Thunderbolts #1 (April 1997)

The Marvel Universe had it a bit rough in the mid-1990s. And it all started with a monster called Onslaught. Onslaught was a powerful psionic entity created from the merger of the darker sides of the minds of Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, spinning from the events of the 1993 storyline "Fatal Attractions", which was a story created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the X-Men.

In that story, Magneto used his magnetokinetic powers to literally rip the adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton. Enraged by this, Xavier mindwiped his former friend. However, this caused Magneto's darker nature to enter Xavier's mind, which (as I said earlier) combined with Xavier's own suppressed dark side, creating Onslaught. The psionic being would eventually create his own body, and attempted to use the extremely powerful mutants Franklin Richards and Nate Grey to transform humanity into a collective consciousness.

The X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four joined forces to stop the psionic monster. They managed to succeed...but the price was heavy. Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Marvel's First Family seemingly were killed destroying Onslaught. Of course, it turned out they were alive, but that's a story for another day.

With the FF and Avengers seemingly dead, the Marvel Universe needed A-Teams again. Sure, many other heroes were still active. Spider-Man, Moon Knight, Daredevil, the New Warriors. But there was a hole in the Marvel Universe. One team was determined to rise up and take up the mantle of being Earth's Mightiest Heroes...while harboring a very dark secret. First appearing in Incredible Hulk #449 (January 1997), this new team would create quite a legacy for itself. They are the Thunderbolts, and this is Thunderbolts #1!

The cover is a Mark Bagley piece, and it's pretty good. It depicts the Thunderbolts, basically giving an idea of who they are. I like the usage of the lightning bolt behind them. I do feel the group should have some shadows on them, helping symbolize that there's a dark side to them.

"Justice...Like Lightning!"

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Penciler: Mark Bagley

Inker: Vince Russell

Colorist: Joe Rosas

Letterer: Comicraft, Dave Lanphear, Oscar Gongorra

Editor: Bob Harras

Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins with a reporter at the site of a battle. She's here to give us a bit of a recap. She basically tells what I explained earlier in the entry, without the reveal of Onslaught's origins. A teenage girl watches the crew.

Meet Helen "Hallie" Takahama.  A few weeks ago, she was celebrating her 15th birthday. But then Onslaught showed up and her parents had been killed in front of her. Since then, she's survived on the streets. However, things are not going to get much better for her, as a mysterious man uses some chloroform to knock her out and drag her away.

Elsewhere, a group of looters and scavengers called the Rat Pack are looking around for items and valuables. However, they get a visit.

The gentleman's name is Citizen V, and he's here to make a citizen's arrest. The Rat Pack aim their guns at him. After all, he's seemingly just some nut in a funny suit and sword, right? Well, no. You see, Citizen V has some friends.

Meet the Thunderbolts! Songbird, scintillating sonic siren! MACH-1, armored aerial ace! Meteorite, space powerhouse! Techno, brilliant king of machines! And last but not least: Atlas: the gargantuan guardian! The Thunderbolts leap into action. A helicopter notices this and gets out the news. One of them is one Dallas Riordan.

Back to the battle! The Rat Pack's leader sends the craft with his group's loot flying. MACH-1 and Songbird pursue after it, but MACH-1 is brought down. Thankfully, Songbird saves him with a bubble of solid sound. The Thunderbolts get the win, but the Rat Pack manage to get way, thanks to some explosive tunneling.

With that done, the Thunderbolts return to their HQ...one of the abandoned buildings due to Onslaught. It's here we get some more character moments with the group. Techno complains about the dilapidation and wants to use one of the hidden bases that the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus must have all over the city. Citizen V tells him the Thunderbolts can do better, and they don't have the money for a high-tech base anyway.

Neearby, MACH-1 and Songbird do a bit of talking. The sonic diva worries that she may not up to this gig, but MACH-1 assures her that she's got what it takes. Meteorite watches this and mulls over it. She then spots Atlas lounging in a chair. The powerhouse doesn't like the fact that Techno's grandstanding could have gotten them killed. You see, Atlas was a military man once. As such, he likes order and being able to depend on the rest of the men in the squad. Meteorite basically tells him, "Citizen V and I will take care of it, don't worry about it."

Meteorite then goes to check on Techno, who's been occupying himself with creating a robot.

Awww, ain't it cute? Meteorite blasts the robot. Because she is a jerk. Seriously, she fears it will arouse suspicion. A group of news helicopters arrive, and Citizen V takes the opportunity to formally introduce the Thunderbolts to the world. Who they are, their powers, that kind of thing. Interestingly, V reveals the team's name of "Thunderbolts" was inspired by a quote from 17th century poet Thomas Randolph:

"Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men ruin, but to all men fear."

We see a bit more character stuff with the individual interviews. MACH-1 talks about his suit, Songbird is a bit nervous, and Techno is a braggart. One of the reporters alerts Citizen V that the Rat Pack was spotted nearby the last place the 'Bolts faced them. And with that, New York's newest heroes jump back into action!

Back with Dallas Riordan! She gets a call from the mayor. People are talking about this wild new team, and he wants them to be connected to New York City. And that will be Riordan's job. So, where are the Thunderbolts right now? They're pursuing the Rat Pack to Liberty Island. And it's here that our new heroes have gotten themselves into an ambush.

Techno is worried about them. After all, the Wrecking Crew are known for regularly trading blows with Thor, who is a god. Despite this, the 'Bolts engage them. Citizen V taunts the Wrecker by reminding him of the time he got beaten by Captain America [Iron Fist #12 (April 1977)] and "a glorified SWAT team" [Journey to Mystery #505 (January 1997)]

During the battle, Piledriver causes a shockwave, endangering some tourists. Songbird manages to save them. Bulldozer tries to run her down, but MACH-1 manages to make him miss. Atlas is able to knock Wrecker silly, but Thunderball (My favorite member of the Crew because he shares a name with a James Bond movie) manages to knock him silly.

Ooh, right in the jaw!

Thunderball's blow manages to knock the gigantic Thunderbolt down and into the water. This distracts Meteorite, who ends up eating some flying rubble courtesy of Piledriver. In the process, the torch-holding arm of the Statue of Liberty is knocked off. Wrecker smashes a hole in the Statue's base, making one demand: The Thunderbolts surrender...or he'll live up to his name and turn the Statue of Liberty into a pile of scrap metal. With Atlas and Meteorite down, the 'Bolts can't fight the Crew head-on. Or can they?

When brawn fails, brains will work. MACH-1 flies in, firing small balls of sleeping gas into the Wrecking Crew's mouths. With Songbird creating sound bubbles around their heads, the gas sends three of the Crew to dreamland. Only Bulldozer remains, due to his helmet shielding him. An angry Atlas rises from the water, wanting a piece of Thunderball. But since Thunderball is busy with his nap, Bulldozer will make a nice convenient target for him. Atlas punches Bulldozer, sending him flying over the horizon like Team Rocket after a failed scheme to get Ash's Pikachu.

The Thunderbolts hear a noise, and...it's cheering. People are cheering for them. A short time later, Dallas Riordan arrives to Liberty Island and introduces herself to the 'Bolts. Atlas is a bit spellbound by the bespectacled redhead. The 'Bolts help repair the Statue and take their leave.

New York City has fallen in love with their new heroes, and even other heroes like Spider-Man, the New Warriors, and Black Widow have taken a shine to them. Back at their HQ, the 'Bolts are watching TV, seeing how the city has accepted them. An unmasked Citizen V enters the room, showing that he's...got some problems with his face. V decides to put on an older mask...and that's when we learn this team's startling twist.

Yup, they're actually supervillains in disguise. Citizen V is Baron Helmut Zemo. Techno is the Fixer. Songbird is Screaming Mimi. Atlas is Goliath, and Meteorite is actually Moonstone. All of these characters have served in various incarnations of the Masters of Evil. MACH-1, aka the Beetle, served with the 3rd incarnation of the group, first appearing in Avengers #222 (August 1982). That incarnation was led by an evil genius called Egghead. The others served in the fourth incarnation, debuting in Avengers #270 (August 1986). Led by Zemo himself, it was the biggest version of the team to date, with twelve members. This version made their name by storming and wrecking Avengers Mansion in the underrated "Avengers Under Siege" storyline. Back in 1997, this was a shocking revelation, helped by Marvel managing to keep it secret.

The story ends with Hallie Takahama in a dark cell, miles from New York, praying for anyone to help her.

This comic is awesome. You really don't get much of a hint that the Thunderbolts are actually supervillains until the end, which puts the hint of personality each of the members had shown into question. Was it real, or were they acting? We're left unsure and rather unsettled. We also have a bit of a mystery on our hands here. How exactly will posing as heroes help the Masters achieve their goal of presumably world domination? And what of Hallie? Well, we'll have to read on to find out.

I also liked Mark Bagley's art. To me, it has a bit of a cartoony vibe to it. One detail I really liked was that he was able to show Citizen V's facial expressions despite his face being fully covered. I did feel his faces were a bit generic at times, though.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Thunderbolts Classic Vol. 1. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! Join me next time, when we look at a titanic team-up between two 80s icons...