Power Pack 53 - Acts of Vengeance

Another series whose contribution to the crossover is limited is Power Pack. At this point the book came out about every six weeks, had just come through a big storyline in which the children's powers were switched around again and was in a period of creative flux with a succession of fill-in writers including Terry Austin on this issue alongside Ernie Colon drawing his only contribution to the title.

Power Pack #53

Words: Terry Austin
Pictures: Ernie Colon
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colours: Glynis Oliver
Managing Edits: Sara Tuchinsky
Edits: Daniel Chichester
Big Edits: Tom DeFalco

Once again, we find Doctor Doom overseeing an attack on a particular set of heroes, though this time it comes in the form of a report back as he puts Typhoid Mary on a psychiatrist's couch. Since Doom has engaged a mentally unstable psychotic to discover the secrets of the Kymellian technology before killing the Power children, only to have her pursue an alternative course, perhaps the wrong villain is on the couch. It's also notable that Doom, through the Kingpin's files, has had no problem in locating the children, a sign of how they've let their secret identity slip.

At its heart, Power Pack is about a close family and sometimes the greatest threats come from those who would break up the family. Despite the ages of its protagonists (traditionally between five and twelve), this is a series that has never shied away from the darkness of the world around them. So Typhoid Mary may seem a bizarre choice of villain to pitch against them but her style in infiltrating, beguiling and then destroying proves to be the perfect approach for the crossover, if not perhaps for Doctor Doom. It is a little strange though to see her interacting with Alex almost like a girlfriend given their respective ages, though some twelve-year olds are surprisingly tall. Her attempts on the Powers' father are stronger, although a little undermined by Colon's almost cartoon style.

If there's a disappointment to this issue it's that coming straight after the children have switched powers again there should be more acknowledgement of the inexperience of Alex, Jack and Katie (Julie has regained the lightspeed powers again) beyond Alex thinking how he's never tried a particular trick that Julie mastered with the density powers. Still Mary's out of date information proves critical.

Despite this issue not better acknowledging its place in the overall series framework, this is nonetheless a more than okay chapter in the crossover, although let down a little by the art.

Power Pack #53 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger 9 - Acts of Vengeance

It's not hard to guess which of the leaders' alliance is most used in "Acts of Vengeance". And once again Doctor Doom is shown to have carried out at least the initial commissioning of the villains (though he subcontracts the details to the Jester). But it's astonishing to see that the lesser villain used more than any other is Hydro Man. Never one of the big-name Spider-Man villains, he somehow keeps getting picked for inclusion in groups across the event, even though he gets captured each time.

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #9

Script: Terry Austin
Art: Mike Vosburg
Backgrounds: Don Cameron
Letters: James Novak
Colours: Glynis Oliver
Pin-Up Art: Mark Texiera, Howard Chaykin, Charles Vess, John Byrne and Walt Simonson
Editor: Carl Potts
Chief: Tom DeFalco

This is an extra-large issue that sees a team-up with the Avengers with a twist. For some reason, perhaps because they've been seen fighting Spider-Man a few times, Cloak and Dagger have turned up not on the central alliance's list of heroes to dispose of but instead on a list of potential villains to recruit. And thus the Jester has come to add them to a team that will attack an Avengers public meeting.

This is a new Jester, who has taken on the role after the original retired to become an actor. Using a new version of a villain, especially in such a key role, feels so detached from the principles of "Acts of Vengeance" that it seems most likely the Jester was picked for use and drawn into at least the previous issue before someone realised the character was no longer available and so an explanation was hurriedly worked into the script to work around the mistake. The rest of the team assembled are pretty obscure foes of limited powers, including the Rock, the Fenris twins and a robot of the Hulk. The "Assembly of Evil" isn't a complete walkover but ultimately proves not much more than a nuisance. Either Cloak and Dagger and/or the villains who declined to join, such as Typhoid Mary and the Leader, were critical missing elements or else the real target was not the Avengers themselves but rather their reputation. One of the underused themes of the crossover is the public debate about whether the super-heroes make sure safer or more dangerous for their ordinary public and a crossover in which numerous villains are attacking the heroes should provide plenty of fuel for the debate. But instead this aspect has not been used so much outside the Fantastic Four issues and so the wider backdrop is lacking here.

Going for a team-up also means a trick has been missed. Cloak and Dagger normally have gritty street level adventures against non-costumed foes and are generally isolated from much of the wider Marvel universe, so this crossover could have provided an opportunity to face them off against some bigger name established villains. But unfortunately that opportunity has not been taken and so instead we have a team-up that somewhat crowds out the stars of the book, with a somewhat lightweight fight that at times has elements of slapstick, particularly in the scenes with She-Hulk and both the Hulk robot and the Jester.

Overall this is a rather disappointing issue. It doesn't feel worthy of either a double-sized issue or of being Cloak and Dagger's sole participation in the crossover. All round it feels like a set of wasted opportunities.

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #9 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger 8 - Acts of Vengeance

Cloak and Dagger was a bimonthly series (ignore the cover dates on the issues discussed here) and so was always going to be limited in its contribution to the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover. However it managed to squeeze in an extra issue by adding the banner "Prelude to Vengeance" on issue #8 which came out before the start of the crossover, though it leads directly into issue #9, hence its placement in the order here.

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #8

Script: Terry Austin
Art: Mike Vosburg
Backgrounds: Don Cameron
Letters: Ken Bruzenak
Colours: Glynis Oliver
Bachelor-Editor-No-More: Carl Potts
Chief: Tom DeFalco

Unfortunately this was probably a mistake if the intention was to draw in extra readers. This issue is almost entirely the conclusion of an existing storyline that's somewhat difficult to dive into, not least because Cloak has been apparently killed off and his cloak of darkness is now warned by the villain Ecstasy. It's also not clear why these book is entitled "The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger" - in their origin they got their powers from a reaction to drugs and they're not so well known that the mutant connection is obvious. It feels as though Marvel was trying to capitalise on the popularity of the mutant titles by sticking "Mutant" onto as many covers as they could get away with.

Most of the characters seen watching on the cover either only appear in the last panel or not at all. Instead we get a tale on multiple levels as the original Cloak finds himself in a normalised world with a family and day job, but is haunted by seeing the same blonde woman everywhere he looks. Elsewhere Dagger is one of a group of hostages in a bank robbery led by the Crimson Daffodil, a swarve criminal with the power of persuasion but also an utterly inept group of henchmen. Meanwhile the Kingpin has hired an assassin called the Disciplinarian to locate and kill Ecstasy. The plot strands all converge on the bank in a showdown that sees Cloak and Dagger reunited. The "Acts of Vengeance" connection comes right at the end in an epilogue as visitors come to the church where Cloak and Dagger hang out, but it's entirely a trailer for events next issue.

As an individual issue of the series this is fairly okay, but an issue luring in extra readers because of a crossover really needs to do a lot more to explain what's going on and why the status quo is different from the best known. One suspects that "Prelude to Vengeance" got simply slapped on the cover in hope of a sales boost rather than the story being explicitly constructed for it. This is not one to go to great lengths to seek out.

The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger #8 has been reprinted in:

• Nowhere at all it seems.

Quasar 7 - Acts of Vengeance

There's a handful of issues that don't have an "Acts of Vengeance" banner that nevertheless form part of the crossover. One such is Quasar #7 in which the cosmic Avenger encounters the cosmic powered Spider-Man. The two have met before, back in the days of Marvel Team-Up before Quasar went off into space for years, but we now get Spider-Man's only interaction with any other hero whilst he has his powers (the Hulk of this era doesn't count). It's reasonably self-contained, which is probably why it's been left out of all the Spider-Man based collections of the cosmic storyline.

Quasar #7

Writer: Mark Guenwald
Penciler: Mike Manley
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colourist: Paul Becton
Editor: Howard Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

In spite of the lack of a crossover banner, we get a foe that neither have fought before, Terminus, the alien destroyer of worlds. There's no link to the alliance of leading super-villains, just a menace that has resurfaced from where it was trapped and setting out to devastate the Earth. Earlier we get the almost obligatory fight between super-heroes when Quasar investigates Spider-Man as part of a mission to check all aliens on Earth in order to find the one predicted to kill his mentor Eon. Spider-Man has no time for this and lashes out, firmly explaining he doesn't need help to find out what's going on.

But despite this, Spidey responds to a call for help later on when Quasar discovers Terminus coming close to attacking New York and quickly realises he can't deal with the menace on his own. Thor is unavailable and the offered Captain America would be no use, but Spidey's strength comes in handy. Spider-Man has his doubts, but Quasar knows what buttons to press by pointing out the webslinger claims to now be the strongest man on Earth and has friends and family in the city.

Given the scale of the menace that Terminus threatens, it's a rather quick dispatch and suggests the primary purpose of the story is to move the planet wrecker into a particular position in preparation for a forthcoming larger story. As a result this story is quick and inessential.

Quasar #7 has been reprinted in:

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

Punisher 28 - Acts of Vengeance

It's easy to forget that there was a time when the Kingpin was the Punisher's greatest living foe. Yet it makes perfect sense for a leading crime lord to not only repeatedly have his operations disrupted by a persistent vigilante but also that he would take action to try to neutralise that problem. However the relationship between the Kingpin and the Punisher is very different from the former's with both Spider-Man and Daredevil. It is much more a business arrangement with the Punisher an operating liability that proves difficult to remove, rather than the personalised struggles elsewhere. But not everyone realises this and so it results in the Punisher being targeted by Doctor Doom.

Punisher #28

Writer: Mike Baron
Penciler: Bill Reinhold
Inker: Mark Farmer
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colourist: John Wellington
Editor: Carl Potts
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Time and again throughout this crossover there's a real sense of hostility between at least some of the leading villains (others don't get much panel time together) to the point that they're trying not just to defeat the heroes but to demonstrate that they can succeed where others have failed. Doctor Doom has been used rather a lot in this crossover but most of the time he's been organising the lesser ranks of villains or operating from afar. It's a slightly shocking move to see him taking on a foe directly, even if he is doing it through Doombots.

The idea of the Punisher fighting Doctor Doom at first sounds about as silly as, well, Daredevil versus Ultron but that hasn't stopped this crossover from doing such things. This story features very much the scientific dictator side of Doom rather than the more fantastical, with the deposed monarch deploying a Doombot, mercenaries, a tank and even a pair of fighter planes. It does actually score damage in destroying both the Punisher's van and one of his warehouses but it's all ridiculous overkill, showing how arrogance and rivalry can drive a determined individual to go to extreme lengths.

The Punisher is also a determined man and a canny one. Rapidly realising he can't fight off all the resources of Doom and he can't easily kill someone who operates through an army of duplicate robots, he decides to instead steal something that Doom values and use it to force the doctor to back off. This results in him and Microchip going hiking through the mountains of Latveria in lederhosen, a sight rarely seen. However when he reaches Doom's castle he soon discovers there's more to his new foe than meets the eye.

There's a sense of absurdity to both the Punisher's adventures and to the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover as a whole so a story in which he's targeted by one of the biggest villains in the Marvel universe isn't actually that surprising, especially given the nature of the rivalries amongst the key villains. And Frank's response is perfectly logical. There's plenty of fun imagery in the story, from the hiking to the Punisher's rocket pack, making for a good action packed first parter that sets up a strong conflict on multiple levels.

Punisher #28 has been reprinted in:

• Essential Punisher volume 3 (2009)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Web of Spider-Man 61 - Acts of Vengeance

We come now to the penultimate Spider-Man issue in the crossover, though we'll be seeing Spidey rather more than just one further time in this crossover. However this chapter has all the hallmarks of a filler designed to mark time.

Web of Spider-Man #61

Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Alex Saviuk
Inker: Keith Williams
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

As noted before, Web of Spider-Man was often the series that didn't seem to know just why it was there and this especially shows here as we get a chapter putting the hero through a classic cycle of quitting his role only to come running back at pretty much the first sign of trouble. It's easy to lose track just how many times this has been done with Spider-Man now. Sometimes it works as part of a broader plot or even relaunch. But at other times it becomes all too simple a plot device. There is admittedly the added complication that he's struggling to handle the additional powers he's gained, but Peter should know all too well by now that no matter how often he tries, he can never ditch the web slinging for good. And it seems his foes know this as well, with both the Kingpin and Doctor Doom doubting the Wizard's reports of what he's heard. Nevertheless the Wizard decides to use a discarded mask as a scent to send Dragon Man to find and destroy Spidey.

(Noting the continuity errors surrounding the leading villains can be tiresome but two things stand out here. Firstly it's not clear how the Wizard could just casually bring Dragon Man to the meeting room and hide him behind a curtain, especially given the Red Skull's failure to bring the Controller into the room. And the Mandarin is wearing his hideous bare-chested costume rather than the blue armour he donned nearly a year earlier and which he wears in most of his other appearances in the crossover.)

The actual fight with Dragon Man is extremely straightforward with Spidey ultimately just exhausting the android's flames before webbing it up, though it's good to see a positive reaction from the people he's saved. But otherwise this issue advances a number of plots, with Doctor Doom trying to assimilate the energy that Tess One absorbed from Spider-Man, a plan that worries the mysterious stranger who assembled the villains. Doom's plans reach a conclusion here but it's such an anti-climax it's as though developments in the main parts of the crossover were suddenly brought up, necessitating a speedy resolution. Elsewhere we get a scene with Mary Jane and her bulimic cousin Kristy. This was a storyline that seems to have started out with good motives, though appears to have been targeting a non-existent part of the audience and so fizzled out. It's a pity as one of the features of Peter and Mary Jane's marriage should have been to introduce complications from the in-laws but Kristy seems to have been about the only one ever used and fading out fast rather than hanging around a good while and becoming another obstacle for the secret identity to navigate.

This issue is clearly just marking time before the conclusion of the cosmic powers story and it's a pity, though it continues to confirm the problems of giving one hero three titles with relatively little to distinguish them.

Web of Spider-Man #61  has been reprinted in:

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

Spectacular Spider-Man 160 - Acts of Vengeance

The cover of this issue demonstrates one of the more irritating features of early 1990s Marvel covers - slapping a "TM" next to just about every single named character. Did someone genuinely think that Shocker (TM), Rhino (TM) and/or Hydro Man (TM) would one day star in their own series and they needed protection just in case?

Spectacular Spider-Man #160

Script: Gerry Conway
Art: Sal Buscema
Lettering: Rick Parker
Colour: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

It's also another sign of the continuing discontinuity between the Gerry Conway written issues and the rest of the crossover as the Shocker has already been taken down in an earlier Fantastic Four issue and Hydro Man appears in one that went on sale the same day as this one. Conway's handling of continuity hasn't always been the best and it can sometimes create awkward story points - two that spring to mind in this era are the changing of the nature of the clones that then had to sort out explaining the Carrion saga and revealing that Mary Jane had known Peter was Spider-Man right from the start which does significantly alter the understanding of their relationship. In this regard his use of foes being used elsewhere and continuing to present the core alliance operating in a different manner from the rest of the crossover aren't such major things, but they do stand out when read altogether.

Such is the nature of Spider-Man's powers that even though the three villains are prominent on the cover, inside they're taken down in just two pages. But his powers are making him cocky and not realising how the public is turning against him because of the sheer destruction that comes from his fights. Into this mess comes Doctor Doom's latest tool, Tess One, a Second World War era android built for Total Elimination of Super-Soldiers. The backstory is interesting as it shows that during the war the government was concerned about the creation of super-humans and wanted safeguards in place lest their creations turn on them. One of the big missed opportunities of the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover has been the failure to really play up in a consistent way the public concerns about the dangers of having such powers in their midst. Doom receives a message that Magneto and the Kingpin are concerned about attitudes in Congress, but other than the odd reference like this there isn't a great deal of attention given outside of the Fantastic Four issues. Thus Spider-Man's actions and the fear it creates almost operates in a vacuum. It seems he'll get renewed attacks as J. Jonah Jameson steps up his plans to launch a new magazine with sleazy photography Nick Katzenberg supplying the crucial photographs. (The scenes here are made worse by comments about Katzenberg dating a lawyer. There's a bit too much information.)

Spider-Man's powers continue to grow, with a hint of their origin as he starts to be drawn with the aura of another being around him and hears whispering in his ear. The actual fight with Tess One is a walkover as Doom expected, but it extenuates Spidey's cockiness with the public getting increasingly scared of the menace. Even Mary Jane is getting concerned, leading to a row. Sal Buscema continues to draw some amazing scenes, with Spidey's destruction of Tess One doing well to convey the sheer power involved.

This storyline has had some weaker moments due to its length but is clearly now building towards a climax with a more logical progression of events. Despite some minor poor continuity, this issue is overall a good instalment that brings the series back on form.

Spectacular Spider-Man #160  has been reprinted in:

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

Amazing Spider-Man 328 - Acts of Vengeance

This is the last issue of the series drawn by Todd McFarlane and it's not hard to spot his is the greater influence on the story than David Michelinie. The issue is devoted to a fight between Spider-Man and the Hulk, whom McFarlane had previously drawn at Marvel. It could well have been his final issue at Marvel overall, and thus going out by drawing both the characters he'd made his name on would stand as a strong legacy. (Instead he succeeded in getting to draw and script a new Spider-Man series but that's another matter.)

Amazing Spider-Man #328

Writer: David Michelinie
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colour: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

McFarlane's art is a pretty polarising subject. As someone who discovered it long after the event for me it's always been a part of Spider-history rather than an active debate but it's certainly very different from the house style that came before and indeed which both Sal Buscema and Alex Saviuk use on the Spectacular Spider-Man and Web of Spider-Man issues here. It works well enough, though it does seem to be pushing Spider-Man in an ever-darker direction reminiscent of other heroes, something the script picks up on with a scene where Spidey lifts up a criminal who asks, "Who are you?!?" and the reply begins "I'm Bat..." Well it was 1989 but it’s another needless homage. The cover is also a little odd in that Spider-Man seems to be lifting the Hulk up by his genitals, perhaps explaining the latter's bright green tongue.

The main plot is driven by the committee of villains having made an offer to Sebastian Shaw, recently deposed from the Hellfire Club. Shaw has the mutant ability to absorb energy and use it to enhance his strength and speed, which might have made him a good match for Spidey earlier in the storyline when the powers were still slowly developing. However here it would be a one-sided walkover - and Shaw realises as much, noting that Magneto is involved and suspecting this is really an attempt to dispose of an enemy once and for all. So Shaw instead hires the Hulk to do the job.

This is still the grey Hulk with a mercenary aspect and he accepts the task, though the battle is constrained by the sun rising hours earlier in New York than Las Vegas, with the result that the initial confrontation is aborted when he starts turning into Banner. The following night things are more brutal, with the Hulk seemingly larger than usual and Spidey really not wanting to hurt him until two children are threatened, resulting in a memorable single punch that knocks the Hulk into orbit. Comic fans have long debated who would win in a fight between Superman and the Hulk and at the time this would appear to be the nearest substitute given the difficulties of arranging inter-company crossovers. The point is even more explicit with one of the children commenting that Spidey needs a cape.

As a final bow out for such an influential artist this issue could have just been an indulgent fight between the two Marvel characters he was best known for. But this also works well in advancing the storyline as Spidey faces increasingly powered foes whilst also adding a new element to the mix in Shaw's interests in the powers. This keeps the storyline flowing well.

Amazing Spider-Man #328 has been reprinted in:

• Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures (1993)
• Spider-Man Legends: Todd McFarlane volume 3 (2004)
• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane Omnibus (2011)
• Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Cosmic Adventures (2013)

What The--?! 6 - Acts of Vengeance

Marvel has a long history of self-parody strips and comics, ranging all the way back to Not Brand Echh in the 1960s. Its main series in the late 1980s and early 1990s was What The--?!, which had a 26 issue run over five years with even the schedule a parody at times, coming out monthly, bimonthly, quarterly and appearing at random times. Issue #6 came out during a big event and parodies it with 'Everybody vs. Everybody Else in "SMACKS OF VENGEANCE!"'

What The--?! #6

Written and pencilled by: John Byrne ("Smacks of Vengeance")
Inked by: Terry Austin ("Smacks of Vengeance")
Lettered bu: Rick Parker ("Smacks of Vengeance")
Coloured by: Mike Rockwitz ("Smacks of Vengeance")
Co-Writer: Doug Rice ("Origin of the Pulverizer")
Co-Writer/Artist: Hilary Barta ("Origin of the Pulverizer")
Letterer: Willie Schubert ("Origin of the Pulverizer")
Colourist: Linda Lessmann ("Origin of the Pulverizer")
Writer: Howard Mackie ("Sore wants a Haircut!")
Penciler: Adam Blaustein ("Sore wants a Haircut!")
Inker: Chris Ivy ("Sore wants a Haircut!")
Letters: Brad K. Joyce ("Sore wants a Haircut!" and "Adventure into Boredom! Fear!")
Colourist: Ronn Stern ("Sore wants a Haircut!")
Story: Peter B. Gillis ("Adventure into Boredom! Fear!")
Pencils: Doug Rice ("Adventure into Boredom! Fear!")
Inks and most of the good jokes!: Hilary Barta ("Adventure into Boredom! Fear!")
Colours: Kelly P. Corvese ("Adventure into Boredom! Fear!")
Editors: Terry Kavanagh and Carl Potts
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

This eight-page strip doesn't go for a big spanking fest but rather justifies its title with an intro that explains the situation just "smacks of vengeance". In this parody there is a small invasion by villains from the Dee-See universe such as the Jokester, Sinestronie, Magilla Grod and Metal-Toe, causing problems for heroes such as Scaredevil, the Mighty Sore, Wrillimean and the Revengers, led by Chaplin America. There's even a cameo by Casper and Wendy from Harvey Comics before Chaplin America decides there are too many companies and throws them out. Most of the names are straightforward twists on the existing heroes such as Ironed Man, the Scarlet Wench, the Visionary, Wondrous Man, the Wisp and Buckeye, but calling Quasar's parody "Motorola" is a joke that doesn't work well without background knowledge. ("Quasar" is a brand of electronics originally from Motorola, but the name doesn't seem to have been used outside the US and Motorola sold the brand 15 years before this issue was published.)

This is mainly a strip full of gags but it also does something very surprising. There's a mystery villain who overstays their time in the One-Hour Lurking Zone and their identity is revealed. And, as we'll see later on, it's the identity of the mysterious stranger, published (according to Mike's Amazing World of Comics) three weeks before both regular comics that revealed it went on sale. It has to be said that the stranger's identity hasn't been too well disguised, but it's astonishing that a parody comic could do this even with the crossover's core writer at the helm. Maybe the schedule or the shipping got mixed up (a problem that has hit a lot of Avengers based crossovers over the years) or maybe the identity was considered so obvious as to not try to disguise it any further.

This issue also contains three other parody tales with an especial emphasis on some of the most popular characters and themes in comics at the time, and not just at Marvel. "Origin of the Pulverizer" takes a twist on the origin of the Punisher (starting with a scene in a park when a gang boss kicks a boy's dog into orbit) and throws in several elements from other series and characters, particularly Batman. But the moment that really made me sit up in surprise is the scene where the man who will become the Pulverizer sits contemplating how to instil terror into criminals only to be hit by a brick through the window which results in inspiration for his visual identity. I wonder if Doug Rice and Hilary Barta were aware of Lew Stringer's wonderful Brickman, which did the exact same joke over a decade earlier. In reverse, Stringer recalls that he was certainly aware of this:

Ha! Yes, I remember seeing this at the time, 11 years after I first did the gag. He drew it better than me, but I still think it's funnier if it smashes through the window. (Who'd throw a brick through an open window?)

— Lew Stringer (@lewstringer) November 9, 2017

"Sore wants a Haircut!" sees the character go to the barber's only to find it specialises in a particular style seen across multiple Marvel characters. "Adventure into Boredom! Fear!" sees a confrontation between the Man-Thang and the Swamp-Thang about their origin and the style of the words in their respective strips. The comic also mocks some of the adverts from bygone years, whether for Marvel merchandise or for toy weapons or dubious archaeological finds. There's even a back-page parody of the "build up your muscles to deal with bullies on the beach" adverts that throws in a parody of Thor for good measure.

All in all this is quite a fun little piece that playfully mocks Marvel and beyond, though at the time it would have lost marks for giving away the identity of the mysterious stranger. But beyond that it's good for what it is.

What The--?! #6 has been reprinted in:

• Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus (2016)

Stan Lee 1922 - 2018

I have just heard the news that Stan Lee has died. Has any single individual had more impact on the comics scene?

Rest In Peace and thank you for all your stories.

Web of Spider-Man 60 - Acts of Vengeance

Spider-Man's cosmic adventures continue as he faces ever bigger foes but also the curse of awkward continuity.

Web of Spider-Man #60

Writer: Gerry Conway
Penciler: Alex Saviuk
Inker: Keith Williams
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

A glance at the cover suggests that Alex Saviuk did not receive complete information about the lead villains in "Acts of Vengeance" as Magneto is depicted in the costume he wore for a few years in the mid to late 1980s rather than his more traditional garb which he had recently returned to. Inside Magneto is in the right costume but Gerry Conway  also seems to be somewhat misinformed as he writes the Kingpin, Dr Doom and Magneto as all working together out of a specific headquarters rather than meeting as a central committee and otherwise largely carrying out operations independently of one another as has happened elsewhere in the crossover so far (though some villains have been shown as rather more active than others). It wouldn't be the first or last time that a big crossover event saw inconsistency on the details, but these things do erode the ability to appreciate the story as a coherent whole.

Rather than simply finding a foe of the week for Spider-Man to fight before the other titles bring further developments, here we get some right now. Spider-Man now discovers he has the ability to fire energy blasts from his eyes whilst Doctor Doom finally manages to start analysing the cosmic powers. Peter also seeks Aunt May's advice about how to handle having power over life and death, a poignant subject for a woman whose fiancée (Nathan Lubensky) has a terminal heart condition. Amidst all this the latest goings on around the Daily Bugle as Thomas Fireheart continues to push a pro Spider-Man line seem trivial.

Once again Spider-Man has fought this issue's foe but not in this form. He's been Power Man, the Smuggler and now Goliath, with the complication that two of those names have also been used by heroes at various stages, but his previous fight with Spider-Man came before either of them received their current powers. And so we get a battle between a cosmically powered webslinger and a giant, then in the rematch later in the issue Goliath absorbs Spider-Man's energy blasts to grow ever larger, albeit at a risk to his heart. This story is taking on the concept of ever greater power quite well as Spider realises both he and Goliath are becoming ever greater dangers.

This chapter of the story is that surprisingly rare thing - an important issue of Web of Spider-Man. It shows that when a determined effort is made the series can turn in important developments and handle them in an effective style. It's just a pity there's a noticeable discontinuity between here and other parts of the crossover.

Web of Spider-Man #60  has been reprinted in:

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

Quasar 6 - Acts of Vengeance

Although not quite the newest hero around, Quasar's low profile and restricted field of operations before he got his own series means that he hasn't attracted much attention so far. At times he seems to be the only Avenger free to deal with menaces, whether the attack on Avengers Island or here. Being relatively inexperienced (though not unskilled - he's had Shield training), it also means that most villains will not have encountered him, thus it should be easy to find foes for him

Quasar #6

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

So it's a surprise that one of the four he encounters in this issue is Klaw the Master of Sound who he has clashed with before in his days as head of security at Project Pegasus, which even gets referenced. However this is partially explained away as he's the only Avenger available to go and round up escapees from the Vault as they show up, rather than any of the leaders of the alliance explicitly assigning them to deal with him. Klaw ultimately only appears over three pages and drops out of the action (literally) when another foe shows up. But even this is not the quickest with Venom, prominently advertised on the cover, taken out in just the first two pages. It can be easy to forget just how quickly Venom took off, having debuted less than two years earlier (and his appearance hasn't yet been refined by Erik Larsen), and this appears to be his first appearance outside the Spider-Man titles. A glance at the cover and issue suggests that the marketing department wanted Venom prominently highlighted on the cover, hence the addition to the cover, but both Mark Gruenwald and editorial didn't care much for him, hence the rapid dismissal.

The main action comes when the Living Laser shows up to free Klaw, only to find his energy tapped by Quasar, causing him to flee and end up on the Moon. There in the Blue Area they find the home of the Watcher before Quasar finds he's disturbed a burglary by the Red Ghost. It's good to see a mixture of foes and even a cosmic entity in the series, but the bitty nature of it suggests a plot rushed together that kept on having to add foes as there's nothing really linking Venom, the Living Laser and the Red Ghost beyond encountering Quasar. None of them appear to be part of the broader operation and the Red Ghost isn't even an escapee from the Vault. Instead we just get a random set of foes in the course of Quasar's adventure as though the series is having to mark time.

As a result this is a rather disappointing chapter in the saga. This is a pity as the series is being pushed as one of the core titles due to Quasar's involvement in the Avengers (hence its presence in the main Omnibus rather than the Crossovers), but it's a reminder that large crossovers can often demand more issues of a title than there are things to do.

Quasar #6 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Quasar Classic Volume 1 (2012)
• Spider-Man Vs. Venom Omnibus (2018)

Wolverine 20 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue continues Wolverine's adventures in the Latin American cliché of Terra Verde with the continued interference of Tiger Shark the only element from the wider event. Otherwise this is a middle parter of the story and very much an action driven one as La Bandera and her rebels try to free political prisoners from a medical centre with a side-line in experiments, whilst Wolverine and Tiger Shark each keep on coming back.

Wolverine #20

Writer: Archie Goodwin
Breakdown artist: John Byrne
Finishing artist: Klaus Janson
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colourist: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The issue opens with a strong sequence as Tiger Shark forces Wolverine into the depths of the sea and shoves his claws into a coral reef, leaving him unable to extract himself in the time before his air runs out. It's such a strong sequence that it really should have been the cliffhanger to the last issue instead of just Tiger Shark intercepting Wolverine as the latter fled the medical centre through the sea. It also confronts Wolverine's cockiness well as he initially thinks how he hasn't got a chance against Tiger Shark in the water and these are the sort of odds he likes. A pattern recurs through the issue as each fight makes it appear that the loser is doomed, only he comes back at an unexpected moment later on. Only at the end of the issue do we get a permanent conclusion to the conflict though Wolverine doubts his foe will be killed in the process.

The rest of the issue focuses on a battle with the military dictator who is using a special variant of cocaine combined with his ex-wife's mysterious healing powers to produce a super soldier for the country. Meanwhile La Bandera tries to free political prisoners and confront the dictator but enthusiasm for a rebellion is in somewhat short supply. There's also an indication that the real power is the president's adviser Geist, an aged Nazi who survived the war and went on to help various governments with secrets, acquiring cybernetic elements to his body in the process. However this element of the story is still mired in cliché and doesn't yet overcome it to provide an original spin.

Being the conclusion of the title's involvement in "Acts of Vengeance" but only a middle part on its own storyline means that this is an unsatisfactory issue for the crossover reader even though it confirms that excellent matches of heroes and villains can be made out of the basic premise. But otherwise it has too many cliched elements and leaves the event before sorting them out without being sufficiently gripping to stay around for the local storyline's conclusion.

Wolverine #20 has been reprinted in:

• Essential Wolverine volume 1 (1996)
• Wolverine Classic volume 4 (2006)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossover Omnibus (2011)
• Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus volume 1 (2016)

Wolverine 19 - Acts of Vengeance

We come now to what is surprisingly the first ever issue of Wolverine to take part in a crossover. In the early years of this series there was a real determination to ensure that this series stood on its own merits rather than merely feeding off events in Uncanny X-Men, with the result that Wolverine's solo adventures are largely set elsewhere. It notably did not take part in a number of crossovers between the other mutant titles such as "Inferno", "X-Tinction Agenda" and "X-Cutioner's Song" and may also have avoided having annuals to duck out of further crossovers. Consequently the first 74 issues of the title are almost their own beast, give or take the stories that build on revelations in Marvel Comics Presents. But this and the next issue are the exception to this rule, suggesting that either a Marvel-wide event could override the wishes of the X-Men editors or else having John Byrne as the artist on a series guaranteed its inclusion in a crossover he was heading. But notably Archie Goodwin manages to weave the crossover into an existing storyline so that it feels completely natural.

Wolverine #19

Writer: Archie Goodwin
Layouts: John Byrne
Finishes: Klaus Janson
Colourist: Mike Rockwitz
Letterer: Jim Novak
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The storyline itself concerns Wolverine's investigations into a cocaine supply line that's come into Madripoor, a Singapore-like city where he spends most of the early years of his solo series, with his old foe Roughhouse captured and experimented on. The cocaine has also been supplied to the United States, creating further complications. So when Wolverine arrives at the source, the Latin American country of Tierra Verde, he soon comes across Tiger Shark who's been sent to deal with the country's hero La Bandera. A brief cutaway scene establishes that the Kingpin has sent Tiger Shark both for revenge for disruption to his operations but also as part of the broader conspiracy. It's a sign of how easy it would be to cut the wider event from the storyline. As we'll come to more with the Uncanny X-Men issues, Wolverine has been officially considered dead and undetectable to equipment for a while now so he's one of the few heroes who it's natural to not target. Despite this, Tiger Shark is actually quite a good fit since one of Wolverine's biggest vulnerabilities is drowning and so a water-based foe presents a stronger challenge than usual.

Tierra Verde is a country that's cliché upon cliché. A Latin American country with a military dictatorship, rebellion openly forming in the streets, state involvement in international drug crime and an ex-Nazi operating in the country who actually says, "an embarrassing cliché, yes?" The concepts are so well-worn, especially at Marvel, that it makes one wonder if there are any other story types set in the region. This is La Bandera's first appearance and she quickly falls into the classic sidekick role of the young innocent girl contrasting with the experienced and cynical Wolverine. Otherwise as the first issue to see Wolverine in the country this is predominantly a scene-setter, with the complications of Tiger Shark getting in the way as Wolverine makes his way to the heart of the operation.

Although this is the third part of the overall saga, the scene shifting helps to make the issue sufficiently accessible for readers brought in via the wider crossover. The Kingpin sending someone to take down a previously never before seen hero may not be the biggest event going but given the odd set-up for the X-Men at the time it's understandably hard to arrange a more conventional conflict and Tiger Shark is a good match for Wolverine anyway. Overall this is not the most essential of chapters in the crossover but a good example of how to incorporate it into the regular flow of a title.

Wolverine #19 has been reprinted in:

• Essential Wolverine volume 1 (1996)
• Wolverine Classic volume 4 (2006)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossover Omnibus (2011)
• Marvel Universe by John Byrne Omnibus volume 1 (2016)

Daredevil 276 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue concludes the story of Daredevil's battle with Ultron. It continues the android's programming chaos as he struggles with the conflicting programming of his different incarnations and turns to a pagan religion, setting up a bizarre ritual with hundreds of his heads laid out to mark a pathway up a mound as he seeks to solve his "blasphemous" existence and the paradox of Number Nine being the perfect woman when absolute perfection is unachievable.

Daredevil #276

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

It's an almost terrifying examination of a fanatic struggling to adapt their beliefs to the reality of the world around them and of multiple personality disorder case trying to overcome the different voices to the point that Ultron actually starts tearing out wires in the hope of removing the troublesome circuits. It's made worse by the android retaining his inbuilt weaponry, such that Daredevil's attempt to crash a pick-up truck into him gets nowhere.

Understanding is a key part of this story. Daredevil's enhanced senses may mean that he can hear at a distance, but he doesn't truly understand that Ultron is trying to reform with the help of Number Nine by removing the murderous programming from his earlier selves. Instead he assumes that the android is going to kill the woman. The Inhumans Gorgon and Karnak are still around but the former doesn't contribute much beyond a few futile blows whilst the latter takes an inordinate amount of time to work out just what Ultron's vulnerable point is. Instead it's Ultron's own struggle that brings salvation, as he pulls up his head to expose the non-adamantium wiring inside, and thus making himself vulnerable to attack. This leads to the moment this issue is best known for - Daredevil knocking Ultron's head off with a stick.

Viewed in isolation the full-page panel must seem absurd, but within the story it makes sense that the android has weakened his own defences in an attempt to attack and remove his circuits, and Daredevil and Karnak have taken advantage of this to attack at the critical moment. But it's not a total victory as Number Nine has seen the good in Ultron and wants to rebuild him as the good being she heard.

On the surface of it, the idea of sending a powerhouse like Ultron against Daredevil seems like absurd overkill, although it was justified last issue by the rivalry between Doctor Doom and the Kingpin that leads to the former aiming for a quick, easy kill to show he can succeed where his fellow villain has failed. But the story works so well by making Ultron into a conflicted, vulnerable figure who reflects the wider themes of the series at the moment, showing the conflicts about perfection and societal programming. As a result the android's defeat is convincing and this makes for a good, strong piece.

Daredevil #276 has been reprinted in:

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