Writer: Fabian Nicieza
In Los Angeles, Moonstone has yet to find work and feels a little bored as someone in a red cloak spies on her.
Elsewhere, Abe and Melissa are experiencing their newfound freedom. They run into the Beetle and Scream who are helping to repair a building in Burton Canyon. They each have different reactions to seeing who has replaced them and Melissa feels a strange connection to the entity called Scream.
At Mt.Charteris the Redeemers are training with Captain America until Cap gets a message from Sharon Carter. She tells him something has come up that the Avengers and Shield can't get involved in but that its old Thunderbolts business.
An interlude with the V-battalion has Roger Aubrey talking to a view screen asking for help from the mutant Commcast. The V-battalion was behind the attempt to smuggle Dallas out of Latveria but something didn't go right. Roger wants Commcast to find out the status of Dallas and send the information along to a shield Convoy that is heading to Latveria. Commcast wonders why the V-battalion can't do anything and Roger responds that they are busy blowing something up (Citizen V #1).
While the Redeemers head to Latveria in the Dove, they receive information on Dallas's current location from an unidentified source. The Fixer wonders how Dallas got into all the trouble that she is in and Captain America doesn't know either. Jolt and Charcoal are the only ones that know but keep quiet. Before the Redeemers can reach their destination they are shot down.
In Burton Canyon, Abe returns to an electronics store that wasn't that nice to him the first time he visited. The store is looking to hire someone and he thinks he can put his engineering skills to use. To prove that he could be valuable to the business he reconfigures a chip that the store sells so more memory can be installed than before.
The owner Bill Kingman, says he was rude the way he acting towards him before and regretted it. He offers Abe the job he was looking for.
In Los Angeles, Moonstone wonders about Hawkeye being in Jail and then confronts her stalker in the red cloak who is an alien called M'Reel. M'Reel offers Moonstone a counselling job to a "very important man".
Meanwhile, the Redeemers struggle to get outside of their aircraft and begin fighting with Rebel since he brought them down. The battle is interrupted by a hologram of Dr. Doom that is being transmitted from Counter Earth. Doom says that Rebel is working for him and says that an eco-terrorist has escaped from Counter Earth. This terrorist has demanded that Doom resign, as ruler of Counter Earth or a biological weapon will be released upon Latveria that would destroy life. Rebel was supposed to track down the terrorist but has not been successful. Rebel kidnapped Dallas for Doom so a group like the Avengers would aid him with the terrorist for the release of Dallas. Doom explains that the eco-terrorist band from Counter Earth is the Young Allies led by a girl named Bucky.
North of Los Angeles, Moonstone has arrived with M'Reel at the home of her new client and is shocked to discover that it is Graviton.
"...Welcome to my home. I can see you are surprised, curious and afraid. Good. All these are appropriate. You're asking yourself "can I escape before he kills me?" The answer would be...no. But you really should be asking yourself...what's in it for me if I help Graviton rule the world? And the answer to that, my Dear Karla is...what do you want?"
Comments: The first issue of a new beginning for the title. An enjoyable read but I'm hoping the issues become even better with future issues. I can't deny that this title is plenty of fun and one of the best titles that I read but I was hoping for something more.
With the new artist it adds to feeling that things are just being sorted out again, and being built up before things come to back to the impossibly high level that they were at with the last few issues. I really couldn't have matched up to the climax last issue so I'm content to watch things unfold and improve themselves.
I think I enjoyed the scenes with the Thunderbolts personal lives since they are now pardoned more than anything else this issue although the scenes with the Redeemers versus Rebel at the end were good as well. I'm glad there is some focus on the Thunderbolts themselves. I particularly liked Abe and Melissa's scenes but then I've always been fond of their characters. It's interesting to see who they have been replaced by staring back at them too. The scream entity is intriguing with its link to Melissa, and the Beetle is still mysterious as ever.
I also liked Moonstone not being able to get a job for various reasons. They all know her too well. Of course what better job for her now than to be counselling super villains, she could easily fall back into old routines. She's likely the one to stray the most out of this group as well and she is an interesting one to watch.
I was a bit surprised that Hawkeye wasn't shown at all this issue since they touched on everyone else. Even a few panels with Hawkeye would have done, but I guess someone had to get pushed into the background.
The scene at the beginning issue with Dallas dreaming about Atlas, I wonder if it really was a dream? It could possibly be something more and signalling that Atlas is slowly gathering himself back together again.
Now the Redeemers, since there is no longer a Thunderbolts team have to bare the weight of being the draw for the superhero team in the title. Jolt and Charcoal are the only one left out of the Thunderbolts team in the Redeemers and they are not even the originals. Charcoal came in fairly late as well. They don't work as the headliners for the group since the others are so unknown at this point. Since Jolt and Charcoal are the only Thunderbolts left here they are just not interesting enough to me to make the whole Redeemers team seem as interesting as the Thunderbolts. I'm sure in time the others will be fleshed out more and the team will seem more exciting to me but right now its like starting over. The team isn't anything spectacular yet. With Captain America leading it, it seems like a twisted version of the Avengers. Although Cap as leader presents some interesting possibilities and could provide some compromising situations for Cap, I'm looking forward to Citizen V as their leader. Citizen V's attitude and the way the character is should get the team into some trouble.
The one in the red cloak is finally revealed from way back. Considering this is the one that has been with Graviton I'm not thinking this anything to do with the Crimson Cowl at this point. The look of the alien race that M'Reel is doesn't ring any bells, but it might be a little familiar.
Dr. Doom looked great this issue, by far one of my favourite villains. Even if he was only a hologram it was great to see him here. He's playing games too, the results of which I look forward too. I'm sure a different story will unfold next issue and Doom was only telling the story the way he views it. I read the Heroes Reborn One-shot with the Young Allies so I'm already familiar with the characters and it will be good to see them again. I never expected to see anyone really from "Planet Doom" again for a long time, or has it been that long already? Rebel was also a nice inclusion and the Iron Man armor he wears is not bad as well.
This issue was good art wise but I was still hoping for Bagley to be on the title in spots. There were great scenes the training room was pretty amazing but sometimes things wouldn't come across as right. Some faces didn't seem to be consistent. There also seems to be a minor error when the Dove gets shot down. Charcoal says he's got Halie but Meteorite is the one that says thanks, whoever's fault that would be.
The graviton plot shows promise and the exploration of the Thunderbolts now that they have been pardoned are at a high level that they bring up the more standard parts with the Redeemers, so overall a good start to this new beginning.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.