T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents 1 (August 2013)

I was expecting more from Phil Hester and especially Andrea Di Vito on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. It’s a mix of gee whiz, colorful costumes and some modern sensibilities, but Hester isn’t willing to commit fully to any of them. He’s also not willing to reward the reader much for his or her time in the first issue.

After establishing the THUNDER organization, he quickly brings in the new male hero (it’s very predictable). He’s a loose cannon, a bit hotheaded, but he’s the right man for the job. The vaguely bitchy but good-hearted woman in an authority role goes just goggly eyes on him in her first panel after he arrives.

But the Di Vito art is the real disappointment. It’s not particularly detailed and his figures are really large in their respective panels. It’s like he doesn’t want to work too hard.

And the cliffhanger is an abject failure.

CREDITS

The Judgement Tower, Part One: The Taking of Field Station 123; writer, Phil Hester; artist, Andrea Di Vito; colorist, Rom Fajardo; letterers, Shawn Lee and Chris Mowry; editors, Chris Schraff and Tom Waltz; publisher, IDW Publishing.