Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Comments: This being the last issue for the current Thunderbolts this issue was anticipated with a certain amount of dread. The last year hasn't been the best but the last issue was looking up with a good issue and good art. There was curiosity if this issue would tie everything up and provide a satisfying conclusion. This issue turns out to be fairly good but once again is hampered by the art at least it looks better than it has before but still not near the standard Bagley and Zircher set for the title.
There's a funny moment early on where Hawkeye calls Baron Zemo's mask a "pink sock" and he says the colour is magenta a good laugh since Zemo costume and mask in the past have had varying colours from pink to purple. With the colouring this issue it even looks like Hawkeye and Zemo both have purple masks this time.
The Fixer sticking his tongue out this issue when Skein goes for a swim naked was a bit much. He might be thinking such a think but he looks too much like a cartoon and unreal here.
Jolt is seen on Counter Earth with the Young Allies. Never one of my favourite characters, it's a good place for her but likely a place that wouldn't be showing up often or likely anytime soon.
The Man-killer, Atlas, and Dallas scenes are all fine and something that needs to be seen as to see where these characters are going next but not overly interesting.
Hawkeye and Zemo have some interesting moments, Zemo's growth is shown, and that he actually saved the child from way back when he was sharing Citizen V's body in the last Graviton story arc.
Abe goes back to prison with cardinal. Cardinal going back to prison is easy to believe but Abe going back was unexpected. Even though he received a pardon, the Thunderbolts did break him out of jail before and he understands about being a hero better than most of them. It's a shame but maybe sometime in the future when he's releasing he can do some more hero stuff and team-up with Spider-man.
There wasn't much to clear up from last issue so its good that this focused on character interaction that was a strong component of the title from the beginning. Its good that the team didn't break up at the end and dissolve. It's always easier for a team to be used again or appear when they were still together when they appeared last. Like the New Warriors have for a long time they could have showed up in cameo appearances but the last two pages changes things up a bit.
The ending was unexpected and just like the title of the issue "didn't see that coming" and completes this run with these Thunderbolts much the same way the first issue of the Thunderbolts ended with a shock ending but with a different twist.
So Zemo wants to rule the world again only to save it this time and it's hard to believe some of the others would go along with him. The Fixer is always along for a good time and conquering interesting challenges, Moonstone's has the two moonstones and unsure of where she stands exactly. Atlas could turn into the follower again just doing what the others are doing but with Dallas, Plant Man, and especially Songbird it starts to stretch credibility unless those three are really there to watch over Zemo. Songbird out of all would probably be there to watch the rest of them for Hawkeye, since she's turned a corner in my mind and is on the path to becoming a hero. Of course another issue would have helped to clarify things but the title changes next month, it would be nice to see a one-shot of them at least in the future sometime.
The other thing that is bothersome is Zemo leading them, I never trusted him leading on the Thunderbolts on Counter Earth and never fully believed that they would have went along with him. So now that they are back on Earth it certainly isn't easy to believe that they would follow him again. He's dangerous and is liable to kill anyone of them even though his character has changed in different ways.
The last two pages of this issue almost make me reconsider not wanting teams to dissolve in the last issue they are in and just going there separate ways. It's better when they stay together for further adventures but the way the story ends this issue puts the Thunderbolts at risk. I would feel better about the Thunderbolts surviving with their growth from this series intact if it wasn't for those last two pages. At some point in the future a writer could see the last page and just think that the Thunderbolts in the last scene have turned into villains again. Then they show up, as typical villains and much of what they have gained could be lost because it was never explored or explained and that new writer would just making up some easy explanation. If they show up again and Baron Zemo is probably the most likely one of them too it will probably be as a villain. A better scenario and also one that could be likely especially in the Avengers title is the Thunderbolts trying to achieve something to save the world by ruling it and coming up against the Avengers because they don't agree with the methods used. In this situation the Thunderbolts could still lose some of what they have gained and become generic but at least there intent at the end of this issue would remain. Hopefully when the Thunderbolts show up next, if ever, they will be treated well and this worrying about what the last two pages could mean will have been for nothing.
I'm disappointed that this will be the last time I get to read about these characters for now but the title has not been the same quality for the last year. Just before the biweeklies started and during the end of the Graviton story arc things were going great and I thought the title was going to be better than ever but then it faltered and with all of the fill-in artists it didn't help the title. Still the stories were not bad from the last year just not the best, at times just average and the title was due for a change. It would have been better to have the change made by Nicieza and have him continue with title or perhaps even another writer with the same characters even though the new writer could have messed things up. I'm on board for the next issue and for the foreseeable future of Thunderbolts that promises something different. If I can't read about the characters that started out in Thunderbolts then I better see some good quality stories in this title.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.