Thunderbolts #125

Overall- Gah! I really, really liked this comic and I really, really didn't want to. Christos Gage(Writer) has done an absolutely fantastic job with this storyline, which coming from me, considering my blind hatred of "Secret Invasion" is a minor miracle.

I'll be honest with you, I loved the old Thunderbolts. The original team with Kurt Busiek as writer and Mark Bagley as artist. The Zemo led team was one of my favorite teams, period. I also enjoyed the series when Fabian Nicieza was the writer. However, when Warren Ellis took over, I was less then thrilled. He basically changed the entire team, and transformed them into something unrecognizable. After Ellis left, Gage took over and I have really enjoyed his portrayal of the team. Hell, he's even made me into a fan of Norman Osborn, a character I always saw as pretty one dimensional.

The comic itself was great, especially the way Osborn pandered to the reporters at every available opportunity. I loved the way Osborn took time out of fighting the Skrulls to give a quick interview, thus making sure all of America knew he was actively defending them. I find myself really enjoying Osborn's character more and more with each passing issue. Even though this was a part of Secret Invasion, the story revolved around the Thunderbolts, as opposed to the Skrulls, which I was very happy about. The Tbolts tore the Skrulls they encountered apart, which pleased me to no end.

Like I said, the Thunderbolts crossover into Secret Invasion has, for me at least, been the most enjoyable Secret Invasion comics I've read thus far. From me that is HIGH praise. Unfortunately, the last page announces the arrival of a new creative team, which is upsetting, since Gage seemed to have such a good feel for the characters in this book. As for a score, this comic deserves no less then an 8 out of 10, and I was tempted to go even higher then that. With today being Election Day, I can say wholeheartedly, Norman Osborn for President!