"Life Sentences" (2001/07/02) from Thunderbolts: Life Sentences (July 2001)

Reader Rating: Average

Summary: Four lives, four problems, four decisions.  To survive his time in prison, Hawkeye may have to strike a deal with Mentallo.  Moonstone counsels Graviton, and he offers her the world.  Abe discovers that his new co-workers are committing fraud.  Melissa has to decide what to do about the jewelry that she stole.  Can people in the habit of making the wrong choices…make the right call?

Captain Marvel drops in to help Melissa.  M’Reel assists Graviton.  In prison, Clint encounters Boomerang, Bulldozer, Cardinal, Chance, the Plantman, and the Wrecker.  Abe lands a new job as police liaison with the SHIELD force in Mt. Charteris.

Continuity: Songbird discovers that her vocal chords may be healing, giving her untested capabilities. Sam Smithers' time as a Thunderbolt can be tracked starting from this point.

Comments: Give both writer Fabian Nicieza and editor Tom Brevoort credit for taking a chance on a super-hero story with no costumes and no real super-hero battles. But Abe’s and Karla’s choices are like falling off a log, and Songbird is prompted by Genis (in the Jiminy Cricket role). Hawkeye’s decision seems compelling in the moment, but future events will reveal that hooking up with Mentallo was all part of the plan. The drama is further undercut by inconsistent art and Abe’s strangely melodramatic fight scene.

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This page was revised on December 7, 2005

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