Thunderbolts #9
Thunderbolts #9
Title: "Life Lessons"
Writer: Kurt Busiek; Flashback Writer: Roger Stern
Penciller: Mark Bagely; Flashback Penciller: Ron Frenz
Inker: Vince Russell; Flashback Inkers: Blyberg and Milgrom
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
MACH-1 and Songbird are fighting against Ogur. MACH-1 says that Ogur seems to be something that Thor or Hercules should fight. Songbird gets an idea. She gets close and Ogur grabs her. Songbird creates a giant sound hammer and lays Ogur out cold. MACH-1 says that was an awful chance she took, but Songbird says that for the first time in a long time she is feeling confident. She says that a lot of it is due to Abe. She thanks him. After the police say that the special restraints are almost there MACH-1 and Songbird take off. As they fly away a voice calls out to them. They look over and see the Black Widow.
Nervous that she might have discovered their
secret they ask if there is something they can help her with.
Black Widow says that she thought she might help them. 
Black Widow
says that she may not be a very good superhero, but that she is
still a very good spy. She says that she wondered how such
experienced heroes came out of nowhere and that she has come up
with some interesting possibilities. Songbird starts to stutter a
denial, but Widow says that she doesn’t know anything yet or
she would have to do something about it. Widow says that it seems
to her that MACH-1 got into the game because of respect. She says
that defeating Ogur must have felt really good. She says that it
seems to her that Songbird has had a bunch of bad breaks, and
says that this seems like a good one to her. Black Widow asks
what they are going to do with the chance. She asks if they can
become what they are pretending to be. MACH-1 starts to make
excuses, but Black Widow tells MACH-1 to shut up and listen. She
says that the subject is whether they can change. She says that
she has a story to tell them.
The story begins with the first real change to the Avengers roster. Thor, Iron Man, Giant Man, and the Wasp had all left, and the new Avengers team was Captain America, the Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye. The crowd doesn’t react very well to the Avengers now consisting of an con and two mutants that used to be aligned with Magneto. A minor skirmish breaks out. Captain America pushes the others into Avengers mansion.
Inside the news is now showing the footage from Magneto’s conquering of San Marco. Wanda explains to Cap that Magneto told them he was creating a homeland for mutants, but that when he tried to turn San Marco into a nuclear wasteland that they defied him. Cap says that he believes her and that they can’t let the public keep them from doing their job. Cap says that their first job is too get the Hulk back on the team. Hawkeye jokes that the public will really trust them with the Hulk on the team. Rick Jones defends the Hulk, but eventually fades away from the Avengers.
Radioactive Man watches the news coverage of the new Avengers. He says that without the power of Thor, Iron Man, and Giant Man that the Avengers are in desperate straits. He says that if you take Captain America out of the equation that you haven’t got a team at all.
Inside Avengers mansion Hawkeye uses the Daily Bugle’s coverage of the press conference as target practice. And then splits the arrow that he just stuck in JJ Jameson’s nose. In the next room Captain America is meeting with two aides from the mayor’s office. They tell Cap to have the Avengers keep a low profile until the outrage over the new Avengers dies down. After they leave Captain America gets a tip that the Hulk has been spotted and heads off alone to find him. Cap gets there and is defeated by the Radioactive Man’s servitor robots. When Hawkeye hears about it he wonders why he bothers at all since the public still treats him like a villain. Wanda starts to yell at Hawkeye because of all the prejudices that mutants have to endure for no reason, but she is interrupted when Quicksilver says that they are getting a call from a green skinned man.
Radioactive Man introduces himself and says that Captain America is his prisoner. He tells them to contact the real Avengers and he will give them his demands tomorrow. Quicksilver tries to reach Iron Man but cannot. Hawkeye says that it is up to them now.
Radioactive Man thanks Captain America for walking into his trap. He says that he will easily ensnare the accursed Avengers. Captain America says that the Avengers have defeated him before. Radioactive Man says that Cap is wrong. He says Thor, Iron Man, and Giant Man have defeated him, but that when he has his revenge on them that the Avengers will be no more.
Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver trace the call that was supposed to be a tip on the Hulk and head towards that location. They find themselves surrounded by Radioactive Man’s servitor robots. Radioactive Man spots the fight and heads down. Unknown to him is that Captain America escapes and follows him down.
Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye defeat Radioactive Man’s robots just as Radioactive Man arrives. He says that he will not have his plans foiled by two mutants and a common thief. Captain America says that he forgot about him. Radioactive Man devotes all of his attention to Captain America. Hawkeye uses a sonic arrow to confuse Radioactive Man. Quicksilver runs circles around him, and then Scarlet Witch blasts him with a hex. At first it appears to have taken no effect, but then Radioactive Man drops over. Radioactive Man is taken away in shackles.
Some of the crowd are won over by the new Avengers’ heroics, but others think that they might have even staged it.
MACH-1 misses the point of the story and Black Widow says that Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver overcame their fear and suspicion and proved that change is possible. Black Widow offers some advice. She says that she doesn’t have anything to go to the officials with yet, but that she will soon. She says that if their boss is who she thinks it is then is is one of the lowest. She advises them to take him down before she takes them all down and redeem themselves.
Back in Four Freedoms Plaza, Zemo and Techno have cracked the codes. Techno says that there isn’t anything that important in there. Zemo says that what they represent is much more important than their content. He says the fact that they have the files means that they trust him, and that soon their security clearances will be coming. He says that when that happens the world will be theirs.
Traitors rating: 6 out of 10
This seems to be as close to a filler issue as possible without actually being one. Nothing is wrong with it per se, but I don’t know that a 15 page story that could have just as easily been made by saying “Just look what Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver have done to redeem themselves” would. Bagely looks nice, but Frenz is trying for a “flashback” thing that I find annoying.