Thunderbolts #30 SPOILERS

[tsaimelemoni]

Essentially, this issue played out logically. We get an expansion on the character's history, which gives Frank the chance to tell the audience he knows he's outclassed. This is cemented with a flashback to a more recent training excercise, where Elektra pretty much demonstrates she could kill him without having to try.

Cutting back to the present, Elektra helps Frank up, and is willing to help him take down Ross, when he attacks. This doesn't last long (because Elektra's awesome and Frank knows it), and we are at an impasse because neither truly wants to kill the other. Frank returns an item of emotional significance, signaling the end of their conflict and their relationship.

A surprise! Frank does taunt Elektra with her brother's death, like a poster speculated after last issue. However, any subtlety and nuance that Way (I know) and Soule suggested goes out the window when Elektra reveals she paused when she did all those months ago so that Frank would do what he did. I don't like this, because if Elektra wanted him dead she would have done it herself. But, especially with her martial superiority, they couldn't have her get mad because she would have killed Frank, giving us a jarringly abrupt end to the book!

Anyway, outside of that one thing, I think Elektra was handled well. I would have preferred Frank accept her offer of assistance in taking down Ross (she's already stabbed him in the neck, and Frank probably is aware of this), but we all know Frank is too stubborn.

Oh yeah, Hawkeye finds out that these folks are the new Tbolts, and have been killing. Two issues to go people!

[UltimateTy]

So Elektra was there when Frank's family was murdered or did I read that wrong?

[tsaimelemoni]

Yeah, that was something else they shoe-horned in, not sure what the point was.

[Bionder]

It was a nice issue, i'm not a big fan of this artwork, Frank was ok, but Elektra was horrible. I didn't like the fact that Frank give a "present" to Elektra, it's way out of character. But i understand why he couldn't kill her. I couldn't understand the point of her being "indirectly" related to the mob hit that victimized Frank's family.

Gladly all of sudden they didn't make Frank a master ninja who could beat Elektra in h2h or something like that, even Ennis in his Punisher run make him outclassed comparing to her. She was always one step forward and in a way this "battle" between him and her ended well.

[Haquim]

Personally I don't endorse the idea "the punisher should be able to take on anyone" this last storyline seems to endorse (seemingly coming out "Punisher vs the Marvel Universe"), but considering I loathed the idea of someone as spiritual as Elektra with someone as damaged as Frank I think I'm rather happy with the outcome of this particular issue. Better if she would have never even considered him as a partner though.

[tsaimelemoni]

Yeah, I am glad their relationship is over. Soule added some nice wrinkles, but ultimately it was a bad idea.

[Punisher007]

Not really, I was fine with it.

[tsaimelemoni]

Not really, I was fine with it.

Yes really, I was not fine with it.

But more seriously, it was a kind of weird thing. Their relationship arguably made them the most developed characters (or they were at least writer's pets), so I didn't mjnd that they received such heavy focus. I could be biased, but as an example, their brief roles in the No Mercy arc were more interesting than the 'main' story. However, I think both of these characters could have seen development and focus that wasn't contingent upon them banging each other. And really, after Soule's first issue, I felt like they had no reason to stay together, even if he put most of the soul (lol) into the pairing.

As much as Way did a half-ass job on the book, he at least was giving Elektra a layer (her relationship with her brother) outside of her physical relationship with Frank, and it appeared his CIA/Avengers story was going to be kicked off by Elektra's identity being tagged as classified after the events in Dagestan. And even if it stemmed from their pairing, I liked the antagonistjc relationship between Frank and Wade that was developing. I know they kinda kept it, but itfelt very watered down once Way left.

I don't know. I just think both characters are better off not being together, even if their relationship was the most stable thing about this book,

[Of Atlantis]

I don't know much about the Punisher/Elektra relationship as I haven't read Thunderbolts from the beginning, but Punisher seemed way out of character here. I can't picture him getting attached to anyone like that. And Elektra being present during the mob hit added absolutely nothing to either character. And the whole business with the heart thing. It's like a cat bringing you a dead mouse its just killed. Just weird and came off as really psychopathic lol.

Also not sure how Frank was holding Ghost Rider's skull at the beginning, despite Johnny walking away last issue. Confusing art all throughout really. That leveled sequence started at a weird spot on the splash page and by the time I saw it, I'd already read through most of the dialogue, which didn't make sense since I was reading it in the wrong order.

[Bookem Danno]

I love that cover!

That and the story made up for the less than attractive art. It's really odd how theyr're tying Hawkeye into this arc - I hope it isn't a cop out twist that it is all his hallucination from a Faustus tranq. On the other hand, it's really hard to rationalize the previous killings Frank did and like it.
Preview.
TBOLTS2012030-DC11-036f5.jpg

[scouse mouse]

Finally read my copy and I thought it was okay, but I'm totally fine with this book ending now. I thought the ending if the Punisher/Elektra "relationship" was handled as well as could be expected and I'm glad Punisher couldn't even come close to beating her. Elektra hugging him seemed a bit off and I can only assume continuity wise Thunderbolts ended before her current ongoing started because she definitely comes across as more closed off in that. I also have no idea why they said that Elektra was present at the murder of Frank's family because that makes no sense continuity wise. Punisher was already active way before Elektra was ever recruited to be Kingpin's assassin! The fact that the writers showed enough continuity knowledge to reference Punisher #27 and then do that seems odd?

[tsaimelemoni]

Absolutely. It made it seem like they just need to pad out the issue.

[Talkie Toaster]

I haven't been following this comic in a while.
Is the Leader still in it?

[Bionder]

I haven't been following this comic in a while.
Is the Leader still in it?

No, Frank killed him with Dr. Faustus. Personally i don't believe this happened but let's wait and see. Until now it's supposed to be real.

[Talkie Toaster]

That's a shame.
Eh well, he's come back from the dead before