The Thunder Agents Companion
Among the publishers cashing in on the mid-1960s superhero craze was upstart Tower Comics withT.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, about a team of superpowered spies (the title was an acronym, likeU.N.C.L.E.inThe Man from). The series lasted only three years, but the heroes, created by comic-book legend Wally Wood and drawn by such top artists as Spider-Man cocreator Steve Ditko and E.C. veterans Reed Crandall and Al Williamson, proved durable enough that several small-time publishers resurrected them in the 1980s and '90s, though with scant success. Fans fondly recall the original stories, and that presumably prompted this exhaustive compendium that includes interviews or profiles of every writer and artist who tackled the characters, a checklist of all the stories, copious artwork (much previously unpublished), tribute drawings by the alt-comics likes of James Kochalka and Jay Stephens, and two never-before-seen stories by fan favorite Paul Gulacy. If some may feel too much attention is given to the series' various, misbegotten revivals, major emphasis is definitely laid on the title's original incarnation.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved