Has this classic superhero overstayed his re-emergence into the comic book world?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The plots thicken in “Discovering Japan,” as Thunderbolt meets his abductor-the deadly Master Tiger-and is forced to fight for his life. Meanwhile, men in high places are planning to destroy the peace that Peter Cannon has created… and an old enemy prepares to make his entrance.

The story of Peter Cannon has been steadily increasing its political themes and aspirations as the characters own various intricacies begin to be bubble to the surface.  What we have here is a man who believes in his mission wholeheartedly and yet he doesn’t trust the world around him.  He’s so ready and willing to save everyone from themselves but he seems to have issues dealing with people one-on-one, and the creative team brilliantly plays off of this even if some of the results are a bit cumbersome.

Steve Darnall and Alex Ross pen the script and the dynamic duo offer a thoroughly engaging romp.  There are moments of cornball antics, lapses in reason and scenes full of spectacle but overall this is a very solid read with a competent enough main character.  Our protagonist is going on a rather personal journey in a very public way and from that angle the authors attack the emotions therein head on, but they also overburden it with unnecessary exposition.  This ultimately yields a rather slow moving but entertaining adventure.

Jonathan Lau‘s art is the single best part of this comic book series, as his pencil strokes brilliantly uplift the narrative while placing its more outlandish elements on some rather firm ground.  He seamlessly moves from the fantastical scenes to the more down to Earth ones with subtle pencil strokes that add just enough detail to make the story work.  The end result is an exceptional visual experience.

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #3 is a very good entry complete with an excellent twist that readers more than likely will not see coming.  Recommended.

3.5/5