I recently finished the latest Thunderbolts series and i hate to say it but it was a major letdown. With an amazing team consisting of Red Hulk, Punisher, Deadpool, Elektra, Venom, and Ghost Rider I was so surprised how dull and insignificant it was. There were some really awesome moments but they were so few and far between that ultimately did nothing to redeem it.
The concept behind the whole series was simple, Red Hulk forms a team of anti heroes to take on missions that the real heroes can't handle and in return Red Hulk offers each member a chance to take on a personal mission using the Thunderbolts to there disposal. One of the major issues is the team itself sadly. Alone all these characters are amazing and compelling but together there is little to no chemistry and they mostly really hate each other. There is little to no comradery, which in theory could be compelling because the team is made up of killers but in execution is just unattractive. Its missing the heart of The Punisher series, the humor of the deadpool series and the intensity of a Hulk series.
Tonally the series is also all over the place. It doesn't know if it wants to be serious or silly. For example, the inclusion of Deadpool on the team was a little confusing to me. He is such an over the top character, and genuinely hysterical but the series does a bad job balancing his zany and crazy attitude. He is never fully developed and is never given anything to do or say that's all that compelling. It never commits to one way or the other its just always surfing the middle area.
Another big issue i had with the series was its art style. The first six issues were illustrated by the late and great Steven Dillion, which were beautiful and really captured the gritty nature of the team but after the initial six issues the comic took on a more cartoony art style that i felt does not lend itself well to the series.
Although i did not like the series there were some nice moments specifically the relationship between Frank and Elektra. What starts as a violence fueled charge between the two, develops into a sweet yet highly dysfunctional romance. Another highlight is later in the series when we get a little more in depth with venom. Its was somewhat touching but super fleeting.
And that is how i remember this series, as soon as a good idea is touched or something awesome is brewing its fumble so quickly and hard. The team literally go to hell and yet i found myself super bored and uninterested. Punisher and Elektra were definitely a highlight but unfortunately not enough is done with them to keep you interested for too long. The series definitely had potential but was never utilized effectively and never truly committed resulting is a series that will probably be forgotten mere minutes after reading the next issue.