Thunderbolts #18
Thunderbolts #18
Title: "Career Opportunities”
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciller: Mark Bagely
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Atlas sits for hours just looking around as he sits in the Colorado Rockies. Jolt asks Atlas if something is wrong. Atlas says that he is scared of himself. Erik recounts for Jolt his past, his family, the army, working for Heinrich Zemo, and how he wound up getting his powers. He says that he bounced from boss to boss to keep from having to think for himself. He says that one boss, Nefaria, stole his powers for himself. Erik says that he should have been happy just to be human again, but instead he became obsessed with getting his power back. Erik says that he got it back and then turned into a total whacko. Erik says that he got used again by the Kosmosians and Zemo saved his life. Erik says that he thanks him by turning on him. Jolt says that she appreciates it as he was about to kill her. Atlas says that he would do it again too, but that isn’t the point. Atlas thinks about how he betrayed the Thunderbolts by saving Zemo but doesn’t say anything. He says that the point is that he betrayed someone that was counting on him again. Erik says that he watched his brother die and vowed to stop running, but when he came back to help the Thunderbolts again he started pounding on Graviton. He says that pounding on Graviton he felt that rush that he used to get from fighting when he was crazy. Erik says that for all his power he is a weak willed man, and that the others probably shouldn’t trust him. Jolt says that her mom used to say that a problem is half solved once you recognize the problem. Jolt says that Atlas can fight against what he fears. Jolt says that they will prove themselves, and though they aren’t starting out with much in Melissa’s old cabin that they will succeed. Jolt says that she trusts Atlas even if he doesn’t trust himself. They head towards the cabin and a figure watches them as they go.
Moonstone and Songbird are working on a security system as MACH-1 tries to repair his armor. Karla zaps another unit. Songbird asks what is the matter. Karla says that she is just a little rusty. She says that they have no coffee, and that she has been having weird dreams lately. Songbird asks what kind of dreams, but Karla doesn’t want to talk about it. Songbird asks MACH-1 what is taking so long with his suit. MACH-1 says that he doesn’t have any blueprints and that the thing was half designed by Techno. Jolt and Atlas enter the cabin and ask what is going on. Songbird says, “Nothing much, Jolt. Genius boy here can’t fix his own MACH-1 suit. Real useful, ain’t he?” MACH-1 says that he loves Melissa, but he thinks that he deserves to know why she has been treating him so harshly lately. Melissa says that maybe there is no why, but that she is just sick of him.
Suddenly a wind vortex starts to spin around and rips the cabin’s roof off. Cyclone, of the Masters of Evil, re-introduces himself to the Thunderbolts. He insults them and then takes off. The Thunderbolts go after Cyclone. Moonstone gets ahead of the others. She tries to blast Cyclone, but he is too fast for her. Cyclone blows Moonstone into a group of trees. Cyclone dodges Songbird’s sound constructs. Atlas takes a swing at Cyclone but misses. Cyclone flies right up to Songbird and kisses her. MACH-1 freaks and tries to blast Cyclone. Cyclone leads the target locked missiles on a chase and leads them right into Atlas. Atlas falls off the mountain. Moonstone catches Atlas’ foot, but tells him to stop flailing around. Songbird calls Abe a moron.
Cyclone buzzes along saying how lucky he was that France’s top crime family rebuilt the Cyclone armor and gave it to him. He says that they were foolish to believe that he would serve them.
Jolt says that Cyclone is fast, but that she has tagged Quicksilver before. She says that she has learned that if she really pours on the electricity that she can go faster than she has ever gone before. Jolt plows into Cyclone’s back and electrifies him.
A few minutes later Cyclone wakes up. Moonstone tells Songbird to put a sound cage around him, but before she can do that Cyclone blasts off and escapes. Moonstone tells Jolt to follow Cyclone from a distance and see if she can track him back to his base. Jolt mumbles that pouring the energy on makes her tired as she leaves.
Cyclone looks back to be sure he is being followed.
Atlas asks what now. Moonstone says that they wait for Jolt and fix the roof. MACH-1 starts to tell Atlas to pull the shed apart, but Songbird shouts that this stinks. Songbird says that this whole pretending to be heroes thing is stupid. She says that if she is going to spend all of her time fighting and running from the police that at least she should be making money for it. MACH-1 thinks about if he would go back with her to crime. Moonstone seems sure that he would. Atlas doesn’t like it, but thinks that he has to support the team.
Jolt watches Cyclone enter a building. Jolt contacts Moonstone and tells her that the building is too exposed and that they should wait until nightfall before coming.
In Los Angeles, KTTA discusses making a story out of the Thunderbolts. Grant brings up that they were heroes exposed as villains, but that they are still seemingly acting as heroes. He suggests putting Gayle Rogers on the Thunderbolts and practically guarantees her television time for it. Gayle says that the only question she has is when she leaves.
Later the Thunderbolts descend onto the
building on one of Songbird’s sound construct platforms.
Suddenly Songbird’s equipment goes nuts and the platform
turns into a bubble that slams into the floor below them. 
Klaw tells the
other Masters of Evil to strike hard and fast. Klaw blasts
Songbird unconscious. Tiger Shark pounces on Moonstone.
Man-Killer knocks MACH-1 unconscious. Jolt seems to be able to
hold her own against Flying Tiger, but his skill manages to knock
her into a bunch of boxes. Klaw creates a giant sound snake that
wraps around Atlas’ body while Cyclone zooms around
Atlas’ face, but Atlas refuses to go down. Tiger Shark grabs
Moonstone and throws her into Atlas’ face. Atlas and
Moonstone are both knocked unconscious.
When the Thunderbolts wake up they find that they are not even tied up. Crimson Cowl says that they are free to go whenever they want, but that she has a business opportunity for them. She says that she wants the Thunderbolts to join the Masters of Evil. Cowl says that this isn’t some revenge scheme and that the Masters are a profit organization. She says that they are given base salaries, profit sharing, and a retirement plan. Cowl has Klaw create a sound construct model of the headquarters. She points out the training facility, labs, and even their own movie theater. Songbird is excited when she sees the sauna on the model. Cowl says that they also take care of their own. She says that Klaw recently went up against the Black Panther, and that when he was captured that they rescued him. Moonstone asks what happens if they refuse. Cowl says that they found the Bolts rather easily and that they can do so again. Moonstone asks if Cowl would tell the authorities. Cowl says that she wouldn’t, but that she would tell Baron Strucker, the Wrecking Crew, Mad Thinker, and anyone else with a grudge that isn’t interested in due process. Cowl tells them to think it over, and that they will be in touch.
The Bolts take their leave. Moonstone thinks about how accepting the offer would mean a subordinate role, but then reminds herself that they all are at first. MACH-1 is thinking that Songbird will go for it. Songbird is thinking about the fact that it would be an easier life. Atlas decides that if the others go he will too. Jolt wonders to herself what she is going to do because the others are actually contemplating the offer.
Traitor’s rating: 8.5 out of 10.
An in-betweener issue, but an entertaining one. I always enjoy focus on Atlas (my favorite T-bolt). The set up with the Masters is a cool angle, and I like the temptation of returning to the dark side. Bagely continues to astound. His Atlas art really impresses me. The scale just makes everything seem grand. 4.5 out of 5 for the art.