Flashback to when Humus Sapien first emerged from his containment chamber at Mt.Charteris. Charcoal engages Humus Sapien and is beaten back by his power. Meanwhile his powers spiralled outwards from Mt. Charteris as the teenager Melissa was trying to sell audio equipment too, drops dead.
S.H.I.E.L.D agents concerned about Ogre's presence at Mt. Charteris draw weapons but Jolt puts in a good word for him. Citizen V agrees that he can be an asset but Ogre is not to be trusted. The Redeemers continue fighting Humus Sapien as Leila's Beetle armor disappears because of his powers.
Citizen V asks for information on Humus Sapien and Ogre starts reciting some information as Humus Sapien's powers hit the main support brace of the mountain as the area is destroyed and all the Redeemers expect for Scream lie unconscious in the rubble. Scream waits to see if any of them are dead. Fixer is the first one to appear out of the rubble and uses his tec pack to help with his broken arm. Ogre is the next one to get up and shortly the others do as well. Citizen V questions Ogre for more information and he says they might as well plan on dying.
Elsewhere Graviton thanks Karla for all the help he has received from her. Graviton flies away as Karla watches wondering where he went. M'Reel says he is going to save the world.
At Seagate Prison, Clint Barton and there others are being transferred to another prison. Plant Man, Headlok, and Cottonmouth accompany Clint as they are moved outside in their shackles. Soon Clint will have to put his plan into action.
While at Avengers Mansion, Dallas Riordan is visiting the Scarlet Witch and Wonder-man about Atlas and his possible return to life. Dallas has had dreams about Atlas and thinks she heard his voice before. Since Wonder-man has returned from the dead and is an ionic being she wants information about it. Atlas needs an emotional anchor to return and he choose Dallas to help him. Dallas is left to wonder if she cares as deeply for him as he does for her.
Humus Sapien on a mountain recounts his past. Professor Xavier was going to help him but Factor Three captured him. Ogre being part of the group studied him for years. Ogre pushed him and he became more powerful, and also performed experiments on him. Eventually Humus Sapien could remove anything that wasn't sympathetic to the earth and destroy it. Ogre's masters thought that Humus Sapien would be too risky to control so he put Humus Sapien into a cryogenic state. Ogre stayed behind in Mt. Charteris to take care of the containment chamber. He also discovered the Humus Sapien was powered by a person's life force.
Ogre and Fixer squabble and Citizen V gets them to stop so they can try to come up with a plan. They decide that if they can get Humus Sapien into the Tesseract Portal that Ogre was using then he will be cut off from the earth and be powerless but the portal needs power that they don't have.
Humus Sapien continues to ponder his fate, doesn't want to be the way he is and doesn't want to hurt any more people.
Charcoal tries to power up the Tesseract Portal at Mt. Charteris but he doesn't have enough power. A small portal opens for a brief second and then closes.
Citizen V in contact with the V-battalion informs everyone that 2400 have dropped dead worldwide in four hours. Humus Sapien then arrives and asks them to help him stop what he is doing. Ogre says that Humus Sapien could power the portal. Humus Sapien powers the portal as Ogre tells him that his mutation could never have got to the point that it did if it wasn't for him. Humus Sapien says that his powers killed people before Ogre found him, and that if he had not have been pushed he wouldn't have the power to leave earth now.
Humus Sapien goes into the portal to be alone for the rest of his life. Ogre watches and thinks that isn't right and his experiences with the Thunderbolts fuel him to jump into the portal as it closes.
Mt. Charteris rumbles again but it isn't because of the closing portal, Graviton has arrived. Graviton is surprised not to find the Thunderbolts but thinks the Redeemers will do.
"Well then, since the new me is more respectful of my superiority rather than flaunting it with arrogant disregard, I shall provide you with the opportunity to determine...which one of you would prefer to die first?"
Comments: The full story on Humus Sapien is revealed as the Redeemers try to deal with it. An enjoyable story but I was expecting it to be better than it turned out to be. Anything that didn't deal with Humus Sapien was more exciting; subplots moving forward, little pieces of information about characters were what really captured my attention. The cover showed a lot of promise, Zemo's face getting wreaked again but in Citizen V's body this time.
Humus Sapien was the focus for the issue and at least with all the focus on him the title is rid of him. Otherwise maybe this would have been stretched out into another issue with less focus. He's an okay character but I didn't find anything great about most of his origin. The behind the scenes story from last issues letters page about where the character came from was more interesting.
Humus Sapien visually is pretty dull. He's grey and then has a different shade of grey for boots, boxers, and gloves. The circle of the world on him never worked for me either. It looks out of place in some scenes. The picture looking like a photo makes it look even worse.
I never came to care much for the Humus Sapien this issue. He killed his parents and that had some potential but all he was is angry at the world and talking about the earth being scarred. Then he decides to stop hurting everyone and leaves through a portal. I needed him to have more character for me care for him and to be more interesting. He didn't do much this issue even though it was focused on him. His motivations lacked something for me too; he wants to stop hurting people and wants to stop being what he is. That's fine but his reasons were not really explored. I'm glad that he left earth through a portal, and I'm indifferent if I would ever want to see him again. I needed more time with the character to probably develop a like or dislike to him, but I wouldn't sacrifice more page space for him this issue. He already took up plenty but I didn't establish a connection with him. Considering all the other characters that need to be developed in the title right now, he took up plenty of room.
Leila loses her armor this issue. I hope she receives new Beetle armor or something else just as good. I came to like the armor and it's a shame that it's gone. With Graviton showing up and her without any armor she would make an easy target for Graviton. If she does become a target for Graviton I hope she isn't killed. One day I want to see the Redeemers interact and talk with their counterparts in the Thunderbolts. The same way that one-day I want to see the Thunderbolts back, and the original Thunderbolts chat.
Scream is the only one that seems unharmed by Humus Sapien's destruction of part of Mt. Charteris. As a mystery Scream is becoming more interesting and is referred to as a he. More evidence for it being Angar the Screamer; I look forward for more clues. I also liked the bits about his apparent death and his detection of sound.
Much enjoyed Fixer and Ogre's squabbling. I'm more disappointed in Ogre's departure than in seeing Humus Sapien disappearance. Fixer awakes first from the rubble and then Ogre. It seems like the Fixer relies on his tec pack a lot. I wonder if he discovered another interesting section to Mt. Charteris or was just surprised by all the damage to the base before Ogre got out of the rubble and took his attention.
Great graviton sub plot scene. Nicely done rooms with the unique arrangement of furniture. Karla has another 'Uh oh, what have a done now' moment. I assume she will go after Graviton and thus have to face the Redeemers again. They will be interested to see her, especially ex-thunderbolts. Which side will she be on? There's the issue of her getting caught using her powers as well. I'm expecting her to go along with Graviton but only up until a point like she has been up until now.
It was Plant Man being transferred with Clint to another prison. I know him as well as Cottonmouth but Headlok I don't think I even know. Looking forward to this, more outlaw status for Clint, unless he has something up his sleeve.
Dallas is taking action by talking to the Avengers. I'm glad she doesn't sit around and does something. I like seeing her show up to see what she is doing, and she will be occupied by this sub plot for awhile, and then there's that Crimson Cowl identity thing.
"You are not the Thunderbolts!" Heh, it was a little funny moment for Graviton when he confronts the Redeemers. For some that don't follow the title, that would probably be their reaction as well.
Having killed supporting characters, 2400 people this issue, and some of the Thunderbolts the next issue proclamation of a bloodbath is going to have much to live up too. I guess its time to start the bloodbath with the Redeemers now. If anyone kicks the bucket for good this time this could help destroy my one day hopes. Graviton is a complex character and not exactly right in the head so he should prove entertaining. Then there is Zemo as Citizen V who will probably toss in a few subtle quips, and as long as the shocks are not pointless, this is going to be fun.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.