"The Lethal Foes of Spider-Man"(1993/09/01)
"Deadly Reunion" Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 1 (September 1993)
"Hate Is a Many Splendored Thing" Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 2 (October 1993)
"Power Struggle" Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 3 (November 1993)
"Re-Disunited" Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 4 (December 1993)

Reader Rating: Above Average; Thunderbolts Interest: Medium

Summary: Leila Davis, wife of the Ringer, dons the armored identity of Hardshell and recruits the Vulture, the Rhino and Boomerang in her plot to steal a nuclear rifle. But Stegron the Dinosaur Man, Dr. Octopus and the Beetle also want the weapon; The Answer, Strikeback and Swarm are on the scene. And – oh, yeah – Spider-Man wants to stop them all.

Continuity: The Beetle has become a bit of a pariah by now, but is inspired to come out of hiding to fight Leila's variation on the Sinister Syndicate. He ends this adventure unconscious, but not in custody, so he either slips away or is quickly sprung.

Comments: Strong characterizations and a few clever plot turns make this mishmash worthwhile. Despite a string of artists, the pictures are powerful, if occasionally primitive. Just be sure to turn off your coincidence detector! The Beetle has a fairly strong, if not very impressive, presence starting in the second installment.