Patsy Walker was rescued from Hell in this year’s Thunderbolts’ Annual. Now, she goes on the talk show circuit…
…Which is really just a smart way to reintroduce the character to readers before launching a miniseries about her.
She returns to her home town only to find it has been turned into a giant theme park–a nostalgic “small town” with rides and soda shops, etc. And it is staffed by demons summoned by the old White Supremacist gang, Sons of the Serpent. And most importantly, Patsy can see through the monsters’ human disguises.
Patsy and The Avengers free the town, but there’s still a mystical plot she needs to take down–and she’s got new powers. Magic literally bounces off of her.
The Annual leads right into her miniseries, which is terrific. She learns that her town being taken over was just a small part of a war between the various planes of Hell–and Dormammu is at the heart of it.
She bands the Hell Council together and they stop Dormammu’s plans.
Her own time in Hell had left Patsy demoralized and dead inside. Her adventure in the miniseries reinvigorates her.
The war between Hells is a great story for Steve Englehart. I’m so glad they brought him back for this. He’s an under-remembered creator. It’s also nice that Marvel had Norm Breyfogle draw both the Annual and the series, so that it all has a consistent look.