US Shipping Date: April 11, 2007

Previous Issue: Thunderbolts #112 Next Issue: Thunderbolts #114

Synopsis
The Steel Spider returns to his filthy apartment to receive answer machine messages from his bank, his father and his girlfriend about money and his continued illegal fight against crime.

In his holding cell, Robbie Baldwin (aka Penance) tells Norman Osborn that his iron-maiden like combat suit allows him to channel his pain and that he doesn’t care if he gets himself killed on a mission.

Andreas Strucker (aka Swordsman) confronts Osborn in regards to a replacement for his sword. It is revealed that his powers only work when he is in contact with the skin of his dead sister that he had wrapped around the hilt and that, as part of his association with The Thunderbolts, he is waiting on a clone of his sister to be created. Osborn shouts at him for talking down to him and sends him out. In the corridor he meets Moonstone who informs him about Osborn’s medication. Moonstone fills him in on her wishes – when Osborn goes crazy and is released she wants Songbird killed in the field so that she can become Director of The Thunderbolts!

The Navajo Reservation: Jason Strongbow (America Eagle) is informed of The Steel Spider’s actions in Phoenix and is asked by a friend to go and calm him down before an anti-superhero riot begins.

In her apartment, Jillian Woods (Sepulchre) gets a phone call from Roxxon Blackridge in regards to a sensitive security job. They are looking for super-powers who are unregistered with no government links. She nervously accepts an interview.

In Thunderbolts Mountain, whilst briefing the team on The Steel Spider, he mistakenly says “Spider-Man”. The others pick up on it but Osborn brushes it aside and tells them that they will take him in broad daylight for the cameras.

Meanwhile, The Steel Spider prepares for trouble by making modifications to his metal arms!

Highlight
Mike Deodato’s Jillian Woods

Comments
This is more of the same from this high-profile creative team as Ellis builds up for a mega confrontation at the end of this arc. Whilst this issue again contains snippets of information and character that builds off the foundations of last issue it continues to do this successfully. You can almost group this with the last issue (almost Part II of the arc) which has now introduced the next target, given some background on two others that may get involved and touched on all of the characters within the team (giving enough subtle information about each of the characters that readers can happily access the title now) and their relationships with one another and the leader of the pack Norman Osborn. I quite like Ellis’ take on Osborn as he is doing all of this for selfish reasons, to make himself look good, but in doing so has to show a kind of compassion for Gargan and Baldwin that I haven’t seen before. His choice of Steel Spider is also an interesting one and the slips of the tongue, which have been picked up by the rest of the team, makes his position of power a shaky one.

This is confounded by a sub-plot that may weave its way through the title for a while; Moonstone’s dream. Putting the devious pieces together Ellis makes her the one to watch both as a manipulative inexperienced leader and as a total manipulative b*tch!

As Ellis bulks out the three super-heroes an excellent scene is produced in the apartment of Jillian Woods. Ellis grounds the registration act with humanity by producing a stunning depiction of fear here. The change in Woods is effective as she goes from carefree to inquisitive to scared, confused and then nervously and cautiously open to a new prospect. The combination of emotion and dialogue works wonders here and somehow (as he did with Jack Flag) Ellis makes the reader want to know about the unknown characters. Deodato matches this emotion with ease and creates some of the clearest and honest pages of feeling that I have seen him do. The brilliant expressive eyes, body language and nervous behaviour that he exhibits in her may seem simple but it is highly effective and marks a moment where the character becomes infinitely more interesting and involved in the story.

The superb double page spread of the inner working of Thunderbolt Mountain really shows a difference in Deodato’s work. When he attempted something like this in Amazing Spider-Man it came across as overly-busy with very little depth. Here this scene is spectacular and the detail of the background sits perfectly with the character in front of it. Credit to colourist Rain Bareto here as well.

Now we just need Part III (the final two issues of the arc) to bring all these elements together.

Rating
Cover –
Overall –

Reviewed by Adam Rivett

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Previous Issue: Thunderbolts #112 Next Issue: Thunderbolts #114