Marvel announced that Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato will be handling the writing and art chores on the Thunderbolts in the near future. I have mixed feelings about this upcoming change in creators. On the one hand, I think that Warren Ellis has a great take on the super hero genre as exemplified by his creation Planetary. However, seeing the new cast of characters that he will be using is not something that appeals to me. Venom? The Green Goblin? Bullseye? All three of those characters elicit a groan from me. Thankfully Songbird will still be there and Moonstone will also be making a return. As for Deodato and his pencil style, I have to say that I like it.
Thunderbolts has not been a part of my monthly reading for some time, but it is a title that always hovers on the periphery for me. I was not there at the start, but once I became aware of the book through seeing Melissa in Avengers Forever, I gave it a try. Plus Busiek was writing it at the time so that also sweetened the allure. Finally there was the underlying theme of people who had made mistakes in their lives trying to be better people. I have no idea if Ellis is going to continue this approach or go off in a new direction.
I have to wonder as others have online if this change was sparked in response to the success of the DC title The Secret Six written by the very talented Gail Simone.
