What a Tangled Web We Weave
Sigh. Look, it's better than the Green Lantern banner because I get the point of this one. It's not hyping a movie that didn't need extra hype, and its for a good cause. But it doesn't change the fact that the "We Can Be Heroes" banner is a huge detriment to the covers its on. Which is a shame because T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents hasn't had a bad cover yet. this time we've got Kenneth Rocafort, and he gives is the coolest depiction of the Subterranian world. Also, the whole 'Last Stand of the...' thing works really well the way it merges with the logo.
Wow. Where do I begin? Well.... Spencer REALLY planted TONS of seeds through this series, and they're all coming to fruition. So many things that have been agonizingly unanswered, things you didn't even think were seeds, little loose ends... EVERYTHING. This issue highlights the masterful planning that went into this series. It will probably lose new readers a bit, but fans from the previous volume will be utterly blown away.
And it leads into an almost odd idealistic climax. So many things are working out great. I haven't seen an ending this happy, where EVERYTHING is working out great (outside a kid's movie) in a long time, and none of it feels cheesy or forced. Spencer put a TON of effort into making sure EVERYTHING is going right, even the things you wouldn't expect to work out. He makes you feel really positive, the movie music playing in your head as the good guys implement their plans that fix everything.
And then he ruins it with a single sentence.
Why did God harden the Pharaoh's heart?
And it was incredible. The instant it hit, my heart fell, and my eyes widened. The shock of the blow was INTENSE, without any cheap 'shock value.' This was a phrase that had been planted so delicately and precise, it stabbed a nail in the cog of the Deus Ex Machine. And it was amazing.
The Undersea Agent side story was interesting, but a little bland in comparison. It felt more like the beginning of this series, though definitely more dark and twisted than the other Agent's costumes. McCarthy's art was definitely nice. The end of that though was a little baffling and cheesy.
And speaking of art, I don't feel like Mike Choi's graveyard sequence added as much as the other guest artist's sequences did. Story wise yes, but Choi's style didn't seem to be particularly noteworthy to use for the scene.
In Conclusion: 5/5
I had some nitpicks, sure, but this issue built up some mind blowingly solid and believable idealism for the climax, demonstrated how far back Spencer dropped nearly invisible foreshadowing, and then crashed the party with one surgically placed sentence. Phenomenal.