Thunderbolts vol. 2 #1

Title: “One Step Forward…”

Writer: Fabian Nicieza

Voice of Reason: Kurt Busiek

Penciller: Tom Grummett

Inker: Gary Erskine

Colors: Chris Sotomayor

Editor: Tom Brevoort

A televised news report shows Abner Jenkins getting out of jail and making the announcement that he is starting up the Thunderbolts again. The anchor says that was two months ago and that they haven’t seen any results from that proclamation. She says that the Thunderbolts disbanded after a world threatening altercation with the Avengers, but that now with the Avengers disbanded the world could use some new heroes.

MACH IV flies for the first time in months feeling great. He feels free, but at the same time burdened. He volunteered to finish his jail sentence. He publicly announced his intentions to start a super hero team, found a way to finance that team, supervised the building of the new headquarters, but he still feels nervous about seeing the woman he loves. MACH IV lands in Empire State University in front of Songbird. They greet one another. Abe says that it has been a few weeks since he has heard from her. Melissa says that she has been busy being a student and that it’s harder than she remembers. She says that he just made it harder. Abe apologizes and says that he should have realized that she might be keeping a low profile. He says that he just saw some news reports that she had been going out as Songbird. Songbird thinks about having fought Scorpion and Klaw and says that she did when she had to. Abe asks her how she would like to do it all the time. Mel asks if he is really going ahead with this. She asks if he is up to his fourth MACH suit. Abe says that with one more upgrade he will have to hide a kid and a monkey in his rear hatch. Melissa says that she doesn’t get it. Abe says that she is too young. He says that with the Avengers disassembled that the Thunderbolts are needed and ready.

The next day, Songbird flies to the Brooklyn Navy yard. She sees the address Abe gave her and thinks about turning back. As she lands she thinks about how much it looks like a hideout. She lands and a group of metallic tentacles comes out of the ground and attack her. Songbird smashes them all in two seconds with hard sound constructs. Erik Josten shouts out that the security system worked. He says that she trashed it, but that he is trying to be a “glass-is-half-full” kind of guy. Erik and Mel hug. He asks how she is doing. Mel says that she has been okay and asks if Abe asked him to join. Erik says that he asked Abe. Mel says that she thought that Erik gave up the Pym Particles that allowed him to grow into Atlas. Erik says that he did and that he is just Erik Josten… grease monkey and handy man now. He says that he wanted to be part of this any way that he could. He says that she is glad she came and that now she and Abe can spend more time together. He says that would be great. Mel says, “Yeah, speaking of crappy love lives, how’s yours going?” Erik says that after Dallas hooked up with Homeland Security that they kind of drifted apart. He says that it made it a no brainer for him to come there. Mel asks where Abe got the money for all this. Erik says that Abe didn’t rob a bank. He says that when Abe was in prison that he hooked up with some investors. He says that Parsons was full of white collar criminals.

They walk through a door and Mel asks why it is so cold. She sees the Blizzard training with MACH IV. She asks if that is who they have recruited so far. Erik says that it is. She says, “The Blizzard?” Blizzard reminds Mel that she used to be called Screaming Mimi and not to give him any lip. Mel says that she will give him that one. She asks Gill why he is doing this. Gill says that he wanted to fix his life before it got too late. He says that he has had chances in the past and blown them. He says that he saw how the Bolts got their act together. Mel says that is the right answer, but that they’ve been rehearsing the right answers their whole lives. Gill tells her to think what she wants and that he will prove her wrong. Mel says that they will see if he gets the chance.

In the game room, Mel pours herself some coffee. Erik tells Mel that she was pretty hard on Gill and that he is a good kid. Mel says that she didn’t say anything different than what the two of them have said to each other. Erik says that she said, “We’ll see if you get the chance”. He asks if that means she isn’t planning on sticking around long enough for him to show her. Mel says that she doesn’t think so. Erik asks why and says that this meant so much to her. Mel says that it did, but that after Hawkeye died that she doesn’t know what the sense of driving so hard is if the light at the end of the tunnel is going to get turned off. Abe appears and says that someone else has to become that light to help show the way. He says that she knows that, and that is why he needs her on the team, and it is why she needs to be part of it. Erik tells Mel that she and Abe have to stick together. He says that shows everyone else that they have a shot. Mel tells Erik that isn’t fair. She says that they aren’t a fairy tale romance. She says that they are just people. Suddenly an alarm goes off. Erik says that the NYPD protocol alerts picked up a 9-1-1 call that would interest them. He says they need to go to the big boards.

Mel sees the extravagant “big boards” and says that white collar crime must be paying well. MACH IV says that he is getting alerts from lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site. Mel sees that they are linked to 911 dispatch and asks if the police sanctioning them. Abe says, “Uhm… not exactly.” As MACH IV flies out he tells Erik to fly the T-bird and says that he will go on recon. Mel asks if they got a ship already and says that it took them forever to get a ship on the old team. MACH IV radios and tells Erik to stay away the buildings and to angle around Battery Park for a better look. Erik asks what they are looking for. MACH IV says that they are going to get a heck of an introduction to New York, but that they may not survive their debut.

Llyron shouts for the other Fathom Five to attack in the name of At;La’Tique to honor the teachings of Nagala and Shakkoth. He says that the airlings must be eliminated from the face of the Earth. Dragonrider rides a large dragon. Sea Leopard rides a sprouting wave created by the beast. Man O’War and Bloodtide attack as well.

Erik says that this is like ten bad movies rolled into one. Songbird says that she is getting hits on some of them. She says that Dragonrider attacked the UN a few years ago. She says that Sea Leopard and Llyron both fought Namor. She wonders if Atlantis is attacking the surface again.

MACH IV flies around Dragonrider and the dragon and says that answers will have to wait. He says that they have to detain them and minimize the damage. Bloodtide says that she commands the currents and that water will triumph over air. She shoots a wall of water into the air and hits the T-bird. Songbird holds Erik in a sonic claw as she fies out of the ship. Erik says that he can’t believe they aren’t even five minutes into their first mission and the already lose the T-bird. Songbird tells Blizzard to try and contain the dragon. Blizzard says that he isn’t used to fighting so high up. He asks Dragonrider her name, but Dragonrider kust calls him an idiot. The dragon smashes the ice bridge Blizzard created and Blizzard thinks to himself that he was a third rate thug. He thinks how he doesn’t even have any powers… just a suit. He thinks about leaving during the commotion. Songbird flies by him and tells Blizzard to freeze the river and block their access to the water. Blizzard asks if she is sure. MACH IV says that Songbird knows what she is doing. Blizzard starts to freeze all the water around the dragon, but he is attacked from behind by Manowar. Songbird and MACH IV rush to his aid. Songbird says that this is too much for them, and that they won’t be able to stop them without some help. Suddenly a blast comes out of nowhere and hits Manowar off Blizzard. Songbird turns and sees Captain Marvel. He tells her that she is looking good. Mel asks him what he is doing there. Marv says that he has two eyes. He says that he watches the entire universe with one and her with the other. MACH IV says, “Yeah… well… we can use the help.” MACH IV asks Genis if he can generate heat to make them retreat. Genis looks up and sees news helicopters. He fliesw off and tells MACH IV that it is a workable plan, but that letting them go doesn’t work for him. MACH IV calls out for him to wait. Erik asks MACH IV what kind of chump Genis is. Abe says that he is the son of one of the most famous soldiers in the galaxy. Erik says that he is just nifty, but that in case Abe didn’t notice that Songbird thinks so too.

Marv asks Mel if the green one is their leader as they fly up together. Marv tells Llyron that he has one second to surrender. Llyron starts in on a speech. Marv says that time is up and blasts Llyron. Llyron says that they are fighting for honor and a cause. He says that Marv isn’t even human and asks why he is even there. Marv tells him to show some respect and be quiet while he embarrasses him. Marv thinks to himself that he has much to atone for and that he can start on Earth. He thinks about the easy publicity, the good food and drink, and the “fringe benefits” as he looks at Songbird.

The news covers Captain Marvel helping out the new Thunderbolts.

Marv says that he knocked Llron out as he lands next to Erik and Bloodtide. Erik tells Genis that they are retreating now. Genis picks up Bloodtide and says that they can prop her up in front of the cameras. Erik reminds Marv that MACH IV said to let them go. Marv asks if that is the kind of heroes they want to be. He says that he needs more than that. He says, “We have to be bigger than that! Bolder! Better! Melissa deserves better! We…” Ionic energy bleeds out of Erik Josten’s eyes as he says, “We…? YOU’RE NOT A PART OF THIS TEAM! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO COME BETWEEN ABE AND MELISSA AND SCREW THIS UP!” Erik grows to a giant size and pounds on Genis. He hits him again and again. Bloodtide wakes up and leaps into the water to run away.

Songbird lands with Blizzard in her hands. She says that Fathom Five are in the water, but that it isn’t too late to follow them. Abe says that they stopped the attack. He says that they want to find out if they are doing this on their own or in the name of Atlantis. Blizzard asks how they are going to do that. MACH IV says that he planted a tracer on one of them. Blizzard sees approaching cops and asks if they should bail. Abe says that they stay and show the cops that the Bolts are there to help. Songbird asks where Erik and Genis are.

Erik answers Abe’s communication as he stands gigantic and naked over the unmoving Captain Marvel. He tells Abe that he was trying to help spaceface with one of them, but that he flew off after them. He tells Abe that he will meet him back at headquarters and that he wants to try and salvage some parts from the T-bird. Abe says that they can help, but Erik tells him to do the clean up/PR thing and that it is important that people see that the heroes are back in town. Erik feels the ionic energy flowing through him like liquid anger as he picks up Genis’s limp body. He doesn’t question where it came from or what he just did. He decides that he acted to protect his friends and tries to convince himself that there is nothing wrong with that. He tosses Genis’s body into the water. He shrinks down and walks away. A man in the shadows watches him go.

Hours later at the dockyard, Melissa asks Erik what he means when he says that he lost Genis. Erik says that he went out after Bloodtide, and that she dragged him under the bay in some waterspout. He says that Genis didn’t come up, but that he was like eight hundred yards off shore and asks what he could do. Mel asks if he is dead. Erik says that he didn’t come up, but that he breathes in space. He says that maybe they kidnapped him. Mel says that Erik should have contacted them. Erik says that he knows and that he is sorry, but that they went underwater and that there wasn’t much they could do about it. Abe says that it is okay and that he still has a tracer on one of them. He says that if Genis was kidnapped that they will demand some ransom. Mel says that they should check the coastline in case Genis washes up. Abe asks if she is staying just because Captain Marvel is missing. Mel says that of course she isn’t. Abe tells her to take the first recon shift. Mel asks Abe where he is going. Abe says that they need a new ship and that he has to go visit their financial backer.

Abe walks into Merovech Investment Group and greet Hilary the receptionist. She tells him that she saw him on the news and that it was incredible. Abe says that they got lucky. She asks if he would like some coffee and Abe accepts.

Abe, with his coffee, walks into the office. He asks the man in the chair behind the desk if he was watching too. The man says that didn’t go as well as it could have. Abe says that they were undermanned, but that they repelled an attack and saved the day. He says that he will take that. The man calls him a fool and says that he is too pedestrian in his thinking. He says that he isn’t funding them so they can aspire to mediocrity. He says that he wants and needs great things from them. He says that they will do better or he will reveal to the world that, “Baron Wolfgang von Strucker owns you body and soul!” Strucker turns around in his chair.

Traitors rating: 9 out of 10

Review and pictures by the Leader

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