Comic Book Battles - Episode 6: Avengers Vs. X-Men #1-2

Welcome back to Comic Book Battles!  This week, we're going to crank this AvX event up full blast.  That's right, we're opening with a bang with a double issue mega-battle!  I'm going to warn you right up front that this is a really long one, but hopefully it's still entertaining.  The battle alone took over 6 hours to complete!  So sit back and enjoy the opening salvo in the battle between these two iconic teams.

The Comic Book 

"Avengers vs. X-Men (Part One)"

Writers Brian Michael Bendis

Pencilers John Romita Jr.

Inkers Scott Hanna

Colourists Laura Martin

Letterers Chris Eliopoulos

Editors Tom Brevoort

We open on Nova out in space, rocketing towards earth at tremendous speeds.  Now, this is the young Nova who had previously only appeared in the "Mavel Point One" issue to my knowledge.  Point One is an annual book that introduces characters and stories that will play a major role in the Marvel universe over the next year.  Well, this new Nova is on his way to warn everyone and everything that the Phoenix is coming, and it's not going well.

Eventually, he makes his way to Earth, but finds himself moving far too quickly to stop himself before he creates an impact crater in the middle of New York.  The Avengers assemble on the scene to defeat whatever evil space menace has landed this week, only to find our young Nova.  He does his best to warn them, but he's exhausted and collapses before he can explain further.

Fortunately, Tony Stark is a pretty bright guy, and he figures out exactly what's coming.  He and Cap bring this to the attention of the government, and they collectively agree that they need to find who the Phoenix is coming for and put that person into protective custody while they come up with a plan to stop the Phoenix before it reaches Earth.

Wolverine, being an Avenger in addition to running his own mutant school out in Westchester, New York, knows exactly who the Phoenix is coming for.  He tells Captain America all about Hope, and warns him that Cyclops undoubtedly knows that the Phoenix is coming as well, and he will have a plan for what comes next.  

Speaking of ol' One-Eye, he's training Hope by beating the crap out of her.  He's the best.  While he's beating on her, she continues to ask him what the hell his problem is.  Finally, she gets fed up with him dodging her questions and goes full Phoenix nuclear on him

Afterward, his senior staff and advisers, consisting of Emma Frost, Namor, Magneto, Colossus, and Magik talk with him about the Hope and the Phoenix.  Cyclops is more certain than ever that the Phoenix will create a rebirth for the mutant race.  I'm not sure I agree with his reasoning here, since the Phoenix hasn't ever done anything but destroy planets and cause it's hosts to go insane.  But apparently, I'm the only one who questions his logic.  His mutant homies are like "OK, yeah, cool."

So, you know where this is headed.  Cap shows up on Utopia, and Scott comes out to meet him.  Cap tries to use the super power of logic and reason on him, but Cyclops (and probably all X-Men) are immune to that power.  As a result, the conversation doesn't go well.  Cyclops acts pretty childish here, considering he's the self-appointed leader of an entire race of endangered people.  He asks Cap where he's been throughout the years when mutants were having trouble. 

Aaaaaaand then Cyclops blasts him.  As you might expect, Captain America "Avengers Assemble"'s all over his ass:

And Cyclops "To Me, My X-Men"'s right back at him:

And everyone starts kung-fu fighting.  Meanwhile, Hope is inside a building in Utopia, watching this whole thing unfold.  Outside, Iron Man fights Magneto, Thing fights Namor, Dr. Strange fights Magik.  In truth, some really great battle scenes.  Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, brother and sister (maybe?), are watching this as well, and Quicksilver decides he can't just sit around and watch and asks his sister to come with him, but she declines.  A few seconds and a couple hundred miles later, he has a brief family reunion (again, maybe?).

That's not the only family in trouble, though.  The honeymoon is over for our resident Wakandans:

But wait, we've seen all these great battles, but where on earth is Spider-Man and Wolverine?  Well, tune in next time to find out!

The Battle

The map selection was easy once again.  I chose to use Utopia West.  I found that this map had a really cool setup.  We have water terrain along the lower edge, and elevated terrain along the top edge.  One team sets up in a standard starting area, while the other starting area is more of a square area in one of the corners.  It was a lot of fun to play on, for sure.

The teams were a little more interesting to select.  I started by adding the core X-Men team from the AvX set: Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Magneto, and Namor.  Then I added some of the most important supporting characters.  I think the only X-peeps that I didn't include in this battle were Dr. Nemesis (not clixed), Hezibah, Gambit, Rogue, Magma and Domino.  They didn't play a very active role in this battle, and we'll be seeing more of them in later battles in this series (well, except Dr. Nemesis).  

For the Avengers, I had to be a little more creative.  Cap and Iron Man were easy to grab from the AvX set, but then I had to look elsewhere for the rest.  I wanted to keep these teams theme teams, so it was important to get the right version of each character.  For example, the only Thing that's an Avenger is the one I used, and Daredevil is in pretty much the same boat.  Once I had a good selection of characters, I had to mix and match until I found an adequate point balance between the two teams.  Enough jabbering, though.  Let's see who we ended up with!

X-Men

avx009 V Cyclops

Team: X-Men

Range: 8 :bolt:

Points: 150

Keywords: Ruler, X-Men

(Improved) I Can Still See the Dream: Improved Targeting: Ignores Blocking Terrain. When a ranged combat attack resolves, any blocking terrain along its line of fire to the target is destroyed;  May make a ranged combat attack when adjacent to an opposing character.

(Speed) Ongoing Optic Blasts: Cyclops can use Force Blast and Running Shot. When he uses Running Shot, after actions resolve, he can use Force Blast as a free action.

(Damage) Let's Put The World Back On Track: Cyclops can use Leadership and Outwit. When he uses Leadership, adjacent characters with a shared keyword are considered to have a lower point value.

avx010 V Emma Frost

Team: X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 125

Keywords: Hellfire Club, Hellions, X-Men

(Special) Scott Can Handle It: Emma Frost's powers can't be countered. When a friendly character with the X-Men keyword is more than four squares away, Emma Frost can use Sidestep.

(Attack) It's Her Decision: Emma Frost can use Outwit and has a range value of 7.

(Defense) Diamond Form: Emma Frost can use Exploit Weakness, Impervious, and Shape Change.

avx011 V Namor

Team: X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 225

Keywords: Atlantis, Defenders, Illuminati, Ruler, X-Men

(Improved) Boiling Rage: Improved Movement: Ignores Characters

(Special) Imperius Rex!: When Namor is hit with an attack or given a second action token, put a Rage token on his card. Before Namor rolls for an attack, you may remove a Rage token from his card so that the attack deals penetrating damage.

(Defense) Entrenched Recovery: Namor can use Toughness. When Namor occupies water terrain, he can use Regeneration and, when it's not your turn, opposing characters can't draw a line of fire to him.

avx012 V Colossus

Team: X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 175

Keywords: Armor, Mystical, X-Men

(Improved) Mantle of the Juggernaut: Improved Movement: Ignores Hindering Terrain, Ignores Blocking Terrain and destroys Blocking Terrain as the character moves through it.

(Speed) I Believe In The X-Men: Colossus can use Charge and Plasticity. If he has two action tokens, adjacent friendly characters that can use the X-Men team ability can use that team ability as a free action.

(Defense) Steel-Skinned X-Man: Colossus can use Defend and Impervious.

avx013 V Magik

Team: Mystics|X-Men

Range: 5 :bolt::bolt:

Points: 125

Keywords: Mystical, X-Men

(Special) Teleportation Disks: Give Magik a power action and choose an adjacent character. Place Magik in any square within range, place the chosen character in an adjacent square, and roll a d6. On a result of 1-4, the chosen character can't be given a non-free action until your next turn.

(Speed) I've Beaten Belasco: Magik deals penetrating damage to characters with the Mystical keyword.

avx014 V Magneto

Team: X-Men

Range: 8 :bolt::bolt:

Points: 200

Keywords: Ruler, X-Men

(Special) Are You Sure About This, Scott?: Magneto can use Energy Shield/Deflection and Telekinesis. During the beginning of your turn, if Magneto has two action tokens, he can use Telekinesis as a free action, but may only use it to place friendly characters.

(Speed) Magnetic Field: Magneto can use Force Blast. When he has no action tokens, he can use it as a free action.

wxm018 V Sunspot

Team: No Affiliation

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 76

Keywords: Fallen Angels, Hellfire Club, New Mutants, X-Corps, X-Force, X-Men

(Damage) Secondary Mutation: Sunspot has "Wing Symbol" and a range value of 6.

wkM-020 V Psylocke

Team: X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 62

Keywords: Excalibur, The Hand, Mojoverse, X-Men, X-Force

(Improved) Ninja: Improved Movement: Ignores Hindering Terrain

(Attack) A Well Placed Blade: Psylocke can use Blades/Claws/Fangs. If her attack roll is 10 or higher and she uses Blade/Claws/Fangs to replace her damage, that damage is penetrating.

(Damage) Telepathic Illusions: Psylocke can use Shape Change. If the character targeting her can't use Mind Control or Outwit or Perplex, she succeeds on a roll of 4-6.

(Black-circle) WXM T001 X-Men: Blue Strike Force: Characters on a Solo Adventure from this team character can use Shape Change.

m10a007 E Storm

Team: X-Men

Range: 8 :bolt:

Points: 59

Keywords: Deity, Morlocks, Ruler, X-Men

(Special) Battlefield Promotion: Storm: When Storm hits one or more opposing characters, after actions resolve, place a Promotion Token on her character card. You may then roll a d6 that can't be rerolled and add 1 for each Promotion Token on her character card; on a result of 8 or higher, you may replace this character with M10A #020 Storm on the same click number.

aw021 V Warpath

Team: X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 68

Keywords: New Mutants, X-Force, X-Men

To top all of that off, I gave them all the X-Men (Utopia) ATA which gives the highest point character on the team Leadership.  The total points came out to 1,295, and gave the team 10 uses of Theme Team Probability Control.  I knew immediately that the AvX X-Men team would be the heavy hitters, but I was excited to use the new Psylocke also.  Sunspot I wasn't so sure about, having never used him.  I have used that Storm before though, and she makes a great sniper piece.  With Warpath, I was just looking to tie up some of the Avengers for a while, and had no intention of him doing much damage.

Now, let's look at our Avengers:

Avengers

avx001 V Captain America

Team: Avengers

Range: 5 :bolt:

Points: 200

Keywords: All-Winners Squad, Avengers, Invaders, Past, S.H.I.E.L.D., Soldier

(Improved) Combat Training: Improved Movement: Ignores Hindering Terrain, Ignores Characters

(Special) Avengers Assemble!: Captain America can use Leadership. When he does and the result is 6, you may place a friendly character with the Avengers keyword, a lower point value, and within 4 squares adjacent to him, but only if you remove the action token from that character.

(Special) Super Soldier & Shield: At the beginning of your turn choose either Combat Reflexes or Energy Shield/Deflection. Captain America can use that power until the beginning of your next turn.

(Attack) Take Down: Captain America can use Incapacitate as if he had 2 targets. When he does and hits 2 characters, he may give one hit character 2 action tokens instead of giving each of them one. If that character can't be given the second action token, deal it 1 penetrating damage instead.

avx002e E Iron Man

Team: Avengers

Range: 7 :bolt::bolt:

Points: 100

Keywords: Armor, Avengers, Illuminati, Scientist

(Special) Enhanced Repulsors: All of Iron Man's attacks generate knock back.

(Damage) Inventing on the Fly: Once per turn, Iron Man can use Outwit or Perplex.

dp033 V Red Hulk

Team: No Affiliation

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 150

Keywords: Avengers, Circle of Four, Hulkbusters, Intelligencia, Offenders, Soldier, Thunderbolts

(Speed) I'll Assassinate Cyclops, If You Won't: Red Hulk can use Running Shot, Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering Terrain, and has a range value of 6.

(Damage) Soldier On: Red Hulk can use Leadership. When he does and succeeds, each friendly character that shares a keyword with him and is a lower point value can use Willpower this turn.

m10a003 E Thing

Team: Fantastic Four

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 128

Keywords: Avengers, Brute, Celebrity, Fantastic Four, Soldier

(Damage) Lemme Grab Somethin': Thing can use Super Strength.  Give Thing a move action when he has no action tokens and is not holding an object; after actions resolve, give him a standard light object from outside the game.

ca014 V Luke Cage

Team: Avengers

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 98

Keywords: Avengers, Heroes for Hire, Marvel Knights, Thunderbolts

(Defense) Bulletproof Skin: Luke Cage can use Willpower and Toughness. When a character attacks Luke Cage with a ranged combat attack, he can use Invulnerability instead of Toughness.

cw032 V Quicksilver

Team: Avengers|X-Men

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 111

Keywords: Avengers, Brotherhood of Mutants, Inhumans, X-Factor

(Special) Sibling Duo: When a friendly character named Scarlet Witch is adjacent to Quicksilver, modify both their attack values by +1 if not already modified by this effect.

(Attack) Arrogant Assault: Quicksilver can use Flurry. He may use it normally, or as a free action instead of a close combat attack while using Hypersonic Speed. If he uses it in this way, modify his defense value by -1 until your next turn for each hit.

av024 V Black Panther

Team: Spider-Man

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 92

Keywords: Avengers, Fantastic Four, Ruler

asm005 E Dr. Strange

Team: No Affiliation

Range: 6 :bolt:

Points: 90

Keywords: Defenders, Midnight Sons, Mystical

(Special) Gather Them: Secret Defenders or Midnight Sons?: At the beginning of the game, choose one: Dr. Strange and adjacent friendly characters can use the Defenders team ability; or Dr. Strange and adjacent friendly characters can use the Mystics team ability, but only to deal damage to adjacent opposing characters.

dp015 V Daredevil

Team: No Affiliation

Range: 4 :bolt:

Points: 108

Keywords: Avengers, Martial Artist, Marvel Knights, The Hand

(Improved) Rooftop Acrobat: Improved Movement: Ignores Elevated Terrain, Ignores Hindering Terrain, Ignores Characters;  Improved Targeting: Ignores Hindering Terrain

(Special) Ally of Heroes: At the beginning of the game, choose Enhancement or Empower. Daredevil can use that power this game. A Heroes for Hire themed team may include Daredevil and is still a theme team.

(Special) Radar Senses: Daredevil can use Super Senses.

av038 R Giant-Man

Team: Avengers

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 82

Keywords: Avengers, Scientist, West Coast Avengers

(Damage) Genius: Giant-Man can use Perplex, but can target only himself or a friendly character within 4 squares and he can modify a combat value only by +2 with each use.

fi007 E Iron Fist

Team: No Affiliation

Range: 0 :bolt:

Points: 80

Keywords: Avengers, Defenders, Heroes for Hire, Martial Artist, Mystical

(Improved) Master of K'un Lun: Improved Movement: Ignores Elevated Terrain, Ignores Hindering Terrain, Ignores Characters

(Defense) Immortal Weapon of Agamotto: Iron Fist can use Combat Reflexes and Super Senses.

(Damage) The Iron Fist: Iron Fist can use Close Combat Expert. When he does and has no action tokens, if his attack total is at least 2 greater than his target's defense value, modify his damage value by an additional +1.

av056 U Hawkeye

Team: Avengers

Range: 8 :bolt:

Points: 56

Keywords: Avengers, Great Lakes Avengers, Thunderbolts, West Coast Avengers

(Attack) Sharpshooter: Give Hawkeye a power action to make a ranged combat attack. Modify his attack value by +2 for the attack.

(Defense) Smoke Arrow: Hawkeye can use Smoke Cloud.

Whew, all of that came out to 1295!  I was pretty happy to get a matching point value between these two teams.  No ATA for the Avengers, but they are a theme team with 12 uses of Theme Team Probability Control at their disposal.  Better yet, I felt like the Avengers had a good spread of decent characters.  I absolutely love Luke Cage and Iron Fist in the comics, so any chance to use them in a game is going to make me a happy camper.  The only dubious choice I felt I made was in the Hawkeye that I used, but he would have to do.  

Avengers Win roll for first turn, and we begin setup:

Starting locations

Avengers
Daredevil – L2
Iron Man – L1
Giant-Man – K2
Dr. Strange – K1
The Thing – I2
Black Panther – H2
Red Hulk – G2
Luke Cage – F2
Iron Fist – F1
Captain America – E2
Hawkeye – E1
Quicksilver – D2

X-Men
Colossus – M21
Warpath – N21
Cyclops – O21
Psylocke – P21
Magneto – M22
Magik – N22
Emma Frost – O22
Namor – M23
Storm – N23
Sunspot – M24

Dr. Strange chooses Mystics team ability for his trait
Daredevil chooses Empower for his trait

Let's get things started!

Captain America moves to E9
Thing moves to I9 and picks up heavy object
Giant-Man carries Daredevil to K8, sits on Super Heavy object
Daredevil placed at K7
Iron Man moves to N9
Dr. Strange moves to N8
Black Panther moves to J9
Red Hulk moves to D11
Hawkeye moves to D8
Luke Cage moves to F10
Iron Fist moves to F9

Magneto uses Telekinesis to move Colossus to I17
Magik uses Teleportation Discs to move to J18, taking Magneto with her and dropping him at I18
Warpath moves to L13
Psylocke moves to P15
Cyclops moves to L17
Emma Frost moves to K17
Storm moves to E19, in hindering
Namor moves to D16, picking up a light object
Sunspot moves to H17

Captain America passes Leadership, removing an action token from Hawkeye
Luke passes Leadership, removes an action token from Iron Fist
Red Hulk charges to C15, and smashes Namor with a light object. He hits on a 19 and Namor fails Impervious, taking 3 damage after reduction. Namor gets a rage token.
Captain America running shots using Takedown on Namor and Sunspot – a 20 hits both, and they both receive a second action token. Namor gets a rage token as a result.
Hawkeye Running Shot to F12, shooting Sunspot. Sunspot uses Colossus’ defense thanks to Defend and the shot misses on a 16
Daredevil charges Warpath, moving to L12 and critically missing, causing him to take a click of damage
Iron Man Running Shots to N13, shooting Psylocke and Warpath, but missing both on a 15
Giant-Man charges Warpath, moving to K12 and missing on a 15, taking a push damage and destroying the super heavy object he held
Quicksilver moves to E9
Luke Cage, Thing, Black Panther, and Dr. Strange clear

Cyclops fails his leadership
Colossus charges Captain America with a heavy object, moving to G15 and rolling a critical hit. Captain America fails his Impervious roll and takes 5 damage and gets knocked back into the ocean at A9
Magneto Running Shots to J14, shooting Daredevil and Iron Man, hitting on a 21, dealing 1 damage to each thanks to their Toughness
Warpath uses Exploit Weakness on Giant-Man, missing on a 16 and taking a push damage
Cyclops shoots Iron Man, missing on a 16
Storm, Magik, Sunspot, Namor, Emma Frost, and Psylocke clear



Iron Fist Charges Colossus, moving to G14 and hitting on a 20. Colossus passes his Impervious roll, reducing damage to 0
Luke Cage charges Colossus, moving to F14 and hitting on a 21. Colossus fails his Impervious roll and takes 2 damage
Thing moves to J15
Black Panther moves to O14 and perplexes his Defense +1
Daredevil Flurries Warpath, missing on a 13, but then hitting on an 18, dealing 1 damage thanks to Toughness
Dr. Strange moves to E12
Hawkeye, Captain America, Red Hulk, Giant-Man, and Iron Man all clear

Namor uses Imperious Rex on Red Hulk with a light object, hitting on a 21 for 5 damage
Colossus punches Iron Fist, missing on an 18 thanks to Combat Reflexes
Sunspot charges Iron Fist and hits on a 19, but Iron Fist passes his Super Senses
Psylocke punches Black Panther, hitting on a 21 and using Blades to deal 2 damage due to Toughness, then perplexes her Defense +1
Storm uses Ranged Combat Expert on Dr. Strange with +2 damage, hitting on a 19 for 5 damage. Dr. Strange then Masterminds it all to poor Hawkeye
Magik uses Teleportation Discs to move to F17 and taking Emma with her, dropping her off at F16, but Emma fails the roll after and cannot take an action this turn, but outwits Red Hulk’s Close Combat Expert anyway
Warpath, Magneto, and Cyclops clear



Luke Cage passes leadership and removes an action token from Iron Fist
Captain America moves to D13
Hawkeye uses Smoke Cloud to place smoke in F12, E12, and D13
Red Hulk punches Namor, but misses on a 16
Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert on Colossus with +2 damage, but misses on a 16. Luke Cage isn’t going to let it go down like that, though, and uses Theme Team Probability Control to reroll that…into a critical failure. Luke takes a push damage from the TTPC use and Iron Fist takes a damage from the fail. Thanks, Luke
Quicksilver uses Hypersonic Speed to move to E15 and use Arrogant Assault on Emma, hitting on a 19. Emma fails her Super Senses and takes 2 damage. For the second attack, Quicksilver rolls a miss on a 14. He then breaks away and continues his move to D18
Thing punches Magneto with a heavy object, hitting on a 20 and dealing 4 damage due to Magneto’s Impervious, and taking a push damage himself
Giant-Man punches Warpath, hitting on a 16 and dealing 1 damage due to Toughness
Iron Man Running Shots to N15, shooting Psylocke and Cyclops, rolling an 18 which misses Cyclops but hits Psylocke for 3 damage
Dr. Strange, Daredevil, and Black Panther clear

Cyclops outwits Iron Man’s Toughness and shoots Iron Man, hitting on a 17 for 4 damage
Magneto takes a free Force Blast shot on Thing, rolling a 4 and knocking him off the elevated terrain. Thing doesn’t take any damage thanks to Invulnerability
Magneto then outwits Black Panther’s Toughness and shoots him, missing on a 14
Warpath punches Daredevil, missing on a 12
Sunspot punches Iron Fist, missing on a 17
Emma charges Luke Cage, moving to F15 and using Exploit Weakness, but misses on a 15. Magik uses Probability Control to reroll that into an 18, hitting and dealing 3 damage. See, Luke? That’s how you do it.
Namor uses Imperious Rex and punches Red Hulk, hitting on a 19 with doubles, dealing 4 damage and KOing him. He then gains a rage token for having two action tokens
Storm, Magik, Colossus, Psylocke clear

Captain America rolls a 6 for Leadership, allowing him to move Luke to D12 and removing an action token from him
Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert for +2 damage on Colossus, hitting on a 22. Colossus fails his Impervious roll and takes 2 damage. Iron Fist takes a push damage.
Dr. Strange shoots Colossus, but misses on a 13
Captain America uses Takedown on Namor, hitting and dealing 1 damage since Namor already has two action tokens
Quicksilver uses Flurry on Storm and Crits for 3 damage on the first attack, knocking her back. He then takes a push damage
Black Panther Outwits Psylockes Telepathic Illusions, and hits on a 20 with doubles. Dealing 2 damage, then knocking her into the map edge for another 1 damage, KOing her
Iron Man uses Regeneration, but rolls a 1, healing 0 clicks
Daredevil Flurries on Warpath, missing on a 13, but then hitting on a 16 with doubles for 1 damage, and knocking Warpath back 1
Luke Cage tries to break away, but fails
Giant-Man, Hawkeye and Thing clear

Colossus punches Iron Fist, hitting on a 20. Iron Fist passes his Super Senses, so no damage
Storm shoots Thing, hitting on an 18 for 1 damage due to Invulnerability
Magik shoots Quicksilver, missing on a 17
Magneto Outwits Daredevil’s Energy Shield/Deflection and shoots, hitting on a 17 for 3 damage
Cyclops Outwits Thing’s Toughness and shoots him, hitting on a 22 for 4 damage
Warpath, Emma, Sunspot and Namor clear



Captain America passes his leadership and removes an action token from Dr. Strange
Dr. Strange uses Telekinesis to move Captain America to C15
Captain America uses Exploit Weakness on Namor, critically missing. Hawkeye uses Theme Team Probability Control, rerolling that into a 17, hitting and dealing 2 damage on doubles
Thing moves to I21
Giant-Man punches Warpath, critically hitting and dealing 3 damage, KOing him
Daredevil Sidesteps to K13, then uses Close Combat Expert on Magneto for +2 damage. He hits on an 18 for 3 damage due to Toughness
Iron Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Black Panther, and Quicksilver clear

Emma charges to E13, hitting Dr. Strange for 3 damage, which he then Masterminds to Hawkeye, KOing him
Colossus punches Iron Fist, hitting on a 20. Iron Fist then passes his Super Senses, which at this point is just crazy
Sunspot punches Iron Fist, but misses on a 16
Namor moves to H21
Magneto, Cyclops, Magik, and Storm clear

Captain America passes leadership again
Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert for +2 damage on Colossus, hitting on a 17 for 3 damage
Dr. Strange punches Emma, but she passes Shape Change to negate the attack. Strange then takes a push damage
Luke Cage flurries Sunspot, hitting on an 18 twice for 1 damage each due to Toughness
Iron Man uses Regeneration again for 1 click
Iron Man then Outwits Cyclops’ outwit
Black Panther moves to M17
Quicksilver uses Hypersonic Speed to move to G20 and Arrogant Assault on Namor, hitting twice for 2 damage each, KOing him. He then continues his move, ending at G21
Thing, Giant-Man and Captain America clear

Storm punches Quicksilver, hitting on a 19 for 3 damage
Sunspot punches Luke Cage, hitting on a 16 for 2 damage
Magneto takes a free Force Blast on Daredevil, knocking him back a square
Magneto then tries to Pulse Wave, rolling a 14 and missing everyone
Cyclops shoots at Black Panther, hitting on a 16 for 3 damage and choosing to knock him back 3 squares
Magik shoots Captain America, hitting on a 21 for 2 damage
Emma, Colossus clear



Captain America fails his leadership
Captain America then Charges to E16 and misses Magik on a 16
Iron Man Regenerates 4 clicks of health, bringing him back to his starting click
Giant-Man punches Magneto, but misses on a 16
Luke Cage punches Sunspot, missing on a 17
Thing punches Storm, hitting on an 18 for 3 damage and KOing her
Dr. Strange, Quicksilver, Iron Fist, Daredevil, and Black Panther clear

Cyclops Outwits Iron Man’s Toughness, then shoots him but misses on a 14
Magneto shoots Daredevil, hitting on a 16 for 2 damage, KOing him
Colossus punches Iron Fist, but misses on a 17
Emma outwits Strange’s Super Senses, then punches him, hitting on a 17 for 3 damage
Magik, Sunspot clear

Captain America fails his leadership
Captain America punches Magik, hitting on an 18. Magik then uses Probability Control to reroll that, but it’s an 18 again, dealing 3 damage to her, and 1 to Cap from Mystics team ability, KOing him
Quicksilver perplexes his damage +1 and uses Hypersonic Speed to move to G18 and punch Magik, hitting on a 20 for 2 damage
Iron Fist punches Colossus with Close Combat Expert giving him +2 damage, rolling a 20 on doubles. Colossus fails his Impervious and takes 3 damage, KOing him
Dr. Strange fails to break away from Emma
Black Panther moves to K14
Iron Man, Luke Cage, Thing, and Giant-Man all clear

Sunspot punches Luke but misses on a 14
Magik shoots at Iron Fist and misses
Cyclops, Magneto and Emma clear

Luke punches Sunspot, missing on an 18
Thing moves to G17
Black Panther punches Magneto, missing on a 15. Giant-Man uses TTPC, but it still misses on a 14. BP takes a push damage and is KOd
Quicksilver, Dr. Strange, and Iron Fist clear

Cyclops outwits Iron Man’s Toughness, then shoots him, hitting on a 22 for 4 damage
Magneto shoots Giant-Man, hitting on an 18 for 1 damage
Sunspot punches Luke Cage, hitting on an 18 for 2 damage, KOing him
Emma punches Doctor Strange, hitting on a 20 and rolling doubles, dealing 3 damage and KOing him
Magik clears

Quicksilver perplexes his damage +1 and punches Magik, but misses on a 12
Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert for +2 attack on Sunspot, hitting on a 22 for 2 damage
Iron Man uses Regeneration to heal 1 click
Thing and Giant-Man clear

Magik punches Thing, but misses on a 14
Cyclops misses Iron Man on a 14
Magneto misses Giant-Man on a 15
Emma and Sunspot clear

Thing punches Magik, hitting on a 17 for 3 damage, KOing her, and dealing 1 damage to him from Mystics Team Ability
Giant-Man punches Magneto, critically missing and taking a damage as a result
Iron Man regenerates 2 clicks
Iron Fist and Quicksilver clear

Emma Frost charges to F16, missing Thing on a 14
Sunspot also misses, rolling a 14 on Iron Fist
Magneto and Cyclops clear

Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert for +2 damage on Sunspot, hitting on a 20 for 5 damage, KOing him
Quicksilver perplexes his damage +1 and uses Hypersonic Speed to move to F17 and attacking Emma Frost. She fails her Shape Change. He rolls a 16, hitting her for 2 damage. Unfortunately I forgot about Invulnerability, so he breaks away to K17
Giant-Man and Thing clear

Cyclops outwits Iron Man’s Toughness, then rolls a 19 to deal 4 damage to him, which KO’s him
Magneto shoots Giant-Man, hitting on an 18 and dealing 2 damage
Emma clears

Thing punches Emma, but she passes her Shape Change
Giant-Man misses Magneto on a 13
Iron Fist and Quicksilver clear

Cyclops shoots Quicksilver, hitting on an 18. Quicksilver fails his Super Senses and takes 4 damage, KOing him
Magneto shoots Giant-Man but misses on a 12

Iron Fist charges to I15 using Close Combat Expert for +2 damage and hitting Magneto on a 20, dealing 5 damage and KOing him
Thing and Giant-Man clear

Emma outwits Thing’s toughness, and hits him on a 17 for 3 damage, KOing him
Cyclops clears

Iron Fist charges Cyclops but misses on a 16, taking a push damage

Cyclops shoots Iron Fist, hitting on a 20. But yep, Super Senses prevails again
Emma moves to J16
Iron Fist clears, then Cyclops and Emma do the same

Iron Fist uses Close Combat Expert to give him +1 attack and damage, hitting Cyclops on an 18, and dealing 3 damage

Cyclops misses Iron Fist on a 14
Emma misses Iron Fist on a 15

Everyone clears again

Iron Fist punches Cyclops and hits him for 1 damage

Emma hits Iron Fist on an 18, but…seriously? Super Senses again

Cyclops has had enough of this Super Senses garbage and Force Blasts Iron Fist for 6 squares, which knocks him off the elevated terrain and deals 2 damage to him as a result

Iron Fist clears

Cyclops moves to J17 and Emma clears

Iron Fist charges to I15 and punches Emma but misses on a 14

Emma misses Iron Fist on a 13, Cyclops clears

Iron Fist punches Emma, and her Shape Change fails, she takes 3 damage and is KO’d. Iron Fist takes a push damage as a result

Cyke moves to J16

Iron Fist hits Cyclops two more times and Cyclops can’t hit Iron Fist and is KOd.

Winner: Avengers

Man, that was an epic battle.  MVP of the Avengers side was obviously Iron Fist.  My luck with him rolling Super Senses on those rare occasions that he was hit was just insane.  If I were going to do this battle again (which believe me, I'm not going to) I would definitely make an effort to Pulse Wave IF to take away those defensive powers.  Also, I didn't note it as I was playing, but Cap was using his ability to choose between Combat Reflexes and Energy Shield/Deflection every turn, so don't worry about that.

On the X-Men side, I would say Cyclops ranked as one of the most effective.  He is a beat stick with that 4 damage starting click, especially if Emma is there to give him enhancement. I probably should have used the X-Men team ability at some point, but it was hard to find a good opportunity to spend an action on it.  I do wish that I had gotten to use Colossus' ability to have that team ability used on him for free.  Honorable mention goes to Namor as a runner-up for ass-kicking potential.

It was interesting how the battle split between the upper elevation and lower elevation areas as the game went on.  It really felt like the heavy hitters for both teams were on the beach, with Red Hulk and Namor going toe to toe, Colossus and Iron Fist duking it out, and a lot of other great match-ups.  I hope that this episode wasn't too long for you.  On the bright side, I doubt we'll do another battle that big anytime soon.  Next week, we check in with Wolverine to see what Mr. Stab-hands has in store for us!

Earth-1874: Prologue

Prologue

“It’s right this way, Mr. President.” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt nodded as his aide pushed his wheelchair down one of the many hallways that wound through the White House. He was anxious. Not nervous, or worried, just anxious. He was about to meet with some of what might be the most powerful people on Earth. It was a momentous occasion, to say the least. 

It had been one month since he had put out the call, and charged his best men with the task of getting everything in order. One month since Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. The thought of that day still filled him with outrage, just as it did every other American. The American people expected him to step up, put things right, and so he would. He would use every resource at his disposal to see this through, and ensure that justice prevailed.

The aide stopped next to a nondescript oak door; one of many that littered the halls of the mansion. “Are you ready, sir?” The aide asked, a tinge of fear could be heard in his voice. He couldn’t fault the poor man for that. He had every right to be scared. There were any number of ways that this could end badly.

****************

Lee Walter Travis stood on the rooftop, looking down at the alleyway below. Ensuring his grapple line was secure on the roof, he shifted his gaze to his young partner. Unlike his bright red coat, hat and mask, his partner wore a somber black and gray uniform as well as a bat-shaped cowl and cape. He was still a just a boy, but he had talent. The young man had lost his parents both of his parents in an alley like the one below them. He shook his head; he needed to focus on the task at hand.

As if on cue, a car turned down the narrow alley and slowed to a stop. The rain hadn’t let up for hours, but Lee didn’t mind. If anything, it made their work easier since it masked sound and obscured vision. He checked his grapple line one last time, and ensured his gas gun was loaded. Below him, another car pulled into the alley, stopping just behind the other vehicle. The doors on both cars opened, and men in trench coats and fedoras stepped out. Lee didn’t need to see their faces to know who they were; they were the members of the Maroni and Falcone crime families. And tonight, Falcone’s men were exchanging a briefcase full of cash for a trunk full of Maroni’s firearms. At least, that’s what they were planning to do. The Crimson Avenger and Batman had other ideas.

They dove from the rooftop, three stories above the men. Lee’s grapple line worked perfectly to slow his descent. Bruce, on the other hand, dropped like a stone. Just before hitting the pavement, he spread the cape that hung from his cowl and was jerked upright as the special hardened weave of fibers caught his fall and slowed him to a pace that would allow him to survive impact.

It would also allow the thug he landed on to survive the impact of Batman’s boots hitting his face as well. That was expected. They weren’t here to murder anyone. These scum needed to live to face justice for their crimes. The first one went down without a sound. The next managed a muffled cry as Batman grabbed him in a sleeper hold, dropping him in moments.

The rest of the mobsters were alerted now, but they stood no chance against the pair. The Crimson Avenger leveled his gas gun at the group and fired. A cloud of knockout gas surrounded the men and they dropped to the ground, coughing. The fight was over within thirty seconds. The duo stood in the rain-soaked alleyway, taking in the sight. Lee knew that word would get out, and the criminal element would start getting smarter, so he took a moment to appreciate how easy this was.

“That’s pretty nice work, Lee. How would you like to go pro again?” A gruff voice echoed from the dark end of the alleyway.

They spun towards the voice. They weren’t an easy pair to sneak up on. Whoever this was, he was no simple mob goon. The man stepped into the headlights of cars. He was a middle-aged man, dressed in a fine suit and tie. Deep scars lining his face told of a recent wound. A war wound. Lee knew him as his commanding officer during the Spanish Civil War. They had fought together in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. What the man was doing here, or how he had found Lee, was a mystery though.

“Captain Hendricks! What a surprise to see you here! What brings you to New York?” He exclaimed, genuinely surprised to see the man.

Batman looked from one man to the other, “You two know each other?”

“It’s Major now, actually, and I’m here on orders.” He paused to look at both men in turn. “The President is looking to recruit you ‘mystery men’ to help fight in the war. I told him I knew just the guy.” The man walked closer to the pair, extending the umbrella he held to shield them from the rainfall.

“Major Hendricks...Carl, look, I can’t put on the uniform again. What you and I went through...I never want to see that again.” He looked down. He couldn’t help but be ashamed at his own words, even as he spoke them. “Besides, I’m responsible for this young man, and I’m not just going to abandon him.” He said, pointing a thumb at Batman.

“Well, as much as I think Bruce Wayne here can take care of himself,” Batman was taken aback, just how much did the government know about them? “I’m not looking to put a rifle in your hand, Lee. This is something else. Something bigger than the Army. Hitler’s got himself mystery men of his own, and we need guys like you to take em down. Bombs and tanks aren’t going to win this one, and Batman here is welcome to come with you. After all, he’s as old as we were when we joined up. So whaddaya say, Crimson Avenger? You in?”

****************

He looked at the barn, squinting through the spring sun that hung over the Kansas farmland. He was going to make it this time, he knew it. He tousled his wavy black head of hair and smiled as he prepared himself, dropping into a runners starting position. This was the best summer ever as far as Clark Kent was concerned. He had graduated high school, gotten a job at a newspaper in the big city, and discovered that he had super powers.

He broke into a sprint, running directly at the large barn that loomed ever-closer. It had to be 40, maybe 50 feet high, but he would make it this time, he knew it. Just before hitting the barn, he leapt into the air as high as he could. He was going to make it. He soared upward, seemingly defying gravity itself. He cleared the roof, shouting for joy in midair. He had done it! He looked behind him to see the barn rise up again as he descended.

Descended. Uh-oh. He hadn’t thought about this. He hadn’t prepared for the landing. This was going to hurt. With the loud crash of twisting metal, Clark Kent landed. He shook his head, clearing out the dizziness of the impact. Oh no, he thought as he looked around him. He had landed right on top of a very nice car. Well, it probably was nice, before he had destroyed it. A man stood nearby in a fine suit and sunglasses. The man removed his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt as he spoke.

“Well, that was unexpected.” He offered his hand to Clark. “Here, let me help you up. You OK, son?” Clark nodded his head sheepishly.

“I’m awful sorry about the car, sir. I...umm, was playing on top of the barn, and must have slipped. “ He said sheepishly as he took the man’s hand and climbed to his feet.

The man raised an eyebrow, “You were playing on top of a fifty-foot tall barn, fell off, and destroyed my car without a scratch on you?” The man gave a deep, hearty laugh. “No, kid, I don’t think so. I saw the whole thing but don’t worry, that’s why I’m here.”

“Who are you?” Clark asked, dusting himself off. His new pants were torn, and his shirt was hanging off in rags. His Ma and Pa were going to kill him for this.

“Never mind that; who I am isn’t important. It’s you that’s important; to your President and to this country. President Roosevelt has asked for your help, son. We need you, and people like you, to help to defend this nation. Will you help us?”

Clark smiled with a wide boyish grin. Excitedly, he asked, “There’s people like me?”

****************

The ocean waves washed lazily on the white sand that marked shores of Themiscyra. A beautiful young woman stood and watched them slowly erode the sands of her island home. Her mind began to drift as she remembered a day very much like this one. The day her world had changed.

Diana had watched with a certain curiosity as a small ship sailed ever-closer to their shores. “Who is that, mother?” she asked with suspicion. The island of Themiscyra was supposed to be impossible for outsiders to find. In fact, Diana had never met someone who was not born on the island.

“I do not know my child. But worry not, for they pose no threat to us.” Her mother was a woman as equally beautiful as Diana herself. Though instead of the raven braids that Diana wore, her mothers were golden and flowing. Both mother and daughter wore the ceremonial breastplate and battle skirts of the Amazon.

Diana stole a glance at the Amazon honor guard that flanked them. Her mother was right, there was no threat that they could not overcome. She and her sisters were immortal, and blessed by the gods with a strength not possessed by mortal men. At long last, the boat had reached shallow water, and a smaller boat was being rowed to shore. There was only one figure in this smaller craft. Very curious, Diana thought. As the boat neared, Diana gasped involuntarily. It was a man that rowed towards them! Diana had never seen a man, but clearly this must be one.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She was snapped from her reverie by the unfamiliar voice of a man. Well, the man. The only man Diana had ever seen. He had been here for nearly a week, and Diana was certain she would never grow accustomed to seeing him. He was a tall, well-built man with fair skin and hair as golden as her mother’s but cropped very short. He dressed very oddly, wearing a close-fitting olive green suit with strange insignias, and his only weapon was a small metal device that he wore at his side.

“Actually, I was thinking about you, Mr. Trevor. “ She said, not turning from the sea. She had to admin, she was curious about the man, but it still didn’t override the lifetime of Amazon teachings that taught her to distrust men.

“I’m flattered, but please, call me Steve.” The man walked across the beach to her, but knew enough about Amazon custom to stop well short of her. “It’s almost time to go.”

Diana nodded, her mind drifting away again. The man had come ashore and introduced himself as Lieutenant Steve Trevor of the United States Army Intelligence Division. Queen Hippolyta appeared to know what at least some of those titles meant, and allowed him to continue. He went on to describe many strange things that Diana did not understand. From what she could tell, though, the world of men was at war, and this one wanted the aid of the Amazons. Diana expected her mother to laugh and order his execution for trespassing on the sacred island, but instead she appeared thoughtful. Surely she couldn’t be considering his request?

Queen Hippolyta provided the man guest chambers, and went to council with her advisers. After a long deliberation, she emerged from the council chambers and declared that one Amazon would be sent to aid the world of men. To decide who would go, she held a contest. A series of games designed to choose the most worthy Amazon from their ranks. Many of Diana’s Amazon sisters had balked at this, and forfeited out of principle. Their home was on the island, and not in the world of men. Only Diana and a handful of others participated in the games, which tested their skill in archery, running, discus and wrestling. Diana won them all easily.

when the contests were over, she was bidden to approach her mother’s throne in the great hall. “Daughter, you make me proud.” Hippolyta had brought forth a chest that she now opened. “Go with my blessing, and the blessings of the gods.” She removed a sword and lasso from the chest. “May these weapons protect your allies.” Diana bowed her head and took them. Her mother reached in and produced a tiara and bracers, “and may these protect you, my daughter.”

Diana was brought back to the present again by Mr. Trevor. Steve.

“Ship sails at dawn, princess.”

****************

As he stared at the green ring on his hand, Alan Scott could not help but chuckle. Who would have thought that such an insignificant-looking thing could have changed his life so dramatically? Only a short time ago, he had been a railroad engineer, taking whatever work he could get during the depression. He didn’t necessarily hate working for the railroad, but it was far from the glamorous career he had imagined for himself when he was younger. He had always dreamed of being something more; something great.

On a night like any other, he had been walking the line just before the 10 o’ clock came in from Keystone City. The ground shook beneath his feet just before he heard a thunderous crash sounded down the line. Even in the dim moonlight, he could see fire and smoke rising from the area he recognized as the bridge farther down the tracks. It must have collapsed! Without hesitation, he sprinted towards the wreckage of the passenger train, snatching a lantern from a nearby post to provide light as he ran.

When he finally reached the scene of the accident, he managed to save the driver and the few passengers that were riding that night. He was able to save them all, and it was the most fulfilling night of his life. As he sat on the side of the tracks, exhausted as he watched the sunrise, he heard a deep, echoing voice inside his mind.

“You have proven yourself a true hero, Alan Scott, and have been chosen.” He thought he was going crazy, but it continued. “Fashion from my metal a ring, and you shall be a Green Lantern; protector and guardian to all.” Was it the lantern he had grabbed as he ran? He glanced at it, and was shocked to find it glowing with a bright green light. It was too incredible to believe, but Alan was compelled to follow the instructions that the voice had given him. He did indeed fashion a ring from the metal of the lantern and found that, while wearing it, he was granted powers beyond his wildest dreams.

It felt like ages ago, but only a few months had passed since that fateful night. Since then, he had learned to control the powers that the ring granted him. He could use it to do almost anything he could imagine: fly, walk through solid objects, and even create objects of his own using only his thoughts. He had used these newfound gifts to fight crime in his neighborhood in New York City, and his exploits had caught the attention of some pretty important people. He really was a hero now, and the world desperately needed him. He never would have dreamed it, but if that man from Washington was telling the truth, he was going to meet the President!

****************

“You need to focus, Steve. Try to slow your breathing. You’re not going to do any good for anyone if you have a heart attack.” The man outside the metal capsule said, though Steve Rogers could barely hear it through the heavy steel and lead that lined the small chamber he found himself strapped inside.

He did his best to comply with the request, but his mind still swirled with stray thoughts. They called this ‘Project Rebirth’, a program designed to create the perfect soldier. He had volunteered without a second thought. He knew the risks, and it was worth it. This was his only chance, his only hope, to serve his country.

Growing up in the Bronx, he had learned early that sometimes you had to take risks if you wanted to do the right thing. When the war broke out he tried to join the army, but was turned away for failing the physical; six times, in fact. He had tried one last time to get in, and was surprised to find a scientist waiting in the physician’s office. The man introduced himself as Dr. Erskine, a German scientist devoted to creating the perfect soldier. For some reason, he thought Steve could be that soldier.

Now, here he was, sitting in a metal capsule and about to be injected with who-knows-what and bombarded with “Vita-rays”, whatever those were. He wasn’t worried for his safety, he just wanted so badly for this to work. He wanted to serve his country, and do his part in the fight against tyranny and oppression. The Axis powers were everything that Steve had been raised to fight against. They were bullies, dictators, murderers and worse. Steve had seen the newsreel footage, and he knew what was at stake. This was a fight for the future of liberty not just for America, but for the world.

The countdown began. This was it; now or never, he thought. He closed his eyes and waited. Oddly enough, the closer the countdown came to its inevitable conclusion, the calmer he became. By the time it hit one, he was completely at peace. Time seemed to stop as he took in a deep breath. Suddenly, his world was filled with light and pain. Fire coursed through his veins, and his body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. He screamed, but it was impossible to hear over the high-pitched cacophony of the machines that were bombarding his body with a variety of rays and chemicals.

After what felt like an eternity, the machined whined to a stop. Despite the unimaginable pain, he had managed to remain conscious throughout the entire procedure. As the searing pain dulled to a roar, he tried to move within the capsule. He had been strapped into the machine very tightly, but he felt the straps strain and nearly break from his movements. A loud hissing sounded as the capsule slowly opened. He tried to look around, but his vision was still blurred from the combination of pain and the after-effects of the procedure.

“Are you still with us, Steve?” said the familiar German-accented voice of Dr. Erskine.

“I...I think so.” Steve rasped. The pain was beginning to subside, but he was still having trouble making out his surroundings.

“Let’s have a look at you.” Dr. Erskine and his assistants began undoing the straps that held Steve upright inside the capsule. “Mein gott!” the doctor cried.

“What is it, doctor? Did it work?” Steve took a tentative step forward, his footing shaky.

“It did more than work, my boy. See for yourself!” He gestured to a mirror against a nearby wall of the laboratory.

Steve Roger’s steps grew steadier each moment as he moved forward. By the time he reached the mirror, he was finally feeling like his old self. No, not like his old self. He looked in the mirror, and saw a tall, muscular man staring back at him. Nearly physically perfect in every way, he was briefly in awe of himself. He was finally the person he needed to be to defend the ideals of the United States of America. It was time to get to work.

****************

President Roosevelt wheeled himself inside the conference room, and what awaited him was quite a sight. He had sent his best men out to find so-called ‘mystery men’ to join the war effort, and they had certainly done their job. There were about a dozen men and women in the room, and they all stood as he entered. Each of them was very different, some in garish costumes, others in uniforms of sorts, but they were all special.

“I would like to thank you all for coming” He said as he pulled his chair up behind the desk. He took a moment to settle in before continuing, “I know you are all aware of the reason I have called you here, but I wanted you to hear it directly from me. America is preparing for war, this much you know. What you may not know, is that the Axis powers, specifically Germany, have been gathering relics and artifacts of immense power. At this time, we also know that Hitler has been recruiting what he calls the “ubermensch”, or supermen. He has a technological advantage over us, this much is true, but I believe we have the better men and women.” He paused to look each of the individuals before him directly before continuing. “In fact, I know we do. Some amongst you have fantastic gifts, while others possess nothing more than an incredible strength of spirit. Each one of you has this much in common, you have volunteered to drive back the tide of evil that is rising from the east. You will be an inspiration for all who believe in freedom, and leaders in the fight against the darkness that threatens not only this great country, but the entire world. I thank you, and America thanks you. I leave you now in the capable hands of Colonel Hardy, who will be responsible for your training and act as your liaison to military command. God bless you all.”



The President gestured to a man who now stood in the doorway of the room. He looked like a military stereotype: a tall man with closely-cropped dark hair, a square jaw, and a uniform full of medals and ribbons. The man nodded, “Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to All-Star Squad. It’s time to begin your training. ”

Comic Book Battles - Episode 5: Avengers Vs. X-Men #0 Part 2

Welcome back to part two of our prologue leading up to the Avengers Vs. X-Men event!  Last time, we saw Scarlet Witch and friends battle MODOK and A.I.M., and explored her rather...complicated relationship with the Avengers.  This week, we're going to take a look at the X-Men side of the equation, focusing on Hope Summers.

The Comic Book

"Prologue"
Writers Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron
Pencilers Frank Cho
Inkers Frank Cho
Colourists Jason Keith
Letterers Chris Eliopoulos
Editors Tom Brevoort, Nick Lowe, Lauren Sankovitch, John Denning

Who is Hope Summers, you ask?  Well, let's start with another comic book history lesson.  After Scarlet Witch declared, "No more mutants." Not only did she de-power about 90% of the existing ones, she also caused new mutants to not manifest.  There were no new mutants in the world for a few years.  The surviving mutants used the remains of Magneto's Asteroid base, Asteroid M, to create an island city off the coast of San Francisco called Utopia.  It appeared that the mutant race would live out it's final days there.  Then, Hope was born.

From the moment she was born, she was caught in a war between those who wanted to save her, thinking she was a messiah, and those who would kill her.  Purifiers, a group of human supremacists, attacked the hospital she was born in, but fortunately Cable was able to save her.  The mutant Bishop was also trying to kill Hope, declaring that she was responsible for killing millions in his future.  She was then kidnapped from Cable by the Marauders, resulting in a huge battle between the X-Men and Marauders.

Cyclops decided that she would not be safe as long as she was here, so he sent baby Hope with Cable into the future.  There, she had several adventures over the years with Cable and others until she decided she was ready to return to her time and join the X-Men.  During this time, her powers manifested and she began learning to control them.  She has the power to mimic the powers of any mutant near her.

And so, our story begins with Hope strapping on a jetpack and getting ready to sneak off of Utopia to fight crime.  You know, like you do.  Cyclops, however, is less than pleased when he finds her.

He tries to explain to her that she is too important to mutantkind to risk her life like this.  He believes that she will bring the mutant race back from near-extinction.  She asks what makes her so special, and Cyclops evades the question.  Finally she demands that he tell her what the Phoenix is.  She believes it's coming for her.  Cyclops won't talk about it, of course, and tries to stop her from leaving.  Big mistake, slim.

She blasts Cyclops with his own power (shouldn't he be immune to his own power, or is he just immune to Havok and vice versa?)  Hope then flies around San Francisco with an incredibly angsty inner-monologue.  She has a radio receiver that picks up the police band, so she's drawn to a bank robbery in progress.  No problem, right?  Well, it turns out that this robbery is being performed by none other than the Serpent Society!

Puff Adder, Asp, Bushmaster, Anaconda, and Cottonmouth are all on the scene.  Hope sneaks through a ventilation shaft and comes face to face with Bushmaster.  Asp hears their fight and goes back to check on Bushmaster.  A few panels later and she's flying through a wall.  She defeats them all, which I have to say is a little surprising.  I mean, the Serpent Society aren't the most deadly villains ever, but this is just one teenage mutant.

While Hope is literally pummeling poor Cottonmouth's face into bloody pulp, Cyclops and Emma Frost bust in to save...the Serpent Society, I guess.  She tells Cyclops that she knows he's scared because he thinks the Phoenix is going to drive her crazy or kill her, just like it did Jean, but he's wrong.  She says she wants the Phoenix to come, she's ready.  The issue ends with Hope sitting on the shores of Utopia looking up at the stars.  We pan up, and BOOM...The Phoenix is out there.

Winner: The Serpent Society's Health Care Provider

The Battle

For the map, I chose to use The Mall from the Deadpool Fast Forces pack.  It's a fairly standard indoor map with a few rooms on either side and some hindering terrain near the center.

For the X-Men side of the fight, I'm going to have to embellish a little bit.  For some reason, Heroclix doesn't classify Hope as a 400 point figure.  Strange.  So I decided to include Cyclops and Emma as well, since they showed up to the fight at the end.

avx009 V Cyclops
Team: X-Men
Range: 8 :bolt:
Points: 150
Keywords: Ruler, X-Men

(Improved) I Can Still See the Dream: Improved Targeting: Ignores Blocking Terrain. When a ranged combat attack resolves, any blocking terrain along its line of fire to the target is destroyed;  May make a ranged combat attack when adjacent to an opposing character.

(Speed) Ongoing Optic Blasts: Cyclops can use Force Blast and Running Shot. When he uses Running Shot, after actions resolve, he can use Force Blast as a free action.

(Damage) Let's Put The World Back On Track: Cyclops can use Leadership and Outwit. When he uses Leadership, adjacent characters with a shared keyword are considered to have a lower point value.

avx010 V Emma Frost
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 125
Keywords: Hellfire Club, Hellions, X-Men

(Special) Scott Can Handle It: Emma Frost's powers can't be countered. When a friendly character with the X-Men keyword is more than four squares away, Emma Frost can use Sidestep.

(Attack) It's Her Decision: Emma Frost can use Outwit and has a range value of 7.

(Defense) Diamond Form: Emma Frost can use Exploit Weakness, Impervious, and Shape Change.

avx016 E Hope Summers
Team: X-Men
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 122
Keywords: Avengers, Future, K'un Lun, X-Men

(Special) Power Mimic: Give Hope Summers a free action. Choose a standard power possessed by any character within 4 squares. Hope Summers can use that power until your next turn as if she had a range value of 6.

(Speed) Jet Pack: Hope Summers can use Charge and the Flight ability.

That comes out to a 397-point X-Men Theme Team.  Now, for the Serpent Society, I had to get a little creative.  We don't have Clix'd versions of any of the SS that were featured in this issue except for Asp and Anaconda.  Those were easy enough to choose.  As for the others, I replaced them with members of the Society that we DO have.

ff027 V Asp
Team: Serpent Society
Range: 6 :bolt:
Points: 39
Keywords: Femizons, Serpent Society

dp013 E Anaconda
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 3 :bolt:
Points: 90
Keywords: Animal, Femizons, Serpent Society, Six Pack

(Special) Choke the Life Out of Ya: When a character fails to break away from Anaconda, deal them 1 penetrating damage.

(Damage) Constricting Limbs: Anaconda can use Plasticity. Opposing characters within 3 squares and line of fire treat Anaconda as adjacent for movement purposes.

ca038 E Cobra
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 0 :bolt:
Points: 69
Keywords: Serpent Society

(Special) Slithery Duo: Cobra can use Plasticity. When a friendly character named Mister Hyde is adjacent to Cobra, they both modify their attack values by +1 if not already modified by this effect.

(Speed) No Essssscape: Characters using Hypersonic Speed or Leap/Climb can't automatically break away from Cobra, but they add 2 to their breakaway rolls.

ca012 V Diamondback
Team: No Affiliation
Range: 5 :bolt:
Points: 74
Keywords: Initiative, Serpent Society

(Speed) Well-Balanced Attack: Diamondback can use Running Shot.  If she uses it and hits, after actions resolve she may move up to two squares as a free action.

ca039 E Eel
Team: Masters of Evil
Range: 4 :bolt:
Points: 64
Keywords: Emissaries of Evil, Enforcers, Maggia, Masters of Evil, Serpent Society

(Defense) Electrical Discharge: Eel can use Energy Explosion.

Now, that wasn't nearly enough points to match our X-Team, so I buffed them up a bit.  I gave them all the Serpent Society Additional Team Ability, which allows them all to use Phasing/Teleport.  I also had to give a few feats out to fill points:
Entangle - Eel & Anaconda
Automatic Regeneration - Anaconda
Lunge - Cobra
That brings us up to a 393-point Serpent Society Theme Team.

Starting Locations:

SS
Cobra – K23
Eel – L23
Asp – J23
Anaconda – I23
Diamondback – H23

X-Men
Hope – H2
Cyclops – J2
Emma – I2

The Serpent Society starts us off, with Cobra succeeding at his Leadership roll, allowing for another action.  All the SS will be able to roll out this turn as a result.  Anaconda moves to H14, grabbing a heavy object along the way with her Super Strength.  Cobra moves into hindering terrain at M15.  Eel moves to H16, behind a wall.  Asp moves to J17, sitting on some hindering terrain.  Diamondback also moves to hindering terrain at J16.

Emma moves to I9, in hindering terrain behind a wall.  Cyclops moves to G7, and uses Outwit to remove Anaconda's Super Strength.  Hope moves to F12, and mimics Emma's Super Senses using her trait.

The Serpent Society take a turn to clear their action tokens.  Cyclops outwits Anaconda's Invulnerability and uses running shot to move next to Emma who Enhances his damage +1.  He shoots at Anaconda and hits on a 20, dealing 5 damage to her.  Hope mimics Cyclops' Running Shot and moves to I10, also benefiting from Emma's enhancement and shoots at Anaconda, but misses on a 15 thanks to the hindering terrain Anaconda is in due to dropping the heavy object when she lost Super Strength.  Hope takes a push damage.  Emma clears.

Anaconda uses Automatic Regeneration to heal 3 clix.  Cobra succeeds on his Leadership roll again then moves to H8.  Diamondback uses Running Shot to move to F12 and shoots Hope, hitting on a 20 for 2 damage.  Eel moves to H10, and Asp moves to M10.  Anaconda Side Steps to H12, picking up the heavy object as she does since she got Super Strength back. She ranged attacks Hope, hitting on a 17 for 3 damage.

Cyclops fails his leadership roll.  Emma tries to Mind Control Eel, but misses on a 16.  Hope mimics Super Senses and then Cyclops and Hope clear.

Anaconda sidesteps to I11, then everyone clears.  Cyclops fails his leadership roll, again.  Hope uses Regeneration to heal 1 click.  Cyclops ranged attacks Eel, hitting on a 22 for 4 damage.  Emma then outwits Eel's poison, and then clears.

Cobra takes a cue from Cyclops and fails his leadership roll.  Anaconda, finally in melee range, hits Hope with that heavy object she's been lugging around, hitting for 5 damage and KOing her.  Anaconda then Sidesteps to I10.  Diamondback shoots Cyclops, hitting on an 18 for 2 damage.  Cobra then punches Cyclops, hitting on a 21 for 1 damage.  Eel follows up using his Close Combat Expert on Cyclops to pump his attack and damage up by one.  He hits on an 18 and deals 2 damage.  Cyclops is hurting pretty bad at this point, but he's not out.  He shoots at Anaconda with Ranged Combat Expert pumping his damage up by 2, hitting on a 17 for 4 damage, KOing her.  Emma then punches Eel, hitting on a 21 for 3 damage, KOing him as well.

Unfortunately for the X-Men, there are still 3 Society members on the map.  Asp moves to J11, and Cobra and Diamondback clear.  Cyclops and Emma clear as well.

Cobra then punches Cyclops, hitting on a 17 for 1 damage, KOing him.  Diamondback uses Running Shot to get to G9, critting on Emma.  Emma fails her Super Senses roll and takes 3 damage, then gets knocked back into a wall for another 1 damage.  Asp clears.  Emma, despite her newfound Probability Control, cannot hit Cobra.  The Serpent Society then surrounds her and ends the fight.

Winner: The Serpent Society

Well, I'm happy for the Serpent Society.  It's probably the first time that they've ever won anything.  That Serpent Society ATA allowed me to get all of them into just the right position to choke the X-Men in the narrow hallway, and maneuver the serpents into the best possible positions.  I think I was trying to be too fancy with Emma by attempting to Mind Control when I should have just punched the bajeezus out of anyone in melee range.  Cyclops is a monster, and his Sharpshooter ability allows him to fire when adjacent, which is great.  I wasn't too impressed with Hope, but that was kind of expected.  She just couldn't make good use of any of the powers around her.

Next time: Avengers Vs. X-Men begins in earnest, with a 1,000 point battle royale!

Comic Book Reboots and Timescales

As an avid Marvel comic book reader and collector for many years, it surprises me that it has taken this long for me to understand how time works in that universe in relation to their books. In fact, I just took it as a fact of comics that the heroes and villains would never really age. For some reason, my brain was able to accept that even though Peter Parker had been around for 50+ years, he still looked like he was maybe in his thirties in the comics.

The way I justified it was that each comic typically represented a day or two of time. Therefore, even though the character had been around since the 60's, he would only have aged a few years. I was able to ignore the fact that we had gone from sock hops and civil rights protests to a fully digital and globalized world in just a few years. I mean, it could be explained away pretty easily with all of the alien invasions and super geniuses that the universe has. But then, I read a book that destroyed my perception of time in the Marvel Universe, and now I can't unsee it. Frankly, it bugs the crap out of me.

A mini-series was recently released called "Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl". In this series, it explores a new character from the early days of Spider-Man's career. So, we're taken back to the mid-sixties. No problem, right? I was ready to settle in and enjoy some corny period-dialogue and nostalgic 60's memorabilia. Imagine my shock when I saw the people of New York walking around with cell phones, browsing the internet! Sure, they dressed like people from the 60's, but there they were, posting on Facebook. I started trying to figure out why they depicted it this way. Was it an alternate dimension? Some kind of time-travel thing?

J. Jonah Jameson types up an article on his laptop

No, it turns out that the Marvel Universe (among others) has what's called a "sliding timescale". Wikipedia defines it thusly:

"A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly in comics and animation, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time — despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world. A floating timeline is a subtle form of retroactive continuity. This is seen most clearly in the case of comic book characters who debuted as teens in the 1940s or the 1960s but who are still relatively young in current comics. Events from the characters' pasts are alluded to, but they are changed from having taken place years ago to having taken place more recently."

This means that even though Captain America did indeed fight in World War 2, the date that he was unfrozen continues to slide forward as time goes on. Teams like The Avengers and Fantastic Four weren't formed in the 60's, but much later. For as many problems as this might solve, such as characters not aging, it creates many more.

The circumstances in which many of these characters were created were highly dependent on the time that they were introduced. This is especially true for technologically-based heroes such as Iron Man. Originally, he was captured by communist Chinese forces and told to build weapons. Instead, he builds a crude suit of armor that he uses to escape. Other than the obvious Cold War overtones, the crude armor could be seen as realistic, since he built it with whatever was on hand. His subsequent suits, however, weren't much better.

In 1963, Iron Man gets an upgrade

Now this wouldn't be a problem for me if this was 1963, but it's not, according to the sliding timescale of the Marvel Universe. This is supposed to be what...the late 90's? It's very hard for me to reconcile this, especially given that some Marvel books use a lot of time travel, such as the X-Men. Recently, the X-Man named Beast pulled the original X-Men from the past. Now, that's totally fine in comic book terms, but if we're universally using this sliding timescale, he would have pulled them from the 80's-90's, not the 60's. Instead, they come to the present and are confused by things such as the internet and other modern technology. It hurts my brain to try and reconcile this.

DC Comics, on the other hand, does things a bit differently. They periodically 'reboot' their entire universe, starting all of their characters with a clean slate. This first occurred during the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' event in 1985. Until that point, DC used a much longer version of the sliding timescale. Characters such as the original Flash and Green Lantern grew old and passed the torch to a younger generation. Popular characters such as Wonder Woman and Superman aged much more slowly or not at all, but this was explained in the comics. Batman was something of the exception. Having been introduced in the early 40's, he was still running around and punching bad guys right up until the Crisis storyline.

Batman would prove to be the exception in the most recent reboot as well, called the 'New 52'. This was another line-wide relaunch of the DC universe, and while some of Batman's early adventures were altered, much of his history remained intact. In fact, the title Batman Incorporated references many events that happened prior to the New 52 reboot. Batman was the only character whose history survived this event, even if it was only a portion of that history.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths

Marvel did try their hand at an alternate universe in the form of several books published from 2000 to present called the "Ultimate" universe. This universe was an experiment of sorts that said "What if the Marvel Universe started today?" It didn't destroy any of the continuity in their main universe, more commonly known as the "Earth-616" universe, and it allowed them to play with several ideas and turn characters and teams on their head. Peter Parker died, and was replaced by Miles Morales, which became a hugely successful book. Colossus of the X-Men was gay, and in a relationship with fellow mutant Northstar. Mr. Fantastic turned evil, and became Dr. Doom. All of these things created an interesting universe of "what-ifs" without overwriting anything in the traditional Marvel U.

With the upcoming event of Marvel's 'Secret Wars' storyline being teased, many of the fans online cried "reboot!" as Marvel promised a line-changing event. They have stated several times that it is not a reboot, but rather a "consolidation" of sorts, merging the Ultimate universe into the 616 Universe. They saw the reaction regarding DC's New 52 reboot, and they know it's not what the fans want. What they do want, are hit characters like Miles Morales to be a part of the Marvel Universe, and for the company to bring back many dead characters and unresolved stories. Only time will tell whether the shake-up of Secret Wars is a success, but it's sure to be interesting.

So what's the 'right' way to approach comics continuity? It's largely a matter of opinion, of course. I know many people who hate the idea of DC's New 52 reboot, and I doubt many people even realize the sliding timescale approach that Marvel takes, so maybe that's the answer. Whatever doesn't interfere with our enjoyment of the characters and stories that we know and love. I know that Marvel has learned many lessons from it's competitors, and will likely never reboot. I can't help but feel like that's for the best.