Andy Diggle arrives and begins his run. Lots of people have feelings about Andy Diggle. Many count this run on Thunderbolts as one of the better stories in the series’ history. But then he also was the architect of Marvel’s first major Daredevil event, Shadowland, and … Most of us agree that it didn’t warrant an event.
In a tale titled, “Burning Down the House,” Diggle starts by cutting the core of the team. After Swordsman buries his (clone) sister Andrea Strucker, he decides to kill Norman Osborn–who he blames for her death.
Speaking of Osborn, he testifies before a Congressional investigation committee that government agencies like SHIELD and SWORD were responsible for the skrull invasion and disbands the Thunderbolts.
The American public loves it.
This is really how Dark Reign begins. It’s turning Norman Osborn from a one-hero villain (i.e, the arch-enemy of Spider-Man) to a universal threat. DC did the same thing for Lex Luthor many years earlier, and even had him become President of the United States.
Radioactive Man also quits–returning home to his family.
Moonstone takes over the team, apparently ignoring that Osborn told Congress the team was no more, and immediately puts Penance in prison because she doesn’t trust him.
Moonstone, determined to be leader of the team, then sends Bullseye and Venom to kill Songbird.
Bullseye, being a murderous pervert, has to make stabbing her with punch dagger akin to raping her.
She tries to escape in the Thunderbolts’ aircraft, but Venom crashes it.
Swordsman shows up at the crash site, rescues her from Bullseye, and says that he will tell the others that she died and her body was destroyed in the explosion, warning that a “dark reign” is coming.
These are obviously transition issues. We’re left with a team consisting of only Swordsman (who is not loyal), Moonstone, Venom and Bullseye. There’s a call out to the next event/phase for Marvel, Dark Reign. As an attempt to reset a series for a new writer, it’s not bad–but Diggle’s script fairly generic and clunky. Look at the panels above: “I don’t know what to say. Thanks, I guess.” That’s how Songbird shows appreciation for someone saving her life?
Anyway, the plotting is fine and, as I said, it’s a reset. We’ll see what happens next.
English (US) · 