History ComicBook / PeterCannonThunderbolt2019

* RefusalOfTheCall: Past versions of the character have often be slow to act as a hero because of their disdain for western civilization, but Cannon initially acts as if he’s unwilling to help save the world from a genocidal alien invasion, just to make a rhetorical point to the other heroes. Unsurprisingly, they regard him as a but of a {{jerkass}}.

* AMillionIsAStatistic: In-universe, this has become Thunderbolt's attitude. He has triggered multiple planetary-level apocalypses, supposedly while seeking to perfect ways to bring peace to subsequent worlds he discovers. His attitude is that killing millions is permissible if he can save yet millions more thereby, whereas if he stops now, he ''will'' be a villain.

But Cannon is worried. He suspects that the aliens were fakes. After all, this whole "alien invasion to make the world come together" plot is an idea which he once considered himself, but rejected because, apart from the fact that it's unspeakably immoral, he doubts that it will do any good in the long term. Only one conclusion is possible; an alternate version of Peter Cannon, in an alternate universe, must be behind the whole thing. Meanwhile, readers who are familiar with the history of comics, and of characters inspired by the original Thunderbolt, have recognized that the there's some serious genre referencing going on here.

* {{Expy}}: Thunderbolt is both a version of the established character ''and'' an expy of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'''s Ozymandias, who was himself a CaptainErsatz of the original Thunderbolt, making him… a recursive bifurcating expy?

* {{Expy}}: Thunderbolt is both a version of the established character ''and'' an expy of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''‘s Ozymandias, who was himself an expy of the original Thunderbolt, making him… a recursive bifurcating expy?

* ArtificialHuman: The Test is apparently the product of some kind of ongoing technological program. Unfortunately, each such product only has a lifespan of a couple of weeks or so.

* FauxAffablyEvil: While Thunderbolt isn't so much affable as calm and insufferably smug, he maintains a facade of politeness and good humor.

* AndIMustScream: Thunderbolt's version of Sabu attempted to escape from his fate as the only other inhabitant of a dead world, alongside the insane Thunderbolt himself, by suicide. Thunderbolt punished him by transforming him into a robot who cannot harm himself. It's a borderline instance of the trope, in that Sabu can speak -- but the only person he gets to talk to is Thunderbolt.

* {{Fingore}}: Thunderbolt reacts to Supreme Justice's attack by breaking his fingers one by one. This is a clear reference to [[Characters/WatchmenRorschach Rorschach's]] notorious method of extracting information from criminals, showing that, although Thunderbolt is an {{expy}} of ''ComicBook//{{Watchmen}}'''s Ozymandias, he has also acquired Rorschach's casual brutality (and Dr Manhattan's emotional detachment).

'''Warning: The story of this comic is built on a series of reveals and switches of tone; it is impossible to discuss it in any detail without giving some of these away. Hence, multiple spoilers follow, many of them unmarked.'''

* ApocalypseHow: Thunderbolt's conflict with his world's Nucleon apparently caused a Planetary Species Extinction, equivalent to a worst-case nuclear war.

* MediumAwareness: Baba Yaga describes the powers displayed by Cannon and Thunderbolt as "Formalism", which usually means analyzing an artwork in terms of its medium and format rather than its plot or content -- and indeed, both of them do seem to be quite GenreSavvy, at the very least. In fact, while Thunderbolt has effectively absolute power within his personal fortress, because he is a RealityWarper there, Cannon seems to be more medium-aware, transporting himself to Thunderbolt's home by placing them on six panels of the nine-panel page layout that the comic uses by default (another ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} reference), and eventually defeating Thunderbolt by manipulating aspects of the medium.

* GenreSavvy: The powers granted by the Ancient Scrolls appear to involve a degree of genre awareness and even MediumAwareness, sometimes leading to a bit of LeaningOnTheFourthWall. Thunderbolt quickly kills The Test because the latter is mocking him, which could just be vanity, but he claims it is because "This is a serious story." And later, when Cannon (accurately) accuses him of
* Jerkass: The comic is post-''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''-ish enough to acknowledge that merely being a hero doesn't guarantee that anyone will be a nice person.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Cannon and Nucleon have repeatedly made it clear that Thunderbolt is an effectively unbeatable opponent, if the way he disintegrated The Test with a gesture wasn't proof enough -- and yet, the other heroes decide that there is no choice but to fight him. When Cannon tries to restrain her, Baba Yaga makes the pint clear with dignity.

* ContainmentClothing: Nucleon, a superhero with nuclear powers, usually wears something reselbling a HazmatSuit, but sheds it to unleash her powers. Presumably, she suffers from low-level PowerIncontinence, and hence sheds enough radiation to make long-term exposure dangerous.

-->''See, Tabu... the dangers of unrelenting deconstruction.''

* Main/DeconstructorFleet: The comic deconstructs a bunch of superhero tropes, such as CaptainPatriotic (in the form of Supreme Justice) or the NinetiesAntiHero (in the form of The Test), in passing while on its way to deconstruct deconstruction.

* {{Deconstruction}}: The comic deconstructs both ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', albeit ultimately respectfully; Gillen appears to feel that the problem is the repetitive habits displayed by comics which are too heavily influenced by the older comic.

The 2019 incarnation of ''ComicBook/PeterCannonThunderbolt'', a five-issue miniseries written by Creator/KieronGillen with art by Caspar Wijngaard and published by Creator/DynamiteEntertainment, is both an homage to and a comprehensive deconstruction of the classic comics series ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' -- or rather, perhaps, of its legacy in the world of comics at large. It's also a functioning superhero comic in its own right, if rather an offbeat one.

!!Tropes Appearing (and often Deconstructed) in this miniseries include:

Cannon knows that he's up against a far more powerful, perhaps omnipotent, version of himself, but his counterpart has already shown a lethal willingness to kill millions, and must be stopped. Fortunately, he can at least work out a way to travel to that other universe. So he and the heroes he works with set out to engage with the problem. It doesn't go well, and a fleeing Cannon ends up in another universe, where there are no superheroes and no apparent way to hold off the fake aliens who follow after him. But there is at least another Peter Cannon...

The 2019 incarnation of ''ComicBook/PeterCannonThunderbolt'', a five-issue miniseries written by Creator/KieronGillen with art by Caspar Wijngaard and published by Dynamite Entertainment, is both an homage to and a comprehensive deconstruction of the classic comics series ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' -- or rather, perhaps, of its legacy in the world of comics at large. It's also a functioning superhero comic in its own right, if rather an offbeat one.

The 2019 incarnation of ''ComicBook/PeterCannonThunderbolt'', written by Creator/KieronGillen with art by Caspar Wijngaard and published by Dynamite Entertainment, is both an homage to and a comprehensive deconstruction of the classic comics series ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' -- or rather, perhaps, of its legacy in the world of comics at large. It's also a functioning superhero comic in its own right, if rather an offbeat one.

The story starts with a version of Peter Cannon who should be quite familiar to those who know the character; one of a small but significant number of superheroes in his world, a supreme martial arts expert who gains advanced mystical insights by consulting a collection of "Ancient Scrolls", living with his friend Tabu. His world comes under overwhelming attack by mysterious squid-like aliens, and Cannon is asked for help by other heroes. Despite an initial show of reluctance, explained by his disdain for western civilization (a characteristic drawn from the original '60s version of the character), Cannon consults the Ancient Scrolls, and comes up with an effective strategy that wipes out the aliens. The world, which had been teetering on the verge of nuclear war, comes together in a spirit of cooperation.