Cover: Don Heck

The Avengers #112

Jun 1973 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“The Lion God Lives!”

★ 1st appearance — Mantis★ 1st appearance — Sekhmet

About this Issue

The Avengers #112 is the debut of Mantis, one of the most consequential new characters introduced during Marvel's Bronze Age — a half-Vietnamese, half-German martial artist and empath whose arrival quietly set the stage for the ambitious 'Celestial Madonna' saga that would unfold across the following two years of Englehart's Avengers run. Her introduction represented a deliberate effort to push superhero comics toward grounded cultural texture and cosmic scope simultaneously: a character rooted in the then-ongoing Vietnam War era whose ultimate destiny as the prophesied 'Celestial Madonna' would thread together Kree mythology, cosmic hierarchy, and deeply personal emotional drama in ways American superhero comics had not yet attempted at such sustained length. The issue also marks the departure of Black Widow from the Avengers' active roster, a team-composition pivot that cleared space for Mantis and the Swordsman to reshape the book's dynamic for years to come. Decades later, the character's MCU adaptation — portrayed by Pom Klementieff across multiple films — confirmed just how durable Englehart's original concept proved to be.

In "The Lion God Lives!", the Avengers Mansion is besieged by a militant group of African-American protesters accusing Black Panther of betraying his people by aligning with the U.S. government. The chaos is orchestrated by a shadowy figure known only as the Lion God, a mythic warrior claiming to represent Africa’s true legacy. Written by Steve Englehart and illustrated by Don Heck, with inks by Frank Bolle and colors by Petra Goldberg, this 1973 issue presents a bold, socially charged story where identity, heritage, and allegiance collide. The cover, also by Don Heck, captures the tension with a striking image of the Lion God looming over the besieged mansion.

writer Steve Englehart · artist Don Heck · inker Frank Bolle · colorist Petra Goldberg · letterer John Costanza · cover Don Heck

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $42

CGC 9.8 · 9 in census $2,807

CGC 9.6 · 29 in census $525

CGC 9.4 · 74 in census $228*

CGC 9.2 · 61 in census $228

CGC 9.0 · 67 in census $228

CGC 8.5 · 97 in census $154

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CGC 8.0 · 107 in census $139

CGC 7.5 · 62 in census $110

CGC 7.0 · 49 in census $78

CGC 6.5 · 40 in census $68

CGC 6.0 · 31 in census $68

CGC 5.5 · 23 in census $68

CGC 5.0 · 22 in census $48

CGC 4.5 · 13 in census $48*

CGC 4.0 · 4 in census $48*

CGC 3.5 · 7 in census $48*

CGC 3.0 · 4 in census $43*

CGC 2.5 · 2 in census $33*

CGC 2.0 · 3 in census $29*

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $20*

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Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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GD $10.73 FN $14.99 FN $17.19 VG $25.3 VG $25.99 GD $29 FN+ $34.92 VG $34.95

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History

Writer Steve Englehart, who had rapidly ascended to become Marvel's most prolific staff writer by early 1973, originally conceived the character who became Mantis as a 'femme fatale' designed to inject tension into the Avengers' interpersonal dynamics. In his own words, he initially created her for one purpose — to disrupt the team — but found himself rerouting her into a 'solid team player' after pivoting to write the Avengers-Defenders crossover first; he then allowed her character to grow organically from her reactions to unfolding events, a process through which 'the femme fatale became the Celestial Madonna.' The issue was penciled and inked on its cover by veteran Marvel artist Don Heck, whose work records confirm he was paid for the cover on January 19, 1973 — though earlier indexers had mistakenly credited Rich Buckler on pencils. Roy Thomas served as editor, and Frank Bolle inked the interior story, with the issue going on sale in March 1973 for a cover price of twenty cents.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Mantis (full name never revealed in the comics), co-created by writer Steve Englehart and penciler Don Heck; her debut costume was a form-fitting green bodysuit with white accents and an antennae headpiece designed by Heck.
First appearance of the Lion God (Sekhmet) as the issue's primary antagonist, titled 'The Lion God Lives!'
Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) departs the Avengers' active roster in this issue; her story continues in Daredevil and the Black Widow #101.
The Swordsman appears only in shadows in this issue alongside Mantis, with his full return to the team formalized in subsequent issues.
Mantis enters the story as a companion to the Swordsman, introduced as a Vietnamese woman with an extraordinary martial arts background — her deeper origin as the prophesied 'Celestial Madonna,' raised by the alien Priests of Pama, would not be revealed until later in Englehart's run.
The issue officially launches what became the 'Celestial Madonna' saga, widely noted as one of the most narratively complex long-form storylines published in American superhero comics to that point.
The issue has been reprinted across multiple major collections, including Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Vol. 12, Essential Avengers Vol. 5, Avengers Epic Collection Vol. 6, the Avengers Omnibus Vol. 4, and the one-shot True Believers: Annihilation — Mantis.
Mantis was later portrayed by actress Pom Klementieff in the MCU, appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).