Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant".

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read the first volume, and loving the concept, history, writing, and art, how could I not search out the entire run at Tower Comics of the iconic T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents? I previously stated that Tower Comics was completely aware of what they had in this little series. They were planning to expand the line when suddenly they went financially bankrupt in 1969. Some of the stars had received their own titles such as Dynamo who his issue #1 is included in this compilation along with T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #5, 6, and 7. The first four T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents issues are included in the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives, Vol. 1 trade paperback.

The concept of having a United Nations team protecting the world from global terrorist threats was brilliant and coupled with the creative talents of Len Brown and Wally Wood were the immense talents of Gil Kane, John Giunta, Dan Adkins, Steve Ditko, George Tuska, and Bill Pearson. This second volume is stronger than the first because by this time the writers and artists had a better handle on the types of stories they wanted to tell. Another wonderful and historical addition to the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents ethos.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tower is the reason i love comics.

[Brannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the first volume for its artistic and historic value. The second volume was even better in my opinion and I’m starting to like these stories for the characters and imaginative storylines.

[Sylvain Lafrenière · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was very innovative when it was created. Still a good read, but a mirror of it's era.

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wood and his various collaborators, including other big names (Ditko, Kane, Tuska, Crandall) turn out some pretty decent 1960s superhero comics here. The concept is certainly ambitious--a superteam that has adventures as a group and solo, intended to serve as the basis for a comics line--and it does some interesting things with the idea of state-sanctioned superheroes, notably with how the government bureaucrats see the heroes as employees and are worried about costs. The stories themselves, though, don't do as much with the concept as they might. They look good, to be sure, especially the ones drawn by Wood and/or Ditko, but the stories are generally not all that successful. The series does pull off a somewhat more effective kill-off of a major character in this volume than it did in the last--and killing a major character at all in any 1960s comic is pretty daring--but the effect is still pretty minimal. Nevertheless, well worthwhile for anyone interested in 1960s superhero comics.