"A Rare Night Off" (1999/01/01) from Thunderbolts 0 (January 1999)

Reader Rating: Above Average

Roll Call: Atlas, Hawkeye, Jolt, MACH-1, Moonstone, Songbird

Summary: While Hawkeye is interviewed by Gayle Rogers, the Thunderbolts hold a celebration in a fancy restaurant. The place is crashed by Hydra, after the T-Bolts’ heads, and Hawk leads the team in defense. Baron Zemo, Citizen V (Dallas Riordan), The Crimson Cowl and the Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, the Scarlet Witch, Thor, the Vision) appear in cameos.

Continuity: Hawkeye leads the team for the first time.

Comments: This 16-page Wizard bonus gives us sharper characterizations and more fun than all sixty pages of the ponderous "Decisions." Here’s Karla wrangling for advantage, Abe and Melissa saying good-bye, and Hawkeye guiding the group’s first steps in fighting as a team. All this plus cameos from Zemo and Citizen V. "Rare," indeed!