NEW THUNDERBOLTS #10-12 form a three-story arc that also crosses over into House of M.
Writer: Fabian Nicieza; Penciler: Tom Grummett
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NEW THUNDERBOLTS #10 (September 2005) Alternatively numbered THUNDERBOLTS #91
"Purple Reign, Part One: Of Mice and Maze"
Appearances:
Thunderbolts-
MACH IV
Atlas
Speed Demon (also appears as the Whizzer)
Blizzard
Joystick
Radioactive Man
Photon (Genis-Vell)
Songbird
Swordsman
Purple Man
Code Blue-
Lt Stone
two unidentified officers
unidentified TV newswoman (Brie Larmer?)
Notes:
* Purple Man narrates that "Jessica Jones showed me that I controlled the story of anyone whose story I chose to control ... I was given the perfect piece of paper[: The Swordsman]."
* Purple Man notes that "All of this has been planned from the moment [Songbird's] former beau [Abe Jenkins] made such an arrogant proclamation about starting a new group of Thunderbolts" (in A/TB 6).
* Purple Man implicates Songbird in a killing spree by using a "sonic disruptor" provided by the Tinkerer.
* Purple Man reveals that, despite his cosmic awareness, Genis doesn't know if he's being manipulated "because [Purple Man doesn't] want [him] to know."
* Dialogue suggests that Swordsman's apparent killing of Purple Man (at the end of TB2 9) was somehow faked; possibly it never happened and we were shown a memory implanted through Purple Man's commands.
* Swordsman's sword is able to injure Atlas and Photon because of power imbued in it through the moonstones by Zemo (which will be revealed later).
Summary:
Purple Man narrates the recap page, summarizing his own backstory, his history with Jessica Jones and his first steps in shaping the Swordsman. (No new information.)
The Swordsman and Songbird are in the streets of NYC, surrounded by mind-controlled citizens. Songbird demonstrates one of her old Screaming Mimi powers, using a subsonic wave to scramble everyone's inner ears, giving her and Swordsman the chance to get to the rooftops. A tank rolls in, carrying Lt. Stone and other members of Code Blue, who order Swordsman and Songbird to surrender in the name of "the Master."
A female TV news reports claims Songbird is responsible for multiple deaths at ESU. Killgrave, in an ESU girl's dormitory, looks on. (Continuity suggests the reporter may be Brie Larmer, but she does not look particularly like Grummett's earlier drawings of the character.)
The Thunderbolts rescue Songbird and Swordsman from the crowd. Swordsman cuts Atlas open, and Atlas "bleeds" ionic energy, then explodes. Swordsman takes Radioactive Man down with a concussive force discharge from his sword. Songbird, revealing that she knows that Erik attacked Genis (in TB2 1), is suspicious that Purple Man is controlling the team. She screams again, disorienting MACH IV and Photon.
Swordsman talks too much, revealing that he knows Erik can recombine his exploded form. This leads MACH IV to realize that Purple Man is somehow controlling both sides of the battle. MACH IV theorizes that Purple Man has distributed some sort of agent through the water that enables his widespread control of NYC. Speed Demon runs off to check.
As Songbird and MACH IV are discussing why Swordsman rescued Melissa, Swordsman runs Abe through, then slices Photon's throat...
...and then a white energy is dispersed, Purple Man whines that it's not his doing, and suddenly we are in the alternate reality of the House of M and "Private Vell" is flying over the city.
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NEW THUNDERBOLTS #11 (October 2005) Alternatively numbered THUNDERBOLTS #92
"House of M"
Appearances - House of M:
Genis-Vell (Private in the Interdiction Unit)
Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)
Captain Atlas (Kree soldier, unrelated to Erik Josten)
Major Erik Josten (leader of the "Howling Commandos")
Abe Jenkins
Jim Sanders
P. Norbert Ebersol?
Andrea Strucker
Andreas Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker
Radioactive Man
Flashback
Ronan ("Judge Advocate")
Zebediah Killgrave
Sunder
Wendell Vaughn
Ogre
Forge
Thinker
Mole Man
Dum Dum Dugan
unidentified Kree healer
Sentinel robot
Appearances - Normal reality:
Genis-Vell (Photon) - sort of
Songbird
Atlas
Blizzard
MACH IV
Helmut Zemo
Spider-Man
Thing
Captain America
Wolverine
Notes:
* Genis' powers give him visibility of the normal-Earth reality, including events from upcoming issues of THUNDERBOLTS.
Summary:
Genis-Vell narrates.
Valhalla Mountain Research Facility, Colorado: Baron von Strucker's "Thunderbotls" (Fenris, Radioactive Man and Flashback) defend <i>homo sapiens</i> against the House of M forces, including Private Genis-Vell and led by Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers).
When Flashback attempts to use his time warping powers against Genis, Genis gets a vision of Earth-Normal heroes (Spider-Man, Captain America, the Thing, Wolverine) that he does not understand. He sees more: A flash forward to Atlas battling MACH IV and Songbird, while Songbird flies overhead and Zemo lords over all -- with a moonstone in his palm.
The battle wraps up: Flashback vanishes into the timestream, Kree Captain Atlas apparently kills von Strucker, Captain Marvel takes down R-Man, and Andrea & Andreas are shot by Major Erik Josten, leader of the Howling Commandos. A Kree medic identifies that Genis has "unknown photonic energies [coursing] through his body." Genis senses that the House of M reality is off-kilter.
"Judge Advocate" Ronan talks with Zebediah Killgrave (not Purple here), a lobbyist regarding a proposed treaty between the House of M government and the Kree against the Shi'ar. They visit a laboratory facility (guarded by a man called Sunder). Working in the lab: Wendell Vaughn, Abe Jenkins, Ogre, Mole Man, Thinker, and someone who looks like the Puppet Master but who, in context, is more likely to be P. Norbert Ebersol. They're all investigating the photonic energy that Genis gave off.
Elsewhere in the facility, Josten meets with Dum Dum Dugan, and Erik notes that they "can't let the mutants [form this treaty] -- it'll crush any hope we have..." Josten brings a sample of Kree blood to Jim Sanders who uses his super speed powers to support his research into a bio-agent that "will kill every Kree on this planet."
Genis continues to have visions of Earth-Normal. He sees flashbacks of Mar-Vell finding the Nega-Bands (from CM 17), of Mar-Vell's metamorphosis (CM 29), of himself as Legacy (a generic pose that does not evoke any specific appearance), and of Rick Jones at Mar-Vell's death bed (M/GN 1). Genis comes across Rick's gravestone and his grief and frustration causes him to invoke powers that he does not understand. Ronan determines that Genis has become a "spatial conduit" and that, if not stopped, "the entire universe might disappear in the blink of an eye."
Reality flows across Genis; he simultaneously appears in the House of M uniform and both of his Captain Marvel costumes. Jenkins activates an "Atlas-class Sentinel" robot, which Josten pilots to attack Genis. In some panels, Genis' reality warping causes Josten to appear as a split personna, half Sentinel-robot-piloted-by-Josten and half Josten-as-Atlas.
Josten uses the chemical concocted by Sanders to render Genis-Vell comatose. In the final scene, Killgrave reveals to Dugan that he is part of the resistance.
Flash Forward:
I believe that Genis' vision on page 4, panel 1 coincides with events in TB 100. I'll confirm that when I get to that issue.
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NEW THUNDERBOLTS #12 (November 2005) - Alternatively THUNDERBOLTS #93
"Purple Reign, Part Three: Living Lies"
Appearances:
MACH IV
Songbird
Photon (Genis-Vell)
Atlas
Radioactive Man
Speed Demon
Blizzard
Joystick
Purple Man
Justice
Firestar
Dr. Spectrum (female, not yet identified)
Asgardian
Iron Man
Wizard
Nova
Namorita
Spider-Woman (Skrull?)
Scalpel
Mr. Fantastic
Thing
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Captain America
Overmind
Helmut Zemo
unidentified costumed figure
Notes:
* Purple Man narrates that it is "days after that odd dream [House of M] faded." Songbird gets more specific: It's "ten days" since Swordsman cut Photon open at the end of TB2 10.
* The identity of this iteration of Dr. Spectrum will be revealed in an upcoming issue.
* I believe this is the first appearance of Scalpel, although dialogue tells us that he has treated both Jenkins and Josten in the past; specifically, following "a six-round knockout by Luke Cage", a reference to PM 21.
* Songbird notes that she "talked to Warbird -- they tried using outside superhumans [to free Manhattan from Purple Man's control], but they were repelled."
* Songbird notes that Killgrave has "been pulling our strings for a long time...Maybe that's why I quit the team [in TB2 7], I don't know." She states her belief that Killgrave egged Atlas on to attack Photon in TB2 1; however, Photon later notes that "Killgrave's powers don't work on beings made of ionic energy."
* Photon recalls the moment when Atlas attacked him in TB2 1, adding the memory of Purple Man whispering "you will not be aware of what is coming next."
* Photon adopts a new costume; black with a white starfield.
* Purple Man says, "I could see through the Overmind, speak through (don't say his name)..." The second reference is to Helmut Zemo.
* Purple Man narrates that "[Zemo] came to my jail cell months ago. Promised me freedom. Demanded obedience ... He made me go back to prison anytime I annoyed him (like when he found out how I made my Swordsman express his gratitude." That's a reference to the end of TB2 4, which allows Purple Man to be in jail for A4 1 -- and cleanly places that arc between TB2 6 and TB2 7. Further: "While I wasn't there, he made my jailers see me there."
* Purple Man calls Code Blue to help fight the Thunderbolts. They may show up in the background, but they do not appear on page and are not referenced again.
Summary:
Purple Man resumes his narration ("Where was I before my story was so rudely interrupted?"), starting with the recap page.
The action begins "ten days" after the end of TB2 10. The Empire State Building: Photon, Songbird, Blizzard and Atlas (having reconstituted his body from his disrupted ionic energy) have risked exposure and come under attack by Killgrave's foot soldiers: Justice, Firestar and a new Dr. Spectrum. The Thunderbolts know that Killgrave tainted the water supply to get his pheromones into everyone in Manhattan, but haven't yet figured out how he's distributing his voice commands.
Additional pawns attack: The Vulture, Asgardian, Iron Man, the Wizard, Namorita, Nova, Spider-Woman, and a rather generic flying character that I cannot identify. Purple Man forces Captain America to give him tactical suggestions, and uses Overmind's telepathy to keep track of the population.
Photon uses his powers to teleport the Thunderbolts to their current hideaway, an "abandoned subway tunnel deep under Manhattan." There they meet up with Radioactive Man, Speed Demon, MACH IV and Scalpel, an underworld medic with surgical tools in place of fingernails.
Killgrave is letting life in the city go on more-or-less normally, only occasionally showing his hand ("just to prove he can do it," theorizes Songbird). Speed Demon is trying to break down the chemically implanted pheromones, but needs a chemical analyzer to finish the job. Joystick breaks into the Baxter Building and wrestles with the Fantastic Four to get it. With the help of the analyzer, Sanders and Chen are able to develop an inoculation to counteract Purple Man's control.
Photon determines that Killgrave has been controlling people long distance by projecting his voice through interspatial rifts. Photon senses Overmind's location, leading the Thunderbolts to Purple Man's HQ: Avengers Tower. Photon shows Purple Man the vastness of the universe, which is enough to make Killgrave realize how insignificant he is. Suddenly, he vanishes, along with his influence.
"Four days later", T-Bolts HQ: Songbird and Abe discuss the cleanup of Purple Man's mess. Songbird says she 'll stay, but only if she can lead the team. Photon looks at visions of the past and future -- he sees Atlas pummeling him from TB2 1, and Zemo controlling the moonstones (the same drawing from TB2 11, predicting upcoming events).
Zemo sends Purple Man back to prison.
Flashback:
Purple Man
Atlas
Genis-Vell (Captain Marvel)
Immediately prior to TB2 1 (16:5): Purple Man uses his powers to influence Genis to "not be aware of what is coming next", right before Atlas pummels him.
New Thunderbolts #10-12
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