Thunderbolts #58
Thunderbolts #58
Title: "Degrees of Evil”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Patrick Zircher
Inker: Vey, Adams, & Perotta
Colors: HIFI Design
Editor: Tom Brevoort
MACH-3 shoots Graviton. Graviton grunts and all the bullets are pushed back out of his body. Graviton’s powers stopped the bullets from going very deep, but now he must stop the flow of blood from the wounds. Songbird tells Riordan that she is next. Erik tells the others that he isn’t Dallas, but that it is him. Atlas punches Graviton and smashes his ribs. Graviton coughs up blood and he wonders if he could actually lose again. Graviton wonders how it all could go wrong. All the world’s superheroes were levitated above the Earth a mile up, all the major cities were elevated, and then Graviton went about redesigning the surface of the Earth. Fixer spots Atlas and says that he didn’t expect Atlas to be using Dallas as a host body.
M’Reel tells Moonstone that “the First One” is hurt. Moonstone tells M’Reel that Graviton has to get through this on his own in order to feel empowered. Fixer realizes that Moonstone is straddling the fence now. Fixer wonders again where M’Reel is channeling the power that he leeches off Graviton and for what purpose. Fixer thinks, “When in doubt…” He raises his arm and blows M’Reel’s head off. Karla asks Fixer what the hell he thinks he is doing. Fixer says that he thinks that he is saving the planet. Fixer asks Karla what she is doing. Moonstone wonders that herself and says to herself that she has to pick a side. She wonders if she is afraid or, that if without Hawkeye, she doesn’t have the moral compass to guide her decision. She wonders if Hitler, Stalin, Kang, or even Doom ever had the ego that Graviton has. She watcher her former teammates and friends (?) and wonders what to do.
MACH-3 tries to blast Graviton again, but
his bullets bounce off a shield. Citizen V asks Fixer what is
happening. Fixer says that Graviton has erected a gravimetric
field. He says that they can’t get through it, but that
maybe they can go under it. Fixer shoots a drill under the rock
that Graviton is standing on. It drills upwards and then blasts
Graviton with several thousand volts of electricity. The
electricity creates an arc. The electricity pours over MACH-3,
Fixer, and Songbird. Songbird says that if it shorts out her
carapace that she is screwed. MACH-3 notices something strange
about the electricity as if it was gaining cohesion. Citizen V
tells them to concentrate on what is important. He puts a gun to
the back of Graviton’s head and says that they should take
him out while they still can. 
The electricity
forms into Jolt. She yells not to shoot. She says that if they
kill him now that the cities he lifted into the air will come
crashing down. She says that billions would die. Songbird is
happy to see Jolt alive. Jolt says that she is happy to see
Songbird again too, but that this isn’t the time. Jolt asks
if Charlie has made it back yet. Songbird says that he has not.
Citizen V says that the cities must be sacrificed, but Jolt asks
if he is nuts. Songbird asks what other options they have. Atlas
asks if they are supposed to talk Graviton out of it. Jolt says
that is exactly what they need to do, and that there is only one
person that can do that. Moonstone looks into Jolt’s eyes
and sees the hope and optimism there. Moonstone is about to scoff
at her, but then she thinks about how much she has missed Hallie.
Moonstone wonders what she really expected to get out of this, or
if it was just a bad scam. Graviton recovers and blasts all the
Thunderbolts away from him. Fixer notices that Moonstone
wasn’t blasted away. He also notices that the energy that
M’Reel was siphoning off Graviton has started to turn into
some sort of gravity tunnel. He wonders where it comes from.
In West Virginia, Hawkeye and the others have recovered from the electrical burst. Cottonmouth says that he understands that they have to stick together, but that they are dead meat if they don’t find a way to split up. Headlok/Mentallo says that they can only get ten yards apart, and that they will also be shocked if they try to use their powers. He says that Hawkeye can’t even simulate pulling a bow without getting shocked. Hawkeye says that they probably have a homing beacon in them as well. He says that they have to buy themselves some time so they better get out of there and try to find some clothes to blend in. Plant-Man says that the green is crying, but Hawkeye tells him not right now. Cottonmouth asks what they are going to do. Hawkeye asks “Headlok” what they’re going to do. Headlok says they are going to work together to do two things. He says that first they are going to deactivate the manacles and then they are going to attain the greatest weapon on Earth “courtesy of the late and not-at-all lamented Justin Hammer”. Hawkeye does his best to hide a smile as he recalls a visit he got from Dum Dum Dugan. He thinks to himself that maybe they shouldn’t call him “Dum Dum” anymore.
Graviton tells Karla that he has slowed his bleeding, but that internally he is bad. He asks what he should do. Karla tells him to lower the cities and that it is taxing him too much to keep them afloat. Graviton asks how this could have happened to him so easily. Karla says that it was her fault and that she should have been guarding his flank, but that she was overconfident in his abilities. Karla says that they will go. Graviton asks if the others will let him go. Citizen V says that if he lowers the cities and stops whatever M’Reel has started. Graviton doesn’t know what Citizen V means. Citizen V asks Fixer for some answers, but Fixer doesn’t have any. Citizen V threatens Graviton if he doesn’t talk, but Graviton says that he doesn’t know. Moonstone tells Citizen V that this is not the time to antagonize him, and that this is delicate work. Karla tells Graviton that M’Reel was planning something, but that they don’t know what. She tells him that M’Reel was leeching his powers and diverting them. Graviton says that M’Reel’s race lived within a spatial anomaly, but that M’Reel was his friend. The energy finally forms a gateway. Jolt wonders aloud if the race lived there or if they were exiled there. The P’tah’s army invades Earth through the doorway.
Outside Earth’s orbit, the Vanguard floats and tries to reestablish contact with their lead operative, Citizen V. Elizabeth says that gravimetric readings just spiked over Colorado. Roger Aubrey orders that remaining power be diverted to the teleporter. Elizabeth reminds Roger that the first time they used the teleporter was the last time they used it for a reason. Roger says that if John Watkins dies on Earth or on a Skrull teleport pad is pretty much the same thing.
MACH-3 says that there are too many of them.
Jolt says that Moonstone said they were the P’tah, and that
they saved Graviton every time he sucked himself into a black
hole. Citizen V says how gauche it is that they used Graviton to
invade Earth. He says that he prefers more elegance to his
world-conquering schemes. Graviton is still stunned by the fact
that M’Reel used him. Fixer says that this is the
“friggin’ Alamo”. Citizen V orders Fixer not to
run. He says that they stop this now, or that they will die from
it later. Citizen V tells Moonstone to do something. Karla says
that M’Reel used her to push Graviton so that they could
escape their prison. Fixer thanks Karla for the recap, but tells
her to get Graviton to stop this. Karla says that they have
injured him too much. Fixer sarcastically says that she is right
and that this is all their fault. Citizen V tells Graviton to
snap out of it, lower the cities, and stop using his powers.
Graviton freaks and says that he will repel them himself. He
blasts the P’tah back. Moonstone tells him that the more he
uses his power the more powerful the P’tah become. Karla
says that the true measure of Frank Hall’s manhood is that
he could rule the world with his power, but that he chooses not
to. Graviton says that he wanted Karla to love him, but that he
also feared her. He confesses that the woman that he killed in
Australia with the pebble was not a random death, but that she
was chosen to intimidate her. He says that the woman who died was
Deanna Stockbridge. Moonstone thinks about Deanna and how she was
the first person that she learned to manipulate. Moonstone’s
fist starts to shake. 
She says,
“You are a pathetic man, Frank. How could such an
insignificant death bother me? You were afraid of me? Good! You
should have been! I didn’t do any of this for you, but for
myself… just to prove that I still had what it took to twist
a powerful person around like a pretzel! You asked me before how
the Thunderbolts beat you? They didn’t. You beat yourself!
They wouldn’t have come within a mile of you… if you
hadn’t let them!” A tear rolls down Graviton’s
face. He doesn’t say anything because he knows that she is
right. He lowers the cities and the heroes to the Earth. He mends
the ruptured earth. The strain weakens him, but the reduction in
his power causes the portal to close. Atlas says that it is
almost over. One of the P’tah throws an energy spear at
Graviton. Citizen V tries to order Josten to stop it, but he
isn’t fast enough. The energy spear strikes Graviton in the
back. Graviton falls into Karla’s arms. He speaks to her,
but she tells him not to talk. Graviton says in a weak voice,
“Why… why did I… let them… beat me?”
Fixer sees that Graviton is bleeding out gravimetric energy, and that the gateway isn’t going to explode but instead it will implode. Fixer says that the implosion would create a black hole that would suck the entire planet into it. MACH-3 says that they have to create a vacuum just around this area to let the well drain itself dry within a confined space. Citizen V says that Songbird’s sonic bubble could encase the gravity well. Fixer says that the doorway has to be closed from the other side as well. Citizen V says that he knows. Fixer says, “Oh. Hey… wait a minute…” Songbird asks if Graviton can’t just stay inside the shell. MACH-3 says that Graviton isn’t strong enough, and that it is up to them but that she has to stay on the outside to maintain the integrity of the vacuum. Abe takes his helmet off. Abe and Melissa kiss.
Songbird thinks how this isn’t fair. She gets to fly and use her powers again, but she is forced to watch her friends and lover die protecting a world that fears and distrusts them. She watches them keeping the P’tah back as Graviton’s dissipating power closes the gateway.
Citizen V asks Karla if her “latest boyfriend” is controlling any of this. Karla holds Graviton and says that she doesn’t know. Fixer says that his tech-pack can create an electromagnetic mesh that will link them to him, and that if Graviton can save himself that it could save them too.
On the Vanguard, Roger Aubrey says that if they are going to save John that it has to be now. Elizabeth says that they can’t route enough power to the teleporter.
Fixer says that Graviton is glowing and that is not good. Karla tells Frank to calm down. Citizen V tells Fixer to hurry and complete the link.
There is a strange cracking as Songbird maintains the vacuum bubble.
Roger orders the teleporter to be used.
Citizen V starts to disappear. He says, “Vas…?” Fixer says, “The son of a %#$@ is teleporting out?!” Graviton lies on the ground. He says that Karla deserves better than him. He says that she deserves better than this. Moonstone says, “I guess that’s the price you have to pay… to be a hero.”
Suddenly everything in the vacuum disappears. It all disappears without a noise.
Songbird falls to the ground. She wonders what happened to all the noise. Suddenly Songbird gets her answer. A giant pink form of Angar the Screamer appears. Songbird says, “David? Where did you? How did… wait… what’s happening to my voice…”
Traitor’s rating: 9.5 out of 10
Monumental issue. The only thing that bothers me about this issue is that there is no hesitation in any of the Thunderbolts about sacrificing themselves… even Moonstone. I’m always secretly hoping that one of the Thunderbolts are going to revert to their villainous ways. Maybe it was just that they knew that it would mean their deaths anyway if they didn’t sacrifice themselves. Zircher does a great job with this issue.