(Cover Date: September, 1988)

Summary: Kang-Nebula transports a Mechanisaurus Rex from a future timeline to kill Thor, who she sees as a threat to her plan to obtain the ultimate weapon. Thor is ordered to attack the robot alone by the compromised Dr. Druid. Thor has difficulty dispatching the battle robot, but the Black Knight goes to Thor's aid, against Druid's wishes, & uses his Ebony Sword to help destroy it. more

(Cover Date: May, 2021)

(Cover Date: September, 1988)

Summary: Spidey joins with the Prowler (Hobie Brown) to retrieve the stolen chalice from the Black Fox before Transcorp can get it. The chalice contains a microchip that would vindicate Hobie's wife, who was framed by Transcorp for accounting malfeasance.

(Cover Date: September, 1988)

Summary: Peter & MJ go to Los Angeles to promote his new Spider-Man photo book. While at a charity ball, he runs into the Black Fox, who is there to steal the Valencia Chalice on display.

(Cover Date: January, 2025)

(Cover Date: December, 2024)

(Cover Date: July, 1984)

(Cover Date: January, 2003)

(Cover Date: September, 1988)

Summary: After Alpha Flight breaks up due to a lack of funding, Purple Girl (Kara) returns home to her mom, taking Laura & Goblyn along with her. Killgrave, the Purple Man, returns from the dead as a zombie, along with other zombies, claiming that Kara wished he was alive. Killgrave tries to kill Kara for raising him from the dead. She tries to wish him dead again, but it doesn't work. Goblyn attacks the other zombies, & they wither away. Kara sets Killgrave on fire to finally destroy him. more

(Cover Date: November, 1980)

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: When Odin begins his Odinsleep, Loki leads the enemies of Asgard against the realm to become its ruler. Sif summons Thor from Earth. Thor leads the forces of Asgard into the battle. Loki enters Odin's sleeping chamber & turns the guards against Sif. When the trumpet is sounded to end the battle, Loki appears wearing the Imperial Ring & declares himself the absolute ruler. Thor finds that the other Asgardians will not follow him to remove Loki by force. Loki coerces Thor into bowing to him by threatening harm to his beloved Sif, now his captive. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: After a general asks the FF to capture SS, the Torch goes after him. Johnny just wants to talk to him, but SS keeps fending him off. Eventually, SS knocks Johnny onto a subway track & has to rescue him from a train. He hears Johnny tell a soldier that they wanted to ask him for help with the space program. SS then realizes that he was the one who had acted rashly.

Comments: Marvel's page count begins to decrease this month (20 to 19). more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: Madame Masque (Whitney Frost) is found lying unconscious in a grotto along the Aegean Sea by Dr. Vryolak & is nursed back to health. Vryolak sends his Minotaur son out to steal items to sell in order to buy chemicals. Tony goes to Greece to find Whitney before a jealous Jasper Sitwell does. While searching for Whitney, Iron Man sees the Minotaur raiding a village & tangles with him, but he is low on power, & the creature escapes. Vryolak tries to get Whitney to drink a solution to turn her into a minotaur as a mate for his son. Jasper finds them at that moment & is struck down by the Minotaur. Iron Man finds the doctor, Whitney & the Minotaur in a cavern. While Iron Man fights the Minotaur, Jasper arrives to stop Vryolak from injecting Whitney with the solution. Iron Man tells the others to escape while he holds up the cavern ceiling, which was damaged in the fighting. In a change of heart, the Minotaur takes Iron Man's place, allowing Whitney, Jasper & Iron Man to escape, but he & his father are killed when it collapses. After finding her golden mask on the unconscious Jasper (hit by falling debris), Iron Man gives it back to Whitney before she walks away. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: While on vacation, the FF search for the humanoid responsible for sinking ships in the area, but have no luck. The humanoid turns into a man who works at the oceanarium. Reed recruits the man to serve as a guide for exploring the underwater caves. The humanoid smashes out of their submersible, leaving the three men to die. Ben carries Reed & Johnny into a cave with air, where they find the humanoid waiting. After Ben has a brief scuffle with the humanoid, they find the humanoid at his spaceship, with his mate inside. Reed speculates that the humanoid saw ships & them as threats & was just protecting his mate. After making their way back to the surface, they see the humanoid's spaceship blast upwards out of the sea. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: At a prison, Matt & Foggy meet with Melvin Potter, who is claiming that he is not the real Gladiator. Once Melvin is given his wrist-blades to "jog" his memory, he attempts to escape. Matt changes to DD & engages in a fight with the Gladiator. DD lures the Gladiator into a prison cell where the fake blades he was given splinter on the bars. Filled with doubt, Karen quits her job, tells Matt she is leaving him & flies to LA. Matt's telephone calls to convince her to stay are too late due to his lengthy time at the prison. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: When an AIM agent fails to kill Cap, MODOK gives him a choice of death or being turned into a cyborg. Cap is drawn into a trap by MODOK where he is attacked by the cyborg. Cap uses a live wire to disable the cyborg. Afterwards, Cap is upset at Sharon for coming to warn him about the trap since she had promised to withdraw from dangerous assignments for SHIELD. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: Quicksilver seeks the Avengers' help in rescuing his sister, the Scarlet Witch, from Arkon, who has kidnapped her to be his mate. Quicksilver tells them that Arkon compelled her to read a spell that transported him to their world. When the team questions his story, Arkon appears again to abduct a group of nuclear scientists. He plans to use them to blow up the Earth in a nuclear holocaust in order to provide permanent light for his world.

Comments: Yellowjacket & Wasp leave the team as active members & head for Alaska, where Hank will conduct research for the government. more

(Cover Date: April, 1970)

Summary: In his bid to replace the Kingpin as the "King of Crime", the Schemer begins to strike at the Kingpin's operations. After the Schemer's henchmen cause an auto accident that almost kills Gwen, an angry Spidey locates the Schemer's HQ & has a confrontation with him & his gang. The Schemer escapes after pinning Spidey in a hydraulic press. Later, Gwen is upset with Peter for not seeing her sooner in the hospital. P.S. Medicaid paid most of Aunt May's medical bills. more

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: As SS approaches Earth, the Super-Skrull is freed from the planet's radiation belt. He tries to kill SS since he doesn't trust him. The Eternals intervene in their fight & capture them, wanting to map their DNA for the High Evolutionary. In Olympia, SS & the Super-Skrull break their confinements & fight against the Eternals to escape. SS tells the Super-Skrull that he cooperated with him since he may be the key to restoring the Skrull race's shape-changing ability.

Comments: The cover shown above is not the correct cover for this issue. more

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: In Colombia, Frank encounters the High Evolutionary's Purifiers, who are killing civilians & who out to kill the same drug cartel leader that he is. Frank has a final showdown with the Purifiers & the cartel leader at the leader's fortified mountain village.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: The High Evolutionary has his Purifiers sterilize the Subterraneans for being evolutionary deadends. Apocalypse fights against the High Evolutionary due to his plans for evolving humanity. X-Factor joins the fight against the Purifiers after seeking out the Subterranean's powerful telepath.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: The X-Men track down Harry Palmer, who was infected by the Brood after their shark-ship crashed in New Mexico. When they have Harry cornered in Denver, with Wolverine wanting to kill him against the wishes of the others, they find themselves surrounded by Brood, who had assumed human form.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: X-Factor's charges & the Ship conspire to keep Bobby from kissing Infectia. After a tussle with Freedom Force, Destiny tells Scott & Jean that they have no knowledge of Scott's son's location. Hank goes to Infectia's townhouse to rescue Bobby. He fights an Anti-Body then intercepts Infectia's kiss meant for the bound Bobby, which turns him back into his blue, furry self. more

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: After crashing in Latveria, Kristoff holds the team as prisoners unless they agree to fight for him against the real Doctor Doom. Kristoff releases the team after being threatened by Khonshu, who has taken an interest in the team.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: Spidey/Peter fails to abduct/rescue Betty from the Students of Love after she unmasks him & with the cultists in "hot" pursuit. Peter disguises himself as one of the cultists & witnesses a "miracle" of healing performed by their Teacher.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: Screenwriter Maddie Arnstein interviews people about their experiences with Thor to learn what he is really like for a forthcoming movie.

Comment: Fill-in issue.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

Summary: Looking for Tombstone, the Punisher is drawn into an ambush by his henchmen, after which he encounters the mutant Persuader. Tombstone tortures MJ in order to learn the location of Peter along with Robbie's tape in his possession.

(Cover Date: August, 1988)

C&D = 7.5
DS= 7.5

C&D Summary: While Cloak is forced to watch while being held in Mr. Jip's mystical chains, Dagger is herded by Night's shadow-slaves to her.

DS Summary: After having been restored to his normal self, Strange returns to his Sanctum Sanctorum in the city, & after some doubts due to their prior traumas, returns the memories of his associates, Wong & Sara. more

I rate this an “oh, brother.” B takes J to Leslie Thompkins’ clinic. Leslie lives there, talk about dedication to mission. No wonder Bruce is so neurotic. His great inspiration never leaves the office.

So Leslie’s clinic has surgical facilities, but is not open 24/7 - strike one. Leslie and Bruce argue but she saves Joker - strike two. Because Bruce doesn’t trust any other medical family in the world to save Joker, including JLA ones, he brings J to the Batcave, which is apparently sterile enough to offer post-op care - strike three. Strike four is Bruce shooting Jason in the head (flesh wound, not fatal, great shot for a guy who hates guns). This is done because Jason wants to kill the Joker. Bruce gets knocked out again and Jason takes Joker away because he is working with Hush. Meanwhile Riddler has crashed Batgirl/Oracle’s hq because he is just that smart. Strike five. Bruce should have a terrible concussion, but oh, well.

So many questions, like how does Bruce get the Joker’s body to the cave after Leslie’s surgery? An ambulance, a Batambulance, strapped to the passenger seat of the Batmobile?

I ask these questions because it’s like the old “South Park” bit about underwear gnomes who say “one steal underwear, two blank, three profits.” Steps are skipped, and the story reminds me of so many in the past. That’s the problem with Jason, he is a character created in a corner surrounded by wet paint. There is one story you can do with him, and that story has been done to death, pun intended.

And don’t get me started on Bruce’s no kill rule being greater than his no gun rule. Batman Beyond answered that question, and to have him shoot Jason in the helmeted head just to save the Joker? Talk about a bridge too far. Loeb is going back to a plot that is 20 years old, but that train left the station. The result is a story that ignores character progress while repeating plots that have been repeated over and over again in the last two decades.

Not a good story. Art is even pedestrian. Or I could be wrong. more

(Cover Date: June, 2025)