Thunderbolts #36
Thunderbolts #36
Title: "How is Justice Best Served?”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Mark Bagely
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
As the Thunderbolts smash into Justin Hammer’s building, Techno’s robotic camera flies out of the Thunderbolts’ skimmer jet and heads down to the building. His camera captures Beetle standing with Justin Hammer and Beetle then flying into the air to oppose the Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts’ actions are tense. They’ve had a very bad week first making fools of themselves against the Hulk, and then returning home to find that Jolt had been murdered. Finally they traced the Beetle’s energy signature to the building where they found Beetle concluding a job interview with Justin Hammer by beating up his lackeys. Beetle blasts Charcoal. Hawkeye tells Beetle that if he is Abner Jenkins to knock it off. Charcoal says, “That did the trick… good one Hawk…” Songbird wonders if the man she loves can hear the anguish in her voice and if he cares. Whiplash gets up to one knee and leaps out of the way as Atlas pounds Beetle into the ground. Atlas says that he is sorry, but that Abe isn’t giving them much of a choice. Beetle slams right through the floor. Atlas says that he didn’t mean to hit him that hard, but Hawkeye says that he didn’t, he says that Beetle just used the momentum. Atlas hears Beetle coming through the wall behind him. He says that this is going to hurt. Beetle slams into Atlas. Hammer tells Beetle to take the fight outside and that he is destroying his facility. Hawkeye takes a shot with his wrist crossbow but misses. Hawkeye says that he hates the thing. He says that teamwork is the thing and tells Moonstone to be gentle. Moonstone says, “In combat, maybe Hawkeye… but in other matters…” Moonstone hits Beetle. No one notices Hawkeye blush. He doesn’t know if she is flirting with him or if she is goading him, and what’s worse he isn’t sure which one he’d prefer. Charcoal catches Beetle from behind. He says that now isn’t the time and asks if he knows that Jolt is dead. Charcoal feels Beetle tense for a minute, but then his razor thin wings come out of his back and shreds Charcoal’s hands off of him.
Hammer says that the Beetle is fighting as he never has before. He says that he is beginning to doubt that it is Jenkins. Hammer says that Jenkins never had the moxie. He says that in light of the damage and danger that he isn’t going to stay to find out. Hammer says that it is a shame as the new Beetle would have made for a formidable employee.
Moonstone knocks Beetle back. She asks what kind of friend and teammate he is. Songbird tells Moonstone not to hurt him, but Karla asks why she shouldn’t since he is willing to hurt them. The bickering leaves Karla distracted. She doesn’t turn intangible and Beetle blasts her.
At Mount Charteris, Techno continues to watch the battle. His spy eye is transmitting the sights and sounds of the battle to him. Techno watches the Bolts getting their butts kicked, and while part of him enjoys it another part of him finds it troubling. He ignores the emotions and goes back to his work. His spy eye has sent in enough information to create a detailed schematic of the armor. Techno knows that somewhere in there is the secret to the armor’s wearer and the means to defeat him. “Ogre” contacts Hawkeye. Hawkeye says that he is a little busy right now. Ogre says that he has been monitoring their fight and that the Beetle armor operates on the same cybernetic wavelength that controlled the MACH-1 armor. He says that if Hawkeye can get him to talk that he will do a voice analysis, but that in his opinion it must be Abner Jenkins. Hawkeye says that he understands and tells Ogre to keep monitoring. After signing off, Techno says that he will because how else will he entertain himself. Why Techno has returned to the Thunderbolts is a mystery even to him, but he thinks that maybe it is because of the challenges. The one that was waiting for him inside the hibernation chamber, or the one that he added himself a few days ago. He thinks that perhaps he is doing it simply because he can.
In Burton Canyon, the police find the Thunderwatch news van driven off the road. One cop says to call for an EMS unit. They note the tire skid marks on the road. One cop opens up the van and says that they might as well tell the EMS unit to take their time. He says that Gayle Rogers is inside and that she is dead.
Hawkeye tells Atlas to try and keep Beetle off balance. Hawkeye calls for Songbird and says that he needs her to help out. Atlas tells Hawkeye to cut Songbird some slack, but suddenly his feet are deluged by water. Hydro-Man flows upwards to Atlas’ face and says, “Figures you traitors are here. What with Jenkins maybe in that armor’n all. Any self respectin’ hard-guys tell you how much we hate yer guts?” Atlas slips and starts to fall over. Moonstone phases through him. She says that after the battle with the Hulk that she has had her fill of getting crushed by him. Beetle again uses the distraction to zap Moonstone.
Hawkeye notes that Beetle zapped her while in her intangible form. He says that only Abe could know what Moonstone’s phasing frequency was. Speed Demon swats Hawkeye while he is lost in thought. Speed Demon says that he thought that the Avengers were supposed to be so good. Hawkeye is stung more by Speed Demon’s words than his punch. Hawkeye wonders what is wrong with them.
Charcoal comes to Atlas’ rescue. He puts his hands inside Hydro-Man and boils him into steam. Charcoal apologizes to Atlas for the scalding. Atlas says that is okay and that his skin is very tough. He says that he will live thanks to Charlie. Whiplash says that it is too bad that Josten won’t be able to return the favor. He lashes Charcoal’s back with his energy whip. Speed Demon is closing in on the injured Hawkeye, but before he can reach the downed bowsman Speed Demon runs straight into a solid sound bubble. She knocks Speed Demon back into Whiplash. She says that looking at punks like them is all the reminder they need that turning their backs on that life was the right thing to do. Blizzard blasts as Songbird and clips her sound wings. He says that Jenkins is back on their side and that he is doing it for the cash just like they are. Blizzard says that he is sure that Hammer would give them all a taste if they would just “wise up and sign up”. Atlas smacks the ground and sends Blizzard flying through the air. He shouts, “No! That’s not our way anymore… and it isn’t why Abe is doing this!” Everyone can tell that Atlas’ voice is more to convince himself than it is to convince anyone else. Beetle blasts over Atlas’ head.
Hawkeye says that they aren’t fighting with any focus and that this is all his fault. He says that he could swear that Beetle is missing them on purpose. Beetle watches Hawkeye watching him, and though the camera in Beetle’s helmet, Valerie Cooper and Henry Gyrich watch him as well. Valerie Cooper says that Hawkeye suspects something. Gyrich says that Hawkeye is too stupid for that. Val says that Gyrich has less respect for them than she does. She tells him to get Jenkins out of there before one of the Thunderbolts gets hurt. She says that if that happens that they will lose him forever. Gyrich grits his teeth and for a moment relishes the idea of watching the Thunderbolts pick each other off, but then he gives the order to Beetle to cover his escape and return to base.
Beetle announces that they have ten seconds to clear out. He lets off a giant blast that starts to collapse the building. Speed Demon grabs Whiplash and Blizzard while Hydro-Man pours down the drain. The Bolts are too occupied to stop Beetle’s escape. Songbird says that they have to follow Abe. Hawkeye says that they can’t let Hammer’s goons get away either. He says that it would make them look like total dweebs. He tells Moonstone, Atlas, and Songbird to go after the goons while he and Charcoal chase Beetle down in the T-bird. Songbird protests. She says that she has to find out if that is Abe inside the armor and that she couldn’t care less about the others. She says that Hammer will have them sprung two days after they capture them. Hawkeye says that she knows that is not the point. He says that she is too emotionally involved, and that every chance she had against the Beetle she held back. Songbird says that Hawkeye would have too if he thought that was Mockingbird or even Karla inside the armor. Hawkeye looks at her and says that she can come with him and Charcoal.
Karla tells Atlas that Hawkeye’s concerns about Songbird are valid, but Atlas just says that Karla is the shrink and he is just a grunt. Karla tells him to grunt him way into the access tunnel. Atlas thinks to himself that Moonstone has been real quick to back up Hawk when it comes to strategy, but that he hasn’t been batting a thousand lately. He wonders what Hawkeye was thinking sending him into a habitrail.
In Symkaria, members of the V-Battalion order Citizen V to surrender now. She dodges their attacks and feels the burn in her muscles. As much as it pains her she has to fight back. Citizen V wraps Eamonn up in wire connected to two balls. She says that she is sorry, but that she can’t turn herself into him. He says that he can’t control his V-Wing. Citizen V says that she knows as he smashes into others of the V-Battalion. Piers says that by refusing the mission she was disobeying a direct order, and that she is expected to abide by the dictates of the Penance Council. Citizen V slices Piers’ V-Wing with her sword and says that she knows that she is, but she asks what happens when those orders of assassination contradict everything that they taught them to believe in. She says that she isn’t betraying them, but that they are betraying her. Citizen V starts flying away on a V-Wing. Piers says that they won’t stop hunting her down, and that “may God forgive us both… you just signed your own death warrant!”
Charcoal and Songbird fly along as Hawkeye flies the T-Bird. Charcoal says that he doesn’t understand if it is Abe why he would be flying towards their headquarters. Hawkeye says that he is also keeping the fight over a populated area. Songbird says that it can’t be Abe. Hawkeye says that they will find out soon because Ogre has locked onto Beetle’s armor signal. Suddenly Beetle is under the T-Bird and he throws it at Charcoal. Charcoal says that he will catch him, but wonders if Beetle lobbed it to him on purpose or if it was just to heavy to throw quickly. Songbird follows Beetle as he flies away. She says, “Abe, why are you doing this? Don’t you know how much this hurts me? Why won’t you say anything? Don’t you love me anymore?” Beetle stops.
Gyrich says that Jenkins is going to crack. He asks why he engaged them on his own and why he flew directly into a civilian zone. Val says that Abe has been steady so far. She says that the physical part was easy, but that cutting the emotional ties will be the biggest test yet.
Beetle hovers in
front of Songbird. She says, “Abe… please…
I’ve missed you so much…” Beetle remains for a
second, but then he uses his razor thin wings to shatter
Songbird’s sound waves. Songbird asks how he could do that.
Charcoal catches Songbird and asks Hawkeye if Ogre has come
through yet. Hawkeye says that the frequency’s been
transmitted to the on-board systems and downloaded into the input
feed on his scrambler arrowhead. Hawkeye fires it at the Beetle
with his wrist crossbow and hits Beetle in the chest.
Beetle’s armor goes dead and he falls to the ground.
Charcoal tells everyone to stay back and that the armor is only
temporarily frozen. Songbird says that she has to know and
fashions a sound knife to pop the helmet off.
Gyrich says that they are dead and that Jenkins did that on purpose. Cooper asks what he means. Gyrich says that he went for maximum exposure to cripple their operation.
Charcoal, Songbird, and Hawkeye all stand stunned as Songbird holds the helmet in her hands.
Through the helmet’s camera, Gyrich and Cooper see that the Beetle armor was empty. Cooper says that was unexpected and that it begs the question of where is Jenkins.
At the Roxxon facility, since the Beetle attacked they have been on a grueling pace to recreate the top secret Omega-32 project. Samuel Higgins has been riding his workers very hard since he watched a six-figure bonus disappear. Higgins walks into Bobbie Haggert’s office at midnight. She asks him what is up. Higgins says that the scrub boys said that someone hacked into the “Eyes Only” database and copied the file on Omega-32. She mumbles that it would take a lot of know how to do that. Higgins says that it would and then he shoots a spike at her from his wrist. Haggert drops dead onto the floor. “Higgins” says that it is the kind of know how that only she had. He says that he is sorry that she got involved and handed the file over to Gayle Rogers. As he walks out he says that it isn’t his job to kill civilians, but that he has no choice if they compromise his mission objectives. He says, “So as much as it hurts to say it. With your death… justice is served!”
Traitor’s rating: 9 out of 10
Great action issue because the fight was also wrought with emotional conflict. The revelation that Abe Jenkins was not in fact inside the armor was really surprising. The subplots also continue at a good clip as Citizen V leaves the V-Battalion and Bobbie Haggert joins Gayle Rogers on the deceased list. “Justice is served” brings into question if the assassin is Scourge. The original Scourge built his vigilante career killing low level villains… which one can argue the Thunderbolts are. Bagely again does a superb job with the battle. So much is going on at one time and yet Bagely storytells it perfectly. You’re never confused about what is happening.