Writer: John Arcudi
Spider-Man fights Man-Killer on the streets with many people watching. Through the course of the battle Spider-Man makes Man-Killer look bad and the people-watching laugh at her, which she doesn't like. Eventually Spider-Man defeats Man-Killer leaving her for the police.
Outside the place for the underground fighting league, Armadillo is huddled in the alley asking children for money. When he tells them he was the champ before the children laugh at him and leave. Daniel Axum has been watching this and at coach Cady's instruction goes back inside to workout. Armadillo tries to talk to Cady but he just tells him to leave because he's scaring his fighters.
In Manhattan Lydia has paid for Man-Killer's bail with hopes of getting her to join the underground fighting league. They drive back to New Jersey in a limo and discuss things. Man-Killer was stopped by Spider-Man when she was breaking into a gem vault from the roof of the building. Rey Trueno is in the limo with a new lawyer for Man-Killer who suggests she was acting in self-defence.
Eventually they arrive at the building where Daniel is training with Coach Cady. Daniel recognizes Man-Killer and then has to go answer a phone call. Daniel's mother has called to tell him that his ex-wife Gina is going somewhere for the weekend and that he can have Benny.
After the phone call Daniel meets up with Lydia as he watches Man-Killer in the ring with coach Cady. They talk about Man-Killer and about Lydia and Rey Trueno appealed to Man-Killer so she would want to join the league.
Man Killer is in the ring and Cady is having a hard time trying coaching her. When Rey Trueno suggests that another trainer might be needed for Man-Killer, Cady gets angry since he has almost thirty years of fighting experience and has been the trainer from the beginning. Cady then tells Man-Killer that she needs to focus. This only reminds her that Spider-Man told her the same sort of thing. Man-Killer becomes enraged and leaps out of the ring and punches Cady. He looses a tooth goes flying through the air knocking down a punching back and then hits the wall. Rey Trueno then says that he will have to try another trainer for Man-Killer.
In the changing room outside the showers, Daniel talks with Lydia. Having seen Armadillo in the back alley he knows what happens to former champs and doesn't want the same thing to happen to him so he wants to talk to Rey Trueno. Lydia stops him telling him to not ruin what's he has and she tells him about things he's not supposed to know about. The underground fighting league is going to become a real sport nationwide. That's why Man-Killer was brought in and she has seen contracts for Madison Square Garden pay-per-view television. Lydia also says he's going to be a star and make plenty of money but when she mentions something about Daniel's face on a box of Wheaties his mood changes from good to sour again.
He leaves the changing room to find Man-Killer in the ring. She asks him if he knows if there is a bar around and wants to have drinks with him there.
At the Limbo tavern Man-Killer and Daniel have drinks. Daniel wants to know the reason he's there and then Delilah and Mac Gargan (The Scorpion) show up and greet Man-Killer. Daniel doesn't know what's going on and start's getting out of his chair as Man-Killer asks him if he's ever been part of a team.
Comments: This title seems to have settled in with a familiar pattern of being an okay read but being nothing special.
With only one issue to go all the promotional things are in place, first the price drop and now a collection in previews for this new direction. That's kind of funny but marvel's not the first to do it. It will work as a small collection for someone that likes this kind of stuff but I can't see it doing that well since the title's been cancelled. Maybe there's a few readers out there that just want to read the six issues and check it since its been cancelled and everything might not be resolved. The collectioneven has volume 1 in the title. If there's not going to be another volume it seems strange to stick a volume number on, better to let it sit as a stand alone story. Unless there are plans to collect other Thunderbolts stuff but then the volumes would be out of chronological order and totally unrelated from volume 1 to 2.
This issue is the Spider-man guest appearance as the covers shows. I find the distorted Spider-Man and Daniel rather funny. Spider-man just serves to set up this issue, which is fine and ordinary. This is also the issue someone from the old direction crosses over with the new one with Man-Killer. She appears as more of caricature here than she did in the old direction. Most of the time she's yelling, angry, and it's brought up that she hates men. Except for the limo scene she doesn't seem to do much else, I did find a little funny that she punched out coach Cady.
The famous get out of jail free card for the super villain story device is used this issue with a lawyer saying Man-Killer was using self-defence. That Gem vault must have really been fighting with her good that she had to resort to protecting herself. This is usually argued for when Spider-Man catches thugs or super villains and leaves them for the police in a web. There must be some evidence on that roof if she broke into the gem vault or maybe that can be blamed on Spider-Man too. This is one my less favourite ways for a villain getting out of jail unless it's done well. With this idea no villain would ever have to go jail in a story. It can be terribly annoying in a story but it shows up from time to time in superhero stories so I'll deal with it.
More issues of control and manipulation this issue with Man-Killer, Daniel and Lydia. Man-Killer seems to be convinced so far to join the underground fighting league. She was appealed to with getting to beat up plenty of men and being a trailblazer. Having seen the previous champion Armadillo in the alley, Daniel's figured out what could happen to him and he doesn't want to end up like that. So he seeks to gain control of the situation so something similar doesn't happen to him. Lydia talks him down with something she's not supposed to be telling him. At this point I'm sure if she's telling the truth. She could just be saying it all to calm Daniel down so he will be less trouble, keep him going in the league for as long as he's needed, and keep him happy.
Delilah is certainly a character I didn't expect to see show up. Last time I remember seeing this character was in Amazing Spider-Man with the Rose. Now the Scorpion is much better known and it's interesting to see him here and what's he's been doing.
Man-Killer asks Daniel if he's ever been on a team at the end of this issue and on that question I find myself a little intrigued. Does Man-Killer intend to get revenge on Spider-Man or maybe form a team for the underground fighting league? If the league becomes a much bigger sensation there will probably be some teams. Delilah and Mac Gargan might be doing better than Man-Killer so forming a team of villains could come together more naturally since they wouldn't want to fight in the underground fighting league. They might interest Daniel in such a super villain team since he's always been beaten alone as the Battler, super villain logic follows that he would have much better luck in a team. Which if he knows anything isn't always the case, and he has it relativity good right now with the underground fighting league.
One more issue to go where at least the question Man-Killer posed will be tied up probably. I'm not sure if anything else will be. It just might leave Daniel in the fighting league and leave the reader to wonder what will become of him. His fighting would continue but the reader wouldn't be able to read about it since the series has ended. Then there's the possibility he leaves the underground fighting league for whatever reason and the reader is left to wonder what he's going to do next. He can always get arrested and sent back to jail too.
The title lasted with the new direction about as long as I thought it would and I'm happy I won't have to buy it anymore. If it were not getting cancelled I would have dropped it from my pull list by now. I can just keep on the look out for actual Thunderbolts appearances.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.