Volume 56: Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters

Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters

Author: Warren Ellis  |  Illustrator: Mike Deodato Jr.

"Maybe killing as fast as he creates makes me God's only friend."

I expected Thunderbolts to be just as bland as most of the other team-based crossovers, perhaps even more so because of the gimmicky nature of it, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

They're a super-villain strike force employed by the government to apprehend the remaining post-Civil War unregistered superheroes.

Each of the members is forced into the contract, but each will also eventually profit from inclusion; they're getting what they want, just not straight away. Until then, taking down rogue superheroes and getting paid for it is something they enjoy. So right from the start we have a situation that's a double-edged sword for everyone involved, the desperate employers and the dastardly employees.

The highlight of the book is Bullseye, the long-time thorn in Daredevil's side. Killing is an art form for Bullseye, one that he takes great pride in – but only if the subject deserves his special attentions; he'll commit multiple civilian murders but they don't sate him the same way. It would've been easy to have him always upfront, to have him lead the strikes, but instead Ellis keeps him in the background, and in so doing keeps him deadly and secretive, serving the narrative much better than he probably would otherwise.

Like Bullseye, the remainder of the team have no real loyalty to the cause or to each other. They have personal agendas that they indulge when the situations allow, and most recognise that discrediting the public's heroes is as important as capturing them.

Because we're on the darker side of the fence, the content is more adult in tone. Mistrust, selfish actions, violence for its own sake, and even references to casual sex are all treated as everyday occurrences.

There are times when it has to forego interesting character work in order to satisfy fans of explosive action, but the biggest flaw in the book isn't in its compromises, it's that the page count ends before the story does - what we get is just half a story.

The book collects together Thunderbolts #110-115; and Civil War: Choosing Sides (one-shot).

Verdict:

Volume 43: Iron Man: Extremis (2005)

Iron Man: Extremis (2005)

Author: Warren Ellis  |  Illustrator: Adi Granov

"John Pillinger says the Iron Man suit is a military application. I told him he was wrong. I'm trying to decide if I was lying."

Extremis, perhaps more than any other individual Iron Man story, is responsible for the origin and aesthetic of the first Iron Man live action film. Warren Ellis is a good writer, he's not afraid to take bold chances with existing properties and it paid off this time, mostly.

It was a new start for the character, bringing him up to date while remaining faithful to the original team of Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby. In approach, it's less superhero and more sci-fi thriller. Iron Man is a weapon, not a flying hero in metallic tights.

In an abandoned slaughterhouse a test subject is injected with a secret serum; it transforms him into something more than human. Iron Man is called in by an old friend to fix the situation but he's carrying around more baggage than just a heavy suit of armour.

It places Tony temporarily out of the convoluted continuity of the extended Marvel universe and focuses on the man; it humanises him, exposes his flaws and shows that being a high-profile millionaire isn't always just necking champagne and bedding bunny girls. When it works it's fantastic, and he still finds time to have the obligatory fight scene with people lifting cars over their heads, etc.

The real star, however, is Adi Granov's amazing art. He sketches in pencil and colours with watercolour, inks, gouache, etc. He takes that into Photoshop and renders there. It's a mix of the traditional and the new (like the story) and the result is emotionally-charged and dramatically staged panels that often tell a story without the need for words. It needs to be seen to be understood properly. It's a slow process, it took him a year and a half to complete the work, but the finished product is definitely worth the wait.

The book collects together Iron Man (Vol.4) #1-6.

Verdict: