Marvel's Thunderbolts are making a comeback in the comics and on the big screen. Writer Jim Zub and artist Sean Izaakse are reuniting for a new volume of Thunderbolts, introducing a new lineup for the franchise along with a new mission statement. Thunderbolts spins out of the Daredevil event Devil's Reign, which saw New York City Mayor Wilson Fisk sanctioning a supervillain Thunderbolts team. With Fisk believed dead and Luke Cage the city's new mayor, the Thunderbolts can go back to being a heroic team once again. Marvel Studios also announced a Thunderbolts movie at San Diego Comic-Con, slated for a 2024 release.
ComicBook.com has the exclusive preview of Thunderbolts #1 from Jim Zub, Sean Izaakse, Java Tartaglia, and VC's Joe Sabino. The preview features Hawkeye leading the Thunderbolts, joined by Monica Rambeau (who is getting her first-ever solo series this fall), America Chavez, Power Man, Persuasion, and a new character called Gutsen Glory. America Chavez teleports the team into the heart of New York City, where the local police are fending off a prison break from superpowered individuals.
Gutsen Glory uses his cybernetic enhancements to scan the building, while Ms. America chooses a frontal attack. She grabs Power Man and takes him to the skies in an amazing piece of artwork before the preview comes to a close.
"Gutsen Glory is the kind of character name that will make some readers cheer and others roll their eyes. That's on purpose in both scenarios. He's intentionally a 90's throwback, at least on the surface, a cyber-soldier with a vast array of high-tech toys and a mysterious past. He's just as much a mystery to his teammates as he is to readers," Jim Zub told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview.
Zub also teased another new character that will debut in the second issue: Eegro the Unbreakable.
"Eegro the Unbreakable is Sean and I giving a hat tip to something else entirely, the glorious old school Kirby creatures of the 1960's. His name and visuals and attitude plays up on those amazing monster comic tropes and Sean's cover for issue #2 leans into that as well. Eegro talks about himself in third person, is 100% certain of his own abilities, and has a staggering ultimate attack we think will surprise and amuse readers at a key moment in the story."
Thunderbolts #1 goes on sale August 31st. You can check out the preview below.
Thunderbolts #1 (of 5)
JIM ZUB (W) • SEAN IZAAKSE (A)
cover A by David Nakayama
cover B by SEAN IZAAKSE
Variant Cover by Paulo SIQUEIRA
HEADSHOT VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK
Trading Card variant Cover by Stefano Caselli
…LIKE LIGHTNING!
Super-powered crooks have taken hostages in Staten Island?
You know 'em, you love 'em...they're the Thunderbolts!
In the aftermath of Devil's Reign, the Big Apple has big problems, and it's up to a new group of Thunderbolts to turn things around. But when Clint Barton gets tasked with heading up this team and proving they can go toe-to-toe with anything the Marvel Universe can throw at them, the first opponent he's going to have to face is himself.
