Writer: Fabian Nicieza
At an S.H.I.E.L.D. facility they watch carefully over the situation with the chain gang and the death they have caused. Signals are no longer registering with the manacles so Songbird is going to track the chain gang down.
On counter earth the Thunderbolts are on a train that's taking them from Moscow to Berlin but it has been derailed by a mob of people. The Thunderbolts try to decide what to do if anything as guards from the train tries to fend off the mob by firing into the crowd.
Elsewhere in the train Fixer talks to Baron Zemo who now has a hologram for himself. Baron Zemo wants a new body before Fixer leaves Counter Earth. Zemo recounts past details about Fixer's neck being broken and how his conscience was moved to the sentient Robot Techno. Robot Techno healed a lot of damage that was done to the Fixer's body and stopped the corpse from decaying. When Robot Techno died to save Jolt, he transferred his essence back into Fixer's body.
Fixer says he doesn't remember anything about that. Robot Techno was responsible for Zemo's current state so Zemo is reserving judgement on Fixer now, for Zemo would want revenge on the robot. Zemo also reveals that the Robot had inserted Bio-modem technology into him when he was recovering from Moonstone's attack after Thunderbolts #12. With the bio-modem technology Techno transferred Zemo's mind into the body of John Watkins III.
In Germany the Counter-Earth Thunderbolts prepare for the launch of the satellite.
The Thunderbolts on the train find out the reason it was derailed is because the mob of people want water. The purification system the people have has not worked for ten months. Hallie pleads and the Thunderbolts decide they can build a filtration system since it's not that hard for them to do. With the problem solved the train eventually gets going again. The Fixer and Zemo talk about getting his new body. Zemo's electronic form will degrade in less than six months so he can't wait that long for the Thunderbolts to get to back to Earth. He had a body in mind and shows an image of Counter Earth versions of Iron Cross, Baron Heinrich Zemo, and Phantom Eagle.
Back on Earth, in the early morning Cottonmouth has tried to bite off Plantman's arm. With no arms the chain gang would not have to worry about their manacles. Clint doesn't think much of the disgusting plan; they all try to decide what to do about Cottonmouth.
Elsewhere Songbird is slowly trying to track down the chain gang. At a motel she trying to get information as to their location and the clerk wonders what her name is.
"You can call me...Mimi."
Comments: More Counter Earth, more Hawkeye with the chain gang in the title this month. I like how this latest storyline is turning out, with the Thunderbolts together again more or less, definitely more enjoyable than those Redeemers.
So Smithers actually ends up killing someone accidentally and Hawkeye sinks deeper in despair questioning his every action. This is looking good; I hope this is worth it for Hawkeye. Villains on the run is another interesting situation from this title to play around with, the idea of villains being an active part of the title is ever changing.
I'm glad the chain gang is going to use the guardsman technology to jam the signals from their manacles. I thought there would be a much too easy situation for them to get out of this by some convenient solution. This is a much better solution plus they still have the manacles on as evidenced by the end of the issue.
It funny to see Dum Dum Dugan make comments about the chain gang, he knows something the others at S.H.I.E.L.D. don't so he makes comments that lead into questions and then others wonder why he saying certain things that way. I do wonder who sent in that anonymous phone tip; I suppose it could have been Hawkeye if he had a moment to himself since Plant man didn't mean to kill the Guardsman. Dugan seems to think this too with what happened with the Guardsman could have been an accident. With Clint undercover with the chain gang Dugan knows that Clint would do everything he could to make sure an innocent person wasn't harmed, unless of course things went horribly wrong. I can't wait to see Hawkeye's face when Songbird tracks him down. What will Clint do? This could get ugly if something isn't worked out.
On counter earth Jolt keeps on preaching to the Thunderbolts or that's at least what it feels like at times. The world is so in ruins all they want to do is get home. Eventually they decide to help out the mob of people that stopped their train with getting water. If this is how well the Thunderbolts redemption is going, that they have to be told to do it all the time, its not going all that well. Maybe it's just because of how rough Counter Earth is and then Abe has the reason of just wanting to get back home to Melissa. If they can take the easy route that's what they would rather do sometimes, anyway now that they have been reminded, I guess they will do a little helping out along the way whenever they can before they get home.
The Fixer and Zemo conversations this issue were interesting, filling in the blanks of how each survived and other information about robot Techno. Its fun to see these two interact and funny how that the fixer has seemingly lost some of his memory but still goes about things in an odd way. It's uncomfortable to see Zemo question Fixer and then the Fixer changing the topic, a tense atmosphere indeed. It doesn't seem like they are exactly friends, which is different then some portrayals in the past as more friendly or Techno being Zemo's lackey. I get the feeling that each of them could double cross the other. As for Zemo's new body this is where I feel something could happen like that.
Which body will it be of the counter earth versions of Iron Cross, Baron Heinrich Zemo, or Phantom Eagle? According to scene focusing on the Thunderbolts of Counter Earth, Iron Cross seems to be Baron Helmut Zemo of Counter Earth, but never know when a twist could be coming. If Zemo wants another body like his own this would be the one, unless Iron Cross is Helmut Grueler or someone else. It's even uncertain if the same person has served as Iron Cross over the last sixty years. As for Baron Heinrich Zemo, that would just be kind of weird if he's just like Zemo's old father, but at least he's a Zemo. The third candidate of Phantom Eagle would be an oddball choice but his identity is unknown.
Finally the last page of the Thunderbolts, what can I say but I was surprised. To be listed as Whirlwind with several other Thunderbolts message board posters from comicboards.com in a hotel registry in an actual page of the Thunderbolts is really neat Now I don't have to be jealous of the others who have their names in rubble in a Thunderbolts issues a few months before.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.