Captain America 370 - Acts of Vengeance Aftermath

The cover of this issue is fantastic. It really reinforces the sense of creepiness to the Skull's country house. It would have made for a great Halloween issue, but it came out at the wrong time of year. Inside we get the conclusion to the search for the Red Skull in a full-length story.

Captain America #370

Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Ron Lim
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colourist: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Who--?: Tom DeFalco

Crossbones continues the search for the Red Skull, trying less conventional methods and turning to a psychic, Tristram Micawber. It's a bold approach but it works, though we could perhaps have done without the information that the Skull and Mother Night are sleeping together. When found the Skull is a shadow of himself, physically weakened and mentally broken, and he demands "take me home to die". Skull House is a far cry from the Skull's modern office, representing the Skull’s old ways very much, especially with a hall that serves as a museum of the Skull's struggles with costumes, Sleeper models and more, all reinforcing his days of following Nazism. But what he wants to see the most is Captain America.

Cap and Diamondback are debriefing at the Avengers temporary headquarters, with the complication of Cap's day duties getting in the way. There's still uncertainty and suspicion as Diamondback wonders if Cap has sneaked off when in fact he's been taking a very long time with the architect (Eric Masterson) for building a new mansion. Meanwhile she, who's being drawn a little older now, winds up playing poker with the Avengers support crew, a subtle sign of how she's entering Cap's life. Then when information about the Skull comes in, Diamondback insists on coming along. It's probably not the date anyone would choose but she proves her worth in dealing with the house's automated defence systems. There we get what could have been the final meeting between old foes.

For quite some time Captain America has refused to accept the claims of this man that he is the original Red Skull returned in a new body, but all that comes to a climax as the two meet up close. In an encounter where more is shown than said, the true hatred flashes, revitalising the Skull's spirit and convincing Cap that this truly is his enemy of old. It's a strong moment of closure that reaffirms the conflict between the two.

Overall this storyline has been an excellent example of how a series can use a crossover to develop a strong storyline amongst its regular characters, rather than just going through a few issues and then completely forgetting about them. However it's a pity that the fates of several lesser characters are left uncertain. The Controller has been locked in a loop when one of his own control discs was applied. The Voice had severe wounds to his throat. Micawber collapses when the bunker is found, having just foreseen death, and there's no medical examination. The Controller was not seen again for three years, the Voice for twenty and Micawber not at all so it's a pity these loose ends are left to what is otherwise a strong tight arc.

Captain America #370 has been reprinted in:

• Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt (2018)

Captain America 369 - Acts of Vengeance Aftermath

This issue continues the search for the Red Skull, as Crossbones leads an assault on the Hellfire Club in the belief that this is where Magneto is holding him. Meanwhile Captain America is searching for Diamondback, the ex-member of the Serpent Society trying to reform.

Captain America #369

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

This is very early in the development of Cap and Diamondback's relationship and there are obvious obstacles on both sides. Here it's Diamondback's friend the Asp who expresses the most concern, though the art is also a slight problem in depicting Diamondback incredibly young, almost a girl, in panels where she has her mask off. There's also Cap's social conservatism, making his disapproval clear when he discovers the Asp is working in a strip club. And there's the problem of Diamondback's hidden past with Crossbones which is hinted at here.

The assault on the Hellfire Club is straightforward with Crossbones leading a diverse team of the Voice, Mother Night and Machinesmith using the body of the Sleeper. Each has particular skills that are utilised in the mission as they break into the basement and search through the club's cameras, though it ultimately proves a futile search. Then they find Cap, Diamondback and Selene, the Club's Black Queen, all converging in the sewer leading to a fight. The fight itself is complicated by the close quarters and Selene's desire to avoid drawing too much attention to the Hellfire Club, but it does result in Cap and Diamondback finding themselves in an interesting situation.

The second strip focuses upon the Skull as he completes his situation trapped in the darkness. He starts hallucinating and is visited by the spirits of his past. First comes his angry father, who attacks him for his mother's death in childbirth and suggests his son follows him into suicide. Then comes another "father", Adolf Hitler, who also took his life in an underground bunker. The Skull's daughter also turns up to express her hate, whilst Arnim Zola urges the Skull to kill himself and be reborn in a perfect body. However Captain America counsels against suicide. In just five pages we get a fascinating glimpse at the Skull's life and the forces that have driven him, as well as a struggle in which his most hated foe once again wins.

This issue continues a good solid plot that continues to build on the events of "Acts of Vengeance" and show the impact on the various characters, rather than simply moving onwards. However the Cap/Diamondback relationship can seem surprising when introduced this way and also needs a little more care with the artwork to avoid unintended suggestions.

Captain America #369 has been reprinted in:

• Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt (2018)

Captain America 368 - Acts of Vengeance Aftermath

This issue sees both Captain America and the Red Skull's organisation following up the events of "Acts of Vengeance", with both trying to find Magneto.

Captain America #368

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

For someone so notorious a continuity watcher as Mark Gruenwald, it's surprising that this issue doesn't seem to know where it fits into place around the end of the crossover. Thus whereas Captain America and the Avengers support crew are clearly set after the climax, over in Washington DC it's implied that this is the first time a Red Skull robot is activated to take the absent Skull's place and thus would be set before the climax. Finally a panel at the end of the first story showing Magneto's current location is the same scene as happened during the Mandarin's attack in Avengers #313. This sort of thing is frustratingly all too common around crossovers and makes for much headscratching over the correct order of things.

There are some good contrasts between the way Cap interacts with Avengers support crew and the way Crossbones does with other operatives in the Red Skull's base. But there's also a strong sense that the Skull's organisation is not merely people held together by pay or fear but does contain people who actually enjoy working for the Skull and the challenges it brings. And the prospect of the organisation collapsing because of the Skull's disappearance brings real fear.

The core focus for both the hero and villains is on finding Magneto, with the real one only making a single panel appearance here. Both Captain America and Crossbones have tried the research and contacts method, but Machinesmith has his own idea - send out a robotic duplicate in public to lure the real one out. Unfortunately it gets a little silly when Machinesmith, controlling the robot through his ability to transfer his consciousness between devices, decides he has to act "very un-Magneto like" and starts chewing the scenery. And all the attempt brings is Captain America instead.

The back-up story is a quick history of Machinesmith, told by the robot himself to the Sleeper he's working on. It recounts one of the more awkward parts of the character's history - his having been the second Mister Fear, a point where the two characters' history were merged some time back. Otherwise this is a tale of how a boy became fascinated by robots and developed as an engineer and then when he was killed in battle his robots preserved his brain patterns in mechanical form. The main surprise is how explicit the story is about Machinesmith's sexuality. He's presented as a highly camp character and here he talks to the Sleeper like a surgeon operating on his own romantic partner. His dialogue about putting his consciousness into other robots and enjoying the intimacy is extremely blatant. At the end he even removes his synthetic face to reveal his robotic one and kisses the Sleeper. At first the over campness feels unnecessarily stereotypical but it's easy to forget that until 1989 the Comics Code Authority had effectively barred the depiction of LGBT characters (the precise wording is complicated, hence some had got passed it) and to some extent exaggerated clichés were the most effective ways to get the message across. The code may have just changed but editorial policy might not yet have.

Otherwise this issue is quite a good example of Mark Gruenwald's epic run on the series which really deserves a complete collection; fortunately this issue is from a period covered by the Epic reprints. It shows how to use a crossover as a useful way to create interesting developments in a series and prepares the ground for a search for the Skull.

Captain America #368 has been reprinted in:

• Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt (2018)

Avengers Spotlight 29 - Acts of Vengeance

A handful of issues are explicit epilogues to "Acts of Vengeance" and this starts with Avengers Spotlight #29. As ever this issue contains two separate stories.

Avengers Spotlight #29

Plot/Script: Howard Mackie (first)
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie (second
Plot/Pencils: James Brock (first)
Penciler: Dwayne Turner (second)
Inks: Roy Richardson (first)
Inker: Chris Ivy (second)
Letters: Jack Morelli (first)
Letters: Rick Parker (second)
Colourist: Mike Rockwitz (all)
Editor: Mark Gruenwald (all)
Editor: Gregory Wight (second only)
Boss: Tom DeFalco (all)

The first story, written by Howard Mackie and drawn by James Brock, doesn't make any attempt to tie in with the crossover just gone but does continue with the theme of heroes battling others' villains, with Hawkeye called in to rescue Madcap from kidnappers even though everyone from Dollar Bill (the film-maker who used to hang around with the Defenders; now Madcap's television partner) through to the kidnappers is seeking Daredevil. Nevertheless Hawkeye tracks down the somewhat operation and clashes with a new set of henchmen, the Power Tools who have mechanical hands that turn into weapons based on home equipment. Madcap himself is a somewhat anarchic youth with an incredibly powerful healing factor and his own sardonic take on the pointlessness of life; he predated Deadpool by several years. The story's okay, and does manage to pull a sucker-punch with the revelation of the Power Tools' boss not being the character one instinctively expects, but Madcap is a difficult character to write because of the attitude and healing factor and this results in moments that don't know if they're trying to shock or are expecting familiarity.

The second strip is the final of "Tales from the Vault", written by Dwayne McDuffie and drawn by Dwayne Turner, and sees a lot of captured villains being brought to the restored prison whilst Iron Man introduces the new Guardsmen armour with design safeguards to protect his technology from being used elsewhere. However the solution of limiting the internal power supply and instead building an external supply system into the Vault doesn't sound like the most secure of systems as one could easily capture a suit of armour and provide an alternate power supply. The returning foes include the Wizard, who finds his teleportation has been tampered with to send him back, and Klaw. Iron Man and one of the Guardsmen have to take them on, demonstrating both the abilities of the new armour and the determination of the men inside. The last few panels use exactly the same narrative captions as the opening of the first part back in Avengers Spotlight #26 to provide a clear sense of closure to the story. For the Avengers titles it is, but some of the other series have some mopping up to complete.

The first story isn't part of the crossover and doesn't try to be, but does sensibly go for a self-contained tale that doesn't rely on reader knowledge so isn't going to be impenetrable to readers arriving just because of the crossover banner. The second wraps up some of the points from earlier issues, showing Iron Man making amends on his actions in the "Armour Wars", and through use of the Guardsmen it manages to feel at home in this series rather than in Iron Man's own title. It's not an essential epilogue but it does manage to provide a good sense of closure to the overall story.

Avengers Spotlight #29 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (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)

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)

Thor 412 - Acts of Vengeance

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

Thor #412

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

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

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

Thor #412 has been reprinted in:

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

Captain America 366 - Acts of Vengeance

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

Captain America #366

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

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

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

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

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

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

Captain America #366 has been reprinted in:

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

Avengers Spotlight 27 - Acts of Vengeance

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

Avengers Spotlight #27

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

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

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

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

Avengers Spotlight #27 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)

Captain America 365 - Acts of Vengeance

This is another series which resorted to a lead and back-up strip format, but both tie in with the crossover, with each featuring escaped villains from the Vault and at least one attempt at recruitment made by the mysterious stranger.

Captain America #365

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: Bob Sharen (main)
Colourist: Nel Yomtov (back-up)
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

It's not clear what level the Cobra was being invited for in the back-up story but he simply isn't interested in revenge. Over in the lead, Namor the Submariner is invited to join the central leadership bit has no interest, having abandoned his campaign against the surface world. However the Red Skull is interested and signs up. This gives us our first look at the full list of leaders with the Skull, the Wizard, the Kingpin and Doctor Doom all shown whilst both the Mandarin and Magneto are mentioned (and have been glimpsed in earlier issues). It's a very traditional collection, consisting of the arch-enemies of Captain America, Iron Man, the Human Torch, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, with the Kingpin filling a triple role for Daredevil, the Punisher and being the highest-ranking strategic foe of Spider-Man. This line-up could have been assembled at just about any time since the Silver Age and the absentees from the line-up are highly suggestive. It's also notable that the stranger announces the Red Skull's participation before he actually agrees, a sign that other villains may have signed up to a more speculative than yet achieved version of the alliance.

Both tales deal with the fallout from the escape from the Vault, with the back-up seeing the Cobra discovering that Mr Hyde has escaped and rushing to act before his erstwhile partner achieves revenge. The former sees the Red Skull (well Crossbones does the actual work) pick up the Controller, a traditional Iron Man foe, and send him to the site of the sunken Avengers headquarters to attack Captain America, using Namor the Submariner as his tool. This leads to a quick fight at both sea and on land until Cap spots the control disc on Namor's neck and realises what's happening. The Controller and Captain America had briefly clashed previously in the Captain Marvel/Thanos saga back in the 1970s, but it was a fleeting encounter and, in any case, if there's one hero who can be expected to have looked up just about every known weapon and tool of even villains he hasn't fought, it's Captain America.

With this chapter it feels like the whole "Acts of Vengeance" saga is really coming together but there's a general problem with events being scattered across multiple issues meaning that Captain America is jumping back forth across issues, but at least there's a clear explanation. As we'll see when looking at some future issues, Mark Gruenwald was often the man who stepped in to pull the event towards coherence and deal with some of the particularly odd moments. This issue is from near the middle of his epic run on the series and shows a series in its stride with the main character benefitting from consistency and a developed world.

Captain America #365 has been reprinted in:

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

Avengers Spotlight 26 - Acts of Vengeance

We now come to the first main issue of the crossover. Avengers Spotlight was originally launched under the more explicit title of Solo Avengers and consisted of two stories each issue - a regular feature with Hawkeye and a rotating featuring starring just about any Avenger going. The series was retitled a few issues before this one as part of a drive to have all three Avengers books placed side by side on shelves, boosting the franchise mentality. Structuring the year's mega crossover around the Avengers was clearly another part of this drive.

Avengers Spotlight #26

Writer: Dwayne McDuffie (all)
Penciler: Dwayne Turner (all)
Inker: Chris Ivy (all)
Letterer: Richard Starkings (first)
Letterer: Jack Morelli (second)
Colourist: Paul Becton (all)
Editor: Mark Gruenwald (all)
Managing Editor: Gregory Wight (second only)
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco (all)

This issue is a slight deviation from the norm for the title. Both slots have been given over to the same story "Tales from the Vault", presented in two chapters with only the letterer changing between the two. The first chapter doesn't actually feature any Avengers and instead focuses on the Guardsmen, an elite armoured unit who patrol the Vault, a special prison for super powered criminals, as they put away the Wizard only for him to initiate a mass jailbreak. The second chapter sees Iron Man and Hawkeye enter the Vault to mop up the criminals inside, amidst a tense relationship.

There's some good use of continuity here, building on the Iron Man story "Armor Wars" where Iron Man set out to destroy all the other armour using his technology, including the Guardsmen's and caused chaos in the Vault. Subsequently Tony Stark claimed that Iron Man had gone rogue and died, with a new Iron Man appointed to replace him but many Avengers including Hawkeye never accepted this story as they know his identity. As Iron Man has only recently returned to the Avengers it's natural that the tensions continue, making Hawkeye's suspicions feel realistic rather than tensions for the sake of it. There's also a reminder of just what a minor player the Wizard has become in the Marvel universe. Back in the 1960s he was the archenemy of the Human Torch in the latter's solo strips in Strange Tales and also headed up a team of existing villains against the Fantastic Four, a task usually handled by a major league foe. But now he's sunk into irrelevance and the guards either treat him as a joke or have never heard of him. As we'll see, his use in the storyline has almost certainly been determined by his 1960s role and is one of a number of signs of throwbacks to that era.

Otherwise the formal start to the saga is actually quite low key with the mysterious stranger's conversation with the Wizard mostly taking place out of earshot. It's a reminder of how the structure of a crossover can be distorted by the order in which the titles come out in a particular month, though the alternative can be some very bizarre issues featuring none of the regular cast (or even former cast) simply because of which chapter comes.

Avengers Spotlight #26 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011)