Thunder Agents 2

What you need to know: The team goes out on it's first mission.


What you'll love

Nick Spencer: I've taken to calling Nick Spencer the Kevin Durant of comics. My reasoning is that much like Durant, Spencer is immensely talented and on the verge of becoming a household name. In my opinion, Spencer is every bit as good as comics' top tier writers, it's just a matter of time before the rest of the world recognizes it.

BKV: It's very silly to compare writers, especially in the context of someone being the "next _____(insert famous writer). However Spencer's work on this book has reminded me of Brian K Vaughan, Spencer's voice in this book speaks to the frailty of the human condition in way that he doesn't in his other works. Another way Spencer reminds me of BKV is in how intelligent, well researched and clever his scripts are.


Art: It's simply beautiful. Seemingly a cast of thousand's worked on this issue, this is usually a bad sign but it worked. Cafu is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists and Cris Cross' work on theLighting's backstory captures the character's emotions brilliantly. It's moving stuff.


Grown up superheroes: I need depth in my comics, Thunder Agents is not a series of senseless action scenes, with men in capes punching each other. It's something much more creative and resonant. It's about life, how short it is and how the choices we make shape who we are.

What you won't

Story development: Realistically, the first two issues have been exposition. I for one enjoy when exposition is done well, it's the foundation of the rest of the story. That being said, these guys still haven't actually finished their mission yet.


Bottom Line: Nick Spencer's meteoric rise continues in this installment. I'm beginning to enjoy this book more than Morning Glories.(Which is saying a LOT)

GRADE: A

Thunder Agents 1

What you need to know: Would you rather burn out or fade away? That's the question at the heart of this bold new series about a group of people who, for one reason or another, are at their wits' end until they're offered a chance to become superheroes. The catch? Their powers will kill them.

Writer Nick Spencer (Morning Glories) and artist CAFU (WAR OF THE SUPERMEN) present a fresh take on the classic comics property, starring a new batch of recruits brought in to take over the original agents' mantles and make some difficult choices of their own - all while dealing with global threats the rest of the DCU doesn't even know exist!


What you'll love

Nick Spencer: is the Kevin Durant of comics.(Hopefully you're basketball fans) It's become trite to say that Spencer is up and coming, mostly because at this point, he's just coming. All of Spencer's books have a unique voice, and Thunder Agents is no different. Agents is a nice contrast to Morning Glories in that it gives Spencer more room to flex his intellectual muscles. Even though this is Spy Fi, Spencer can show more of his hand than he can is a mysterious story like Morning glories. In this issue he shows a cleverness and a voice that reminded me of Brian K Vaughn.

Opening Scene: Screenwriters say that the first ten pages are the most important in a script. In comics the same is true, but the time frame is more condensed. Starting with a bang is always nice, but equally nice is for a writer to present an intriguing premise and draw the reader in. I especially love the camera angle that the story starts with. Very unique, it's a credit to Cafu and Spencer.

Art: Speaking of up and coming, Cafu's art in this issues is spectacular, this issue alone announces his arrival onto the big stage. Though Cafu's action scenes are heart stopping, it's the quiet emotional scenes that truly resonate. He actually did something I'v never seen done in a comic. On page 18 he perfectly conveys the coyish, response of a woman that doesn't want to like a guy but still does. Rarely do comic artist do well with complex and/or conflicting emotions, Cafu knocks it out of the park.

Spy Fi: Fans bitch and moan about the lack of crime comics, but in reality there's been a resurgence. Truthfully one of the most neglected sub-genres is espionage. As a huge Spy-Fi fan it's great to see a well thought out tale of subterfuge and skulduggery.

Cliffhanger: Nothing Spencer does is cliche, it would have been very easy to end this issue on a literal cliffhanger, with the heroes facing impending physical doom. Instead Nick unleashes the hook of the series, and believe me it's a doozy.


What you won't

Confusing: I was very sleepy when I started reading this issue, and frankly my brain hurt, in a good way. I found myself having to go back and make sure I understood what was going on, which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing. I think there should be a level of convulsion in any good spy tale. If you like Spy fiction the word triple agent simply rolls off the tongue. However if' you're looking for knock em sock em action(and only that) then this probably isn't the book for you.

Bottom Line: Spencer continues his breakout year with another strong offering. Thunder Agents is everything I hoped Secret Avengers would be.

Grade: A