AVENGERS VS THUNDERBOLTS #2

Finding out Zemo's plans, the Avengers turn their back on a member because of his past in order to infiltrate the ranks of the Thunderbolts. The infiltrator causes the Thunderbolts to doubt their actions and after finding out the Thunderbolts plans, he begins to have doubts himself wondering if they are doing the right thing themselves. Meanwhile an Avenger finds out that his teammates have betrayed his trust.

Who do you trust and whom can you trust are the questions that keep this story interesting as Fabian and Busiek weave a tangled web of deceit and mistrust throughout the ranks of each team in this issue. Fabian and Busiek use a bit of roll reversal by having the Avengers trick the world into believing they are doing good when in fact they are breaking the law to achieve their goals. They also use the inner weaknesses of various characters to make things even more interesting. Revealing the identity of the infiltrator at the end of the issue is classic THUNDERBOLTS storytelling and none too surprising if the reader pays close attention to the story and dialog.

The artwork is not as crisp as it was in the first issue. Kitson's departure from the both the title and Marvel, signing an exclusive deal with DC, are the cause of this. He shows inconsistencies between the two issues and falls into a pattern. The characters look too stiff during the fight scenes, Atlas has lost what seemed like a tattoo from the first issue, and some images look like images found on the covers. Despite Kitson's pencils Erskine does as good of a job with the inks as anyone could expect. Reber's colors blend well and give texture to the various surfaces found throughout the issue.

Story: 10/10
Artwork: 6/10
Overall: 7/10