Daredevil 275 - Acts of Vengeance

One of the more unusual battles spawned by "Acts of Vengeance" must surely be pitching Daredevil against the powerful robot Ultron. On the face of it this is surely absurd yet the devil is in the detail.

Daredevil #275

Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita, Jr
Inker: Al Williamson
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colours: Max Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Daredevil issues of "Acts of Vengeance" come from an unusual and now largely forgotten era of the series. It's true that Daredevil has lots of forgotten eras, but this is by Ann Nocenti, who until 2006 was the most prolific writer on the title when she was just pipped by Brian Michael Bendis at the end of his run. It says something about Daredevil that it has chalked up over six hundred issues (across multiple volumes with the original numbering returned to a few times), yet its three most prolific writers (Stan Lee is the third) each wrote in the range of only about 50 to 57 issues. The book did a bit better with artists with its most prolific, Gene Colan, turning in nearly a hundred issues. By contrast this issue's penciler, John Romita, Jr, is near the end of a run of thirty issues.

Part of the reason why this period isn't so well remembered is the setting. Daredevil is best known as a New York lawyer by day and vigilante by night, prowling the darker parts of the city. So an extended storyline that takes him out into the countryside and has him meet the Inhumans, Gorgon, Karnak and Lockjaw probably isn't going to spring to mind when one thinks of the series. However the underlying theme of the current storyline is a familiar piece of social commentary that Ann Nocenti's work is especially noted for. Daredevil has found himself at a farm house owned by Skip Ash, a geneticist who has conducted experiments on humans including creating "Number Nine", who can instantly heal and has been mentally conditioned to be an idealised traditional housewife and cheerleader. This brings conflict with Skip's natural daughter Brandy, an artist and ardent feminist, leading to arguments about programming. Daredevil himself ideally just wants to be alone, to escape all the other people with problems around him, but he too reacts to his societal programming.

This creates a good environment for a contrast with the guest villain from the crossover. At first the idea of pitching Daredevil against Ultron may seem absurd, but this is a highly conflicted Ultron. Doctor Doom, yet again, is selecting and overseeing the dispatch of the foe and has reconstructed the android, incorporating all twelve sets of previous brain patterns in the hope of creating the perfect mix. However this instead gives the android multiple personalities that conflict over his purpose and direction as he realises he is flawed and thus his (re)creator is flawed, but Number Nine's perfection attracts at least some of Ultron. Like Number Nine, and indeed like Brandy and other characters, Ultron is driven by his programming with conflicting influences trying to determine what course of action he should follow. It's a good metaphor without being overstated. The actual fight only starts near the end of the issue as Daredevil, Gorgon and Karnak find Ultron, but it makes for a convincing strong power level.

This is a surprisingly thoughtful issue given that the elements at first sight look absurd. Instead we get a foe with an internal struggle that matches the environment into which he is sent, providing a good exploration of an android all too often used for over simplistic battles. This may not be the traditional urban environment that Daredevil is known for, a result of the crossover turning up in the middle of a protracted storyline, but it provides a strong tale none the less.

Daredevil #275 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Daredevil Epic Collection: Heart of Darkness (2017)

Marc Spector: Moon Knight 10 - Acts of Vengeance

It feels as if Moon Knight was forgotten about by both the villains and the editors co-ordinating "Acts of Vengeance". In his third and final issue in the crossover he once again encounters villains as a side-effect of the events rather than being targeted by the conspiracy.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #10

Words: Charles Dixon
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Keith Williams
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colours: Nel Yomtov
Edits: Danny Fingeroth
Chief: Tom DeFalco

What's also surprising is the poor level of checking. Thus one of the villains he encounters here is the Ringer, who was one of many lame villains killed off by the Scourge of the Underworld some years earlier. This is even acknowledged in the story itself, with the comment "Well, I'm the new Ringer. I'm even better than the original!" But new versions of deceased foes simply isn't what this event is all about and this panel is the only acknowledgement of this state of affairs. Thus it's hard to avoid the obvious conclusion that it was only after the story was pencilled and inked that someone realised the character had been killed off and hastily came up with this brief exchange to patch it over. The villains seen here - the Ringer, Coachwhip and Killer Shrike - have all come to New York in the hope of taking part in the grand conflict going on but have so far been unable to find any heroes to fight and agree to team up in the hope of discovered ng some action. It's a pretty incoherent teaming with their abilities easily used against each other. It's also a terrible motivation to simply attack a hero they've never encountered before for the sheer sake of it.

Moon Knight starts the evening saving a young student from killing themselves after getting poor marks, then has to overcome a small boy's fear of costumed figures in order to save him and his mother from a fire. Then the trio of villains find him and attack. A repeated theme throughout this issue is Lula, the suicidal student, steadily rediscovering the importance of all life and realising that she can go on. It's one of the more positive features in an otherwise dull script, though the art does help to bring the fish scenes to life and creates a real sense of tension as Moon Knight/s pilot and friend Frenchie is wounded.

But despite the good art this issue reads like the series was added to the wider crossover event as an afterthought with no proper attention given to Moon Knight by either the editors of the villains. As a result this is a highly forgettable chapter in the crossover.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #10 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Thor 412 - Acts of Vengeance

Big crossovers are often used to launch new titles, characters and teams and this is a trend that goes right back to the 1980s. DC had most prominently used Crisis on Infinite Earths to relaunch huge chunks of its universe and subsequently used Legends to unleash the new Justice League and Wonder Woman. Marvel were a little slower at this and also didn't make their first springboard the core of the crossover but rather one of the more peripheral chapters. For it is here in this issue (following their arrival at the end of the last one) that the New Warriors made their debut, some seven months before their own series launched.

Thor #412

Words & Plot: Tom DeFalco (all)
Pictures & Plot: Ron Frenz (lead)
Finished Art: Joe Sinnott (lead)
Pencils: Ron Lim (back-up)
Inks: Mike De Carlo (back-up)
Lettering: Michael Heisler (all)
Lettering: Jack Morelli (lead)
Colouring: Nel Yomtov (all)
Editing: Ralph Macchio (all)

Most of the New Warriors are familiar characters - Namorita, cousin of Namor, Firestar, former co-star of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, Speedball, a recently launched hero, Marvel Boy, a former sidekick to the Thing in his solo days, and Kid Nova, star of the 1970s solo series. They are led by a newly created character Night Thrasher, who in a sign of Marvel's determination to have some "heroes for the 90s" fights on a skateboard, is terminally serious and willing to try lethal measures even if his teammates won't. It's always good to see imagination and development at Marvel and the New Warriors did go on to have their own title which lasted quite well for a 1990s series, then a good many revivals. But the idea that they could in any way be a problem for the Juggernaut is very hard to swallow. It seems absurd that Night Thrasher has been able to convince all the sceptics to even try this, rather than seeking help from more experienced hands, and even though they admit their best hope is to cause enough irritation to buy Thor time to recover, it's still patently absurd to see Night Thrasher skating all over Juggernaut without being splattered to one side. Some of the team do have sufficient super strength to throw railway vans at him which is just about plausible, but overall this is a rather unfortunate choice of fight to launch a new team from and it just doesn't convince. It's also not too clear just why it takes so long for Thor to open a dimensional portal. Thor is continuing to suffer from mysterious seizures which makes it understandable he would need some help in a fight such as this, but for such a major confrontation it would have been much better to keep him completely solo - indeed last issue he actually went out of his way to make sure Hercules didn't come along.

Otherwise this issue sees continued problem for Thor's alter ego, Eric Masterson, as his ex-wife arrives to claim custody of their son, whilst the back-up story, written by DeFalco and drawn by Ron Lim, continues a tale of Beta Ray Bill. But overall this is a very disappointing issue that undermines what should have been a highly memorable confrontation and it would be best redeemed with a rematch in which Thor is at full power and solo.

Thor #412 has been reprinted in:

• New Warriors: Beginnings (1992) - lead only
• New Warriors Classic volume 1 (2009) - lead only
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011) - lead only
• Thor: In Mortal Flesh (2017 Epic Collection)

Thor 411 - Acts of Vengeance

This series continues to follow the two-strip format with the back-up now the first chapter of a saga featuring Beta-Ray Bill, the alien Thor. The lead story features Thor battling the Juggernaut.

Thor #411

Words & Plot: Tom DeFalco (all)
Pictures & Plot: Ron Frenz (lead)
Finished Art: Joe Sinnott (lead)
Pencils: Ron Lim (back-up)
Inks: Mike De Carlo (back-up)
Lettering: Michael Heisler (all)
Colouring: Nel Yomtov (all)
Editing: Ralph Macchio (all)

A lot of the line-ups across this event so far have been ones that probably weren't too demanded. In some cases the villains are a surprisingly obvious fit that it's curious they haven't been pitched against the hero before. In other cases the match-up is quite bizarre, either because of the mismatch of power levels or due to their normally inhabiting very different worlds. But one match-up above all others just feels so naturally right that it's good to see it happen - Thor versus the Juggernaut. The strongest (traditional) hero against an unstoppable force.

Again we see the mysterious stranger directly setting up the encounter, once again raising the question as to why he needed to assemble an alliance of foes when here he simply uses his power to transport the Juggernaut out of jail and onto the streets of New York. Thor's mortal alter-ego Eric Masterson learns of the rampage from television and heads out to confront him, even though his thoughts acknowledge that "groups like X-Factor usually handle mutant menaces like him" (the Juggernaut not being a mutant was presumably not well known and the X-Men were believed dead at this time). It's a cliché of comics that a villain's rampage is broadcast through the media and invariably the intended hero always shows up, even when the villain is from another series. Here it has the right effect even though it's clearly not being directed by the mysterious stranger who cannot locate Thor when he's transformed into Eric. But the battle also attracts the attention of others through the internet, a sign of the coming times, though they deserve more attention next issue.

The conflict is pretty tough, with Juggernaut proving able to resist even Mjolnir and then grabs the hammer on the return trip to attack Thor. It's a fight with consequences and Thor has to devote his efforts to ensuring a thrown car hits the one spot where it won't hurt anyone or that a coach full of passengers is landed safely. Meanwhile Juggernaut just keeps on coming, taking the battle into a railway yard where the goods vans prove useful weapons. Thor is weaker than usual due to some mysterious seizures and so it's credible that he hasn't resolved the conflict when help shows up.

Of all the new combinations of heroes and villains so far this is easily the best to be put together. Thor's strange seizures help to prolong the fight and make the eventual help credible but otherwise this is a strong first chapter.

Thor #411 has been reprinted in:

• New Warriors: Beginnings (1992) - lead only
• New Warriors Classic volume 1 (2009) - lead only
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011) - lead only
• Thor: In Mortal Flesh (2017 Epic Collection)

Captain America 366 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue continues the two-story format, with the back-up being a straightforward fight between the Cobra and Mr Hyde. It's an all-out action piece in which the Cobra has to overcome his fear and lack of self-esteem in order to defeat his old foe who seems unstoppable. It's an okay piece but these back-up sagas can often wind up running on for too many months due to the limited space available.

Captain America #366

Writer: Mark Gruenwald (all)
Penciler: Ron Lim (main)
Penciler: Mark Bagley (back-up)
Inker: Danny Bulanadi (main)
Inker: Don Hudson (back-up)
Letterer: Jack Morelli (all)
Colourist: Nel Yomtov (all)
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The lead story gives us our first glimpse of the full committee of leading villains as they conclude their first summit meeting. Ever the businessman, the Kingpin has been chairing the board meeting, but we don't see direct exchanges between any of the six. However Magneto shows some sense in asking the mysterious stranger whether or not the Red Skull attending the meeting is the original, who was assumed to have died some time back. Given Magneto's history established since the Silver Age it's more than a little odd that he would be willingly working with a Nazi war criminal so it's good to see him questioning this, wondering if it could be a successor.

(There had indeed been another Red Skull for a while, a Communist agent who filled in various continuity holes such as the Skull's appearances in the 1950s Captain America stories and then later killing Spider-Man's parents when Peter Parker was just a baby. However he had been killed off just before the original Skull was brought back from the dead.)

It's been notable that so far the Skull has actually done very little in the crossover beyond attending meetings, whereas Doctor Doom, the Wizard and the Kingpin have all been shown to be recruiting and directing individual villains and Magneto has personally investigated Spider-Man and the Mandarin is caught in the curse of chronology but will be seen in an already published but coming later issue. The Skull's low involvement is soon explained in his thoughts - he dislikes having to work the others and only attends out of fear they're plotting against him. It's a strong first sign of how difficult it is to get a super-villain team-up to work given the hatreds and rivalries amongst them. Indeed the Skull's main focus is on trying to take control of the mysterious stranger through the Controller's equipment rather than advancing the wider plans.

Otherwise this issue sees Captain America tracking down the Controller in the hope of capturing one of his control discs to use the technology to free the Sub-Mariner from another. It's unfortunate the Cap's earlier encounter with the Controller is explicitly referenced as it reinforces just how much this series hasn't really been conforming to the event premise of heroes being attacked by villains they've never fought before and this isn't offset by the presence of the Voice, an extremely obscure old Ant-Man foe who has also been recruited by the Skull and Crossbones but is only a peripheral presence in the fight. The conflict itself showcases Captain America at his best, both as a skilled fighter but also a cunning tactician who goes into a situation properly prepared.

Although it doesn't contain a previously unseen conflict, this issue is generally quite solid, moving the story forward for both Cap and the Skull as they grapple with the events around it. It also seems to be aware of some of the problems with the general premise of the alliance and may want to fix them.

Captain America #366 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt (2018)

Avengers Spotlight 27 - Acts of Vengeance

This series now returns to the usual format of two separate strips with different creative teams, though both take part in the crossover.

Avengers Spotlight #27

Writer: Howard Mackie (first)
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie (second
Penciler: Al Milgrom (first)
Penciler: Dwayne Turner (second)
Inker: Don Heck (first)
Inker: Chris Ivy (second)
Letterer: Jack Morelli (all)
Colourist: George Roussos (first)
Colourist: Mike Rockwitz (second)
Editor: Mark Gruenwald (all)
Editor II: Gregory Wight (second only)
Editor III: Tom DeFalco (all)

First up is the series's regular Hawkeye strip. This is quite a straightforward tale of Boomerang being recruited by the mysterious stranger who convinces him he can't beat Iron Man but can instead score a victory over Hawkeye. The two clash in New York with explosive results. It's interesting to note that it's the mysterious stranger who here recruits Boomerang, rather than one of the six leaders he's assembled, and given the stranger's powers such as being able to transport himself instantaneously it does raise the question as to why he even needed to assemble an alliance of leading villains, especially as they haven't yet done much together. The combination of boomerangs against arrows seems so obvious that it's a surprise that it hadn't been done before, though as Hawkeye had only had a regular solo strip since the start of this series there may not have been the opportunity. The fight results in a lot of damage from Boomerang's weapons, setting a building on fire. Hawkeye has to rescue a woman trapped on the upper level, but her reaction is a reminder that not everyone is so grateful for superheroes and all they bring. It's good to see the proposed Super Human Registration Act is having an impact beyond the Fantastic Four issues in which it's being discussed and that heroes bring trouble as well as salvation.

The second strip headlines no less than five of the reserve Avengers, Firebird, Captain Marvel (this is Monica Rambeau), Moondragon, Black Widow and Hellcat, as they struggle with the Awesome Android near the site of the sunken Avengers Island. This gives the opportunity for a lot of former female members to be seen again. It's also a good consequential story as it focuses on the continued salvage efforts, with the discovery that several androids that were held in suspended animation have escaped, making for good use of continuity and allowing for the fact that with such a disparate group drawn from different eras it's probable that some of them will have encountered the foe - indeed Captain Marvel was leading the team at the time the Android was taken down. Unfortunately with five leads plus Stingray all competing for attention in the space of eleven pages there's not a great deal of development and the resolution is totally deus ex machina as Captain Marvel shows up and immediately fishes out the right equipment to neutralise a foe against whom the use of powers is counterproductive.

The two-strip nature means both tales are relatively brief but the lead puts in a standard piece of foe switching whilst the latter takes a different angle of foes released in the action. Unfortunately there's not enough space for much development and the latter has too great a cast of heroes for the space available but otherwise these are making a good effort to build on the wider events and show the consequences.

Avengers Spotlight #27 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)

Avengers West Coast 53 - Acts of Vengeance

Avengers West Coast was the series that brought John Byrne back to the mainstream Marvel universe after a two-and-a-half-year absence over at DC, latterly also working on a bit of the New Universe. At this stage he'd been writing and drawing the title for nearly a year making bold changes such as literally deconstructing the Vision, to be rebuilt as an all-white, emotionless being, or bringing back the Original Human Torch. In the process a lot of this change has wreaked havoc on the Scarlet Witch.

Avengers West Coast #53

Writer/Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Keith Williams
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Howard Mackie
Ed.-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

But also Byrne was now writing both of the Avengers team titles, in a period when Marvel was trying to build a clear franchise mentality, much as it later did in the mid-2000s. One factor to watch out for is just how this crossover handles the perceived second tier status of the West Coast based team. Were they subordinate to the New York team, with the latter being THE Avengers, or were they the co-equals of the "East Coast Avengers"? Over at DC the recent expansion of the Justice League International had seen the existing title renamed "Justice League America" but that was at least close to the team's historic title, so it was less of a problem to give parity of esteem to "Justice League Europe" (and even to "Justice League Antarctica"). But over at Marvel the Avengers retained their historic title and there were often periods when readers of that book might as well not have been aware of the existence of the West Coast title. Hopefully a major crossover based on the Avengers with both teams written by the same writer would not fall into this trap.

However this particular issue is focused more on getting its characters caught up in the crossover rather than advancing the wider plots, whatever Magneto and/or the mysterious lackey may think in the opening pages. One thing that does seem clear is that the lackey isn't Immortus (not that he was a strong suspect anyway), who is shown operating his own schemes to eliminate alternate timelines as part of some unspecified plan involving the Scarlet Witch. Otherwise we have an issue in which various characters are still coming to terms with recent events, with the Scarlet Witch having suffered a breakdown due to recent events, the Vision determining to switch to the east coast team and the Human Torch still coming to terms with learning about the death of his partner, Toro. Into this mix comes an attack by the U-Foes, a group who recently clashed with the east coast team but are predominantly obscure Hulk foes. Their mixed abilities mean they're a good match for this current crop of Avengers (Scarlet Witch, Vision, Original Human Torch, Wasp, Hank Pym and Iron Man) but ultimately the fight is set-up as a holding tactic to occupy the team until the U-Foes discover they've been set up whilst Hank discovers much bigger things are going on.

This isn't a bad issue for bringing the West Coast Avengers into the bigger event, but we've already had a lot of issues in the crossover (even if we stick to just publication dates a good dozen came out before this one) and a chapter written by the head writer in one of the main books really should be advancing the overall plot at this stage rather than still going through the preliminaries.

Avengers West Coast #53 has been reprinted in:

• Avengers West Coast: Darker Than Scarlet (2008)
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Avengers West Coast: Darker then Scarlet (Panini pocketbook, 2015)
• Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus (2016)

Marc Spector: Moon Knight 9 - Acts of Vengeance

The second chapter of Moon Knight's team-up with the Punisher unfortunately confirms the peripheral nature of the story, merely using the events of the wider crossover as an unseen backdrop to provide a motivation for Flag Smasher's choice of timing. Otherwise this tale could have been told entirely on its own without the crossover triangle on the corner and virtually nothing would be needed to change.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #9

Words: Charles Dixon
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Tom Palmer
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colours: Nel Yomtov
Edits: Danny Fingeroth
Chief: Tom DeFalco

Readers who paid more for this issue, either because of its higher cover price back in 1989 or subsequently on the back-issue market, might be understandably annoyed at being drawn in under such circumstances. (Those who've come to it via the crossover Omnibus probably don't mind do much as it's all in one package.) This disappointment is best stated upfront as there are clear opportunities for the leading villains to send someone after either Moon Knight or the Punisher, as we'll see in issues to come. But here it doesn't happen and so one's attitude to the issue is going to be determined by the circumstances in which they're coming to it.

With all that said the issue itself is a strong action piece focused on Moon Knight and the Punisher attacking the base of Ultimatum, a group of anti-nationalist terrorists led by Flag Smasher. There’s internal narration by the Punisher which helps focus on the contrasts between his methods and Moon Knight's. The latter may not be the strictly anti-killing crusader that many heroes the Punisher has encountered are, but he has standards against cold blooded murder and this brings disagreements between them. However Moon Knight's courage, skills and tactics all stand out and justifies the Punisher's respect for him, a respect that is not often given. Neither of them is especially tied to the ideals of a country so wisely time is not spent on protracted philosophical arguments with Flag Smasher about nationalities and borders. Instead this is a group of terrorists who need to be defeated and the pair step up to the task.

This is a good, strong issue of Marc Spector: Moon Knight that stands up well. But it must be conceded that as a chapter in the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover this story is peripheral that it could have easily appeared without the crossover banner and the only difference would have been to some people's wallets.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #9 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Marc Spector: Moon Knight 8 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue is quite an odd entry into the crossover as there's no direct sign of the wider plan. Both Moon Knight and Flag Smasher may mention all the conflict going on around them, but there's no sign of it here

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8

Words: Charles Dixon
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Tom Palmer
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colours: Nel Yomtov
Edits: Danny Fingeroth
Chief: Tom DeFalco

Instead both Moon Knight and the guest-starring Punisher drawn into conflict with Ultimatum as a consequence of their regular investigatory activities instead of Flag Smasher being assigned to deal with them. Perhaps that's just as well, as Flag Smasher and Ultimatum are terrorists devoted to overthrowing all the countries of the world, abolishing governments and borders and probably wouldn't be naturals to go along with a scheme headed by, amongst others, a deposed monarch seeking to regain his thrown and various ultra-nationalists. The result is that this doesn't really feel like a chapter in "Acts of Vengeance" and more like a routine issue of Moon Knight's series with both a guest star and a villain from another series (in this case Captain America). But then Moon Knight's successive series have never been especially noted for being conventional Marvel superhero titles.

None of the mystical elements of Moon Knight are present and instead he's presented as a nocturnal crime-fighter without powers, who is a rich man with strong business holdings by day and here operating with a sidekick whose father was killed. It's closer to the Batman model than on previous occasions and it makes for quite a strong team-up with the Punisher. Unfortunately much of the early part of the issue is taken up with the complications of Moon Knight's inexperienced sidekick Midnight, made worse by a failure to explain who he is to readers drawn in by the crossover until after he's been sent home. Too often crossover issues forget that they're going to be read by more than just the regular readership and should be trying to encourage the additional readers to stay around rather than leaving them confused.

Otherwise this is a pretty solid opening issue as Moon Knight and the Punisher track down a terrorist organisation first through the weapons chain and then through one of the financiers. There's a strong grittiness to this story that keeps things firmly grounded and on the level, taking the characters through a dark world. It isn't yet clear how this ties into the wider "Acts of Vengeance" crossover but otherwise it's on top form.

Marc Spector: Moon Knight #8 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Spectacular Spider-Man 159 - Acts of Vengeance

The next Spider-Man chapter in the saga sees him put up against the Brothers Grimm, one of the more obscure pairs of super-villains in Marvel. The original brothers first appeared in the original Spider-Woman series, but these are the second pair who have been used so sparingly that it's actually a surprise to find they consider Iron Man to be their arch foe. Meanwhile Spider-Man is continuing to explore his new powers and keeps thwarting the attempts of Doctor Doom to discover more about them.

Spectacular Spider-Man #159

Script: Gerry Conway
Breakdowns: Sal Buscema
Finishes: Mike Esposito
Lettering: Rick Parker
Colours: Bob Sharen
Edits: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is another issue that feels like it's treading water and isn't even fully in sync with other things happening. Early in the issue Spider-Man is astonished to discover that he can now fly, yet he discovered this power in the previous chapter of the sage (Amazing Spider-Man #327). It would have been so easy to modify this to his powers getting out of control again, but this part of the script hasn't been fixed. There are also a couple of subplots shown in the title, but both don't really advance. One sees another conversation about the possibility of getting Joe Robertson a pardon, but this is a storyline that has dragged out interminably and the angle of his lawyer being interested in a sleazy Daily Bugle photographer is something that we could just do without. Meanwhile J. Jonah Jameson has plans to launch a new photo journal magazine in order to get himself back into news publishing and is trying to recruit Peter to the project. Although it has long-term possibilities, at the moment this just feels like a distraction.

The battle itself feels rather too much like a throwback to the Silver Age, but then this issue is written by the man who once did a story of Manhattan Island being stolen by terrorists and then dragged back into place by Hercules. So in this regard the Brothers Grimm using the Wizard's anti-gravity disks to raise the whole of Madison Square Gardens isn't the silliest thing to have appeared from Conway's pen (and Sal Buscema has certainly had to draw some nonsense in his time). But it's not only ludicrous but also highly repetitive after Graviton also used his powers to float a building in an earlier chapter in the same arc. "This is getting ridiculous" declares Spider-Man but "getting" is the wrong word. Spider-Man's powers continue to be difficult to control, as shown when he declares he's taking charge, only to immediate overact and destroy yet another of Doctor Doom's spy cameras when he wanted to examine it.

It is an unfortunate case that this storyline feels insufficient for the number of issues assigned to it. Consequently we're getting inconsequential chapters that do next to nothing to really advance the story and just show the problems of having too many series for a character all trying to tell the same tale. If this was a deliberate attempt to show why the three books should be running their own stories (as indeed they largely did for the next three years) then it proved the point. However I think it instead reached that by accident.

Spectacular Spider-Man #159  has been reprinted in:

• Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures (1993)
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Cosmic Adventures (2013)

Quasar 5 - Acts of Vengeance

If there's one hero more than any other for whom it would have been easy to find foes he hasn't fought before it must surely have been Quasar. Relatively little used in his first few years before disappearing into the limbo of outer space for another five or so, his series had only going a few months when "Acts of Vengeance" came along.

Quasar #5

Story: Mark Guenwald
Pencils: Paul Ryan
Inks: Danny Bulanadi
Letters: Janice Chiang
Colours: Paul Becton
Editor: Howard Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Such is his newness to the scene that despite being a member of the Avengers he still has to explain who he is to security guards as he goes. He's also still working out how to juggle the various aspects of his life, including getting his day job business off the ground. This series was quite a personal project of writer Mark Gruenwald and the care and attention they give shows.

The first half of the issue concentrates on Quasar's Avengers activities as he works with Stingray on salvaging equipment from the sunken Avengers Island, followed by the joys of civilian life. Meanwhile the mysterious stranger at the heart of the conspiracy recruits the Absorbing Man to the scheme and gives him the power to fly by hurling his ball and chain. It's curious to see this task handled by the stranger when up to now he's largely focused on bringing the six lead villains together, but it's noticeable that he both has the power to upgrade the Absorbing Man's abilities and also knows where to find him when the latter has pulled himself from the muck in a lake. The Absorbing Man is one of the most flexible foes in the entire Marvel universe because his ability to take on the properties of whatever substance he touches means that he can reach whatever power level is necessary to provide a serious challenge. Here that becomes especially so as he absorbs the properties of variously a piece of adamantium, Quasar's energy constructs and then the quantum bands.

Quasar is competent but lacking knowledge and experience of his foe, making for quite a classic encounter in the event since the lack of knowledge proves critical. Consequently he inadvertently screws up in allowing the Absorbing Man access to critical power and then has to watch in horror as his foe absorbs a potentially explosive power then heads towards a city, resulting in a critical dilemma for Quasar as he has to work hard to stop a major explosion in a populated area. It's a tough call for him, though in the aftermath Captain America relieves some of the guilt by providing some critical knowledge that suggests things didn't quite go as Quasar thought.

This is pretty much the quintessential first issue of a title's contribution to a big crossover. It introduces the hero and his world in a way that's easily accessible for new readers without becoming a drag, takes the basic premise of the crossover and applies it to logical characters, then gives us a strong confrontation. Often crossover issues forget that they're also serving as a sampler for the series, but this one instead rises to the challenge.

Quasar #5 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Quasar Classic Volume 1 (2012)

Amazing Spider-Man 327 - Acts of Vengeance

We continue with the storyline of Spider-Man's new cosmic powers, which here see both an increase in their development as he discovers how to fly and a step-up in the foes available as he clashes with Magneto.

Amazing Spider-Man #327

Writer: David Michelinie
Penciler: Erik Larsen
Inker: Al Gordon
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Father Figure: Jim Salicrup
Grandfather Figure: Tom DeFalco

So far in the Spider-Man portion of the crossover it's been easy to spot the hierarchy of the three titles, with Amazing Spider-Man inevitably the flagship and carrying such a major encounter, in contrast to Web of Spider-Man which can barely struggle to justify its existence. But the result is that here we get a very strong chapter as Spider-Man contemplates the effects of "with great power comes great responsibility" as he now faces even greater power and realises the consequences, most significantly when he whips up a super bat to knock a car out into the water, only to subsequently discover it's hit a cruise ship. Spider-Man's new powers continue to attract the attention of the media and in turn the leaders of the alliance, where I do wonder why the Kingpin is drawn at such an exaggerated size. Both Doctor Doom and Magneto have their own interests and plans and as a result the Master of Magnetism goes to investigate, leading to the first big fight between a hero and one of the leaders of the alliance.

"Acts of Vengeance" came out during a particularly protracted struggle within Marvel over the portrayal of Magneto. Over the course of nearly a decade Chris Claremont had steadily developed the character beyond a traditional villain into a more complex anti-hero. It was a development that wasn't popular with all Marvel creators and from time to time there were would be some quite pointed conflicts for control of the character. Magneto's role in the crossover is one of the most traditional, using him in a way that he could just as easily have been used back in the Silver Age along with all the other traditional big-name foes, but it does seem odd when considering his position as a fighter for mutants against humans to see him instead allying with humans. Here we get the first attempt to rationalise the situation when Magneto thinks of the arrangements as an alliance of convenience as part of his long-term preparations, and his interest in Spider-Man's powers comes through consideration of the coming war. It's somewhat stilted but it shows the problems of having a character written by conflicting sub-committees. Magneto is wondering if Spider-Man is a late developing mutant but soon concludes not, given the multitude of powers displayed which seems a little odd given the power set of some of the most powerful mutants around. Although Spider-Man and Magneto met in Secret Wars, I can't recall any particular fight between them there or find any other prior clash in the comics. (They had, however, clashed in both 1981 cartoons, the Spider-Man solo series and Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, but those aren't part of the canon.)

The issue continues some good characterisation for Spidey as he discovers what he can about his powers and tries to gain an idea of how to control them, including through a meeting with his old friend Flash Thompson who has now become a professional boxer and faces the same dilemma of potentially hurting others. Meanwhile Mary Jane starts her job as a soap opera actress, playing a character who tries to commit adultery with a doctor and contemplates what impact the nature of her role will have on her marriage. This is effectively the start of Erik Larsen's run drawing the title, having done one chapter of an earlier saga, though as noted the switch-over from McFarlane is not a clear-cut changeover.

All in all this is a strong entry in both the cosmic powers saga and the wider crossover, showing how to use Spider-Man's powers to set up fights with foes on a level he's never been able to reach before.

Amazing Spider-Man #327 has been reprinted in:

• Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures (1993)
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Cosmic Adventures (2013)

Incredible Hulk 363 - Acts of Vengeance

Oh, well that makes tons of sense. You hate this guy, so you attack some other guy. Cripes, what a dopey plan.

Incredible Hulk #363

Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Jeff Purvers
Inker: Marie Severin
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colourist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Lord-High-Everything-Else: Tom DeFalco

Some of the regular Marvel series did not participate in "Acts of Vengeance" as much as others. In some cases this was because the timing of the event clashed at least in part with ongoing multi-part storylines. But also the crossover was clearly not popular with every writer, as seen by the way various characters are openly dismissive of the whole scheme. Both these problems come up with Incredible Hulk, which was about to start the four-part "Countdown" storyline and so consequently only contributes a single issue to the wider event. And Peter David clearly did not like the premise, with the Hulk voicing his views in the quotes above. David was now in the third year of what turned out to be an eleven and a half year run on the series and so in a position of strength. He's also had quite a number of run-ins with John Byrne over the years. So it's unsurprising to find him making his views on "Acts of Vengeance" firmly known and, as we'll see, he was not the only writer to do so.

The issue itself comes from the "Joe Fix-It" period where Bruce Banner is now once more changing to the Hulk at night and reverting at daybreak (as dramatically demonstrated at the start when the Hulk goes leaping at night without realising how soon daybreak is coming, with the result he starts transforming back whilst falling from a great height), with the Hulk being a normal intelligence grey skinned being who has been working as an enforcer in the Las Vegas underworld. As ever Bruce is trying to find a way to cure himself of the Hulk, working undercover as a janitor at a nuclear research centre. Yet again Doctor Doom handles the allocation of a villain to attack the title's star, in this case the Grey Gargoyle whose touch can turn objects to stone. It's a fairly straightforward application of the crossover's premise, even if both hero and villain have their doubts about it. The fun comes as the Gargoyle discovers his power may work on Banner but has rather less effect on the Hulk.

There's a good explanation given for why "no one told the Hulk" but the effect is limited by the colouring. When a character is grey, is turned into a grey substance and is operating at night when the lighting and shadows make a lot of things look grey, it can be a little hard to tell exactly what form the Hulk is in at key moments, especially when the Gargoyle tries to destroy what is, apparently, a stone Hulk. There're a few minor points when the colouring fails to show the gloves the Gargoyle's hands when he's in human form and as this is pretty fundamental for the way his powers work it's the sort of error that can add to the confusion in the story. The result weakens the fight scenes in spite of the running commentary and the pretty brutal way the Hulk neutralises the Gargoyle at the end.

This is an issue that is quite open about how a crossover event has turned up to get in the way of things and at times feels like it's on autopilot, just doing the bar minimum to meet its obligations to the line. It's one that can quite easily be missed.

Incredible Hulk #363 has been reprinted in:

• Incredible Hulk Visionaries: Peter David Volume 4 (2007)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Iron Man 252 - Acts of Vengeance

The next Iron Man issue once more sees Iron Man take on a foe whose powers make for a pretty even match but whom he hasn't encountered before. Chemistro had been previously confined to battling Luke Cage in his various identities but now gets greater exposure. There's also a small power enhancement as the Wizard has turned the alchemy gun into wrist blasters, making Chemistro harder to disarm.

Iron Man #252

Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Al Milgom
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colourist: Paul Becton
Editor: Howard Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is in fact the third Chemistro, brother to the first who has reformed and now works for Stark Prosthetics. Unfortunately this leads to a little confusion at times because the story isn't always certain which of the Carr brothers is Curtis and which is Calvin, with the names leaping back and forth. There's element of sibling rivalry to the tale as the younger brother and current Chemistro aims to come out from his brother's shadow by disposing of Iron Man but he's also a mercenary for hire. Indeed such is his business approach that when Iron Man gets angry about the cost of the damage to the compound, Chemistro turns a building into gold as reimbursement. The ability to change the elements in an object is a strange power but given an explanation here of being generated a form of radiation that's never been duplicated. As pseudoscience explanations go, it's far from the worst in the Marvel universe.

Iron Man finds himself battling a foe who can both easily destroy his armour and trap him with a single blast, thus requiring a lot of ingenuity to overcome and defeat the villain. He's helped by the loyalty of those around him, most notably the elder Carr brother and James "Rhodey" Rhodes, showing how far Iron Man is from the obnoxious jerk he has been portrayed as from time to time. There are also some good moments for Tony Stark out of the armour, in one case literally so when the armour is turned to lead and then destroyed with acid, resulting in Tony in just his underwear having to hitch-hike his way back to the office.

Although the action scenes mean the plot is somewhat slight, this is still a pretty solid issue that continues to show the lead character and title in a favourable light whilst finding a credible foe for him to battle. It also does a good job at explaining his absence from the other Avengers during the "Acts of Vengeance" so far.

Iron Man #252 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Iron Man Epic Collection: Doom (2018)