Thunderbolts by Warren Ellis, Vol. 1: Faith in Monsters (v. 1) [Hardcover]

Warren Ellis (Author), Mike Deodato (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2007

Venom, lethal protector! The enigmatic Moonstone! Bullseye, the man who never misses! Songbird, mistress of sound! Chen Lu, the Radioactive Man! Swordsman, master of the blade! The mystery man called Penance! And Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin! They're America's newest celebrities, ready to take to the skies at a moment's notice in pursuit of those secret, unregistered superhumans hiding among us! They're the All-New, All-Deadly Thunderbolts - making the world a safer place for ordinary people one would-be costumed hero at a time! In the wake of Civil War, Warren Ellis and Mike Deodato present a dark and disturbing take on Marvel's Most Wanted, where the line between hero and villain is difficult to find - if it exists at all! Collects Thunderbolts #110-115, and Thunderbolts Special.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (October 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078512568X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785125686
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.6 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,258,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WARREN ELLIS is an author, graphic novelist, columnist and speaker. His new novel, GUN MACHINE, was released by Mulholland Books in January 2013, and is being developed for television by Chernin Entertainment and FOX.

CROOKED LITTLE VEIN, his last novel, was described by Joss Whedon as "Funny, inventive and blithely appalling... Dante on paint fumes."

His graphic novel RED was made into a successful film starring Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren, and its sequel film is released in August 2013. His other graphic novels, including TRANSMETROPOLITAN, PLANETARY, GLOBAL FREQUENCY and FREAKANGELS, have won multiple awards, including a Lifetime Achievement prize from the Eagle Awards and the NUIG Lit & Deb's President's Medal in recognition of support for free speech. MINISTRY OF SPACE became the first graphic novel to win the Sidewise Award for alternate history fiction. His GRAVEL sequence of graphic novels has been optioned by Legendary Pictures, with Tim Miller attached to direct.

Previously a commentator for Reuters and WIRED UK magazine, he is currently writing a weekly column for VICE.

His first non-fiction book, from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is due in 2014. He lives mostly in Britain.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular January 26, 2008

By N. Durham HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

In the aftermath of Civil War, a new team of Tunderbolts have been assembled to take down unregistered superheroes. No longer a team of former villains looking for redemption, these new Thunderbolts are operated by Norman "Green Goblin" Osborne, and consist of Songbird, Moonstone, Radioactive Man, Swordsman, Penance, Venom, and Bullseye. Kept on short leashes thanks to nanites in their blood, these new Thunderbolts embark on their first odyssee by taking down Jack Flag and the Steel Spider, all the while planning their own hidden agendas. There could not have been a better guy to tackle writing the new Thunderbolts than Warren Ellis, as his characterizations of the characters are what really make Thunderbolts: Faith in Monsters so good. From a severely bipolar and Spider-Man obsessed Norman Osborne, to the masochistic Penance ,to the ever deadly and murderous Bullseye; Ellis' Thunderbolts are edgy, entertaining, and incredibly enjoyable. The artwork from Mike Deodato only adds to Ellis' dark tale, and is stellar work as well from an artist that we don't see enough of these days. All in all, the first volume of Warren Ellis' smashing new take on the Thunderbolts is definitely worth picking up for Thunderbolts and/or Ellis fans, and even if you're not, you should still give Faith in Monsters a look.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Really. Really. Good. October 2, 2007

By B. Padesky

Format:Hardcover

This revamp of the Tbolts series is more than anyone could ask for. The premise of a group of government sponsored supervillains masquerading (it's really about all you can call it with the exception of the honest intentions of Songbird and Radioactive Man) as law enforcement and bringing in D-list Marvel heroes is awesome. Deodato's art is dark and fits the book well and Ellis' writing is quick, smart, and enjoyable. Overall this series was great in single issues but the story flows better in trade form and provides for an extremly fun and rewarding read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of my favorite Thunderbolts run May 18, 2010

By Kurt Conner VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a new direction for the Thunderbolts, and it's nothing short of amazing. The Thunderbolts started out as villains pretending to be heroes and finding that they were slowly becoming what they pretended to be. It was a potentially fascinating study of involuntary redemption, and although it was generally too comic-booky (long dialogue exchanges during fight scenes, Silver Age grandstanding from Zemo, etc.), the premise was strong. In this volume, Ellis and Deodato explore something else. This time, the villains use their own identities and engage in what is officially a public service sanctioned by the post-Civil War U.S. government. Their mission is to round up superheroes who have refused to register, and this book presents a few of their efforts toward that end. The kicker, though, is that in Ellis' capable hands, these characters have no desire for redemption. They each work with their own ulterior motives, creating some deliciously soapy subplots (at one point, Moonstone refers to "wheels within wheels," which is a perfect way to characterize the interactions among team members), and the violence is over the top. I believe the intention is to make a political statement about the activities the general public was tolerating (or even approving) in a post-9/11 world, but this works just as well as a story on its own. It has a limb-chomping monster roaming the streets with a self-mutilating emo teen, a sociopathic psychiatrist, a semi-virtuous veteran heroine willing to cross ethical boundaries to get what she wants, and more. I love these characters, the way Ellis pairs them up in surprising and satisfying ways, and the gorgeous Deodato artwork. I must warn potential readers: this is a dark book, with violence and unredeemed nastiness, and the three extra stories at the end are not really worth reading, but for fans of the characters or of a superbly-crafted comic book story, this volume is an exhilarating ride.