Avengers West Coast 54 - Acts of Vengeance

It had to happen. With John Byrne both writing and drawing the series and with the original Human Torch having returned, it was inevitable that there would be a cover homage to Fantastic Four #1. And this in turn drives the villains with the Mole Man appearing, accompanied by monsters such as Giganto (seen of the cover), Tricephalous and other beasts underground.

Avengers West Coast #54

Written and pencilled: John Byrne
Inked by: Paul Ryan
Coloured by: Bob Sharen
Lettered: Bill Oakley
Edited by: Howard Mackie
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Of course this brings up the slight problem that the Mole Man has actually fought the Avengers at least twice in the past, with first Iron Man and then the Scarlet Witch on the team. One could rationalise it that the alliance of super-villains regard the west coast Avengers as a separate team from the Avengers (for some members that would be a more hurtful blow than anything else), or that as the Scarlet Witch is comatose and Iron Man is publicly a replacement for the original then it's still an original encounter. It's notable that neither of these heroes actually get to meet the Mole Man himself. And the cover scene doesn't appear in the issue, but then again neither did that of Fantastic Four #1.

The story is based around an attack on Los Angeles by the Mole Man's creatures, with the west coast Avengers quickly scattered into several groups. Thus Iron Man sets out to remove Giganto to a safe distance, determined not to harm the creature despite the urgings of US Agent. Wonder Man and the original Human Torch investigate underground to meet with the Mole Man. And the Wasp and Hank Pym seek to protect the comatose Scarlet Witch whilst their qunijet is attacked by Tricephalous. Meanwhile Magneto observes events, unaware that he in turn is being monitored by the mysterious stranger. There's a slight twist on the regular approach of the crossover in that rather than approaching the Mole Man and offering him a trade of enemies, the leading super villains (or perhaps one amongst them) have instead provoked an attack by staging an assault on the Mole Man's Monster Island pretending to be the west coast Avengers, thus pushing him into reprisals.

This is a relatively straightforward chapter of the crossover that manages a good bit of variety to the structure of foes whilst staying true to the core concept. However this the fourth of the six issues of the two main Avengers titles and only the final page seems to advance the main storyline as the two Avengers teams compare notes and deduce that everything else is a distraction but they're under direct attack. This doesn't feel like the major step forward that the crossover needs at this stage.

Avengers West Coast #54 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)

Alpha Flight 80 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue is a combination of one big battle between three different factions and a massive infodump about Llan the Sorcerer and how he's been manipulating a lot of recent events in order to produce the necessary violence to generate a spell to open the "Eye of the World", also known as the "Gateway of Night", in order to access dark power.

Alpha Flight #80

Writer: James D. Hudnall
Penciler: John Calimee
Inker: Mike Manley
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Managing Editor: Marc McLaurin
Editor: Danny Fingeroth
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The first problem is that the magic used in the story is not made terribly clear in all circumstances. So whilst it's explained that the participants in the fight were all manipulated in order to produce the violence, it's not clear why this has to be done in Winnipeg, a city barely a hundred kilometres from the Canadian-US border and nowhere near the Eye's location way up in the north. If it's because somehow the violence has to be generated on Canadian soil, as the previous issue and Talisman's insistence that the villains be thrown out of the country implies, then it becomes especially silly as the idea ancient magics are tied to modern political entities within artificial boundaries (and it's hard to think of a bigger artificial boundary than the Canadian-US border) is just risible.

Quite a chunk of the story is taken up with the origin of Llan, but it feels a waste as he doesn't directly interact with the fight in Winnipeg. Instead this feels like preparation for future issues of the series which is great for regular readers but there's been nothing in these two issues to encourage people picking them up because of the crossover to hang around. The connection to events elsewhere is tangential to say the least and the choice of villains shows another sign of poor communication as the Owl has been used elsewhere in Fantastic Four and there's no explanation given for him being here as well. The battle itself is intense yet feels strangely inconsequential, with Talisman continuing to manipulate the other members of Alpha Flight to bring a conclusion.

Overall these issues feel very much like they were written parts of a regular ongoing saga then suddenly realised they had to take part in the crossover and so hastily pulled in a few villains from other series with a contrived explanation. The result is another extremely disappointing chapter that just doesn't feel a real part of "Acts of Vengeance" but rather a terrible advert for the current series.

Alpha Flight #80 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Alpha Flight 79 - Acts of Vengeance

We come now to the first issue of "Acts of Vengeance" featuring Canada's superhero team, Alpha Flight. Or maybe not quite, as this issue comes during a period when the team has been ordered to disband by the Canadian government and replaced by Gamma Flight. However the Alphas are still operating independently out of a new headquarters in Edmonton.

Alpha Flight #79

Writer: James D. Hudnall
Penciler: John Calimee
Inker: Mike Manley
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colourist: Bob Sharen
Managing Editor: Marc McLaurin
Editors: Carl Potts and Danny Fingeroth
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The problem is that this issue, written by James Hudnall and drawn by John Calimee, isn't very good at explaining the current status quo, with most of the key details coming on the penultimate page. And more generally there's not a great deal to introduce the team and explain who the current members are. Alpha Flight does not interact that much with the rest of the Marvel Universe due to their location and so prior knowledge cannot be assumed. Especially as this story implicitly suggests they have been forgotten by the alliance of supervillains since they aren't specifically targeted. Rather the main focus of this issue is about a load of nasty things coming into Canada from the United States, whether villains fleeing the Super-Powers Registration Act or pollution that's destroying the fish and wheat.

Unfortunately these elements seem awfully contrived. The pollution scenes feel especially tacked on - one is the opening page of the story, featuring characters not seen elsewhere, the other is in a field as Vindicator flies over. Both scenes just push the point of greater pollution being created by Canada's neighbour to the south, in an era when there was a sudden explosion in concern about the environment, but it feels overtly preachy. The villains coming as well isn't convincing either. As seen elsewhere, the Act is only draft legislation before the US Congress and most of the villains are high on wanted lists anyway. The story may be trying to evoke the Vietnam War draft dodgers who fled by moving to Canada but again feels odd. And the reaction from Talisman may be focused on the potential for the villains to become agents of some foe called the Sorcerer (another ongoing plot point that isn't explained for crossover readers) but the response is simply "we have to deport them" in an issue called "Outsiders". This attempt at Canadian eco-nationalist propaganda, written by someone from California, feels very awkward and stilted.

The villains in question are Nekra, the Scorpion, the Owl and the Asp, though the last two are only shown arriving on the final page. All are converging on Winnipeg and so Alpha Flight's Talisman starts transporting individual team members to pick the villains off one by one before they can unite. The fights soon attract the attention of Gamma Flight.

This is one of the weakest issues in the whole "Acts of Vengeance" crossover. There's no real attempt to introduce the current situation for readers brought in for the event (most of whom probably won't have stayed around), some terrible attempts at analogies, excessive preachy points in scenes that serve no other purpose and a rather random use of the cast. The result is a rather tedious slog.

Alpha Flight #79 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Punisher War Journal 13 - Acts of Vengeance

For some reason this issue lacks an "Acts of Vengeance" banner on the cover. Perhaps this is another sign of the series's original publication schedule which would have seen this issue come out either on the same day as the climax of the crossover or even a week later. But the issue, written by Carl Potts and drawn by David Ross at the start of a three-issue fill-in run (perhaps coinciding with Jim Lee doing a three-issue run on Uncanny X-Men), is definitely a part of the crossover, concluding the story of Bushwhacker being sent to take down the Punisher by the Kingpin as part of his ongoing squabble with Doctor Doom.

Punisher War Journal #13

Story: Carl Potts
Pencils: David Ross
Inks: Russ Heath
Letters: Jim Novak
Colours: Gregory Wright
Assistant Editor: Rob Tokar
Editor: Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The comparisons and contrasts continue, to the point that Bushwhacker's wife declares "You're both hypocrites -- so righteous in your roles -- you're two peas in a pod!" Bushwhacker certainly proves one of the toughest solo foes the Punisher has had to deal with so far, made worse by the latter having been caught off guard and he finds himself trapped in a part of a warehouse with only a spring-loaded ballistic knife. Bushwhacker isn't a simple killer though. He regards killing as an art and is obsessed with confession, a hangover from his days a priest. Thus he finds himself unable to simply kill the Punisher when he has him at his mercy. Ego repeatedly proves critical as Bushwhacker becomes determined to demonstrate his superiority. It's a trait shared somewhat with Doctor Doom and the Kingpin, still engaged in taunting one another over whether or not it's easy to take down the Punisher, whilst the mysterious stranger merely relays messages and watches.

Much of the issue is all action based as the Punisher and Bushwhacker fight first at the former's warehouse and then at the latter's home, before a final road chase with a twist. Both men are driven and both have an unusual conversation with their wives - in the Punisher's case it's with her spirit as he lies close to death. Each man uses both cunning tactics and raw ballistic strength in their attack, making for a strong showdown. As a foe from another series, Bushwhacker's fate is left in typical comic book ambiguity but on all signs here he would make a good recurring foe for the Punisher.

This is an example of "Acts of Vengeance" at its best, pitching a hero against an existing villain who's a good match for them both physically and as a character. It's a fast-paced action piece that works its themes well, helped by the dark art.

Punisher War Journal #13 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Punisher War Journal by Carl Potts & Jim Lee (2016)

Punisher War Journal 12 - Acts of Vengeance

The late 1980s saw the Punisher surge to such popularity that within two years he had gone from having no series at all to being only the second Marvel character to have two ongoing monthly series. The two titles largely orbited each other in their early years, making passing reference to events in the other series but normally avoiding crossovers. Companywide events can be harder to avoid but rather than running one long story told over all titles (as with the Spider-Man books both here and during "Inferno"), it instead goes for a two-parter in the older title and then a sequel that readers of the other series don't need to be aware of. It's not immediately obvious why this is, although if Punisher War Journal was only sold in the direct market then it may have been to avoid confusing newsstand readers who would only have been able to access half of the story. It also means that sequential collections of either title don't contain the parts from the other.

Punisher War Journal #12

Story: Carl Potts
Pencils: Jim Lee
Inks: Al Milgrom
Background inks: Don Hudson
Letters: Jim Novak
Colours: Gregory Wright
Assistant Editor: Rob Tokar
Editor: Don Daley
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Unfortunately for contemporary readers this would all have fallen down due to the order in which the books were released. Despite clearly taking place in the order Punisher #28, Punisher #29, Punisher War Journal #12 and Punisher War Journal #13, they were instead released in the order Punisher War Journal #12, Punisher #28, Punisher War Journal #13 and Punisher #29, thus beginning the sequel even before the original story. This arrangement looks even odder when noting that Carl Potts was the editor on Punisher and the writer on Punisher War Journal. One possible explanation is that Punisher War Journal began coming out approximately every six weeks but stepped up the frequency to monthly with issue #10 and this threw the planned schedule with no time to insert a fill-in to restore it.

The problems don't arise until nearly halfway through the issue when we get a scene of the Kingpin and Doctor Doom continuing their taunting of one another about how easy it would be to take the Punisher down, with Doom brushing aside his reasons for not doing so in the earlier story before the Kingpin takes on the task and opts to contract Bushwhacker, a former foe of Daredevil. The method of recruitment is interesting, with the mysterious stranger first sent to bribe a news anchor on "CMN", a twenty-four-hour news channel that Bushwhacker watches, to deliver coverage that approves of the vigilante but disapproves of the mercenary. Then he contacts Bushwhacker, claiming the Punisher is an ally of Daredevil as the clincher.

Earlier in the issue we get a classic use of the split page technique to provide parallels and contrasts between the two strands of the story, as Bushwhacker is introduced whilst on a missing to kill a modern artist who is also a low-level mutant, whilst the Punisher attacks a group of drug importers by the dock. It's a good sequence in its own right but it also helps to introduce the Punisher to readers who may be encountering him for the first time, though this effect is limited when the issues are put in chronological order. Later the Punisher's origin is used in the story, further introducing him but also providing a rationale for how Bushwhacker is able to locate him when he makes his annual pilgrimage to the site where his family were killed.

Normally the villains in Punisher stories don't live past the end of the story, making it difficult to accumulate a long-term set of recurring foes. However as Bushwhacker originated from another series there's a possibility he could be an exception. An ex-priest who then worked for the CIA before turning mercenary, he has a cybernetic arm that can form itself into a variety of guns, making him difficult to literally disarm. His history compares and contrasts well with the Punisher, suggesting good future potential.

Overall this is a pretty strong issue that works well in introducing both the hero and foe and setting up the conflict in a way that works for both new and regular readers. It's unfortunate that at the time this came out of sequence but now that's no longer an issue.

Punisher War Journal #12 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Punisher War Journal by Carl Potts & Jim Lee (2016)

Combat Colin vs... Doctor Doom!?! - Acts of Vengeance

Now here's perhaps the most overlooked entry in the "Acts of Vengeance" saga but don't worry, its inclusion will be explained...

Once upon a time Marvel UK produced many additions to the Marvel universe, whether additional tales that enhanced characters created in the US books such as the Black Knight or originated characters aimed at the British market such as Captain Britain. But by the late 1980s this had largely dried up with the company increasingly focused on licensed titles that ranged in age from Thomas the Tank Engine through to Doctor Who Magazine. (The 1990s would see a return of superheroes and British originated material, before the company came crashing down due to over expansion.) One of the best known titles of the period was Transformers, a (mostly) weekly that combined reprints of the robots in disguise from the US comic with originated British strips plus some reprints of other US strips, most notably G.I. Joe under adapted titles.

A feature of many of the Marvel UK titles of the era was a comedy strip, offering a humorous take on some of the broader themes. Easily the most admired is Lew Stringer's Combat Colin, which originated in the weekly Action Force (an import of G.I. Joe) but got carried over into Transformers via a notional merger and proved popular enough to stay for the rest of the title's run. Had Transformers UK's reprint schedule gone according to plan then issues #270 and #271 should have been midway through printing about US #64, which came out in the States just after "Acts of Vengeance" finished its run. (Instead this period saw some scheduling problems in obtaining the latest US stories, resulting in the decision to instead raid the archives and run the G.I. Joe vs the Transformers mini-series that Marvel UK had previously not used.) So it's reasonable to treat this little adventure as another entry in the event.

Our story sees daft military nut hero Combat Colin and his sidekick Semi-Automatic Steve attending a convention of British heroes and comic characters, including Macho Man from the old Secret Wars II comic, where they're attacked by the robotic Steamroller Man, sent by a mysterious master. The villain is revealed to be none other than Doctor Doom, sick of being defeated by all the US Marvel heroes so hoping for an easy victory.

At two pages it's a quick fun piece, with nice little touches such as Doom's cloak having a greyscale effect that often arises from converting colour comics to black & white thus making him look like an American import whereas all the British characters and setting have a clean-cut black & white look. Steamroller Man sings a song to the tune of the original Spider-Man cartoon. There's fourth wall breaking but it's worth it. And there's a brilliant final line suggesting an encounter we'll probably never see. The story may lack an official tie-in triangle but it's good to see one of Marvel UK's strips joining in the spirit of things.

This story hasn't been reprinted anywhere, and I suspect the use of Doom means that copyright will prevent it appearing in the current series of Combat Colin reprints. However it was posted online a few years ago at Lew Stringer Comics: Combat Colin vs... Doctor Doom!?!

Uncanny X-Men 258 - Acts of Vengeance

The third and final issue of the X-Men's contribution to the crossover may include the phrase "act of vengeance" but otherwise there's still no indication of the wider events going on. Given that these issues are the most reprinted and best known of the whole thing, it's a pity such an absent image has been left for many reasons them in subsequent years. The "act of vengeance" in question is carried out by the Hand on their own old foe, Wolverine, with no sign of the wider scheme of trading enemies. The Mandarin returns for the showdown but with no mention of his current associates.

Uncanny X-Men #258

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Jim Lee
Inker: Scott Williams
Colourist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Instead this story, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Jim Lee, see the conclusion of the Hand's corruption of Psylocke as they seek to do the same to Wolverine. Meanwhile the Mandarin makes a more rudimentary attempt to alter Jubilee so as to de-Americanise her as she is "a daughter of the Middle Kingdom" even though she doesn't speak the language and feels thoroughly American. Emphasising the Mandarin as a modern-day Chinese nationalist, seeking to advance power through economics, technology and crime, has brought the villain a long way from being an "imitation Fu Manchu" in some underground wizard's lair and shows that he can be made to work in the modern era without resorting to worn out stereotypes.

Much of the issue is focused on attempts by the Hand to transform Wolverine though he keeps on fighting it and the mentalscape scenes aren't as interesting as the ones with Psylocke two issues ago. However the continued presence of illusions of both Carol Danvers and Nick Fury offers complications as they start to appear to Psylocke via a mental link with Wolverine, adding to the madness. Elsewhere Jubilee struggles against her captors and also against their determination to push her into a traditional Chinese role, even declaring "No speakee Chinese -- only American!" Her powers are getting stronger to the point where she lets off a huge blast that devastates the Mandarin's mansion, a prelude to the final battle.

The Mandarin is finally seen in his armour in this issue, which he strangely wears beneath one of his robes, but once again the colouring is confusing - the cover has the standard dark and light blue but inside it's depicted in red and grey. We see the outcome of Psylocke's conditioning and it's a pity that she doesn't actually free herself but instead has to be rescued by Wolverine and his own demons. The battle is also notable for another direct quoting of the Batman movie when Wolverine asks the Mandarin "you ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight?", a question that neither understands. Marvel at the time didn't need to be constantly homaging and quoting the big DC movie and these references have dated heavily.

As ever, this isn't really a good chapter of the wider crossover since the three issues as a whole have ignored the broader set-up completely. As the conclusion of an X-Men story arc this is more a straightforward issue for moving the plots forward, but the failure to revert Psylocke's race change was a missed opportunity to quickly undo what is ultimately a very bad idea.

Uncanny X-Men #258 has been reprinted in:

• Uncanny X-Men Acts of Vengeance (Boxtree, 1995)
• X-Men: Mutations (1996)
• X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee (2002)
• Essential X-Men volume 9 (2009)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossover Omnibus (2011)
• X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus Volume 1 (2011)

Uncanny X-Men 257 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue continues events in Hong Kong. Wolverine arrives in Hong Kong and it's here that we start to see the boundaries between his own series and this one break down, with an impact on the wider chronology.

Uncanny X-Men #257

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Jim Lee
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Letterers: All Available
Colourist: Glynis Oliver
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Wolverine solo title had launched during the period when the X-Men were presumed dead and in fact operating out of a ghost town in the Australian outback. Rather boldly the series did not simply copy the set-up but instead established Wolverine as having another home in Madripoor, a fictional city state in east Asia with a strong touch of Singapore about it. The early issues also saw Wolverine avoiding his conventional costume, instead using a mostly black jump suit, and disguising himself with an eye-patch, a feature much mocked by readers but subsequently explained away as "When somebody with claws and a temper wants to believe he's fooling people, well... no one wants to be the one to say, 'Hey, Wolvie what's with the stupid eyepatch?'" These arrangements lasted while Claremont was writing the solo title but then were clawed away a bit under Peter David before Archie Goodwin moved the series onwards, as seen in the relevant crossover chapters in Wolverine #19 and #20. But one side effect of the arrangements is that Wolverine's own chronology in the period requires a good chunk of his solo adventures to be slotted into gaps in the X-Men run. Multi-part stories can drag things out and a consequence is that his own title's contribution to the saga must take place before a lot of events that led to the scattering of the X-Men that these issues only begin to undo.

Bringing Wolverine to the Far East to go around with an eye-patch, meet up with contacts from Landau, Luckman, & Lake, wear the black suit and fight ninjas suggests that Claremont was still working off ideas from the other series rather than merely marking time to work through an awkwardly timed wider crossover. But the result allows for some exploration of culture clashes, particularly with the young mutant Jubilee who is of Chinese descent but was born and grew up in the states. Such is her level of Americanisation (even sporting a colour scheme clearly based on the Robin costume) that a street gang call her a "Yankee banana" - yellow skinned but white inside. Then she gets kidnapped and is subsequently seen under mind control. Meanwhile Psylocke has now been sent into the field as "Lady Mandarin", an enforcer for the Mandarin's takeover of the Hong Kong underworld, steadily establishing her reputation as she enhances her training. Finally she attacks Wolverine, who has been suffering from both a weakened healing factor and illusions of past comrades, leading to a brief battle in which he discovers her identity and new power, a psychic knife.

This is a fairly straightforward middle part of a storyline, but it continues to suffer from an excessive use of continuity from other series at precisely the moment a load of non-regular readers are expected. The visuals are also a little off, with the splash page of Psylocke introducing herself seemingly giving her only one arm, whilst the colour of her armour varies slightly between its two appearances and is notably rather different on the cover. And other than a reference to the absent Mandarin "gallivanting across the globe, picking gratuitous fights with American super heroes" there's still no real connection to the wider event beyond happening to use one of the villains. Again this is a good X-Men issue but less so a good crossover chapter.

Uncanny X-Men #257 has been reprinted in:

• Uncanny X-Men Acts of Vengeance (Boxtree, 1995)
• X-Men: Mutations (1996)
• X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee (2002)
• Essential X-Men volume 9 (2009)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossover Omnibus (2011)
• X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus Volume 1 (2011)

Uncanny X-Men 256 - Acts of Vengeance

We come now to the first of the X-Men issues of the crossover, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Jim Lee, the latter doing a second fill-in issue about a year before he became the series's regular artist. These are probably the best-known chapters of the whole event and have certainly had more reprints than anything else, with only Amazing Spider-Man #328 coming close. So it's surprising to see how little direct connection there is to the wider crossover. Instead this issue could easily have stood alone as one of any number where a villain from another series appears in the title without any wider motivations.

Uncanny X-Men #256

Writer: Chris Claremont
Penciler: Jim Lee
Inker: Scott Williams
Colourist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Bob Harras
Tai-Pan: Tom DeFalco

For reasons that I'll discuss when looking at the next issue, the chronology of Wolverine's adventures pretty much forces the X-Men issues to be placed relatively late in the crossover under just about any order. One result is that up to now in the wider storyline the Mandarin has been the least used of the six leading villains, just appearing at their meetings in either his strange bare-chested 1980s costume or the blue battle armour that had recently superseded it. Part of the reason is that he's a rather awkward character for many creators to use, often dismissed as "A poor man's Fu Manchu" and not just by the Red Skull (who thinks this in Captain America #367) and similar comments go right back to some of the character's earliest appearances. By the late 1980s there was a growing backlash against the stereotypes and this presented problems when it came to characters created in earlier days. One solution was to transform them where possible. Ming the Merciless was recoloured green for the Defenders of the Earth cartoon, a practice that would later be applied to the Mandarin on the mid 1990s Iron Man cartoon. But that wasn't an easily available option in an ongoing fictional universe. Another option was to simply not use the characters any more, but the Mandarin's position as Iron Man's traditional archenemy again made it difficult to ignore him. However that probably explains why so few of the "Acts of Vengeance" issues wanted to use the character, especially when there was the option to get to play with some of the big-name villains like Doctor Doom instead. But here in X-Men Chris Claremont had already done a memorable story (only for John Byrne to rapidly it) and so instead picks up an underused character.

For this issue the story has decided to present the Mandarin pretty much as the Hong Kong equivalent of the Kingpin. We first see him in an office in a skyscraper, dressed in a suit and smoking a cigarette, a far cry from a mystic in a darkened underground lair full of opium smoke or indeed from a wizard in armour as he's appeared more recently, including elsewhere in the crossover. His concerns are entirely business ones, focused especially on how to develop his criminal empire and prepare for the-then forthcoming transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China. And as part of expanding his power in the area he entertains an offer from the Hand, a guild of assassins who offer him a gift of a particular individual.

This issue came out during one of the oddest periods of X-Men history of all, when the remains of the team had faced defeat at the hands of the cyborg Reavers and had instead opted to run away, with most of them scattered to the winds by entering the Siege Perilous crystal to be recreated in new lives elsewhere, leaving Wolverine to find them. Coming straight off the back of a period when the X-Men were presumed dead and magic spells made them invisible to detectors, the result is that they have been an unknown force for a long time. (This also explains why they haven't been targeted by the alliance of super-villains.) A shocked Psylocke has been found by the Hand who subject her to both physical and mental changes to make her into an assassin.

This is the famous issue where Psylocke is transformed from a British telepath who felt so vulnerable in battle that she always wore armour in the field to an east Asian ninja warrior in a skin-tight costume. It's a bold transformation to say the least and it's difficult to imagine something like this being tried today. There's always controversy whenever a character's race is changed in an adaptation or alternative universe, but performing an in-continuity race change would draw far more. However back in the day Psylocke's new form proved wildly popular and explains why what was intended as only a temporary move has become permanent despite a few attempts to undo it. The in-story justification given is that "We can't have a westerner running the Hong Kong underworld". How the change is performed isn't really explained here - during the switch all we see is a dream sequence including a moment where Betsy is dragged to a make-up chair and given a full makeover, then she's seen in her new body and later we see she has been changed in reality as well. (All the stuff about Kwannon/Revanche is a later retcon and that character doesn't appear here at all.) The sequence itself mainly focuses on Psylocke's mental transformation, symbolised by her steady collection of the Mandarin's ten rings of power, as she journeys through sequences from her life. Even to a regular X-Men reader this sequence can be difficult to follow if one hadn't read the original Captain Britain stories, but to a reader only picking up the issue because of the crossover it must have been especially hard to penetrate the continuity as her past is deconstructed. Still it makes for a dramatic climax.

As a crossover chapter this is unfortunately disappointing because it basically ignores the wider plotline and contains such a continuity heavy extended scene. And the decision to alter a character's race is rather unfortunate, even if it was only meant to be temporary and did radically transform Psylocke's popularity. However the issue does well to make the Mandarin a more modern threat and builds a dark scenario for the future.

Uncanny X-Men #256 has been reprinted in:

• Uncanny X-Men Acts of Vengeance (Boxtree, 1995)
• X-Men: Mutations (1996)
• X-Men Visionaries: Jim Lee (2002)
• Essential X-Men volume 9 (2009)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossover Omnibus (2011)
• X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus Volume 1 (2011)

Avengers Spotlight 28 - Acts of Vengeance

It's been a recurring theme throughout these reviews that "Acts of Vengeance" as a whole hasn't made the best use of the big public debate about whether superheroes should be cheered or feared and if there should be government registration of them. By and large this has been left to one title with others only making passing reference. So it's nice to see that both stories in this issue address the themes, coming from different angles.

Avengers Spotlight #28

Writer: Howard Mackie (first)
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie (second
Penciler: Al Milgom (first)
Penciler: Dwayne Turner (second)
Inker: Don Heck (first)
Inker: Chris Ivy (second)
Letterer: Jack Morelli (all)
Colourist: Paul Becton (first)
Colourist: Mike Rockwitz (second)
Managing Editor: Gregory Wight (second only)
Editor: Mark Gruenwald (all)
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco (all)

The first, written by Howard Mackie and drawn by Al Milgrom, is a straightforward tale of Hawkeye and Mockingbird discovering that criminals are posing as them to commit a string of bank robberies in Denver at a time when superheroes are increasingly blamed for the upswing in attacks and destruction. So they fly out to the city to clear their names and discover the truth of what's going on. The resolution to the fight involves one of the best uses of Hawkeye's particular characteristics and couldn't have been done by most other heroes. All in all it's quite a simple little piece.

The second is an interesting tale of the Mad Thinker setting out to help the heroes. Invited to join the leaders' alliance (in a flashback) he declines and instead makes clear he has worked out who the mysterious stranger is - "It's obvious if one thinks about it." Indeed it does seem that way. The Thinker is more concerned with the potential backlash that could undermine his own plans, so he commissions obscure giant-sized villain Leviathan, renames him "Gargantua" and sends him to attack a rally against the proposed registration act that the Wasp and Wonder Man are about to address. Gargantua isn't the most threatening villain ever and is entirely reliant on transmitted instructions but that isn't the real aim of the attack and instead everyone else wins.

Neither tale is particularly substantial but that's in part down to the restrictive format of just eleven pages with the rotating strip not really being able to carry things forward. However at this stage it's good to see some uses of the wider situation around and variations on the formula to produce some more original stories.

Avengers Spotlight #28 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)

Damage Control 2 - Acts of Vengeance

The second issue of the second Damage Control limited series once again brings a mix of slapstick humour, political and corporate satire and gratuitous guest appearances. It starts off parodying the Punisher as he makes his way into the Damage Control building intending to investigate the files to find out who is guilty of the Kingpin's corruption... only to find the firm deluged by clients amidst the widespread destruction caused by the "Acts of Vengeance". Even the Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, has turned up.

Damage Control (volume 2) #2

Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artist: Ernie Colon
Letters: Ricky Parker
Colour: John Wellington
Editor: Sid Jacobson
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

(There's a surprisingly quick topical gag. This issue came out on October 24 1989, just six weeks after Koch had lost a primary election to David Dinkins. Koch's minders are shown here wearing Koch campaign badges with Dinkins stickers pasted over them. Koch declaring he's mayor, a handy piece of explanatory dialogue for readers far from the city in space or time, is supposed to impress how important he is but Robin Chapel, the firm's director of operations, privately thinks "Yeah? Talk to me after January 1st." It's surprising how quickly this was worked into the issue.)

The Punisher tries to assassinate Chapel in order to assert his authority but is merely confronted with yet another Doctor Doom robot, although this one has a different controller, whilst She-Hulk turns up an issue early for her guest appearance, complete with her contemporary habit of breaking the fourth wall and confusing people when she did it outside her own series. Elsewhere a team is recovering Avengers mansion from the sea, with a very annoyed Captain America still complaining about events at the Vault, whilst the new boss's assistant is more interested into getting into Chapel's underwear than learning about how the firm works. Amidst all this the new boss is implementing a radical reorganisation that isn't too popular with the staff.

Much of the humour is based on seeming madness of office and corporate politics but it's done in a way that shows all the nonsense, pettiness and absurdities of the situation without being impenetrable, resulting in some quite funny moments, especially as the Punisher tries to implement serious business and gets a very different response from the norm. The wider crossover is more a backdrop to this issue than a direct driver of events, but it works to confirm the unusual nature of the situation and add to the tensions. This mini-series continues to be a fun little side part of the overall event.

Damage Control (volume 2) #2 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Damage Control: The Complete Collection (2015)

Captain America 367 - Acts of Vengeance

And now we come to the big moment as Magneto attacks the Red Skull...

Captain America #367

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

This issue once again contains two stories. To get the back-up out of the way first, it features the conclusion of the Cobra's encounter with Mr Hyde, with the former rediscovering himself, changing his costume slightly and modifying his name to become "King Cobra". It's been an interesting tale of self-discovery, though it could probably have benefitted from being told over two issues rather than three. Still it's a good little piece that has made use of the continuity from the mass breakout at the Vault, showing how Mark Gruenwald was often the master of tying things up.

So too does the lead story which tackles head on one of the biggest criticisms of "Acts of Vengeance". Of all the villains in the core alliance, Magneto is by far the most complicated character and had undergone a lot of development in the preceding decade as he moved away from his traditional villainous role into a much-more ambiguous anti-hero, complete with revelations about his past. Not all creators agreed with these moves and, as discussed a bit with Amazing Spider-Man #327, this particular era saw a lot of struggle over characterisation and direction with some issues doing their best to rationalise the changes around them. In this environment, using Magneto in an alliance of leading villains that could have been assembled at any point since 1967 was not going to sit too easily when it resulted in a Holocaust survivor working with a Nazi war criminal.

All that said, it should be noted that neither Magneto nor the Red Skull has actually done a great deal in the crossover so far. Most of the work of commissioning and dispatching villains has been carried out by Doctor Doom, with the Wizard doing some of the raw heavy lifting and the Kingpin providing organisational support. By contrast Magneto may have fought Spider-Man as part of an investigation, but otherwise has done little beyond observing and hectoring the other villains sent against Spider-Man. The Red Skull has done even less, just using the breakout from the Vault to increase the capabilities of his organisation. (Depending on chronology the Mandarin may or may not have done anything yet but if the latter then change is coming soon.) It's clear from his thoughts here that the Red Skull frankly has no interest in the overall plan and it's only the presence in his office of a portal to the committee room that keeps him attending. Was this perhaps a reflection of writer and editor boredom with the crossover as well?

But regardless of motivations we get the best handling of the villains in the whole saga as Magneto swoops in to confront the Skull directly. There's no evasion as he first demands confirmation that this actually is the Nazi-era Skull then condemns him for the actions of the regime he served in. There's never any real doubt about the physical outcome of the confrontation - the Skull may have technical resources and henchmen but they're all ultimately reliant on metal and useless against the Master of Magnetism. Thus all the Skull can do is try to slow Magneto down as he seeks to escape. Instead the Skull's most powerful weapon turns out to be words:

We are very much alike, you and I, Magneto, both of us wish to see our Master Race inherit the Earth. You call my Fuehrer barbaric? Am I mistaken or did you yourself not kill hundreds of men by sinking a submarine a few years back? To help realise your minority group’s destiny, would you balk at the imprisonment of inferiors? The extermination of the unfit? Come, come, Magneto. Do not expect me to be impressed by your sanctimonious posturings of moral superiority! Let's let the past rest. We both have better things to do in the present!

At a time when in the real world there was a renewed drive to bring Nazi-era war criminals to justice, it's interesting to see some of the arguments paralleled here. There were many who opposed prosecutions, arguing that a previous generation had declared the task completed and individuals should be allowed to move on in the present. Others fiercely disagreed and were determined to bring the surviving leaders to justice. But even some demanding prosecution were attacked on their own records. Magneto's position as a fighter for mutant rights has often led to the freedom fighter or terrorist point behind argued out and it's a powerful rejoinder. When he does eventually catch and imprison the Skull he feels the need to declare "I should kill you and be done with it. But that would reduce me to the level of a common killer... make me no better than you. And I am better than you, Nazi." Instead of killing he locks the Skull in a shelter, removing the ladder and leaving just water with no way of escape. It's a brutal torture.

This story does a lot to fix the problems raised by Magneto's inclusion in the "Acts of Vengeance" and it does it brilliantly. It also seems to be aware of potential knock-on effects and so introduces Red Skull robots - a small army of androids that look identical to the villain and can replace him, similar to Doctor Doom's Doombots who are mentioned here. Whether this is deliberate preparation for later issues or simply seeding the idea to cover any future continuity problems with Red Skull appearances is unclear, but it's a nice touch.

Missing from the cover and this post so far is the star of the series. Captain America does arrive at the Skull's offices in the hope of discovering more about the conspiracy, but all he gets is a battle with the Controller and other henchmen then a wander through the wreckage as he tries to work out what's happened and who attacked the Skull. It's preparing the ground for later tales, but this is a rare issue of a series that belongs to someone other than the lead hero.

Overall this is by far the single best issue of the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover. Sometimes attempts at continuity fixes merely produce dry explanations for awkward points. This is anything but that, instead taking a messy scenario and turning it around to restore Magneto's ambiguous position without undermining his participation in the saga. It's a strong, bold chapter with some brilliant imagery and dark moments.

Captain America #367 has been reprinted in:

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

Punisher 29 - Acts of Vengeance

As might be guessed from the cover, this issue is one of the easiest to place in the overall order of the crossover since it features the same fight as in Avengers #312. However it also demonstrates some poor communication and editing across the crossover since the Avengers shown are the-then regular line-up of the east coast team and the venue shown inside is the exterior of the Guggenheim Museum, whereas the actual fight involves a team of mostly west coast Avengers in Avengers Park. More pertinently both Doctors Doom and the mysterious stranger are shown watching the events without the rest of the leading super-villains. It's moments like these that really undermine a crossover as the inconsistencies stand out so prominently. This becomes even more irritating when the Avengers' fight only appears in one panel despite also seizing the cover.

Punisher #29

Writer: Mike Baron
Penciler: Bill Reinhold
Inker: Mark Farmer
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colourist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Carl Potts
Dr Doom: Tom DeFalco

At a baser level it's also something of a shock to come straight from the Avengers issue where Doctor Doom pointedly stayed aloof from the petty squabbles of the other villains whereas here his scene with the Kingpin shows a much more argumentative Doom who is openly contemptuous of his ally as a "cheap gangster" and much easier to manipulate. The story is entitled "Too many Dooms", which proves quite appropriate given the multiple portrayals of the deposed monarch. Curiously it's the other Doctor Doom, the boy Kristoff with Doom's implanted memories and personality, who comes closer to the more conventional portrayal than the real thing.

Or maybe, as the Punisher speculates, we haven't seen the real Doom at all and instead there are more impostors than a first glance would suggest?

The Punisher is left trying to navigate between the two rival Dooms, with one hoping he will destroy the other but Frank is canny enough to realise the futility of this given the number of Doombots around. Instead he opts to free himself and find a way to bargain out of the situation. This leads to him and Microchip making a dramatic escape from Latveria with even Shield as an obstacle to returning to the States. But his eventual solution proves quite logical.

As individual issues of Punisher this two-part storyline has been quite a good way of taking the crossover premise to produce a solid story with an unusual for. However as part of a wider crossover story the different presentation of a key scene in one of the core chapters and the different portrayal of Doctor Doom sticks out, making this corner rather less effective.

Punisher #29 has been reprinted in:

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

Avengers 312 - Acts of Vengeance

With this issue of Avengers we see the central core of the crossover pulling together ever more. Significantly most of the Avengers seen here are from the west coast team (the Wasp, the Scarlet Witch, the Vision and Hank Pym) or reservists called up (the Falcon), a sign of how the attacks are continuing to occupy and cripple the Avengers' operational ability. So now would be a good time for a major attack by the alliance of leading villains.

Avengers #312

Artists: Paul Ryan and Tom Palmer
Writer: John Byrne
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colourist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Instead the alliance is squabbling. With this issue we get to see a meeting of the alliance in depth for the first time. And it's not going too well. One of the biggest criticisms of the whole alliance is that it is composed of villains with huge egos and some very different perspectives on the world. The panel showing the opening of the meeting is a glorious piece that conveys just how little the six like each other, with only the mysterious stranger holding them together, and there's a particularly nice touch in the way Magneto is staring at the Skull with undisguised hatred. Here the tensions spill over with the Red Skull and Magneto especially showing their hatred of each other and contempt for everyone else and most of the others pile in to refute the Skull's dismissal of them as "common criminals". Only Doctor Doom stands above it all. But the meeting is also a wonderful parody of the real-life world of organisations and corporations where everyone is expected to gather together in person merely to receive reports they could have been sent in writing. Absolutely nothing is achieved in this meeting though later in the issue we see the alliance watching the Avengers on monitors where it's confirmed they had nothing to do with an attack by Freedom Force and suggest taking a more active role. Luckily, we don't witness the processes of someone coming up with a motion, formally tabling it, entering in a row because of the very different meaning of the term "to table" in meetings on either side of the Atlantic, then eventually discussing the proposal etc... But overall the implication is that the limited central action is largely because of squabbling egos.

Consequently the Avengers face a group of villains who have been manipulated by the mysterious stranger without his allies' knowledge. The Blob, Pyro and Avalanche have actually fought the Avengers before in the annual that introduced Rogue and both the Vision and Scarlet Witch were on the team at the time but there's no acknowledgement of that here and instead the Avengers react like these three are an unknown quantity. Given the high profiles disagreements between the creators, one does have to wonder if John Byrne simply blanked out anything written by Chris Claremont. What should be a simple fight proves anything but, with the three villains a strong match and clearly well briefed, forcing the Avengers to find some unusual ways to take them down, especially the Blob. And all the time the fight is leading to ever greater debate amongst the public about the value of super-heroes.

This issue works well in bringing the core threads of the crossover together with the leading villains' committee meeting an especial highlight. However the clues to the mysterious stranger's identity are extremely obvious.

Avengers #312 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)
• Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus (2016)