T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents - Archives, Volume 4 [Hardcover]

Various (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Combining two fads of the mid-1960s-- the spy craze and the comic-book superhero revival--T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents depicted an outfit of superpowered James Bonds. Dynamo's belt conferred superstrength and invulnerability, Noman had a cloak of invisibility, and Lightning's costume enabled him to run superfast. The trendy concept wouldn't have amounted to much had not comics legend Wally Wood been enlisted to develop characters and recruit top-notch artists, initially including himself. By the time the contents of this volume of DC's deluxe reprinting of the comic were created, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was running out of steam after only a year. Wood worked on just two of these 20 stories; second- and third-rate hands drew most of the others. The exception is a story written and drawn by the underservedly obscure Manny Stallman, whose singular style encompasses the broad panache of early comics and storytelling sophistication that still impresses today. Earlier series volumes are better, but even the relatively lackluster examples in this one demonstrate the lightweight fun that makes T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents fondly remembered to this day. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401201520
• ISBN-13: 978-1401201524
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,816,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Great After Four Volumes, November 18, 2004

By 

Ian Fowler (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents - Archives, Volume 4 (Hardcover)

While I'm not sure that "T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents" was running out of steam as the above review suggests, it certainly wasn't quite as snappy in 1966-7 as it was when it started. Some of that might be due to the formula of several stories per 64-page issue, as well as attempts to spin the characters off into their own series. This Archive volume reprints only one issue of "T.H.U.N.D.E.R.Agents" proper (#11). It also includes the third and last issue of "Dynamo", and both issues of "Noman". The prodigious amount of material combined with the small status of publisher Tower had to have taken its toll.

Nonetheless, under genius Wally Wood's direction, even basically average material is pretty good, and there are a couple of truly standout stories contained in this volume. The best, in my opinion, is the Noman story, "The Good Subterranean". In this story, a Subterranean scientist, one of the last of the race whose attacks on the surface world lead to the formation of T.H.U.N.D.E.R., arrives at T.H.U.N.D.E.R. h.q., seeking asylum. Noman's efforts to integrate former enemy into society are met with prejudice and hate. Ultimately, the Subterranean gives his life in a heroic manner.

What amazed me about this story is its relevance to 1966 as well as 2004. Naturally, this is a story about prejudice at the time of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., while at the same time dealing with the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust. I also connected this story with our own post-9/11 world, in which we are fighting a war against terror, while trying to distinguish between "good" Muslims and "bad" ones. The plea for education and understanding reverberates nicely.

Another fun story is "Understudy for Dynamo". As the title says, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. brass decide to create substitutes for their super-agents. "Dynamite" Dan Atkins, a member of the THUNDER Squad for the role. What follows, while cliched, is an example of pitch-perfect comedic timing, as Dan finds himself completely inept in his use of the Dynabelt, causing misery for himself and the rest of his team. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times at this story.

Whether they're fighting terrorist groups, mad scientists, unknown aliens, or super-powered communists, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents is a fun ride, even today. There are, by my count, two volumes left in this series, and I look forward to both of them. Between DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics respective archive series, nostalgia fans have a lot of Silver Age material to read in affordable reprint editions.