Thunderbolts #17

Yesterday, sometime before 5 PM, as I was lying on my mattress on the floor reading and listening to music, dinner cooking on the stove, I heard a loud bang out my open window. It sounded like it came from up the block as Capitol Hill rises to its crest on 15th Avenue East. Then the music stopped playing.

A power outage, the exact cause apparently was a downed distribution wire, doesn't happen very often here. For the rest of a mild August evening I read and enjoyed the quiet. The absence of electricity was pleasant. The light was ample and the temperature was just right. Usually on a Saturday night I would stream a movie. Being away from the computer screen was a plus.

I read a stack of back issues of Thunderbolts. It was an unexpected treat. I particularly enjoyed the Infinity crossover. Written by Charles Soule with art by one of my favorites, Jefte Palo (whose work on Incredible Hulk and Taskmaster was inspired), issues 15 through 18 were far superior to anything found in Infinity or The Avengers, the primary titles that tell the story of a Star Wars-like invasion of Earth by the evil Titan Thanos.

In the Thunderbolts-Infinity crossover, Red Hulk, Red Leader and the death angel Mercy do battle in midtown Manhattan with Thanos' invasion fleet, while Punisher, Elektra and Venom mop up a confederacy of criminals who are riding out the alien attack in a fortress-like hideaway in the South Bronx. Meanwhile, Deadpool is off on his own, making his way uptown in search of a hot slice or two, mixing it up here and there with the space invaders. I laughed out loud while reading these four issues.

Below you will find a scan of the beautiful cover to Thunderbolts #17, which is by Julian Totino Tedesco, as well as seven interior pages.