Heroes for Hire #9 & Thunderbolts #160

Another day, another batch of Fear Itself crossover issues to read. This time around we'll be checking out the first of the Heroes for Hire Fear Itself issues, as well as the next part of the Thunderbolts Fear dealings. Say what you will, but Marvel is REALLY getting their titles behind Fear Itself, aren't they! It seems like nearly every Marvel comic I picked up this week is connected in one way or another with Fear Itself... Anyway, enough small talk, on to the comics!

Heroes for Hire #9(Fear Itself tie-in):

Summary: This issue kicks off with Paladin trying not to get himself killed by the Serpent possessed Thing... Now THAT'S how you start a comic book! Paladin calls in to Misty Knight for some assistance, and she sends the Gargoyle out to help. With Yancy Street destroyed, Misty tells Paladin and Gargoyle to try to lure Thing out of that area so the rescue crews could get in... Easier said than done. Meanwhile, some smalltime criminal pharmacist living on Yancy Street has been doused in chemicals and turned into some sort of monster. While all of that is happening on Yancy Street, Misty sends the Shroud to the Raft prison to survey the damage and try to wrangle any super-villains who try to escape. Shroud is able to hold his own against a few of the villains, but is soon confronted by more powerful villains. Misty sends Elektra in to assist the Shroud, and the two manage to put down a few minor villains and enter the fractured prison. Inside the prison, the Purple Man is preparing to throttle the life out of the comatose Puppet Master, but is soon confronted by the Shroud and Elektra. Before the two heroes can make a move on the Purple Man, a whole horde of Purple Man controlled villains enter the room, intent on keeping the heroes off of their master.

Thoughts: No complaints here. We had an appearance from one of the Serpent's Worthy, which validates the Fear Itself banner on this comic, as well as several heroes dealing with the fallout from the events of Fear Itself. Add Elektra and the Purple Man, and you've got the makings of a perfectly acceptable comic book. So like I said, no complaints here, let's move on.

Score: 7 out of 10.I am SUCH a fan of the Purple Man... First off, his real name is awesome. Secondly, when used correctly, he's a HUGE menace!


Thunderbolts #160(Fear Itself tie-in):

Summary: With the world gone crazy thanks to the Serpent and his Worthy, the Thunderbolts decide to go after their possessed teammate Juggernaut, with the hopes that they could free him from the Serpent's possession. To that end they teleport just outside Chicago(which is where Juggy is headed) and decide to try to do the unthinkable... Stop the Juggernaut. The team starts off with Songbird creating a pink road under Juggy's feet, leading him around in circles. With Juggy disoriented, Moonstone approaches Juggy and tries to use her psychiatric training to ease Juggy's rage. Unfortunately, Juggy is having none of it and knocks Moonstone away. As a last recourse, Satana links herself and the rest of the team with the Ghost and sends him inside of Juggy. Satana leads the team through Juggy's inner self, where they find Juggy's soul being taken over by one of the Serpent's henchmen, Kuurth. Satana tries to banish Kuurth from Juggy's body, but Kuurth resists Satana's spells and instead tosses her and her teammates out of Juggernaut's body. Juggy lashes out with his hammer, scattering his teammates, leaving the T-Bolts with no other recourse than to attack Juggy head on. That goes about as well as you'd expect, and this issue ends with Juggy literally dropping the hammer, sending a massive shock wave out that literally shakes Chicago.

Thoughts: I could have just cut and paste my comments from the Heroes for Hire review above because this issue left me feeling the exact same way. We finally got the Juggernaut/T-Bolts showdown, the T-Bolts tried EVERY trick in their arsenal to stop Juggy, but they STILL came up short. There was one thing that did bother me with this comic, but it really wasn't the fault of the writer, Jeff Parker. It's more on Marvel's editorial staff... In this issue the Juggernaut was headed towards Chicago. In Fear Itself: The Home Front #3, which came out a few weeks ago, Juggy was tearing through Missouri. In Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3, which came out the same day as this issue, Juggy was rampaging through Las Vegas. Finally, in Uncanny X-Men #540, which came out the SAME day as this issue of T-Bolts and Youth in Revolt, Juggy was in San Fransisco... Now, it's conceivable that Juggy DID walk through all of these states, but he hasn't exactly been shown to be moving all that fast in ANY of the Fear Itself comics I've read, which makes me wonder how the hell he made it from New York to San Fran in what had to be less than a week, if not sooner... With Juggy appearing in so many Fear Itself crossover issues, you'd think editorial would have done a better job figuring out where Juggy should and shouldn't be each week, and how he managed to move so quickly from one location to another. But enough about that, this comic was good, and that's the important thing.

Score: 7 out of 10.Don't they know who he is?!?