Marvel reveals new ‘Thunderbolts’ comic, starring Winter Soldier as leader
Bucky Barnes is my Captain America!, man. But until he can fulfill that role in the movies (I’m. Waiting.), I imagine I will have to be happy to accept him as the Winter Soldier in the comics too. Speaking of Barnes in comics, it appears that he’s going to be leading a new iteration of Thunderbolts.
Marvel has revealed the full line-up of the new Thunderbolts, as well as the book’s creative team of writer Jim Zub and artist Jon Malin. This is Zub’s first superhero book, but he’s already done plenty of great work on Samurai Jack, Skullkickers, Dungeons & Dragons, and his current image series Wayward. Malin, meanwhile, has previously handled art on Youngblood, New Warriors, and Cable & Deadpool.
Most of the members of the team are original old school Thunderbolts, except for a mysterious little ghost of some kind, and their new leader, Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Adding Bucky to the Thunderbolts seems pretty inspired. He exists in the same sort of moral gray area that this team always has, and this will give him something to do besides hang out with the various Captains America.
The new series launches out of the events in the upcoming Avengers Standoff event. Here’s what Malin and Zub had to say about the book over at Marvel.com:
“Super villains looking for redemption I think is the ultimate strength and heart of Thunderbolts and sets it apart from everything out there,” argues Malin. “These characters have done very bad things—willingly. No one mind controlled them, they made choices of their own free will and that can never be fully taken back. That motivates me beyond belief to tell this story.”
“We all look for redemption in one form or another, this is universal and that’s the appeal,” he continues. “Also the lesson of be careful who you trust because when you need them the most they might not be the person you thought they were. They may, in fact, be the one putting the knife in your back, willingly and without hesitation.”
“Doing the right thing is different than being ‘good,’” Zub elaborates. “We’ve assembled a potent mix of characters to explore that theme with big drama, big action, and unexpected twists along the way. The new team is stacked with powerful personalities and a mission that’s going to tear them up and get right to their core. I’m excited about putting them in tough spots and letting the sparks fly.”