The King has returned. After a few questionable recap/vision appearances, the legendary King Arthur finally gets added to the Fantasy Comic League review system. However, it’s as Merlyn’s prisoner in Excalibur. Spider-Man’s Sinister War kicks off with a sinister gathering of three sextets gunning for the hero, each group with their own agenda. Layla Miller also makes her first appearance since 2019.
Book the Week – Excalibur #22 (Review score: 64 Points; 24 Characters). The turmoil in Otherworld continues in a post-X of Swords world. Now, after losing Rogue to the new X-Men team, Excalibur must infiltrate Merlyn’s Tower to settle a score with the increasingly hostile wizard. Gambit gets a chance to stand out in the latest issue by using his powers in a variety of ways including creating an explosion to super charge a getaway train.
Hero of the Week – Iron Man (Review score: 15 Points/2 Appearances; 7.5 Pts/App). After being waylaid in his own solo title, Iron Man reappears on another planet. There he comes across Stilt-Man leading a community of intergalactic refugees. Moved by Stilt-Man’s desire to do good, he teams up with the villain to protect the village from a roaming band of Ultimos. But his stay in this peaceful commune will be short lived as he still keeps tabs on Korvac’s movements through his connection with Hellcat.
Antagonist of the Week – Carnage (Review score: 11 Points/1 Appearance; 11.0 Pts/App). Carnage currently sits as the third best antagonist in Marvel’s 2021 comics, and that’s only with 5 appearances so far. It would be more but his latest Carnage: Black, White and Blood issue scores him no points as the recent stories were deemed alt universe tales. Nevertheless, with his current Extreme Carnage event happening, it won’t be long before the serial killer symbiote makes his way to the top of the antagonist pile.
Performance of the Week – Multiple Man (Review score: 14 Points/1 Appearance; 14.0 Pts/App). Multiple Man has his best week in more than two years—or at least since the Fantasy Comic League began tracking all characters and all powers. As such, his 14-point performance in the latest X-Corp deserves recognition as the performance of the Week. Tini Howard’s latest issue in the young series highlights the benefit of having a one man think tank running your R&D department. One man capable of duplicating himself at least. Jamie shows off his wide range of skills including Intellect and Personality, as well as his dupes’ ability to perform corporate espionage.
Top Characters (by review score). Iron Man (15); Multiple Man (14); Spider-Woman (13); Scream (12); Carnage (11); Conan (10); Captain Britain, Viv Vision (9); Gambit, Thor (8)
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Key: TU – Team-Up; LT – Lead Team; SC – Save Civilian; CD – Character Development; DA – Defeat Antagonist.
| Champions #8 (19) |
| Ironheart – Computer, Tech Ms. Marvel Nova (SA) Spider-Man (MM) – Deception, Webs, LT Vision Viv Vision – Bionics, Computer, Crawl, Flight, Influence, Invisibility, Tech, LT |
| Conan the Barbarian #23 (10) |
| Conan – Blade, Crawl, Durability, Melee, Speed, Stealth, Vehicle, Weapon, DA (Officer Boquin) |
| Excalibur #22 (64) |
| Angel – Flight Anole Beast – Tech, TU (Excalibur) Captain Avalon – Business Captain Britain – Blade, Business, Sense, Shield, Telekinesis Defensive, Telepathy Defensive, TU (Beast), SC Egg Gambit – Agility, Energy, Energy Defensive, Explosive, Probability, TU (Beast), SC Gloriana – TU (Beast) Jubilee – TU (Beast), SC Karma King Arthur Merlyn – Business, Magic, Magic Offensive Mirage Pete Wisdom – CD (Revives S.T.R.I.K.E. Psi-Division) Pixie – Flight Professor X Rictor – Geokinesis, Geokinesis Defensive, Sense, TU (Beast), LT, SC Roma – Business Saturnyne – Business Tempus – Reality Antagonist(s) Famine (FH) – Business Monarch – Business Pestilence (FH) – Business Proteus – Reality |
| Extreme Carnage: Scream #1 (27) |
| Scream – Appendage, Appendage Offensive, Claws, Creature, Durability, Ensnare, Flames, Flames Offensive, Sense, CD (Destroys Scream symbiote), DA (Guardsmen) Antagonist(s) Carnage – Agility, Appendage, Appendage Offensive, Blade, Durability, Ensnare, Influence, Possession, Telepathy, DA (Guardsmen) Doppelganger – Durability, Melee, Strength |
| Iron Man #10 (18) |
| Hellcat – Telepathy Iron Man – Agility, Durability, Energy, Flight, Melee, Speed, Suit, TU (Stilt-Man), DA (Ultimo) Antagonist(s) Stilt-Man – Appendage, Melee, Stretch, TU (Iron Man), LT |
| Sinister War #1 (62) |
| Doctor Strange Spider-Man (PP) – Durability, Ensnare, Melee, Sense, SC Antagonist(s) Beetle Black Ant Boomerang Cobra – Melee Doctor Octopus – Appendage, Appendage Offensive, LT Electro – Energy, Energy Offensive Foreigner Hydro-Man Jack O’Lantern Kindred – Ensnare Kraven (LS) – Blade, Melee Lady Octopus Mephisto – Business Mysterio – Flight, Melee, Morph, Teleport Overdrive Rhino – Durability, Melee, Strength Sandman – Intangibility, Melee, Strength, Stretch Scorpion – Appendage Offensive, Melee Shocker Speed Demon Stegron – Melee Tarantula – Melee Taskmaster Vulture – Claws, Flight, Gun, Melee, LT White Rabbit |
| Spider-Woman #13 (18) |
| Spider-Woman – Agility, Crawl, Creature, Durability, Energy, Energy Offensive, Melee, Strength, Suit, Vehicle, Weapon, DA (Lady Bullseye) Antagonist(s) Lady Bullseye – Agility, Blade, Melee, Vehicle |
| Thor #15 (41) |
| Balder Black Panther – Claws Blade – Blade, Melee Captain America – Melee, Shield, Shield Defensive Captain Marvel – Flight, Melee Fandral Ghost Rider (RR) – Flames, Whip Hogun Hulk (JW) – Durability, Melee, DA (Robot monster) Iron Man – Energy, Flight, Melee, DA (Robot monster) Lockjaw Sif – Teleport Thor – Blunt, Elements, Lightning, Melee, Strength, CD (Gives up Mjolnir), DA (Robot monsters) Throg Volstagg Antagonist(s) Loki |
| Way of X #4 (45) |
| Bedlam Blink – Teleport Dazzler – Energy Dr. Nemesis – Intellect Dust – Morph, Sand Defensive Erg Loa Nightcrawler – Influence, Intellect, Melee, Teleport, TU (Legion), DA (Fabian Cortez) Pixie – Blade, Melee Professor X – Sense, Telepathy, Telepathy Offensive Warpath Xorn – TU (Nightcrawler) Antagonist(s) Blob – Gun Fabian Cortez – Influence Gorgon – Telepathy, CD (Returns) Legion – Absorb, Energy, Sense, Telepathy, TU (Nightcrawler), LT Onslaught – Influence |
| X-Corp #3 (39) |
| Angel – Business, LT Bishop – Energy Layla Miller Multiple Man – Absorb, Computer, Creature, Deception, Espionage, Explosive, Intellect, Melee, Personality, LT, SC, CD (Creates the Ionospheric Bandwidth Generator), DA (Roxxon guards) Penance – Business, Claws, Morph, Telepathy, Telepathy Offensive, Will Power Sunspot – Energy Thunderbird – Energy Trinary – Sense Wind Dancer – Flight Antagonist(s) Vulcan – Absorb, Durability, Energy |
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