Thunderbolts #1 Review: An Intriguing New Mission for Marvel's Black Ops Heroes

Out of the ashes of two short-lived Captain America series, the "Cold War" crossover event, and the Outer Circle—a blink-and-you'll-miss-it villainous conspiracy—comes a new iteration of Marvel Comics' most famous team of anti-heroes from writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing in Thunderbolts #1. The debut issue catches readers up to speed on the necessary backstory, assembles the team, and delivers a complete one-and-done adventure drawn by Geraldo Borges. It's a mission statement for the series ahead that positions each issue to offer a satisfying story that also delivers a piece to the larger puzzle. Regardless of the pitfalls found in Bucky Barnes' preceding adventures, Thunderbolts #1 makes a convincing case for taking a chance on its team of Marvel B-listers.

The pitch is that in the wake of taking down the Outer Circle from the inside, Bucky wants to use his newfound knowledge to purge the world of some of its worst threats. He collects a bunch of amoral spooks disguised as superheroes to affect that mission while engaging in the first of many tasks: Killing the Red Skull. 

It's an ambitious opening idea and one that is well executed in this issue as it delivers that mission and its end result before the issue ends. The decompression of the past is nowhere to be found in a comic with a similar pace, mood, and sub-genre as the excellent run of Secret Avengers #16-21. 

There's no doubt that Borges' makes that ambition possible as tightly configured action sequences deliver a series of distinctive set pieces built atop a wide array of other encounters. Borges makes a sprawling splash read quickly by emphasizing forms and slows down the splash reveal of Red Skull's face with plenty of embellishments, adapting his style for the needs of each page and sequence. If nothing else, I expect Thunderbolts will remain a visual thrill given how Borges depicts the team dispatching Nazis.

The team itself remains unproven as the first issue only serves to offer sketches of their personalities that read roughly with the dynamics and related depth of the A-team. What's most interesting about the three individuals surrounding Bucky at the issue's end is that none are popular enough to guarantee their fate. It will be interesting to see how the series develops the potential of B-listers like Red Guardian to develop. Bum lines, like a heroine with an origin tied into World War II dropping the phrase "Spoiler alert," makes connecting to individual voices a struggle, though.

The hardly-recognizable cast and some poor dialogue can't diminish the evident promise for a fun Marvel spy story found in this issue. It's the structure of Thunderbolts #1 that is most promising as there's no denying that the raid planned and executed across 30 pages is a satisfying adventure unto itself. The busyness of introducing a team and filling readers in on proper nouns is dispatched and clears the way for Thunderbolts #2 to focus on the best aspects of this debut.

Published by Marvel Comics

On December 6, 2023

Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing

Art by Geraldo Borges

Colors by Arthur Hesli

Letters by Joe Sabino

Cover by Terry Dodson