Editor's Note: Thunderbolts: Reason in Madness arrives in stores tomorrow, May 7.

Bad guys have more fun.

Plot: The first thing that comes to mind when observing group dynamics is "… how the hell does anything get done!?!?" True, we as a species have succeeded because we do throw in together. But anyone who has been on a team of any sort can tell you that success is probably the result of one of two things: (1) A strong leader, and (2) a complete accident.

Group dynamics are to blame. Any collection of people working together results in a pecking order, politics, alliances, power struggles and the simple fact that every person sees the same thing differently. Dysfunction is the norm, and that's with everyday folk. From a story point of view a team that unites or comes apart at the seams is the most exciting dynamic to watch. The dramatic tension of something big shuttering and flying apart has informed Marvel cross-over events for the last few years. When everything is humming along nicely, it just doesn't have that drama of human interaction we all are painfully aware of.

Thunderbolts has (at least since I've been reading it) been the best example of an F’d up group dynamic in comics. That's what makes the title so engaging. Under Niceza's run we had a group of former villains with the honest and sincere intent of making good. Their struggle to do the right thing was all the more compelling because each knew how bad they could be. Thunderbolts were a team coming together and their progression from scumbags in on a "good deal" to heroes and an effective group was a satisfying ride. When Ellis took over, he tapped into the dark undercurrents of the Thunderbolts and drew them up front and center. If you have any doubt, look no further than the fact that Songbird (the moral center of the team) was sidelined and Norman Osborn, The Green Goblin of all people, took over leadership. Add in Venom, Moonstone and Bullseye and you got a sociopath convention. Dysfunctional doesn't begin to describe it. Deadly is a better term. The Thunderbolts now became a team constantly hovering on the edge of complete and total melt down. The pecking order was established, politics rule every decision, and there is a non-stop struggle for power. Which was better, being good or being bad? Honestly, for all the noble sacrifice and hard fought moral victories the T-Bolts achieved, the bad guys running things straight into the ground has been a better study in group dynamics and hell of a lot fun.

Enter Christos Gage, who made a name for himself creating a strong team dynamic for Stormwatch PDH. This one shot is his third stand alone story for the T-Bolts. In light of the fact that he's taking over writing duties for the regular series, you can't help but see "Reason in madness" and the other stories as him test driving the team dynamic. It's safe to say that he's come to the same conclusion: bad guys are more fun. The plot of …Madness focuses on Norman Osborn and Venom, a double cross, and a triple cross. Venom meets up with Whirlwind and a few other second stringers (Boomerang, Tigershark) and they try to convince him to sell out Osborn. The plot is thin. Indeed it takes up only about half of the book's pages, but it serves its purpose. That purpose being to explore the dynamic between Osborn and Venom. The two most dangerous enemies of Spider Man flip the script on the second stringers and give them a good smack down to boot.

Another strong point with Gage's writing is the internal logic of his action sequences. Watching Osborn tearing into Mr. Hyde with exploding thumb drives (orange colored, of course) and breaking Whirwind's limbs is long overdue. We're reminded what a deadly physical force Osborn is in addition to his razor sharp criminal intellect. The Goblin has spent 98% of his tenure on the T-Bolts behind a desk; it's a jolt to see him unhinged and causing damage again. Osborn running the Thunderbolts fills both criteria for group success; He's a strong leader but (quite obviously) an accident waiting to happen. It will be glorious when it comes to fruition.

After the fact Venom explains why he betrayed his old partners to Osborn: "They were talking about going back to way things used to be. Being a Thunderbolt offers me a hell of a lot more possibilities than that." Nicely put. An alliance is made and the Thunderbolt team dynamic gets a little deadlier.

Final Word: 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…

Being bad is good.

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