That’s a sweet cover, but I don’t get what Sarah Palin without makeup has to do with Thunderbolts. Leave a comment and explain this to me.
THUNDERBOLTS #129
WRITER: Andy Diggle
ARTISTS: Roberto De La Torre with Carlos Magno and Scott Hanna
COLORISTS: Frank Martin with Giovanni Kosoki
LETTERER: Albert Deschensne
PLOT:
Norman stages a stunt aboard Air Force One to dupe the Obama-lookalike Marvel president into mistaking a disguised Headsman for the Green Goblin and a gamma-agitated Doc Samson for his accomplice. Norman comes out looking like he single-handedly kicked the Goblin overboard and Samson becomes a discredited fugitive. The president declares that, whatever his past, Osborn proves the Thunderbolts program’s redemptive power.
Somewhere in America, some homeless people watch coverage of these events on a shabby television set, debating the merits of Osborn’s ascent. One removes her hood to reveal she’s Songbird and announces that Osborn will “bleed the country dry and desecrate the corpse” unless somebody stops him.
Headsman, Ant-Man, Ghost, Paladine, and Black Widow II set up shop in the Cube maximum security fascility and recieve briefing on their next target: Deadpool.
THOUGHTS:
After several months of Norman Osborn appearing in literally every Marvel comic I read, it floors me how little I’ve become sick of him. If anything, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for a character rich and faceted enough to support multiple titles with zero redundancy. Dark Avengers presents Norman’s media game, New Avengers shows how the major heroes deal with his new order, and in Thunderbolts we revel in the underbelly of his schemes, witnessing just how brutal and dirty he really plays.
This two-part arc displays a critical chess move elaborate in execution but straightforward in effect. This is a different breed of team from the Ellis-bolts because they currently show no sign of internal strife or politics and instead seem like a dangerously stable and effective unit. Seeing them pull off this caper sans a hitch proved quite satisfying.
The highlight, however, came from the homeless people scene, because this man-on-the-street (so to speak) reaction to Osborn actually makes sense. If you find the “he may be a S.O.B. but he’s our S.O.B.” argument far-fetched, realize that Franklin D. Roosevelt said exactly this about Nicaragua’s dictatorial (but anti-communist) President Somoza. Regardless of political affiliation, people have historically tolerated great evil when they perceive it as protecting them from some outside boogeyman. That’s why the American government armed the Taliban to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan and sold weapons to Iran to fund rebels in Nicaragua. Norman Osborn’s acceptance by the American public, even one that remembers his criminal history, is not hard to swallow in this light. Plus, I love seeing Songbird.
Editing issues mar the story. I noticed word balloons pointing to the wrong people, causing the homeless people to apparantly switch possitions in the middle of their arguement. Furthermore, a few pages done by an inferior filler artist stick out and botch an important action sequence. Except in cases where the delay of one title affects others, companies should only publish comics once the real creators finish them.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“I’ve conquered my demons, sir, and I would hope that, together, we can conquer America’s.”
RATING:
3.5 webheads out of 5. When read immediately after part one, the story’s overall excitment and elegance of structure dilluites part two’s art and editing flaws and raises it to a 4.
REVIEWED BY: CrazyChris
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I’d imagine Osborn was convicted of whatever they could pin on the Goblin. Surely Gwen is part of that, since there were eye witnesses.
Well I’m not a law expert, but if Norman was in jail for 2-3 months like Peter says in MK Spider-Man #9, then he most likely went to trial and was convicted. So you are correct with your double jeopardy theory. But what was he convicted for? Gwen Stacy? That would be such a shame if we never see a publication for “The Trial of Norman Osborn” or something like that…
I don’t remember if Norman had a pardon or not, but he have some arrangement with the government because he was tried and convicted. Whether it’s just a gentleman’s agreement or a real pardon, he can’t constitutionally be tried for the same crimes twice, so he could only be convicted of crimes he’s done since. And I don’t really see a pardon as an admission of guilt. Innocent people are just as likely to accept a pardon as guilty people. Why take a punishment for something you didn’t do? Also, maybe he was exonerated. That would probably make the most sense.
Fair enough…I was unaware that Norman had recieved an official pardon…still, a pardon is basically an admission of guilt, just minus the culpability. Personally, I like seeing Norman decieving the public in this manner, because it would make sense that Norman’s enemies would also try to frame him as the Goblin…But I do find it a stretch at times, especially since the incidents of Pulse #1-5, that Norman’s true character is not known throughout the general populace.
Well, for one if he admitted to being the Green Goblin he might be responsible for the Goblin’s crimes, especially since he’s murdered as the Goblin since becoming Thunderbolts director (so it wouldn’t apply to the pardon I suppose he received). It’s hard to lead a peacekeeping force from an asylum or prison. Also, there’s a difference between the public thinking he was kinda maybe a bad guy in the past who reformed and is now using his ruthlessness to protect the people and KNOWING that he’s still an evil mastermind who actively employs terrorists, psychopaths and mercenaries to do his dirty work. Norman needs to be in that middle ground where people have a sense that he’s a S.O.B., but they don’t have so many of the details confirmed that he can’t realistically walk the streets without a straight jacket. It’s a big balancing act. Plus, this issue showed that not everyone in the public is on the same page about Norman, which is realistic.
The sentiment on Norman Osborn across America in the Marvel U seems to me to be contradictive at times. It seems like Norman goes to great lengths (now and his past) to separate himself from the Goblin persona. But if America wants an evil person in power, why try to hide it? If this idea that the American citizens want an evil presence in power to protect them from a larger/different evil, shouldn’t he embrace the idea of the Goblin?
Ant-Man’s humor hasn’t really appealed to me so far, actually.
My favourite quote this issue comes from Ant-Man when he’s injecting the President with something to wake him up
“Alright Prez this should wake you up faster’n a triple espresso. You might feel a little prick—wait that came out wrong”