Staff Picks (Jun13): T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1
May 17, 2013
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Publisher: IDW Publishing
When the original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents first appeared it was unique. First its price, 25 cents was not the norm, we were just getting over going from STILL 10 CENTs to 12 cents and now a new company with new characters wanted 25 cents. It was hard enough to come up with 25 cents for those great DC annuals. But the characters and the creators made 25 cents seem like a bargain imagine a comic book with art by the likes of Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, Mike Sekowsky, and Reed Crandall and featuring heroes like Dynamo, NoMan, Lightning, Raven, The Thunder Squad, and one of the ultimate femme fatales, Iron Maiden.
There have been many other incarnations of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents over the years from JC Comics and Archie’s Red Circle to Texas Comics and their appearance in Justice Machine Annual, Deluxe Comics’ Wally Wood’s Thunder Agents with work by George Pérez, Dave Cockrum, Jerry Ordway, and Keith Giffen. The attempts at a reboot by DC Comics at least lead to hardcover collections of the Tower Comics. A recent reboot featuring the classic Tower characters years past their prime and a new generation coming on board.
Now IDW who has a knack for revitalizing classic lines of comics is bringing Len Brown and company back in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 by Phil Hester and Andrea Di Vito with the added bonus of a subscriber’s cover by Jerry Ordway whose art and inking style is a constant homage to Wally Wood. I became a fan of Phil when I read The Wretch and enjoyed Di Vito’s work when it first appeared from Crossgen. The combination of this writer and artist are sure to honor the past while creating its own legacy for new readers and I can’t wait to see Andrea’s interpretation of the Iron Maiden.
As an added bonus for fans, IDW is also collecting the first four issues of the original Tower Comic series in trade paperbacks for the first time, giving us a true chance to relive a bit of the Silver Age of Comics that was more than just DC and Marvel.
~ Steve Leaf
In Stores: 08/21/13
