Heat and Pressure

The Thunderbolts are in the news again after they foil a daylight bank robbery in Boulder, Colorado. However, rather than praise, the news media treats this with suspicion. Reporter Gayle Rogers — part of a new Thunder Watch news team — interviews people on the street about the experience. Most people think the incident was a trick of some kind and that the Thunderbolts were in league with the robbers some how, or trying to rob the bank themselves.[1]

This disappoints the team, particularly Jolt who wonders what it will take to convince the public they have reformed. When the others start talking about giving up, Hallie fears that they might want to take up the Crimson Cowl on her offer to join the Masters of Evil.[2] She loses her temper and tells them all to shut up. She is furious that she is the only one cheerleading them on and storms off to her room in tears. The others are shocked by this emotional out burst and Moonstone see this as an opportunity to exploit for her own ends.

That’s when there is an unexpected knock at the door. It turns out to be a trio of local teens who have some how figured out that the Thunderbolts are hiding out in this cabin. They have come because they need the Thunderbolts’ help. Hearing this from her bedroom, Hallie stops crying and listens in. The three teens explain that they come from the nearby town of Burton Canyon. It was a peaceful town until it was recently attacked by soldiers in armor calling themselves the Imperial Forces. They came with a massive stone skinned flame throwing creature called Charcoal. The invading army quickly took over the entire town and herded all the residents together. The Imperial Forces then told them that they will no longer by US citizens and become part of a new society where their every action is decided for them. Having evaded capture, the three teens sneaked out of town and went looking for the Thunderbolts, having discovered their secret hideout earlier during their recent fight with Cyclone.[3]

The Thunderbolts begin debating on if they should act, since the story doesn’t sound quite so believable. When it is suggested they run it by Jolt, Abner suggests that they shouldn’t heap this on her again and suggests they come to a decision without her. They all decide to check things out after all. Changing into costume, the team soon arrives in the outskirts of Burton Canyon where there are signs of smoke but not a whole lot else. Deciding to go incognito, they change back into their civies and head into town in a car. Along the way, Abner admits that he hotwired the car. Jolt gets upset by this, reminding them all that they can’t commit any crimes if they want to convince the world the Thunderbolts have reformed. Jenkins insists that he was only “borrowing” the car, promising to bring it back when they are done. There is a brief moment of tension when they are stopped at a roadblock set up by what appears to be the county sheriff. However, they manage to convince him that they are tourists passing through.

As the Thunderbolts are waved on the “sheriff” radios ahead to the Imperial Forces to tell them that the group is heading their way. They are ambushed by Charcoal who announces that they are prisoners of Imperial Forces of America. Rather than blow their cover, the Thunderbolts decide to surrender to see where they residents of Burton Canyon are being kept. They are brought to the local town hall where they are locked away with the residents. There they hear the panicked citizens talk about how the Imperial Forces are planning on using them for experiments to turn them into monsters just like Charcoal.[4] Having heard enough, Abner activates a signal on his wrist watch signaling Moonstone to phase up through the floor and deliver their costumes and gear. When the locals are unsure if they can trust the Thunderbolts, Songbird snaps at them, saying that all they have to do is worry about fleeing for their lives when the fighting starts.[5]

The Thunderbolts begin taking out the various guard posts before making their way to city hall. Hearing the sound of fighting outside, Charcoal is sent out to deal with the heroes. Although Charcoal’s super strong body and flame powers allow him to hold his own against the Thunderbolts, his handlers see that they’ll eventually lose the town and decide to retreat.

In the ensuing battle, Atlas picks up the car that they stole to sneak into town. Before Jolt can get him to put it back down it’s blasted into pieces by Klaw, who has arrived with his fellow Masters of Evil. Their sudden appearance creates a distraction that allows Charcoal to make his escape. Man-Killer reminds the Thunderbolts about the Crimson Cowl’s offer, but warns them that the Masters will not allow them to commit any acts of heroism before they make up their minds. With their message delivered, the Masters of Evil take off. At first, Jolt is worried that this will finally convince her teammates to join up with the Crimson Cowl. However, she is pleasantly surprised to hear everyone angry at being robbed of their victory. Moonstone is also pissed off and is tired of being dicked around by the Masters of Evil and suggests that it’s time for the Thunderbolts to push back.

Recurring Characters

Thunderbolts (Moonstone, Atlas, Mach-1, Songbird, Jolt), Charcoal, Masters of Evil (Cyclone, Flying Tiger, Klaw, Man-Killer, Tiger Shark), Gayle Rogers, Calvin Burlingame

Continuity Notes

1. Gayle makes mention about how the Thunderbolts recently fought a Hulk robot and Graviton in Wyoming. That was in Thunderbolts #16-17. Since issue #15, the Thunderbolts have been trying to prove to the world that they have reformed after they were outed as former members of the Masters of Evil in Thunderbolts #10.

2. The Thunderbolts were offered a chance to join the Masters of Evil last issue.

3. Cyclone attacked the Thunderbolts in order to lure them into a meeting with the Masters of Evil. That happened last issue as well.

4. The Imperial Forces absolutely experimented upon Charcoal, however as we’ll learn in Thunderbolts #24, he was somewhat a willing participant being convinced by his father (a member of the organization) to consent to the experiments.

5. Songbird’s rough and tumble demeanor is due to a willful change in her personality as a means of protection. Her change in personality is a complex situation. The details:

   • Melissa got her start as a criminal called Screaming Mimi and was a member of the Grapplers, a group of all female wrestlers in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation who also moonlighted as mercenaries for hire starting in Marvel Two-In-One #54. The group later drifted apart when their leader, Titania, was murdered by Scourge in Thing #33. At the time she was ruthless and amoral.

   • Mimi later started working with Angar the Screamer starting in Avengers Spotlight #28 until Angar was seemingly killed in Thunderbolts Annual 1997 (he’ll be back in issue #49). Angar’s death shook Mimi to the core, making her meek and defenseless.

   • Since joining up with the Thunderbolts, Melissa has been both insecure and frightened on missions. This moment is the start of a regression for her as she drifts back into her more aggressive Screaming Mimi persona. This started in Thunderbolts #8 and carry on until Thunderbolts #21.

Topical References

• The televisions in this story are depicted as CRT models. This should be considered topical as this is an obsolete technology.

• Two of the teens are wearing clothing that could be considered topical: The young woman is wearing a Calvin Klein baseball cap, while one of the boys is wearing a shirt that says “Oh my god! They killed Kenny!”, this was a frequent catch phrase in early seasons of the animated sitcom South Park. In nearly every episode of the first five seasons the character Kenny McCormick would get killed in increasingly outrageous ways. His friend Stan Marsh would respond by saying the “They Killed Kenny” each time. The following episode, Kenny would be back alive without much explanation. This running gag has long since been scaled back and reserved for special occasions or unexpected moments. This comic was published during the height of South Park’s popularity, as such the reference should be considered topical. The C.K. hat should be considered topical because it is a real world brand.