Thunderbolts #35
Thunderbolts #35
Title: "The Inheritance”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Mark Bagely
Inker: Greg Adams
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
All the Thunderbolts stand around the casket of Hallie Shimosato, Jolt. The Bolts couldn’t even put her real last name of Takahama since she was known by the name on her fake identity. Schoolmates, mourners, and the media crowd around the gravesite. Hawkeye’s face is in a scowl. He thinks that he has seen many comrades fall, but never like this. Gayle Rogers stands off to the side doing a report on the senselessness of the crime. Karla drops a rose onto Hallie’s grave and hates the tears welling up in her eyes. As Moonstone she can become intangible, and as Karla she is usually impenetrable, but this is different because she actually like Jolt. Clint drops his rose and the guilt is eating him up from the inside. Karla tries to say something to help him, but Clint cuts her off and says that it is not okay. He says that she wouldn’t have even been there is he let her and Charcoal come with them when they went up against the Hulk. He says that it couldn’t have gone any worse if they had come.
The Bolts returned from fighting the Hulk to find Charlie sitting by himself. He looked up with tears in his eyes and told them that Hallie had been shot. Clint and Karla had to go and identify the body.
Clint says that they deal with death all time, but that it isn’t supposed to happen over having coffee with friends. Clint says that she was only fifteen. Karla says that she knows. Clint says that he wants to find out who did it. Karla says that she knows that too. Clint says that he wants to make them hurt. Erik and Melissa drop their roses. Erik Josten thinks about the young sister he once lost and how through Hallie he learned just how empty his life as a super-powered mercenary. He learned about friendship, family, and love. The man who can grow feels very small. Melissa cries into Erik’s chest. She wants to scream, but all the noise wouldn’t remove the hollow silence inside her.
Back at Mount Charteris, Techno disguised as Ogre, watches the coverage of the funeral. As Ogre he shows no emotion, but that is to be expected since Ogre barely knew Jolt. As Techno however he knew her, fought beside her, and even laughed with her. Techno wonders how he feels now and if he can even feel in his robotic body. Techno looks at Jolt’s video diary that he found. He thinks about whether he should withhold it from the others and deny them the ability to say goodbye.
Later that night, two of Gayle Rogers’ co-workers invite her out to dinner. Gayle declines and says that she is waiting for a call on the Shimosato murder. The guy tries to tell her that they already filed that story, but decides not to waste his breath and says that maybe they will see her later at the hotel. Her workers think that she is too ambitious and driven, and though covering Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts excites her, there is something about this murder that bothers her. She looks at the footage from the funeral and sees Hawkeye as Clint Barton. She wonders if he was there out of moral civic duty because he fights crime, but then she notices how distraught he looks. She looks at the blond woman consoling him and says that there is something familiar about her. Gayle looks at Hallie’s picture and thinks about how little background information there was on her. Gayle realizes when she puts a picture of Jolt in action against Hallie’s school picture. She thinks that she needs proof before she can go with the story. Gayle gets her call regarding Hallie’s autopsy. The person on the other end says that he got a copy, but that they aren’t planning on releasing it. Gayle looks at the faxed copy that the person sent her. Hallie died from a single entry through the forehead, but there was neither exit wound nor was there a bullet found in the body or at the scene. Gayle wonders how that can be unless this wasn’t a case of random violence, but an attack upon Jolt.
Back at Mount Charteris, Hawkeye is checking
out the new wrist crossbow that Ogre has designed for him.
Hawkeye can’t seem to get it, but he says that he isn’t
really concentrating. Moonstone phases through the wall as
Hawkeye’s arrow hits the target behind her. She says that it
isn’t Cupid’s arrow through her heart, but that it is
close enough. Hawkeye asks if Moonstone wants to practice.
Moonstone says that if it is like their last practice that she
does, but says that maybe they should excuse Ogre first. Hawkeye
stammers for a minute, but then he asks Karla what she is
holding. 
Moonstone says
that when she started treating Hallie that she suggested that she
try maintaining a diary to voice the feelings that she normally
repressed. Karla explains that when they got back from the
funeral that she found an internal e-mail from Jolt for her. She
says that it was a video diary. Ogre asks how she could have sent
it. Karla says that Jolt could have had it set up to send to her
if she didn’t update it for a certain amount of time.
“Ogre” says that would have made sense in their line of
work. Karla says that she says some interesting things on it
about herself and the others. Hawkeye says that he isn’t
sure that he wants to hear. Karla says that it is basically her
will and that it would be an injustice to Hallie to ignore it.
She says that it will give him a chance to say goodbye.
Somewhere in Europe, Citizen V is training. She has found herself unable, and unwilling, to take down the Thunderbolts. She wonders if it is because she now finds their endeavor for redemption to be noble or if it is something more personal. Uncertain themselves, the V-Battalion has let the mission slide, but she wonders what will happen the next time they disagree. The training session ends. Piers tells her that she has shown a lot of improvement, and that she wasn’t that bad when she was first brought to them. Citizen V thanks Piers. He says that now they can segue into what she did wrong. Citizen V seems surprised, but Vradec says that she couldn’t have thought she got perfect scores. Citizen V asks what she did wrong. Vradec points to a few smoldering mannequins and says that the collateral damage was a little higher than they prefer. Citizen V says that she is being trained as a soldier for war, and that in war unfortunately innocents get killed. From high above a shadowed face says that is true, but that it never happens as cavalierly as she has exhibited in her training sessions. Citizen V says that they are just mannequins and that she would do better in the field. The shadowed face says that she is the embodiment of their cause, and that while it is a fine line to draw that they must remember that they are fighting to protect innocents and save their lives. He says that why they fight is far more important than who they fight, and that she would do well to remember that when she is debriefed for her next mission. Eamonn hands her a photograph. She looks at the picture and says that they can’t expect her to kill him. The man says that they have their reasons and that she has her orders. He says that if she refuses that they will just replace her.
Hawkeye sits and watches Hallie’s video diary. She says that she will start with the boss since he is the boss. She says that maybe she will score some brownie points with him and he will let her and Charlie play more Sega Dreamcast. She says that even though he is the boss that he isn’t really. She says that he is one of them in every possible way. A tear rolls down Hawkeye’s face. Karla puts her hand on Clint’s shoulder as he wipes his eyes. She says that not only is he a former villain making himself into a hero, but that he is a teacher, a savior, and a friend. She says that she thinks that it is hard being all that, and that as the superhero groupie she doesn’t think that Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Cyclops, or even Captain America could do the job that he is doing. Clint looks up at Karla as Jolt says that she trusts him with her dreams and her life.
Melissa watches the tape as Hallie tells her that of all the Thunderbolts that she thinks that Songbird is the most changed. She says that she has become a stronger, more confidant, and more caring than the one she first met. She says that if this was an opera that Songbird would be reaching for the high notes.
Charlie watches the tape and tells him that it has been really cool to have a friend again, and how cool he is for dealing with all the crud that he has gone through in his life. She says that she wants to be more like him and that nothing seems to bother him. Charlie transforms into Charcoal and smashes his fist against the ground.
Techno watches all of them watching Hallie’s tape. He thinks to himself that they are so human, but then he wonders what she would have said about him.
Erik sits at the bar in the Downslope Sports Bar. He sits looking down into his beer mug as Man-Killer stands behind the bar looking at him. He thinks about how he can’t bring himself to turn her in because he sees so much of himself in her. He thinks about Hallie message to him, “Listen, big guy, what I wanted to say is… well you think it’s been a one-way street… you think I’ve been the one holding your hand on the tough road we’re all on… giving you a… I dunno… a moral compass… to guide you… giving you a sense of family to make up for the loss of your own… and maybe I have done all that, which I’m really glad for… but the truth is, it’s been a two-way street. You put an arm around my shoulder for protection and warmth… and you showed me that being strong isn’t about knocking over buildings or punching out bad guys… but about character! I’ve seen you fight… really struggle… to remake yourself each and every day. And I wanted to thank you, Erik… for showing me the true meaning of the word… courage…” Erik mumbles to himself that he is “Mr. Character”. Man-Killer says that this would work better if she knew what he was so bummed out about. Erik says that he just lost someone that meant a lot to him. Erik’s head is in the crosshairs. A voice says to itself that it isn’t time for him yet. It says that Erik is the spine. It says that first was the heart and that next will be the brain.
Gayle Rogers is on the television talking about the tragic death of Hallie Shimosato. The man in the Beetle armor stands in the shadow with his helmet off. He turns the set off just before the doorbell rings. Beetle says to come in. Val Cooper enters and says that they have site confirmation on Justin Hammer. He puts on his helmet as she tells him that Hammer is in a chopper off the northwestern coast. She says that they think that he is going to a research facility outside of Vancouver. She says that they only get one shot at this so he can’t screw this up. Beetle doesn’t say anything. He understands perfectly that she means that if he screws this up he loses his chance at freedom. He knows better and while Val might be sincere in her off he knows that CSA would never follow through since he would be too much of a security risk. As he flies to Canada he tries to figure a way out of the mess he is in.
Hours later at Crecy Enterprises, an
engineering firm that specializes in advanced weapons and
research and development. Inside Justin Hammer paces. At his side
are Speed Demon, Hydro-Man, Whiplash, and Blizzard. Hammer is
yelling at Mr. Remlinger. He says that when he comes on-site that
he is putting himself at risk, and that when he is there he
expects to see results waiting for him. Remlinger says that he is
sorry, but that their project spies inside Roxxon can’t
duplicate the Omega-32 yet. He says that the Beetle really
wrecked their data systems. He says that in the meantime he can
show him the progress he has made replacing Constrictor’s
lost adamantium coils with state of the art vibranium ones.
Hammer starts to say that is nice, but that isn’t his
concern. Suddenly the Beetle rips open the wall. Speed Demon
rushes to the fight. He says that the new Beetle might be big,
but he doubts that he is fast enough to lay a hand on him. Speed
Demon bangs right off Beetle’s armor. Hammer wonders why the
Beetle is there and who is really inside the armor. Hydro-Man and
Whiplash both say that if it is Jenkins inside the armor that
they both want to get even with him for screwing him in the
Sinister Syndicate and the many failed gigs against Iron Man
respectively. Blizzard says that he figures that he just deserves
a smack. Hydro-Man deluges the Beetle armor. He says that if
there is one seem in the armor that he will drown him. Several
antennae raise out of the Beetle armor and Hydro-Man is shocked
by an electro-static charge. Hammer notes the difference between
this Beetle and the original. He says that this Beetle’s
style is so different. He says that Abner was so nervous and
lacking in confidence, but that this Beetle almost seems calm.
Whiplash hits Beetle with his energy whip once when Beetle uses a
razor-fine spatial distortion designed as a wing to cut through
Whiplash’s control handle. Whiplash is knocked unconscious
by the explosion. Hammer thinks to himself that Jenkins
didn’t learn this from Zemo, and that he was with Hawkeye
for such a short time that he thinks that maybe he should hire an
ex-Avenger to train his fodder. Blizzard tries to hit Beetle, but
Beetle dodges and blasts Blizzard off his feet. As Beetle comes
in for a landing, Hammer says that was impressive. Beetle reaches
into a containment area of the armor and produces the Omega-32
that he stole from Roxxon. Beetle tells Hammer to consider it a
gesture of good faith, and to consider the unconscious lackeys as
his job interview. Hammer says that perhaps he should initiate
“failed personal redemption” as a corporate policy. He
says that is assuming that it is Abner Jenkins inside the armor.
Beetle says there is only one way to find out. Suddenly the wall
is ripped open. 
The Thunderbolts
charge in. Songbird shouts, “Abe?” Hawkeye says that it
is time for the Beetle to show them who he is or they will have
to rip his helmet off him.
In the parking lot of the Roxxon facility that was decimated by the Beetle, Bobbie is leaving the parking lot. Jake asks if she had a late night. Bobbie says that they have all been late nights since the Beetle attack. As Bobbie drives along her palms are wet. It is twenty-nine degrees outside and she is sweating. Bobbie thinks about how she could be fired for this, but that it isn’t like Gayle Rogers left her much of a choice. Bobbie stops the car next to Gayle Rogers and hands her file. Gayle thanks Bobbie, but Bobbie just tells Gayle not to use her name as her source. Bobbie says that this makes them even for Gayle finding out what happened to her brother in the army two years ago. Bobbie drives off and Gayle looks through the file. She sees design schematics, engineering specs, analysis of some man named Hume, and problems in advanced physics. Gayle looks at the files and asks, “What the heck is hard air and who the heck could use it to kill someone?”
Gayle Rogers’ head is the crosshairs. Gayle Rogers is not the brains, the arrogance, the innocence, the spine, the influence, the reflection, the fear, or the spirit. She is simply a detour on a very long winding road.
Traitor’s rating: 9 out of 10
Here comes the parade of sub-plots! Very touching story with Jolt’s video diary. The bit with Hawkeye, Songbird, and Charcoal were very good, but I thought that Josten’s only served to reiterate that he feels like a worm for not turning in Man-Killer. I think this sub-plot serves as the most often mentioned sub-plot that really goes no where. There are no twists or turns until it’s conclusion some 7 months from this issue. The Beetle plot is coming along nicely though. Bagely does an amazing job this issue. He has a chance to show the non-action emotional side and still gets to showcase his action side while both show great storytelling ability.