Today's Lunchtime Reading: West Coast Avengers 26 What Is Scorpio?

 West Coast Avengers 26 What Is Scorpio?

Published: November 10, 1987

Writer: Steve Englehart Penciler: Al Milgrom

Cover Artist: Al Milgrom and Mike Machlan

The Zodiac Cartel is holding a meeting trying to figure out what happened to the LMDs that recently cribbed their gimmick, when their Scorpio suddenly drops his over-the-top French accent to reveal that he's not Jacques LaPoint, but an LMD Jake Fury in disguise, and he's led the entire LMD Zodiac to their base to ambush and kill them.

The original Zodiac is quickly slaughtered, but Taurus slips away. He swallows his pride and actually goes to the West Coast Avengers for help, though secretly planning to rebuild his own Zodiac once he gets the Avengers to dispatch the LMDs. He leverages his insight into the astrology-driven minds of the Zodiac to be instrumental in predicting the rival team's movements. Moon Knight's own astrological pinnings lead him to vouch for Van Lunt since the Moon's in Taurus, but he plans to keep a close eye on the villain. Soon, the Avengers intercept the Zodiac at a Breeder's Auction in Wichita.

During the battle, Sagittarius is killed by a stray arrow from Hawkeye, leading the rest of the Zodiac to flee. Even though it was an LMD, Clint is shaken by the kill, a reaction that makes Mockingbird more anxious about her secret involvement in the death of Phantom Rider.

Later, at Zodiac's hideout, Scorpio ruminates on his relationship to the Zodiac Key. He recalls things that he had previously forgotten, that he was the original holder of the Key, and as such every time he died the Key re-animated him in an artificial body based on a SHIELD LMD, but each new Jake thought he was becoming Scorpio for the first time. Now, he uses the Key to create another new LMD, a new Sagittarius that's a dead ringer for Hawkeye.