Credits

• Writer: Fabian Nicieza
• Penciler: Tom Grummett
• Inker: Gary Erskine
• Colorist: SotoColor's J. Brown
• Letterer: RS & Comicraft's Albert Deschesne
• Assistant Editors: Schmidt, Lazar, & Sitterson
• Editor: Tom Brevoort

Quick Summary

[This issue is a House of M tie-in.]

The world has been transformed! Humans are an oppressed minority. Mutants control politics and religion. The Thunderbolts are outlaws fighting against they tyranny of the House of M.

In this reality, the Thunderbolts consist of Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, his twin children Andreas and Andrea (better known as Fenris), Flashback (who can pull other versions of himself from the timestream), and the Radioactive Man.

The focus of the issue is the conflict between Private Genis-Vell (now known as Photon in the regular MU) and Major Erik Josten (Atlas), the leader of this world's Howling Commandos. During a fight with the Thunderbolts, Genis realizes that something is not right with reality. His cosmic awareness (mysteriously absent for some time now), reasserts itself, showing him all the ways in which reality has been altered.

Genis's newfound knowledge causes him to flee his Kree allies (who are in town to renew an alliance with Earth), leading to a confrontation between Genis and Erik. During this battle, Genis points out the irony of the situation to Erik--in this world Erik is a good man, but he lives in a world where humans are doomed to extinction. In the real world, Erik is a deeply flawed person, but he lives in a world full of potential. Josten is forced to decide whether he'd rather die a hero in the false reality or go back to being a weaker man in his rightful reality.

Ultimately, this incarnation of Erik Josten does what he thinks is right. He overcomes Genis, preserving the false reality of the House of M world.

Commentary

This was a densely-plotted issue, and I had to read it twice to sort out everything that was going on. (How often does that happen these days?)

• The primary question I had after reading this issue was, "Did we see the House of M version of the Swordsman?" If so, the list of candidates for his alter ego is fairly short, the most likely being Andreas Strucker or Wendell Vaughn.
• The real fun of this issue was seeing where each member of the cast ended up in the new reality. Besides the T-Bolts regulars, we're treated to appearances by Rick Jones, Dum Dum Dugan, Forge, Ronan the Accuser, Carol Danvers, Sunder, the Ogre, the Mole Man, and a few others. Of the regular cast members, Joystick, Songbird, and Blizzard were apparently absent (unless I missed them somewhere in one of the crowd scenes).
• Pay close attention to the people who are clicking their pens repeatedly. If you missed this bit the first time around, you may want to go back and reread the issue.
• One of the interesting questions raised by the House of M event is, "Will characters who die here remain dead?" In this issue we see the apparent deaths of the Strucker children. Are they dead in the true Marvel Universe now? How about Rick Jones?

Overall, it's a fun issue that takes a closer look at a couple of the book's main characters. The House of M wackiness is a big distraction from the book's ongoing storyline, but Nicieza makes the most of the opportunity and delivers an interesting alternate reality tale.