Ben Oliver has popped up in various corners of the Marvel U over the last couple years, but I've never really felt like he was able to find his niche. Maybe Thunderbolts is that niche. Oliver brings a laid-back, European flair to his figure work that suits quieter, interpersonal moments well. His main problem has always been rendering action sequences. Perhaps he's worked on that problem over the past months, because I actually liked what I saw all around. Just as I could grow to accept Gage as the regular writer for Thunderbolts, I wouldn't be upset if Oliver became regular artist. The biggest problem with Reason in Madness is that the page count limits what should have been a slightly longer story. With more room and greater freedom to tell stories, Gage and Oliver could do some very interesting things with these characters. Read Full Review
It'll be interesting to see how much Gage's future run on "Thunderbolts" builds off the one-shots he's been responsible for. Even if they never get referenced again, they're all stories of reasonably high entertainment value that are worth a read if only for the fact that they're nice, single-issue character stories. If they never become anything more than that, well, that's still enough to justify their existence. Read Full Review
The team of Gage, Ben Oliver, Jose Villarrubia and company is proof that a team of people can get something done and done well (basically undermining my cynical stance on group dynamics, oh well). Gage isn't as dark as Ellis, but he knows how to spin a pretty good yarn. His one shots of The Thunderbolts not only set the stage for his taking over the on-going but they, especially Reason in Madness, also prove he's keyed into what makes this team tick Read Full Review
Overall, Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness is a decent enough read, though hardly necessary. It's worth picking up if you need a Thunderbolts fix (like me), but just make sure to keep your expectations in check. Read Full Review
I get that this is a spin-off one-shot but man what a nothing issue. "International Incident" wasn't amazing but it felt like it had a progression.
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