MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Thunderbolts #2 Review (SPECIAL KING IN BLACK TIE-IN)

Mayor Wilson Fisk is on a roll right now, spanning multiple Marvel comic book titles, and nobody can stop him now. Not only is he Mayor, but he is also the head honcho of  the current Thunderbolts line-up, composed of the deadliest anti-heroes you can find in the Marvel Universe. But with this growing threat of Knull and the symbiote alien invasion, and seeing the whole world covered in goo, even a powerful man like the Kingpin has to turn to the undisputed greatest Spidey villain of all time… none other than Norman Osborn. In the group’s latest mission to Ravencroft, the first issue already killed off many of the team members. We are now down to the last handful of survivors in issue 2, already including a very sane (looking) Norman Osborn. These casualties are going to keep on piling up if this motley crew of villains don’t get their act together.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

King in Black: Thunderbolts #2

(Norman Osborn)

STORY BY: Matthew Rosenberg

ART BY: Juan E. Ferreyra

COVER BY: Kyle Hotz, Marco Chechetto

THE THUNDERBOLTS GET COMMITTED!

• The secret to saving the world lies within the Ravencroft Institute, but can the Thunderbolts get it out?
• Not if a mob of Knullified inmates have anything to say about it!
• The Thunderbolts’ plan to save the world is revealed, and it must be seen to be believed!

BUT DON’T GET TOO ATTACHED…

PROS:

• In these types of books, where you have a group of villains forced together to work hand-in-hand for the greater good, you know you’re going to get interesting dynamics, and undeniable dysfunctionality. And dysfunctionality always makes for entertaining story-telling.
• A sane-looking Norman Osborn is a scary-looking Norman Osborn. I almost feel bad for the Thunderbolts as they were disappointed with the tame version of Green Goblin. They are seriously underestimating this madman genius, and I would want to tell them to not bring up all his failures against Spider-Man if they want to get out of this with the skin still on their bones. The build-up to what is on Norman’s mind, and to the master plan that he is concocting is intense and suspenseful… the creative and art team do a superb job of depicting Norman Osborn as a subtle, restrained but sly and sinister individual… with a lot on his mind, obviously.

CONS:

• The first issue of the series killed off so many members that in the second book, only four Thunderbolts are remaining, plus the new recruit Norman Osborn. With the Thunderbolts, you’ll expect a very high body count, and practically anybody is really expendable. So, the problem here is that as readers you cannot let yourself get too attached to anybody. This blocks any meaningful connection or bond a reader may have with the lesser-known characters, since you know their head can be on the chopping block at any point in time. Taskmaster and Batroc are probably safe, though… for now… I think…?
• The action and momentum somewhat took a dip this issue, as there was minimal symbiote action. But it was pretty funny seeing the Thunderbolts instantly regret not recruiting the residents of the Institute… since most of the captives became symbiote hosts soon after, turning on our protagonists pretty quickly. I’m not necessarily saying that there should have been more deaths or casualties… but a little more symbiote slaying would have been a stronger hook, especially for fans who are really just riding on this title because of its Spider-Man ties.
• I seriously do not get the logic of not wearing any masks… I mean, there are so many ‘real’ or ‘true’ heroes that wear masks. What is Wilson Fisk trying to say here? But maybe it’s more of a comfort and practicality concern? Let’s see, moving forward…

FINAL SCORE: B

There may not be too much here for the uninitiated Thunderbolts comic book fan. If you’re just joining the party because it is a ‘King in Black’ tie-in, you may not feel to invested in most of the characters, most especially the newer ones. But the mere fact that Kingpin, Norman Osborn, and to some extent Taskmaster are starring in this book already instantly provides some gravitas to the Thunderbolts as a force to be reckoned with. Staying with this book will deliver once we see the full scale of Norman Osborn’s plan, and we’re all silently hoping he dons the Green Goblin attire once more.