Books I'm Reading this week

Buying -
Firestorm #27
X-men #188
If my store has Escapists #1, which I doubt it, i'll get that also.
Superman #654

Borrowing-
Iron Man #10
Civil War Frontline #3
Green Lantern #10
Thunderbolts #104

Flipping Through -
52 #10
Walking Dead #29
Green Arrow #64

Already Ordered Online -
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Vol 1 Super Crush TP Digest
Avengers Assemble Vol 3 HC

Red Headed Stepchild Review

It's Wednesday, so here is a review. If I have time, I'll throw some stuff up. Next stop on the list is the underappreciated Thunderbolts: How to Lose. This book was a five dollar special I picked up from the discount pile at Forbidden Planet and is one of my favorite books dollar by dollar.

Thunderbolts: How to Lose
Marvel Comics (November 2003)
Reprints: Thunderbolts 76-81
Written by: John Arcudi
Drawn by: Francisco Ruiz Velasco

Plot:
What if you're a former supervillain whose abilities make you the target of other, more powerful supervillains - as well as a pushover for defeat at the hands of superheroes? And what if you're trying to reform, to walk the straight-and-narrow path? Do you keep slaving away for minimum wage at a go-nowhere job, or do you make one last grab for fame - by busting heads? Daniel Axum, formerly the Battler, was beaten and sent to prison by Spider-Man. Now he's out, but he can't escape the feeling that he's watching the third strike in his last-chance life as it blows right by him - until opportunity springs from a dark choice. Does Axum, who did his time and is desperately trying to keep his life in order, stick to the straight and narrow, or is there something else?

Story:
This is the first piece of work I have read by Arcudi, and I have to say I greatly enjoy it. I wasn't reading Thunderbolts before this book but since this is a complete shift from its original premise, it didn't effect reading the book. You get to follow Axum as he makes some intresting decisions with his life and his powers. I loved how this book was not played off as a straight forward superhero book. There is no hero here or losers. Arcudi shows several characters making questionable choices that are not far from similar ones that people make in real life. The ending at first appears rushed, but when you look back at the story you can see why Danny makes that final choice.

Art:
The story allows for several action sequences that Velasco delivers. There is something about his hyper exaggerated style that looks great with shots of people with black eyes and puffy lips. It's a great juxtopization of violence and cartoony fun that makes this a great book.

This book gets alot of heat for being one of the handful of Thunderbolts trades but not being an actual Thunderbolts book. It's a shame, because this story stands on its own and if it had been called anything else, people would love it more.

Highly Recommended!