Thunderstrike #13
Man and Beast
On the back roads of eastern New Jersey, a SHIELD convoy is attacked by a new super-human calling himself the Bison.[1] The convoy is led by Agent Alex DePaul who orders his second-in-command, Agent 22, to break out the Mandroid armor before the man-monster can steal their cargo. That’s when the hero for hire himself — Luke Cage — arrives on the scene on a motorcycle. Apparently, Cage knows who the Bison is (calling him by his first name, Billy) and tries to convince him to stop what he’s doing before he ruins his life. Billy tells Cage to take a good look at him as his life is already ruined now that he has been turned into an inhuman monster. He quickly tosses Cage aside, but the distraction has allowed the SHIELD agents to arm off. Faced with superior firepower, the Bison is forced to flee.
As Luke recovers he wants to go after his friend, but Agent DePaul wants to know what Cage’s connection to the Bison. However, Cage won’t talk and warns DePaul against detaining him since he still has connections with the Chicago Spectator who will make a lot of noise if he is arrested.[2] Seeing as he has no choice, DePaul lets Cage go free but not before secretly tagging him with a tracking device so SHIELD can neutralize him if he becomes a threat to their operation again.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Eric Masterson and Samantha Joyce have just taken on a new roommate, Leah Princess. “Leah” is actually the alien known as Stellaris and Eric is mortified that she might blow his secret identity. Luckily, “Princess” keeps her mouth shut until Samantha heads off to meet a client for dinner. Stellaris explains that she has decided to live on Earth for the next while and has educated herself on Earth customs by consuming as much media as possible. Opening up her suitcase, Eric is surprised to see that it is full of movies, comic books, and video games, mostly in the science fiction genre. Pulling out a copy of Star Wars, she points out that it is her favorite and the inspiration for her civilian identity, although she thinks it is a historical documentary instead of a the fiction that it is. That’s when Eric gets a summons from the Black Widow via his Avengers communi-card. Although he hates the idea of leaving Stellaris unattended, he changes into Thunderstrike and heads off to Avengers Headquarters.
In Times Square, Luke Cage arrives at his old hang out at the Gem Theater where he sees that his friend D.W. Griffith is fixing up the place.[3] With city investment he has been able to upgrade the theater so that it is recognized as an art house with increased screenings geared toward a family audience. Luke is glad to hear it and asks if he could use the phone.
At that moment at Avengers Headquarters, Thunderstrike arrives and sits in on a meeting between SHIELD and the Black Widow. Agent DePaul explains that due to budget cuts the spy agency doesn’t have the resources to complete this current mission and deal with any potential interruptions. As such, they have asked Thunderstrike to track down Cage and deal with him directly. As Agent 22 is handing over the tracking device, Eric is able to briefly see the contents of her briefcase. In it is a mission briefing for something called Operation: Sinkhole. Thunderstrike can’t help but wonder if getting this peek was intention on the part of Agent 22. When DePaul and his agents leave, neither the Widow or Thunderstrike fully trust them.[4] Natasha decides to run this by Nick Fury, but unfortunately some one at SHIELD is stonewalling her attempts to reach him.
Even though he knows that SHIELD is trying to use him as a patsy, Thunderstrike agrees to go out looking for Luke Cage. On his way out, the Widow tells him that the Avengers are looking into the gun running operations in the city. Thunderstrike is glad they’re taking the issue seriously after his son was recently hurt by an illegal gun.[5] He feels sorry for his son now, having just recovered from the trauma of a gun shot he now has to deal with the fact that his mother and step-father want to move him across the country.[6]
At that very moment, Marcy and Bobby Steele are telling Kevin the news that they are going to move to California. Kevin takes it hard because he doesn’t want to be separated from his biological father and storms off to his room. Marcy and Bobby realize that this is going to be hard on the boy. However, Bobby refuses to retire because he has made football his entire life. For a moment, Marcy begins to wonder to herself if she wants to make it part of her own anymore. Her thoughts are interrupted when Doctor Gary Paretsky shows up to take Kevin’s nanny, Susan Austin, out on a date. As the two go out for a walk, Susan tells Gary how she is worried about Eric Masterson’s well being over the Kevin situation.[7] Gary tells her that Masterson is a big boy and will be able to handle the situation, suggesting he’ll get moral support from Jackie Lukas.[8]
Meanwhile, the mysterious individual who has hired the Bison to attack the SHIELD convoy gets a report back from one of his spies. They inform him that the Bison has failed to steal SHIELD’s sample of Inferno 42, an element so destructive a small sample could destroy the entire island of Manhattan.[9] The mastermind behind this operation is confident that the Bison can succeed but probably needs extra assistance, so they summon additional operatives to lend him a hand.
Back in New York, the Bison stands in a darkened alley watching a woman in an apartment from across the street. The woman is sadly staring at a photograph of a young basketball player. That’s when Luke Cage catches up with the Bison and recognizes the woman in the apartment as someone named Shamari. That’s when Thunderstrike ambushes Luke Cage and their fight spooks the Bison and he runs off before they can stop. Cage explains that the Bison is an old friend of his named Billy Kitson. Kitson was a up and coming pro basketball player who dated a woman named Shamari Asbery. Unfortunately, tragedy struck just after he was a draft pick onto a professional team. During a game he was accidentally tripped and injured his leg. The injury didn’t heal properly and he was forced to retire and shortly after his dreams vanished so did he. Luke had learned that Billy was transformed into the Bison and figures that his job to steal from SHIELD is some kind of pay off. Thunderstrike agrees to help Cage find his friend and reports this all back to the Black Widow, asking her to look into what Project Sinkhole is about while they search. As the two heroes grab a taxi, they are unaware that Shamari is watching them from her apartment window.
After a quick stop at Avengers Mansion, the pair arrive outside the abandoned barbershop that was once a front of SHIELD’s New York City operations.[10] Using a device they got from the Black Widow they are able to open the front door and activate the barber chairs that act as elevators down into the lower levels of the SHIELD complex. This is just moments after Shamari — who has been following the pair — arrives on the scene in a taxi of her own.
Elsewhere in the underground complex, Agent DePaul and his team are preparing to transport Inferno 42 to the site of Project Sinkhole. That’s when the security alarm goes off and warns them that there are five intruders inside the facility. He tells Agent 22 to continue the transport operation while he deals with the intruders personally with his suit of Mandroid armor. He ambushes Thunderstrike and Luke Cage in one of the tunnels and is furious to see that the Avenger brought Cage to their doorstep. However, before he can deal with them the trio are ambushed by the three other intruders: The Bison, Mongoose, and Quicksand!
Recurring Characters
Thunderstrike, Luke Cage, Bison, Quicksand, Mongoose, SHIELD (Alex DePaul), Shamari Asbery, Marcy Steele, Bobby Steele, Kevin Masterson, Susan Austin, Gary Paretsky, Samantha Joyce, Stellaris, Black Widow, Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter, D.W. Griffith
Continuity Notes
The identity of the person employing Bison, Mongoose, and Quicksand to steal Inferno 42 in this story is unrevealed. We’ll learn in Thunderstrike #22 that they are agents of Seth, the Egyptian death god.
At the time of this story, Luke Cage had spent an extended period of time living in Chicago where he affiliated himself the Spectator newspaper. See Cage #1-20.
D.W. Giffith asks Luke what happened to his old costume (meaning the one he wore in the Cage series). Luke responds that it got trashed during an outing with Spider-Man. This was in Spider-Man Unlimited #6.
Thunderstrike already isn’t a fan of Agent Alex DePaul due to their clash over Pandara in Thunderstrike #4-7.
One of Kevin Masterson’s classmates had bought a gun to fend off bullies at school. However, the gun accidentally went off and winged Kevin as seen in Thunderstrike #11.
Last issue, Kevin learned that Bobby Steele — his ex-wife Marcy’s new husband — was traded to another football team in California and that they intended to move there and take Kevin with them.
Susan Austin was once Eric’s assistant starting in Thor #392, and helped him look after Kevin when he had full custody of the boy. This was also the same time that Marcy had remarried and wanted to take back custody. She was present (all be it unaware) when Eric was merged with Thor in issue #408. With the frequent threats directed at his home made it unsafe for Kevin to continue living with him full time. As a result, Eric stopped fighting for custody and Kevin has been living with Marcy since Thor #421. Although Eric had since been separated from Thor since Thor #459, the custody situation has remained unchanged. Since she had no idea of Eric’s double life, Susan had no idea why Eric would give up custody of his son. When Eric went through a period of unemployment, Marcy hired Susan to be Kevin’s nanny starting in Thor #458.
Gary Paretski’s interest in Eric Masterson’s relationship with Jackie Lukas is a red herring to make readers believe that he is secretly Bloodaxe. His asking about Jackie specifically is supposed to throw readers off to the fact that she is actually Bloodaxe, something that will be revealed in Thunderstrike #22.
If Inferno 42 sounds familiar to you that’s because it was the McGuffin that Captain America prevented from falling into the hands of Batroc the Leaper way back in Tales of Suspense #75-76.
Thunderstrike states here that this SHIELD headquarters was abandoned after it was bombed by one of their enemies. This is not entirely accurate. The facility was compromised back in Captain America #228, forcing Jasper Sitwell to detonate the facility. Later, when Nick Fury went to decommission the rest of the facility it was further damaged by a computer virus in issue #351 of that series.
Topical References
The movies in Stellaris’ collection are all depicted as being on VHS tape. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
The reference to Star Wars however would not be. Mostly because it’s how Stellaris comes up with her civilian identity (Leah Princess = Princess Leah). It is less so a topical reference now that Disney owns both Marvel Comics and the Star Wars franchise.
When discussing the renovations to the Gem Theater, D.W. Griffith talks about how the city of New York has started upgrading Times Square. From the 1960s until the 1990s, Times Square went through a period of decline where soon became a hotbed for seedy businesses. Girlie bars, porn theaters, adult stores, and the like. However, a combination of redevelopment in the 1980s and the city’s efforts to clean up the area in the 1990s forced out the seedier elements. D.W.’s comments are in reference to this revitalization project which was well under way when this comic was published in 1994. Any reference to this specific period in Times Square history should be considered topical.
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as they were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 and subsequently replaced with the Freedom Tower.
When entering the barbershop that works as a front Luke Cage makes a comment about expecting to be greeted by Napoleon Solo, he was a recurring character played by Robert Vaughn in the spy drama series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. which aired from 1964 to 1968. Thunderstrike meanwhile references Get Smart a spy comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1970. Both series were known for using intricate gadgets and secret hideouts hidden behind innocuous fronts. This should be considered a topical reference as there are better, more contemporary, examples that could have been joked about here.
When Luke Cage admits they he hadn’t heard about the shut down of SHIELD’s New York headquarters while living in Chicago, Thunderstrike suggests that “it might have happened when Tom and Rosanne were breaking up… so the papers didn’t give it much play!” This in reference to comedians Tom Arnold and Rosanne Barr. The pair had a four year marriage between 1990 and 1994. For some reason the public was utterly fascinated with the circumstances behind their divorce was due to irreconcilable differences as the pair could not have children together. Yeah there’s war in the Middle East and an AIDS epidemic, but let’s focus on how two comedians couldn’t fuck properly. Anyway, this is a topical reference for the obvious reasons.
The Crack of Doom!
A storm is brewing over New York City this evening. As the clouds form they produce thunder and lightning. One bolt happens to strikes a pile of rubble in a vacant lot on Yancy Street. The electricity reactivates a damaged Doombot, long buried and forgotten under all the rubble.
Not far away members of the Yancy Street gang — Two-Fisted Tommy Boyd, Dictionary, Lugwrench, Rhythm Ruiz, and Manny — are confronting a rival street gang called the Nomads. Tommy tells them that as long as the area is protected by the Yancy Streeters, the Nomads will never be allowed to peddle drugs on their turf. The Nomads won’t give up without a fight and a rumble is about to go down when suddenly the Doombot appears and frightens the Nomads away.
Due to the damage it has sustained, the Doombot is malfunctioning, making it think it is the real Doctor Doom and that it is pursuing Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. It starts attacking the Yancy Streeters who flee for their lives. As they make their escape, Manny wonders if the robot was left behind from when Doctor Doom operated a drug factory in the area.[1]
Meanwhile, at police headquarters, a representative from the mayor’s office named Jim Young has called a meeting with Chief O’Grady, Captain Shelly Conklin, and Lieutenant Marcus Stone. He has come to discuss police budgeting and after a number of fiasco’s involving Code: Blue, the city has decided that their operation is too expensive, particularly since New York is home to so many superheroes that work for free.[2] That’s when O’Grady gets a call and is told to turn on the television. On it is live news coverage of the Doombot’s rampage in Lower Manhattan. Marcus Stone insists that this is a job for Code: Blue, but Jim points out that this will cost the city something in the six figures. Instead he decides to call on the Fantastic Four but are told the team has currently disbanded.[3] When he tries to call the Avengers, he gets their voice mail.[4] When he tries the Latverian Embassy, they tell him to go through the United Nations, something he doesn’t have time for. Realizing that he has no choice, Young authorizes Code: Blue to go into action.
As Marcus prepares to leave, Shelly notices that something is bothering him. He tells her it’s nothing. However, the reality is the fact that his wife has given him an ultimatum: retire from the police once and for all or else she is filing for a divorce.[5] As Marcus makes his way to meet up with the rest of the team he pushes this thought out of his mind so he can focus on the task at hand. He reaches the rest of Code: Blue at the scene and they begin throwing every weapon they have at the Doombot.[6] Unfortunately, the Doombot has some kind of force field protecting it from harm. Inside Code: Blue’s mobile headquarters, Mother Majowski scans the robot and determines that the only way past the force field is to attack the robot from below. This will require someone to go into the sewers with some plastic explosives but Majowski does not have a complete map of the sewer systems.
Meanwhile, in a nicer part of town, Shelly Conklin returns home to have dinner with her family. There, her husband Paul tells him that his job at Redfield Electronics is in jeopardy due to government contracts drying up due to recent budget cuts. This disappoints Shelly as she was considering retiring from the police so she could focus on raising her young family. However, with Paul’s job on the line she may no longer have this luxury to look forward to.
Back in the city, help comes in the form of the Yancy Street Gang who — despite the fact that they hate cops — want to help get the robot out of their neighborhood. As it turns out, they have intimate knowledge of the sewer tunnels under the area. Although he is reluctant to accept their aid, Marcus Stone agrees to let Rhythm Ruiz — Rigger’s kid brother — lead Fireworks Feldstein to the spot directly under the Doombot. The gambit pays off and the Doombot is heavily damaged by the plastique explosives planted under its feet. However, this causes a sewer tunnel collapse that Feldstein and Rhythem narrowly escape.
That’s when Mother warns them of more bad news, although the Doombot has been incapacitated, a bomb inside its chest cavity has been activated and if it goes off it’ll level the entire neighborhood. Rushing to the downed machine, Marcus Stone uncovers the bomb so the Yancy Street Gang’s Lugwrench can work his magic. Luckily, Lugwrench is as skilled as his claims and he is able to deactivate the bomb with seconds to spare.
Later, back at police headquarters, Marcus Stone informs Jim Young of everything that went down and points out that today’s fiasco is exactly why the city still needs Code: Blue. While Young doesn’t disagree he informs Marcus that they have just received a lawsuit from a company called Krask & Krask. They are an exceptionally litigious organization that owns a lot of property in New York and sues anyone responsible when they are damaged in many of the city’s superhero battles. Krask & Krask has also been successful in getting millions from the likes of Tony Stark, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. Because they are threatening to sue the city over Code: Blue’s handling of the Doombot situation, Jim has decided to put the team on a tight leash. He tells Stone, Conklin, and O’Grady that from now on the team is not to mobilize unless they are given clearance from city hall. After Jim Young leaves, Chief O’Grady worries that this may mean the end of Code: Blue.
Meanwhile, another bolt of lightning strikes in Central Park. This one causes a portal to open that allows the Wrecker to return to Earth. He’s angry and is looking for someone in particular as he wants to kill them![7]
Recurring Characters
Code: Blue (Marcus Stone, Rigger Ruiz, Mad Dog Rossitano, Fireworks Feldstein, Mother Majowski), Yancy Street Gang (Two-Fisted Tommy Boyd, Dictionary, Lugwrench, Rhythm Ruiz, Manny), Shelly Conklin, Jim Young, Paul Conklin, Doombot, Wrecker
Continuity Notes
Manny is referring to the events of Fantastic Four #361. In that story, Doom set up a facility to test a new type of drug on people. It was shut down by the Thing with some help from this iteration of the Yancy Street Gang.
Jim Young cites Code: Blue’s recent clashes with SHIELD in Thunderstrike #4-7 and the fiasco with Officer ZERO in issue #8 as reasons to cut Code: Blue’s budget.
This story takes place shortly after the Invisible Woman disbanded the team in Fantastic Four #392. The group will get back together in issue #397 of their series.
At the time of this story, the Avengers would be busy stopping an invasion of Earth by the Kree Lunatic Legion as seen in Avengers #378-379.
When we first met Marcus Stone in Thor #403 he was on the road to retirement. However, when pursing the Rock Troll named Ulik in Thor #414 he decided to stay on the force as there was a need for officers to take on super-human threats. This led to the formation of Code: Blue in Thor #426.
Rigger Ruiz states here that they have been understaffed since the death of their teammate Jock Jackson. Jackson sacrificed his life during Thunderstrike’s battle with Pandara in Thunderstrike #7.
The Wrecker wants to kill his father, as we’ll learn next issue. Prior to this story, the Wrecker was banished to another dimension by Loki in Thor #431. There are some issues with this, see below.
Topical References
The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. You know the drill on this already.
Chief O’Grady’s television is depicted as a CRT model. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
The Wrecker’s Timeline
In this issue and the next, the Wrecker is stated as coming back from the exile he was put through in Thor #431 was his last appearance. However, after Thor #431, the Wrecker went on to appear in Alpha Flight #118-119 and Captain America #411-414. These stories ignore those facts for whatever reason. I figure the writer probably wasn’t aware of those other appearances.
Whatever the case, the Marvel Chronology Project chose to place the Wrecker’s appearance this issue and the next as happening after the Alpha Flight and Captain America appearances. This has proven to be not quite correct. The Wrecker got a profile in 2015’s Avengers NOW! Handbook #1. That profile places this issue and next issue as happening before the Alpha Flight and Captain America issues.
If taken on face value, this would throw the continuities of all the other involved characters (Code: Blue, Thor etc.) out of whack. You can see from the continuity notes above that all of the references made are in line with stories that were going on around October 1994. So pushing this entire story back to October 1993 because none of the other references would match.
So how do you reconcile these conflicting issues? Since Avengers NOW! is an official source, we have to accept that its ordering of events are valid. That said, just because the Wrecker’s chronology is set the way it is, doesn’t mean that it is the same for the other affected characters. While the handbook profile doesn’t implicitly mention it, one could assume that when the Wrecker returned to Earth in these Code: Blue back-up stories, he went forward in time. Hence explaining how he appeared in these stories before his appearances in Alpha Flight and Captain America. I have posited this idea to the Chronology Project, you can follow that discussion here.
