"Everybody's big and imposing," explained write Jeff Parker of how his latest artistic collaborator Kev Walker is presenting the cast of Marvel's "Thunderbolts" in the wake of May's Heroic Age makeover for the villain-turned-hero team.

However, unlike many other titles getting a facelift next month, the Thunderbolts have a harder road ahead of them to become publicly accepted heroes – even under the supervision of Avenger Luke Cage. "Everybody feels like 'I had a run of bad luck and fell in with the wrong people,"' the writer said. "That's a big part of the program: to try and get them with the right people so they can start making better decisions. They don't have to work for Norman Osborn all the time. They can get out and be inspired by what Luke's doing. It's not a completely optimistic program, and they know there's a high failure rate with this thing. They just kind of feel, 'Well, we're going to get some jobs that need to be done done.'

"This is essentially a prisoner work program but instead of going out there and busting rocks, they're busting heads."

And the cast that Parker and Walker have drafted out of The Raft maximum security prison present a wide range of characters ready to either shape up or have a showdown with the leadership. Below, BOTH the writer and artist take CBR on a first look tour of his major players accompanied by exclusive design sketches. From new players like Juggernaut and Crossbones to classic T-Bolts including the Fixer and Songbird, the team promised that the series will take the tough way to redemption starting with May's issue #144.

The Thunderbolts definitely aren't  Off-Topic.