The four-part saga pitting Spider-Man against the religious cult known as the Legion of Light continues with this third installment. Flash Thompson discovers to his horror that Sha Shan, the girl who saved his life in Vietnam, is now Sister Sun, a leader of the Legion of Light cult. However, she has been forced into the role by her husband, Achmed Korba, who calls himself Brother Power. Spidey and Flash team up with a rookie hero named Razorback (real name Buford Hollis), a good ol' boy from Arkansas who is trying to save his sister, who has joined the Legion of Light. However, the three discover that the leader of the cult is the Hate-Monger (or at least we think it is the Hate-Monger -- more on that later).

Spider-Man, Razorback and Flash are in deep trouble when issue #14 begins. After a botched attempt to spy on the Legion of Light's compound, the Hate-Monger has chained Spider-Man, Razorback and Flash in a room with a time bomb. The Hate-Monger has the technology to control minds and he plans to use a televised rally to win millions of converts. The news of the heroes' shocking deaths, he figures, will draw a huge television audience of "converts." Razorback mentions that if he could just trigger the stud on his belt, he might be able to save them. But since they can't break their chains, it's no use. But Spider-Man doesn't give up. "The Hate-Monger wrote the scenario for this cheap cliffhanger!" Spider-Man says. "And I always saw myself as too much of a James Dean rebel type to go along with somebody else's script." Using his web-shooters, he manages to hit the button. This is a nice piece of visual storytelling by artist Sal Buscema, as Spider-Man tries and fails several times before finally succeeding. The button signals Razorback's custom semi-truck - the "Big Pig" - which smashes through the wall, freeing the heroes and allowing them to escape before the explosion. The heroes head to an outdoor stadium to put a halt to the Hate-Monger's rally.

Meanwhile, backstage at the stadium, the Hate-Monger prepares for his big moment. As he talks to Brother Power and Sister Sun, he takes off his hood. We can't see his face, but his animalistic eyes and fang-like teeth indicate he isn't the same Hate-Monger who menaced the Fantastic Four (who actually was a clone of Adolph Hitler!). Since the Hate-Monger and Brother Power don't know that Spider-Man, Razorback and Flash escaped, Spider-Man figures the one thing in their favor is the element of surprise. So Peter Parker uses his press credentials to get backstage at the rally, then lets Razorback and Flash into the coliseum. The crowd is gathering in the stadium and Brother Power and Sister Sun take the stage. A couple of funny advertisements in the stadium read "Drink Mantlo," as in writer Bill Mantlo, and Goodwin Life Insurance, a nod to editor Archie Goodwin. A little inside Bullpen humor. Unfortunately, before Spidey, Razorback and Flash can do anything to stop the rally, they run into the Hate-Monger and some of his minions. After a brief struggle, the Hate-Monger uses his vast psionic powers to control Spider-Man's mind, then sends the Wall-Crawler to attack his ally Razorback. He does the same to Razorback, forcing the two heroes into mortal combat.

Unaware of his friends' predicament, Flash blends in with the crowd of converts. He finds Razorback's sister, Bobby Sue, and lures her into the bowels of the stadium. That'll come into play next issue. He still is helpless to aid Sha Shan, however. "How can she stomach this Sister Sun schtick knowing it's for the Hate-Monger?" he thinks. Below the stadium, Spider-Man and Razorback continue their brutal fight. To make it more frightening, both realize what they are doing and desperately want to stop, yet they cannot resist the Hate-Monger's mental powers. Spider-Man is more powerful and defeats Razorback. The Hate-Monger orders him to kill his new ally. Even though Spidey is fighting the mind control with all his might, he still is about to unwillingly kill his friend, until Flash steps in. The former football star tackles the Hate-Monger from behind and yanks off the villain's hood, breaking his mind control over Spider-Man and Razorback. It turns out that the mastermind of the Legion of Light isn't the original Hate-Monger at all - he is the Man-Beast (who was introduced way back in Thor #134), an incredibly powerful would-be conqueror from the High Evolutionary's world of Counter-Earth. "I am your primordial fear sprung violently into life! I am evil!" the Man-Beast declares in a dramatic full-page final scene.

Once again, we end with a cliffhanger, as the three weary heroes face off against a seemingly invincible enemy. Not only is the Man-Beast more powerful than Spider-Man, but he has a private army of Legion of Light backing him up. If the good guys are to win the day, they will have to overcome some mighty steep odds.

Next issue: The conclusion of the Legion of Light saga, featuring a battle royal with the Hate-Monger, Brother Power, Sister Sun, Razorback, Flash Thompson and, of course, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Reviewed by Bruce Buchanan.