Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #4 is split into two different plots. The first picks up in the aftermath of the previous issue, where Bucky Barnes is held at the mercy of Doctor Doom. The second has Black Widow start to assemble the Thunderbolts once she learns of Bucky’s location. It’s a unique approach, and judging from the covers and the solicits you’d assume the Bucky/Doom conversation was the major focus of Doomstrike #4. It is, but I found the Widow parts more interesting.
What makes Widow’s quest so interesting is that it allows Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Tommaso Bianchi and Yen Nitro to explore all the different bonds Bucky’s made when forming the Thunderbolts. The Midnight Angels still seek justice despite last issue’s mission going south. Destroyer and Songbird also carry a righteous fury. And Ghost Rider ’44 makes his triumphant return – as Black Widow so elegantly puts it, “the free world has need of a rider.” Lanzing and Kelly thrive when writing ensembles, and Doomstrike has shown this in so many ways.
To Lanzing and Kelly’s credit, they also get some great mileage out of Doom and Bucky’s conversation. Doom, being Doom, is arrogant enough to think he can break Bucky, but as Bucky points out, it’s a different thing dealing with the Revolution than it is with Steve Rogers or any other hero. I feel that if Doomstrike was extended to a six issue miniseries, and the convo between Bucky and Doom was given more room, it could have been phenomenal. But that’s just me.
Marvel
What makes this such an intense conversation is the fact that once again, Bianchi chooses to pull focus on characters’ faces, and the gulf between Doom and Bucky is intense. Doom is fairly hard to read, due to his metal mask and imposing posture. But Bucky’s eyes burn with defiance, and most importantly, resolve. This is a man who fought in one of the world’s most devastating conflicts, has fought to keep his freedom from men who would use him as a weapon, and will fight to keep the world out of a tyrant’s hands. All of this is displayed in his facial expressions as well as his dialogue.
The Widow sections also give Bianchi plenty of time to draw some killer action sequences. In freeing Destroyer and Songbird, Black Widow cuts into a plane…that’s still flying. The Midnight Angles show off their skills as they utilize their armor to cut robots down to size. The kicker is a spread toward the end, which shows the Thunderbolts fully assembled; it’s only topped by the last page, which has a surprise guest. Nitro’s rich, vibrant colors provide a contrast to most of the issue, which takes place in a candlelit dungeon.
Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #4 may balance two separate plot lines, but it all comes together for what’s sure to be a stirring climax. Other creative teams should look at what Doomstrike is doing and take notes; this is how you create a tie-in that’s also a great story on its own.
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