Characters down on their luck, damned and cursed take center stage to wrap up the month of March. Creator Daniel Warren Johnson kicks off a new series for Beta Ray Bill that highlights Bill’s insecurities when compared to Thor, the original God of Thunder and his brother-in-arms, especially after Thor shattered Bill’s Stormbreaker weapon. Lily Hollister, the Queen Cat, struggles with her own identity crisis and living in the shadow of the Black Cat. Adam-X, the longtime unacknowledged Summers brother, turns down his place as both a Summers and heir to the Shi’ar throne, settling instead for a massive mindwipe erasing him from everybody’s memory (which is probably for the best). Majistrex Lilandra and some of her classic members of the Shi’ar Guard, including Electron, Flashfire, Mentor, Smasher, Starbolt get added to the database with their appearance in X-Men Legends and Pip the Troll makes an appearance in Beta Ray Bill marking his first appearance in a League review.
Book the Week – Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 (Review score: 50 Points/10 Characters). The new bio-engineering/bio-terrorists group known as Hordeculture make the jump from the pages of the X-Men to an Avengers story. A younger, misguided relative of theirs hatches a plan to turn the curse of the Man-Thing against humans to speed up humanities depopulation. The Avengers quickly respond to the global catastrophe brought upon by the Man-Thing’s defeat at the hands of the Harrower. Ted Sallis, the the man inside the thing, mentally makes contact with Captain America who learns the Super Soldier Serum is at the center of the Man-Thing’s creation.
Hero of the Week – Captain America (Review score: 15 Points/2 Appearances—7.5 Pts/App). In his solo title, racing to its conclusion, Captain America and the Daughters of Liberty race to prevent another Red Skull-inspired riot from breaking out in the next major American city. They track down the Skull’s daughter Sin but she gets the upper hand on the Captain and films Sharon Carter coming to his rescue. This allows the Red Skull to fuel his followers’ insecurities about men needing to be saved by women, making them appear to be less of a man and encouraging them to fight back.
Antagonist of the Week – Sin (Review score: 8 Points/1 Appearance—8 Pts/App). Daddy’s girl plays her part in the Red Skull’s schemes perfectly. She makes a brutally lethal example of the Skull’s recruits when challenged by a man who questions a woman’s ability to lead them. Later, she feigns her defeat when caught by Captain America, but manages to tag Steve Rogers with a toxic blade, weakening him and leaving him prone to a gang beating that she broadcasts to the world.
Performance of the Week – Ghost Rider (JB) (Review score: 13 Points/1 Appearance—13 Pts/App). Johnny Blaze, the King of Hell, accepts that he is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t when it comes to ruling Hell. Since assuming the role of King of Hell in 2018’s “Damnation” event, Blaze has faced numerous challenges to this throne and demons continuously fleeing Hell thanks to Lilath, Mephisto’s sometimes ally/wife. At the behest of Daniel Ketch, his fellow Rider, Blaze relinquishes his title back to Mephisto to prevent any further demonic uprisings.
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Key: TU – Team-Up; LT – Lead Team; SC – Save Civilian; CD – Character Development; DA – Defeat Antagonist.
| Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 (50) |
| Black Panther – Claws, Energy, Intellect, Suit, Tech, LT Blade – Blade, Sense, DA (Drones) Captain America – Melee, Projectile, Shield, Shield Offensive, SC, DA (Drones) Captain Marvel – Durability, Flight, Melee, Speed Ghost Rider (RR) – Flames, Sense, Vehicle, Whip, DA (Drones) Hulk (JW) – Blunt, Durability, Strength, Weapon, DA (Drone) Iron Man – Energy, Flight, Suit, Tech Man-Thing – Ensnare, Melee, Morph Shuri Thor – Elements, Flight, Lightning, Projectile |
| Beta Ray Bill #1 (24) |
| Beta Ray Bill – Computer, Durability, Gun, Influence, Melee, Strength, LT Lady Sif – LT Pip the Troll Thor – Flight, Lightning, DA (Fin Fang Foom) Volstagg Antagonist(s) Fin Fang Foom – Claws Offensive, Durability, Melee, Strength, Weapon, CD (Bonds with a symbiote), DA (Asgardians) |
| Black Cat #4 (11) |
| Black Cat – Melee, LT, DA (Queen Cat) Antagonist(s) Queen Cat – Deception, Durability, Melee, Sleuth, Thief, DA (Black Fox) |
| Captain America #28 (38) |
| Agatha Harkness – Magic, Teleport, TU (Captain America) Agent 13 – Flight, Invisibility, Melee, Sleuth, Strength, Tech, TU (Captain America) Captain America – Heal, Melee, Shield Defensive, Strength, Tech, TU (Dr. Toni Ho), LT Dr. Toni Ho – Tech, TU (Captain America) Misty Knight – Sleuth, Tech, TU (Captain America) Antagonist(s) Alexa Lukin Red Skull – Influence Sin – Assassin, Blade, Gun, Melee, Toxin, Weapon, DA (Captain America) |
| King in Black: Ghost Rider #1 (34) |
| Death Rider – Blade, Creature, Influence, Weapon, TU (Ghost Rider), CD (Embraces his new name and persona), DA (Demon) Ghost Rider (JB) – Creature, Demonic, Ensnare, Flames Offensive, Melee, Strength, Vehicle, Weapon, Whip, TU (Death Rider), CD (Relinquishes King of Hell title back to Mephisto), DA (Demon) Antagonist(s) Blackheart – Blade, Claws Offensive, Demonic, Durability, Melee, TU (Ghost Rider), DA (Demon) Mephisto – Creature, Deception, Durability, CD (Becomes King of Hell again) |
| King in Black: Return of the Valkyries #4 (34) |
| Hildegarde Mirage – Creature, Magic, Weapon, TU (Valkyrie), DA (Celesital) Sentry Valkyrie (Brunnhilde) – Creature, Influence, LT, DA (Celesital) Valkyrie (JF) – Artifact, Blade, Flight, Influence, Magic, Sense, Shield Defensive, Will Power, TU (Mirage), LT, DA (Celesital) Valkyrie (TT) – Blade, Creature, Sense, Weapon, TU (Valkyrie), DA (Celestial) Antagonist(s) Knull – Blade |
| Silk #1 (9) |
| Silk – Business, Ensnare, Melee, Sleuth, Webs, SC, CD (Takes a job at Threats and Menaces), DA (Muggers) |
| Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black #5 (34) |
| Rocket Raccoon – Blade, Gun, Weapon, TU (Spider-Man) Spectrum – Blade, Energy, Energy Offensive, Flight, Melee, TU (Spider-Man), DA (Mister E) Spider-Man (PP) – Ensnare, Melee, Webs, TU (Rocket Raccoon), LT Uatu the Watcher – Energy Offensive, Telepathy, Teleport, TU (Spider-Man) Antagonist(s) Collector Kang – Energy, TU (Spider-Man) Knull – Creature, Telepathy Ulik – Blunt, TU (Spider-Man) |
| U.S. Agent #4 (8) |
| Battlestar U.S. Agent – Durability, Gun, Projectile, Shield, Shield Defensive, SC |
| Union #4 (12) |
| Britannia – Melee Choir – Sonics, Strength Kelpie – Flight Snakes – Melee, Strength Union Jack – LT |
| X-Men #19 (37) |
| Cyclops Darwin – Absorb, Computer, Deception, Energy, Heal, Intellect, Melee, Morph, Sense, Sleuth, Stretch Professor X – Telepathy Synch – Absorb, Deception, Durability, Energy, Geokinesis, Heal, Melee, Sleuth, Tech, Weapon, CD (Forms a relationship and bond with Wolverine) Wolverine (LK) – Claws, Claws Offensive, Deception, Durability, Heal, Melee, Sleuth, Tech, CD (Forms a relationship and bond with Synch) |
| X-Men Legends #2 (46) |
| Adam-X – Claws, Flames, Heal, Melee, Projectile, Speed, TU (Starjammers), LT, CD (Reveals his origin), DA (Crystal Claws) Ch’od – Vehicle Corsair – TU (Cyclops), LT Cyclops – Energy Offensive, Melee, TU (Starjammers) Electron Flashfire Gladiator – Flight Havok – Energy, Energy Offensive, TU (Starjammers) Hepzibah – SC Hussar Lilandra Manta – Flight Mentor Oracle – Strength, Telepathy Raza – Melee, SC Smasher (VR) – Flight Starbolt – Flight Antagonist(s) Mr. Sinister |
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