It's no secret that I'm a sucker for comic book battles. I'd dare to say I even have an unhealthy obsession with them. It's fair to assume that half of my back issues were sought out just to own some of comic book history's most legendary battles. An epic battle isn't needed for a good story, but it certainly doesn't hurt either. After all, what good is all of those powers and abilities if we can't see them put to the test against one another?
So, I've decided to share my passion with Comic Vine. Every week I'm going to pick my favorite battles from my new stack and explain why they were picked, if they're accurately written, or how things could have gone down differently under other circumstances if it's a popular encounter (for example Hulk vs Wolverine). And, in the event a really popular battle does take place, I'll do my best to dive into the history of battles between them as well.
Star Wars: Darth Maul - Death Sentence #2
Darth Maul and Savage Opress have the wealthy alien Ja'Boag in their sights, but Jedi Master Salmara, Master Judd and Padawan Dray along with hundreds of troops are standing in their way. Maul and Opress are as arrogant as they come, so the obstacle looks to be nothing more than a walk in the park for them. That said, they've earned that arrogance. Maul is a fearsome and graceful combatant, while Savage lives up to his name and acts like a brutal tank.
The two rush in and with a simple force push, we're treated to an awesome panel of dozens of soldiers helplessly flying off the pathway. Slicing and dicing everyone in their path with an oh-so sadistic grin on their faces, it isn't until the Jedi step in that we really get to see the differences between the two. Maul proves once again that he's incredibly agile, while is brother is more of an arrogant brute. Maul flips over his enemy while Opress leaves himself foolishly open and is tripped. That's gotta be embarrassing. But, with arrogance comes anger issues and we got a nice display of Savage's force abilities as he creates a massive shock-wave that sends everyone flying. He might not be sophisticated when it comes to his abilities, but he sure is powerful.
Ultimately, Savage's hot-headed attitude proves to be his undoing. A barrel of carbonite is launched his way, and instead of diving out of the way or using the force to knock it back, the powerhouse stupidly slices it right open. The attack makes the content spew all over him, freezing him in place a la Han Solo style. Darth Maul shows off his new and more powerful legs, using them to crush a Jedi's arm before making a run for it and collapsing the entrance behind him. Finally, in true Star Wars fashion, someone loses not one, but both of their hands. Unfortunately, it's just the wee Padawan.
ÂÂ Uncanny X-Force #30
 Sabretooth, Daken and the Shadow King take Genesis (Evan) on a savage roadtrip in an attempt to unleash his full potential. Sabretooth slaughters an entire store full of people and Evan just couldn't cross the line to end it. It was kill Sabretooth or watch those innocent people get gutted by Creed. The clone of Apocalypse held back and it didn't end well for the people who wanted their healthy dose of slim jims that day. Daken and Creed knew they had to really rile him up, so they killed his "parents." Believing his fictional parents were dead, Evan filled with rage and began to release the variety of powers he possess. Seeing Creed get slugged in the face by a giant fist is something I could never grow tired of seeing. Despite his powers, Daken's agility and skill gave Evan a hard time, dancing around the child and delivering unrelenting and bloody slashes.
Eventually, power tends to overcome skill, and such is the case when Evan finally gets the two Wolverine villains in his clutches. Instead of crushing them, though, Evan eventually returns to his X-Men ways and releases them from his tightening grip. Good thing for them, because if this kid really let loose, he could definitely obliterate both of the foes and put their healing factors into overtime. This is easily one of Marvel's best titles at the moment, so if you're not reading it, get this issue and jump on-board!
X-O Manowar #4Â Â
Aric has escaped The Vine (but no one can escape Comic Vine) and returned to Earth. Things have changed a bit while he was away for a few centuries, though. He immediately assumes Italian forces are Roman troops and the end result completely unfair for the humans. We're talking about an armor that can fly at supersonic speeds, fire insanely powerful blasts from its gauntlets and shrug off explosions like they're mere tickles. Humanity, just bow down before your new master.Simply put, no human technology short of a nuke is going to do much to X-O Manowar and this is proven when Aric takes to the skies. He engages two fighter jets and in spite of a direct hit, X-O proves his superiority as he rips through the jets with absolute ease. It really makes me wonder how Ninjak is going to pose a threat to Aric, but I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Honorable Mentions: Hawkeye vs Angel (AvX: VS #5) & Flash vs The Rogues (The Flash Annual #1).
Those were my favorite battles this week, but what about you, Viners? Will any of my picks make your top 3 or will you have a completely different list? Sound off!
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