Who's Playing Who?
The Story:
Songbird, believed to be dead, returns seeking revenge. The newly constructed team of Thunderbolts comprised of sociopaths have been assigned to take Songbird down. It seems Songbird is doomed before she begins until a hidden identity presents itself and aids Songbird in her fight. Later Norman Osborn captures and brainwashes Iron Fist and uses him against his friend Luke Cage.
My Thoughts:
The first four issues were written by Andy Diggle and the final issue by Rick Remender. Andy Diggle's short, but great run on Thunderbolts comes to an end but not before he unveils a few more surprises. I enjoyed this volume of the Thunderbolts a lot, particularly Diggle's portion of it. The pacing was great. Diggle kept throwing out unpredictable cliffhangers with a bunch of twists and turns. I like how he unveiled Norman's skills as a tactician. He's not just an insane man with more power than any one man should have, he also has a brilliant mind and when he uses it, it's probably his most dangerous weapon. Of course the added appearance of Nick Fury even though we find out it was a L.M.D. only made this more exciting.
Rick Remender's issue wasn't bad, but in comparison to the first four issues it's definitely inferior. It was nice to see Iron Fist and Luke Cage though. One thing I didn't care for was some of Luke Cage's dialogue. A little too much in my opinion. But the fight scenes were pretty cool and overall it was a pretty fun issue to read.
The art is by Miguel Sepulveda, Pop Mhan and Carlos Rodriguez. Overall I enjoyed the artwork. It was a perfect fit for this series. The dark tone matched the characters personalities. At times I didn't like the way certain characters faces were drawn but other than that the art was pretty solid.
I would definitely recommend reading this if you're a fan of the Thunderbolts. Andy Diggle did a great job with the series. What makes this particular comic worthwhile is the battle of wits rather than just a battle of fists.
Rating: 4/5