The theme of friends making amends featured in two issues this week. In Champions #5 by Eve L. Ewing and Bob Quinn, Viv Vision comes to her teammates’ aid and helps them put an end to the Underage Superhuman Welfare Act, aka Kamala’s Law. This is, of course, after she reveals she had been ratting them out to C.R.A.D.L.E. Though they cannot automatically overturn the law, Senator Geoffrey Patrick cuts off his association with Roxxon once the true nature of their Reeducation Centers come to light. Spider-Woman’s mea culpa finally comes in her latest issue and is accompanied by a cute baby and cookies. The latest characters added to the database include Reptil in advance of his upcoming solo title, and a flashback appearance for the original M.O.D.O.K. distinguishes him from the latest supreme version of the big-brained baddie.
Book the Week – S.W.O.R.D. #4 (Review score: 50 points; 18 Characters). For the second issue in a row, writer Al Ewing showcases the extent of Manifold’s teleportation abilities. As explained in the previous issue, Eden Fesi does not simply walk into Mordor teleport, he communicates with the very fabric of the universe and asks it to help him perform amazing features like bringing two distant points together for quick travel and bending light around him to make him invisible. In S.W.O.R.D. #4, Manifold defeats the Knull-possessed Cable by borrowing a portion of the sun and using it against the symbiote king.
Hero of the Week – Spider-Woman (Review score: 22 points; 11 Pts/App). Jessica Drew may be stubborn and a bit quick to ire, but that also means she is willing to do what is necessary to protect the ones she loves. She proves that through her recent actions in her solo title where she is willing to team with the High Evolutionary and the sadistic Octavia Vermin. But some problems don’t require fists and rather a push out the door, like when she urges Carol Danvers back into the dating world in Captain Marvel.
Antagonist of the Week – Octavia Vermis (Review score: 9 points; 9 Pts/App). Karla Pacheco and Pere Pérez show just how evil Octavia Vermis can be in Spider-Woman #10, as if killing her cloned daughter in the previous issue was not enough. In the latest issue, via a cartoonish yet depressing montage, Octavia reveals this is not the first time she has struggled with trying to create a perfect daughter. However, her malicious, matriarchal machinations come to an end when Jess forces into the High Evolutionary’s array and transforms her into a dinosaur creature.
Performance of the Week – Black Knight (Review score: 14 Points; 14 Pts/App). Though Dane Whitman does not make amends with his friends, the Black Knight does detail his struggle with the corrupting nature of the Ebony Blade. In Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade, Dane constantly fights his inner demons while battling literal demons alongside the Avengers, much to their annoyance. Though he manages to save the day with his flashy dialogue and magic, he dies when a mysterious cloaked figure decapitates him with an Ebony Dagger. But the mythical sword is not done with him yet and brings him back to life.
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Key: TU – Team-Up; LT – Lead Team; SC – Save Civilian; CD – Character Development; DA – Defeat Antagonist.
| Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade #1 (32) |
| Black Knight – Artifact, Blade, Creature, Heal, Magic, Magic Offensive, Strength, Weapon, Will Power, TU (Avengers), SC, CD (Dies and is reborn), DA (Aliens) Black Panther – Melee, TU (Black Knight) Captain America – Melee, Shield Def, TU (Black Knight) Captain Marvel – Energy, Energy Offensive, Flight, TU (Black Knight) Thor – Blunt, Melee, Strength, Weapon, TU (Black Knight) |
| Captain Marvel #27 (30) |
| Captain Marvel – Energy, Energy Offensive, Flight, Melee, Strength, TU (Spider-Woman), SC, DA (Snats) Doctor Strange – Magic Hazmat – TU (Spider-Woman), SC Lauri-Ell – Artifact, Energy Defensive, Teleport, TU (Spider-Woman), SC Spectrum – TU (Spider-Woman) Spider-Woman – Crawl, Energy Offensive, Flight, Melee, TU (Captain Marvel), LT, DA (Snats) |
| Champions #5 (41) |
| Bombshell – Energy, Energy Offensive Brawn – Computer, Melee, Stealth, Strength, DA (C.R.A.D.L.E. guards) Ironheart Locust Ms. Marvel – Grow, Influence, Stretch, LT Nova (SA) – Flight, CD (Joins Roxxon) Snowguard – Flight, Melee Spider-Man (MM) – Crawl, CD (Joins Roxxon) Starling – Melee, CD (Joins the Champions) Viv Vision – Computer, Deception, Energy, Flight, Melee, Sense, Stealth, LT, CD (Makes amends with her teammates), DA (C.R.A.D.L.E. guards) Wasp (NvD) – Melee |
| Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #3 (27) |
| Fat Cobra – TU (Iron Fist) Iron Fist – Energy, Melee, TU (Immortal Weapons), LT, DA (Zombies) Luke Cage – Melee, Strength, Weapon, TU (Immortal Weapons), DA (Zombies) Okoye – Blade, Energy, Weapon, TU (Bride of Nine Spiders), LT, DA (Zombies) Sunspot – Flames Offensive, Melee, Morph, TU (Luke Cage), DA (Zombies) |
| Iron Man #7 (33) |
| Frog-Man – TU (Iron Man) Gargoyle – TU (Iron Man) Hellcat – Melee, Telepathy, TU (Iron Man) Iron Man – Computer, Tech, TU (War Machine), LT Misty Knight – TU (Iron Man Scarlet Spider – TU (Iron Man) War Machine – Tech, Vehicle, TU (Iron Man), LT Antagonist(s) Blizzard – Vehicle, TU (Korvac) Korvac – Energy Offensive, Melee, Telepathy, TU (Blizzard), LT Unicorn – TU (Korvac) |
| King in Black: Spider-Man #1 (26) |
| Reptil – Appendage, Appendage Offensive, Claws Offensive, Durability, Flight, Influence, Morph, Strength, TU (Spider-Man), SC, CD (Teams up with his idol), DA (Symbiote dragons) Spider-Man (PP) – Blade, Crawl, Energy, Ensnare, Intellect, Melee, Strength, Webs, TU (Reptil), LT, SC, DA (Symbiote dragons) |
| Marvel #6 (29) |
| Doctor Strange – Artifact, Deception, Flight, Magic, Magic Offensive, Reality, DA (Nightmare) Dum Dum Dugan – Computer, Espionage Unseen – Espionage, Explosive, Gun, Suit, Vehicle, Weapon, LT, DA (Baron von Strucker) Antagonist(s) Arnim Zola Baron von Strucker – Deception Contessa Fontaine – Computer, Espionage, Gun M.O.D.O.K. (GT) Nightmare |
| S.W.O.R.D. #4 (50) |
| Abigail Brand – Computer, Intellect, LT Banshee Cable (Young) Egg Elixir Frenzy – Melee, Sense, Strength, Weapon, Will Power, DA (Knull) Hope Summers – Gun, Telepathy Magneto – LT Manifold – Agility, Flame, Sense, Teleport, Teleport Defensive, Teleport Offensive, DA (Knull) Random Sunfire Tempus Wiz-Kid – Intellect, Sonics, Teleport, Vehicle, Weapon, DA (Symbiote dragons) Antagonist(s) Fabian Cortez Knull – Creature, Melee, Possession, Tech, Teleport, DA (Sunfire) Mentallo – Telepath Paibok Proteus |
| Spider-Woman #10 (34) |
| Captain Marvel Hawkeye (CB) Iron Fist Luke Cage Night Nurse Spider-Woman – Agility, Blunt, Durability, Energy, Energy Offensive, Melee, Rage, Sleuth, Strength, Weapon, TU (High Evolutionary), CD (Makes amends with those she turned on), DA (Octavia Vermis) War Machine Antagonist(s) High Evolutionary – Creature, Tech, TU (Spider-Woman), LT Octavia Vermis – Creature, Durability, Melee, Morph, Projectile, Strength, Tech, Toxin |
| Thor #13 (41) |
| Beta Ray Bill – TU (Doctor Strange) Doctor Strange – Flight, Teleport, TU (Throg) Lady Sif – TU (Doctor Strange) Lockjaw – TU (Doctor Strange) Loki – TU (Doctor Strange) Odin – Durability, Melee, TU (Valkyrie) Thor – Blunt, Creature, Elements, Intellect, Lightning, Melee, Strength, Suit, CD (Places his soul in the body of the Destroyer) Throg – Flight, Projectile, TU (Doctor Strange), LT Valkyrie (JF) – Creature, Melee, Strength, TU (Doctor Strange), LT Volstagg – TU (Doctor Strange) Antagonist(s) Dr. Donald Blake – Blade |
| X-Force #18 (26) |
| Beast – Computer, Will Power Cyclops Kid Omega – Tech, Telepathy, Vehicle, TU (Stepford Cuckoos), LT Marvel Girl Sage – Computer, Intellect, Melee, TU (Stepford Cuckoos) Stepford Cuckoos – Sense, Tech, Telepathy, TU (Sage) Wolverine Antagonist(s) Black Tom Cassidy – Plant, Sense Blob |
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