(Tower Books, 1966) Although this comic book was never particularly popular during its 1965-1969 run, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R agents (an awkward backronym built around the U.N. developing a super squad) was launched spectacularly with an origin adventure crafted by a true master. Wally Wood's art and visual storytelling makes this really solid narrative pop better than many 60s Marvel masterpieces. The team is magnificently absurd: Dynamo- a top recruit given a superbelt that makes him a man of steel for a few minutes until he becomes super weak; Noman - an elderly genius who transfers his body into a series of robots (switching shells when they get destroyed)...plus he has an invisibility cape; Menthor - a traitor who wears a helmet that turns him into a super-telekinetic telepath - and turns him unwittingly ethical and loyal to the U.S. (plus, I assume he also smokes menthols). Wood's breathtaking art would be enough to put his over the top of the top, but throwing in a sexy, armored, bondage villain called Iron Maiden is just more than we deserve. This group has been revived a few times and reprinted in high quality editions more than once, but this weird 25 cent pocket paperback with art reproduced horizontally and vertically at random and an advertising insert for Lasalle Extension University correspondence school bound in the middle is clearly the best way to read this trash masterpiece.
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