Thunderbolts #173

One more review for tonight, three more for tomorrow and I'm all caught up and ready for some new comic books on Wednesday! Without any further ado, let's get this issue taken care of!

Thunderbolts #173:

Summary: After stalemating against the original Thunderbolts, Satana manages to bust out an uber-powerful magic spell that knocks out both the original T-Bolts as well as her own team of Bad Bolts(except for Fixer, who was standing next to her). Satana and Fixer take the Bad Bolts back to their tower, but are soon met by Baron Zemo and the other original T-Bolts. Zemo had overheard Fixer and Satana talking about the fact that they were from the future, and offers to assist them in getting back to their proper time... You see, Zemo knows all about Dr. Doom's time machinery at Castle Doom, and since Doom(as well as the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Hulk and others) was gone due to the Onslaught event(which is the time period this issue is taking place in), Zemo offers to help the Bad Bolts break into Castle Doom to swipe the equipment. In exchange? Zemo wants all of the other weapons Doom almost definitely had stocked there. Fixer agrees to those terms and after both teams wake up, they hang out together... Or at least most of them do... Techno, Fixer's younger, T-Bolt self, being consumed by curiosity, sneaks off and gets into Fixer's personal files at the Tower while the rest of the Bolts(both T and Bad) are partying. Fixer realizes what was happening and rushes out of the room, slowly followed by the other Bolts. By the time Fixer arrives, Techno has learned everything and is horrified with the way things turn out for the Thunderbolts in general, and Fixer/Techno in particular. Techno then goes on a tirade, tearing into Fixer for allowing everything to fall to pieces... Fixer listens for as long as he can, but eventually his younger self pushes him too far, and this issue ends with the other Bolts arriving in Fixer's lab just in time to see Fixer murder his younger self(!!!) by making Techno's weaponry self-destruct.

Thoughts: Wooo, that was a VERY good comic! Everybody was written so perfectly! From Fixer, to the Moonstones, to Baron Zemo. Jeff Parker knows his Thunderbolts! Zemo's alliance suggestion was brilliant, not just because it ended a battle that wasn't doing Zemo any favors(remember, the early T-Bolts only cared about currying the public's favor so they could stab everybody in the back eventually), but because it benefited Zemo as well! Sure, getting a time machine from Castle Doom would send the Bad Bolts home, but it would also allow Zemo to take credit for ridding Central Park of Bad Bolts Tower(which accidentally killed some civilians upon it's arrival), as well as give Zemo access to Doom's advanced weaponry. It's that kind of scheming that made me into a Baron Zemo fan to begin with, and Parker hit the nail right on the head when it comes to Zemo, his character and his motivations. Besides that, you have a great cliffhanger, with Fixer killing his younger self, and the ramification that would surely come from that... All in all, really good stuff that has me eagerly anticipating the next issue.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.

To the Thunderbolts!!!!!