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 Still Mary's out of date information proves critical.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)