The first issue of this series was just boring. The central scene was Red Hulk recruiting the Punisher. There were a bunch of smaller scenes where he hired Deadpool, Electra and Venom, but they had very little characterization. There was no story development, and the art just looked silly. This issue doesn’t fare much better, but at least we now know why Red Hulk is putting together his new team.
This comic kind of feels like the first Expendables movie, only with Marvel characters instead of beefy Hollywood stars. Thunderbolt Ross is aiming to take down dictators and powerful evildoers around the world – the kinds of dictators that various armies around the world won’t find the time for. In concept, that’s not a bad idea – too bad this comic is just as boring as the last.
Like the last issue, there is virtually no characterization here. Even then, their actions feel out of character. Deadpool and Electra retreat when their threatened by a measly 12 soldiers or so. This should be an easy fight for them – Deadpool exceeds this feat on his own on a regular basis, and Electra should be able to as well. It’s also weird that all of these soldiers were charging towards them immediately after they snuck onto their docks, and a submarine was waiting for them. How did they not see the submarine when they just swam to the dock – with diving gear? How did anyone know they had arrived? There’s also a weird, and seemingly pointless flashback that throws this entire issue’s continuity into question.
The art isn’t good either. Red Hulk doesn’t look as big as he should, and there are times when the Punisher’s face makes him look like a woman. There’s one panel where the Punisher holds a giant gamma weapon like it’s a handgun – there’s no way he should be that strong. There’s barely any detail on anything, and there’s one scene where Venom attacks a small band of soldiers, and one of the soldiers looks like he’s falling asleep in the middle of the fight.
This comic wasn’t good at all. It’s not terrible, but it’s just boring. The more effort you put into analyzing this issue, the harder it is to follow. The art might actually be worse than the writing itself. I’m not sure who would enjoy this issue, so I won’t recommend it to anyone. The more I think about it, the less I like it. I won’t be picking up issue 3.
healed1337 
Pingback: Comics of December 19, 2012 | healed1337
Lame. Way’s a bad writer, the artist is bad, everything’s bad.
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The only good thing about this book is the concept – sort of. A team of ex-superheroes or villains taking on real world problems such as evil dictators could be good in better hands. Peter David made it work fairly well in his “Lady Liberators” She Hulk storyline.
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