There are comics I pick up just out of nostalgia, and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is one of them.
I loved the original series back in the '60s - the stories were over the top and a heck of a lot of fun.
For years the title floated in comic book limbo as the question of who actually owned the rights was settled. Presumably that's all been sorted out, as DC tried its hand a few years ago (unsuccessfully), and now IDW is taking a crack at it - also, so far, unsuccessfully.
This series is somewhat more successful than DC's version, if just because they've returned to the basic concept - T.H.U.N.D.E.R. is an organization dedicated to protecting the world from powerful terrorist groups, such as the one headed up by the mysterious Iron Maiden.
The reason the title doesn't work is - well, the good guys are all doofuses (or jerks). Dynamo (Len Brown) was never the brightest bulb, but here's he's just a lunkhead, thrown into a desperate effort to stop Iron Maiden from taking over a secret installation.
But the area is crawling with T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, making the whole thing look like a training exercise. And after two full issues, we only get to the big confrontation at the end of this issue - and nothing is really resolved.
I applaud the efforts to include some humor in this series, but the whole thing just feels lackadaisical, with no sense of urgency. This series should have hit the ground running and built from there - instead, it's still advancing at a snail's pace.
Maybe the next revival will get it right.
Grade: C+
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