Writer: Fabian Nicieza
The Thunderbolts gather at a funeral to say goodbye to one of their own, Hallie Takahama (Jolt) who was shot while having a slush coffee with her friends. Gayle Rogers is also on the scene with a special edition of her 'thunder watch' reports. In Mt. Charteris, the Thunderbolts base the Ogre watchesthe funeral on a TV while considering whether to give the Thunderbolts the video diary he found of Jolt.
Later Gayle Rogers goes over some videos and a newspaper and figures out that Hallie Takahama was actually Jolt. Gayle also manages to get a copy of the Coroner's report on Hallie that wasn't going to be released. The report states that there was a single entry through the forehead, there was no exit point and there was no bullet found at the scene or in the body. At Mt. Charteris Hawkeye is trying out his new makeshift crossbow since his wrist is in a cast due to his injury last issue with the Hulk.
While somewhere in Europe Citizen V is training with the V battalion. Piers and Vradec talk about what Citizen V has done wrong in her training session while other members of the Battalion watch from above adding in their own comments that the reason why they fight is more important then who they fight. Eamonn gives Citizen V her next assignment which she is shocked by saying she can't assassinate who they want her too. If she refuses she is reminded she can be replaced.
In the Thunderbolts base they watch the video diary that plays to them and Ogre wonders what Jolt would have said about him since she only comments on the other members of the Thunderbolts.
At the sports bar in Burton Canyon Atlas thinks about Jolts comments with Man-killer as the bartender watching over him while the same gunman that killed Jolt has a target aimed on Atlas. The mysterious gunman pulls away before firing saying that it's not his time yet and that Josten (Atlas) is the Spine and next will be the brain.
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Elsewhere Val Cooper federal Liaison to the Commission on Superhuman Activities tells the Beetle that his next mission will be to meet with Justin Hammer who is arriving at a research facility he owns outside of Vancouver.
The Beetle flies to Vancouver, Canada and attacks the facility that Justin Hammer is at where the people who work at the facility were trying to duplicate the Omega-32 that another company Roxxon had designed. The attack on the facility gets the attention of Justin Hammer's four bodyguards the Speed Demon, Hydro-Man, Whiplash and the Blizzard that the Beetle quickly and efficiently dispatches. The Beetle gives Justin Hammer the Omega-32 that was stolen from the Roxxon Facility last issue as a gesture of good faith and offers to work for him. Justin Hammer is also wondering if Abe is under the Beetle armor as the Thunderbolts brake into the facility asking the same question. |
Meanwhile back in Boulder Colorado Gayle Rogers meets up with someone from the Roxxon facility that the Beetle attacked last issue and receives a folder from them on Omega-32 all Gayle has to do is not list the person's name who gave her the folder as a source. Gayle looks through the folder on Omega-32 and finds design schematics, engineering specs, analysis by some man named Hume, advanced physics equations and two dozen other pages that result in her asking two questions.
"What the heck is hard air and who the heck could use it to kill someone?"
As a target is shown on Gayle's head with the captions, "She is certainly not the brains. Or the arrogance. Or the Innocence. Or the Spine. Or the Influence. Or the Fear. Or the spirit. So what is she then? Just a detour on a very long winding road..."
Comments:What a great issue this was! Definitely better than Fabian Nicieza first issue which was still good but there are plenty of things were going on in this one. So they killed off Jolt a risky move but at least this series isn't afraid of surprises for that's what it was built on. Jolt was one of the characters I was less interested in so I'm not that sad to see her die and just when she was having her origin explained and anything interesting about her too but I hope they don't bring her back and make the situation really pointless. They could have killed Charcoal who I have even less interest for but that would have been less of an impact on the team I would imagine.
The other plots running through this issue is some of the stuff I'm most interested in. It was neat to see Gayle Rogers researching some stuff and to finally be introduced to the V battalion. I just wonder who Citizen V thinks she can't assassinate maybe Baron Zemo? But she's fought him before, maybe Hawkeye? Or Another hero or a villain of much greater power than Citizen V? This should be interesting.
The Jolt video diary just telling us what we already now and hardly any thoughts on herself was all right but not the most interesting thing of the issue that the killer is still around targeting other Thunderbolts and people. Now everyone will have to be make up lists on who's the gunman's targets are in regards to the brain, arrogance, innocence etc. The writing style that is used for the mysterious character looks ancient and weird which will probably go along with the character whoever they turn out to be, doubt it will be Zemo though, just doesn't seem like him.
More of the beetle this issue which was great I've always liked him back from when I was reading a few of his stories in Spider-man. The Beetle does have an interesting thought though with "Screw this up and your only chance for freedom gets flushed down the toilet." Sounds like everything is being set up for us to think its the really Abe within the armor when it could be someone else that commission is using in the armor maybe Abe just designed the armor that's why they took him out of prison. We even get to see a shaded face of the one inside the armor and it doesn't look exactly like him but these things are always hard to tell. It was fun to see the Beetle fight Justin Hammer's bodyguards this reminded me of Deadly foes of Spider-man back when I used to enjoy Spider-man compared to what it is now, but that's another story.
One thing that struck me as a bit odd though is the Thunderbolts breaking into the facility in Vancouver and then proclaiming they wanted to see who was under the beetle's helmet. Shouldn't they be there trying to arrest him? Not look under his helmet and then just walk away. It just sounded the identity under the helmet was more important to them and that they were voicing what the readers wanted to see not what they should be after. It deals with one of their previous members who went to jail so I suppose that's why the identity is very important to them but that's my own nit picking on a great issue.
Things are getting more interesting then they were during that Imperial forces of America stories and more conspiracy stuff is showing up. What is Omega-32 and Hard-air? Looks like a pretty effective weapon that the gunman is using.
One final thing, the v's the V-battalion had on their costumes and just their whole outfits looked similar to the people who broke Dallas Riodan out of jail issue ago which is an interesting thing to note.
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