Thunderbolt #57 is dated May 1967. This issue is different from those that have come before because Pat Boyette is on hand for the storytelling this time handling both the writing and the artwork. There is a memo from Dick Giordano the editor indicating that the story is developed from notes provided by Tabu. In fact the story is told from Tabu's point of view, an immediate change of style. The cover is by Boyette too.
"Face of the Dragon" (though this is Special Case #0008 there is no mention of this on the splash page) begins with an enigmatic figure standing motionless in the snow. Tabu and Peter Cannon look out into the snowy night and discuss a feeling that Peter has that a mighty evil is brewing. They make note that the man outside has not moved for an hour and they go to investigate and find him nearly frozen and in his hand a defaced stone griffin. The man, an oriental giant, is sent to the hospital and they discuss the meaning of the griffin and since a griffin represents a new-comer and the mutilation indicates a crime, they conclude that an invasion is imminent in the land they come from in the Himalayas.
They fly together to the ancient land and after arriving find a massive exodus of people fleeing their homeland. The flee a warlord who reputedly has the face of a dragon. Peter and Tabu contract with a British pilot to fly them over the area and they parachute into the very heart of the warlord's territory. They are immediately set upon by a large gang of thugs and taken before the warlord.
In a throne room they wait before an empty seat before in a wisp of smoke the dragon-headed warlord appears. Peter vows to defeat him but the warlord is undeterred and casts his hand creating a vapor that sends the pair of heroes into a hallucination. They awake in the mud of a lower chamber. The warlord appears and asks again if they are impressed, but Peter indicates that no man with a mask will frighten him. He accuses the warlord of being a fake, and attacks, but the warlord disappears in a cloud of smoke. Then a mass of stones is dropped on the pair.
Peter then takes a moment to become Thunderbolt; and he and Tabu begin their escape but find themselves under attack by arrows. Taking cover in a stone niche, they are in a trapdoor and are flipped back into the throne room filled with thugs and the dragon-headed warlord. He orders them executed and to impress everyone conjures up snakes. Thunderbolt takes one of the snakes in hand and causes it to evaporate. Then T-Bolt unleashes a power he's never used before and his face becomes drawn under the mental strain. There appears in the throne room a giant dragon who tears through the building and the men. They all flee in terror. After they go, the dragon disappears and T-Bolt reveals that though it was real while he maintained his concentration, it was only the product of his mind nonetheless. The pair leave in triumph while on the ground behind them is a dragon mask forgotten and left behind.
"Thunderbolts" features one letter this month, a lengthy one that touches on several points. There's a desire expressed for more exciting covers and maybe that Steve Ditko should take over the covers for Charlton. We learn that the covers for Thunderbolt are rather generic because they have to be produced before the comic is actually drawn. The formulaic nature of the T-Bolt stories is commented on. Giordano takes issue with the cover comment, since he indicates he's been responsible for most if not all of Charlton's covers for many years. nearly 500 by his count. The titles he doesn't have cover control on are Captain Atom, Peacemaker, and Thunderbolt. Also there is desire expressed for letter writers to direct their missives to specific titles and not just to Charlton in general.
The Sensational Sentinels appear again in a story titled "If This Be Triumph!". The story is plotted by D.C.Glanzman and the script and the art are by Sam Grainger. Lettering is by A.Machine. The story begins soon after the battle from the previous issue where we find Brute, Mentalia, and Helio in their apartment recovering. Brute apparently survived the fall from the roller coaster by landing in some water. Rick still has amnesia. The android Titan breaks into the apartment to continue the battle and he and Brute exchange blows, with Titan eventually flinging Brute toward a window. But Mentalia exerts her thoughts and is able to stop Brute in mid-air revealing for the first time not only an ability for telepathy but telekinesis as well. The Titan captures Mentalia and climbs down the building with her in tow. Brute follows using his great hand strength to grip the bricks on the side of the building. He and Titan again mix it up until Brute realizes that he was granted great strength over other men and not androids, so he changes tactics and uses a light pole to attack Titan to great effect. Then Brute leaps to attack Titan and Mentalia adds her telekinetic might to the thrust and they severely damage the android who ultimately collapses. Returning to their apartment the find Rick still confused but just they are dealing with what that means for the team Sarge Steel appears and announces that the Mind-Bender and Titan were creations of the C.I.A. and that Dr.Kolotov who gave them their powers was a Soviet spy. As the story ends, he is taking the team into custody in order for them to make statements.
This issue was reprinted in the later 70's under the Modern imprint.
This comic was my first exposure to Thunderbolt. It was given to me by my maternal grandmother. Where she found them I'll never know, but it opened a world up to me that I had missed. I was just a bit too young for the Action-Heroes. They were wrapping up just as I was getting into comics, so it was only in back issues that I found and enjoyed them. That said, finding T-Bolt first in the hands of Pat Boyette really changes your understanding of the character. The struggle of conscience is less pronounced in this story. Peter is more than willing to fight, though he does express a desire for peace there's no sense he's reluctant to press the battle that presents itself. Also the opening scenes with the frozen messenger are outstanding drama and highly mysterious, a classic Boyette moment. I can see that people might be upset that T-Bolt breaks out a new "power" in this one, something it seems most men can't do. But although he suggests it's more, hypnosis can explain it all for those reluctant to go further. With the past filled with ancient mummies and whatnot, such a power is not out of context, but is different for our hero.
More to come as Pete Morisi returns.
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