Fantastic Four 325 - Inferno

The Silver Surfer arrives in time for a child custody battle.

Fantastic Four #325

Story: S.F.X. Englehart
Guest pencils: Rich Buckler
Guest inks: Romeo Tanghal
Letters: Michael Heisler
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

(Although not part of Inferno itself or included in the collected editions this is the conclusion to the storyline in the earlier Fantastic Four issues so worth a look at.)

The Silver Surfer noticed the disruption to Mercury's orbit and has come to the Solar System where he finds the Human Torch adrift in space and takes him back to New York. There he is reunited with Mantis and learns how she lost her memories then her powers and her son. He agrees to help her recover him. The Surfer proves unable to turn off the Human Torch's flames then Kang returns accompanied by the High Cotati and a pod containing Mantis's son. The Cotati demand that Mantis cease pursuing her son who they want to be their ambassador to the universe. She refuses so the Cotati determine she must die and unleash the Priests of Pama on her. The Fantastic Four and Surfer join her in fighting back with Kang producing more advanced weaponry to restrain the Surfer. Mantis breaks through to reach the Cotati and fights with her mind, forcing them to flee with the Priests and Kang both withdrawing as well. Mantis announces the Cotati have withdrawn into the realm of pure thought and only she has the training to follow them so she says goodbye to the Surfer and abandons her body to enter the realm. An upset Surfer flies away alone.

And so we reach multiple endings. Not only is this the real ending for the Fantastic Four's Inferno saga (even though Inferno itself has ended by the time the Surfer and Torch reach Earth) but this is also the last issue with Englehart's name on it and the conclusion to his attempt to tell a saga involving Mantis. Englehart would remain on the series for another eight months using the pseudonym "John Harkness" with a bizarre story in which the Fantastic Four wind up being replaced by imposters based on the Silver Age and there were some dreams as well that reflected some of the battles with editorial. The whole thing ends with "Mr Harkness" appearing in the final two panels of issue #333 to agree with Franklin "this was all a mistake" and says "I'll try. But it might take a better man than me to straighten out this mess." With that Englehart was gone and also soon left Silver Surfer. He then wrote an open letter to fanzines about the problems he had had on all three series (West Coast Avengers being the third) at Marvel, directly blaming Tom DeFalco rather the different individual editors. In later years his website would include some details of the disputes that invariably casts a cloud when reading the issues themselves.

This story does not disguise its roots as a rewritten quick piece designed to end things with Mantis with as much dignity as possible whilst Englehart still had any control over her. It makes use of Kang's time travel abilities to go off and make a deal to work with the Cotati for his own revenge but ultimately boils down to little more than a guest star turning up for a fight. The Surfer and Mantis were intended to be reunited to carry forth into adventures in the Surfer's own series but with that avenue cut off Englehart now resorts to removing Mantis from the physical realm altogether. Despite reiterating that she has lost her powers and can only rely on her training she proves able to abandon her body completely in a rushed ending as she chases after the Cotati.

The Cotati's motivations make little sense here. They have manipulated things to arrange for a child to be born to a union between a human and Cotati because... they lost their ability to move and want "an ambulatory plant" to "be our ambassador to the universe". Why they can't just make use of another being's body if they want to walk about is utterly unexplained and they've already shown they can communicate with other beings. It's a feeble motivation for what has turned out to be such a long quest over multiple titles and it feels as though no effort is being made deliberately. The final battle resorts to Mantis still having powers from when she trained to become the Celestial Madonna that she has not demonstrated for a good while.

All in all this feels like a deliberate poor effort with a writer more concerned to write Mantis out of the physical realm than anything else and just throwing out random stuff to get to the conclusion. Combined with some terrible art - the Thing especially looks worse than ever - and the result is a whimpering end to it all.

(Oh and exactly when is Inferno set? This issue takes place in the aftermath but it's called "A Christmas Tale" and features snow. Yet other issues have referenced the summer or Halloween.)

Avengers Annual 17 - The Evolutionary War

The High Evolutionary's genetic bomb is ready to detonate - and the Avengers have disbanded.

(Once again we have an annual with a lot of creators so some of the labels are in a separate post.)

Avengers Annual #17

1st story: Prometheus Mutans!
Writing: Walter Simonson
Penciling: Mark Bright
Inking: Mike & Valerie Gustovich
Lettering Oakley, Heisler, Parker
Coloring: Evelyn Stein
Editing: Mark Gruenwald
Editing in Chief: Tom DeFalco

The Avengers' Hydrobase receives an emergency call from the resurrected Jocasta about the imminent detonation of the High Evolutionary's genetic bomb. But the team has disbanded so the computers summon as many reserve Avengers as it can contact. Thus Captain America, the Falcon, Hercules, the Beast, the Hulk and the second Yellowjacket come to the island to deal with the emergency. First they travel to a base on Long Island where they rescue Jocasta and discover the detail of the Evolutionary's plans. They then head to the Pacific where they find a war breaking out between the undersea kingdoms of Lemuria and Atlantis due to false information supplied by the Evolutionary who sends in a weapon to sterilise the two opposing forces. Finally the three pursue the Evolutionary's submarine base to Krakatoa where the bomb will be detonated in the volcano to spread all over the world. The Avengers battle both the Evolutionary's forces and themselves but the cost is high.

As discussed when looking at Avengers #298 this was a period when the Avengers had disbanded and it would take a little time for a permanent new team to be put together. In the meantime that allowed Walter Simonson to have some fun and bring together a one-off team. Some have wished that this line-up could have become the new Avengers permanently but it's hard to see it working in the long run. For one thing no less than three of the characters were regularly appearing in other series (Captain America and the Incredible Hulk had their own titles whilst the Beast was a part of X-Factor) and if it was difficult enough to co-ordinate the appearances of traditional Avengers such as Captain America it would have been a nightmare to fit in with the continuity of the other books even if one of them was written by the Avengers' writer's spouse. But there's also a strong element of dysfunctionality built into the team. The Hulk is in his "Joe Fixit" era of an amoral mob enforcer who shows reluctance to get involved with saving the world, is no team player and also tries to steal power for himself. Yellowjacket is a criminal drawn in purely because the helmet she stole from the original picked up the summons; she was one of the Masters of Evil who occupied the Avengers Mansion beating up Hercules to an inch of his life and also torturing Captain America (although she herself was not one of the ones who directly did either of those) and both still have strong memories of that. Captain America is on the outs with the US government in this era (with a replacement using the name and costume) which would make it difficult for him to assume a role heading a formally accredited superhero team. Jocasta is highly vulnerable. Only the Falcon could easily stay around in such a line-up at this time.

There's also a question of superhero ethics. The traditions of heroes not killing were under strain by this time and some of the team have no qualms about leaving foes to go to their death or even sending them there. Others less so. But oddly this isn't dwelt on here even though the Hulk charges into the Long Island base and kills all but one of the Gatherers present (though the bodies are not shown on panel). Later the Beast and Captain America willingly implement an idea by the Falcon to set the Gatherers and New Men against each other by playing on the former's prejudices and the result is a lot of killing. Then Hercules battles the High Evolutionary until he is "discorportating". Finally the surviving Avengers flee the submarine as the self-destruct is activated but make no effort to take the surviving Gatherers and New Men with them. Superhero comics were getting ever more darker and just a few years later the regular Avengers series would see the heroes facing the question of whether or not to kill so some of these developments aren't too surprising. But it's odd that there's little acknowledgement here of what the Avengers have been forced to do.

The plot does meander a little and it's hard to escape the feeling that the scenes involving Lemuria and Atlantis were added simply to pad this story out to fill the entire annual (bar six pages for the saga chapter at the end). But it gives lots of good character moments with the Beast especially benefitting as he combines strength, science and humour. Yellowjacket has found herself dragged into all this against her will and is completely scared by the whole situation but comes to the fore first in finding the bomb and then in attacking the Evolutionary long enough to buy time for Hercules. Though unspoken it also gives her a moment of redemption for her past.

There's some dodgy science afoot. The Evolutionary's powers seem incredible here including being able to teleport the Hulk all the way out of the base to the Nevada desert and twice making special cages appear out of nowhere to hold one or more Avengers. The Avengers decide the only way to counter him is to come up with their own super being and so subject Hercules to the genetic accelerator to create their own superbeing. The two fight to destruction with the High Evolutionary blasted into particles and Hercules mutating beyond godhood and out of the plane of existence. For a story rooted around a scientist's grand vision the conclusion has at times felt almost too magical to work. There's also the continued misuse of the term "evolution" when the mutations are done to intelligent design - or intelligent accident as the case may be. Fortunately the ending feels more scientific as a dying Jocasta plugs herself into the submarine's systems and activates the self-destruct mechanism to destroy the genetic bomb before it can be detonated.

This is a harsh brutal showdown to a big event and it feels appropriate that it's a much smaller team who escape at the end compared to the one that arrived. The High Evolutionary's plans may have meandered all over the set of annuals but here the focus is all too clear and the stakes couldn't be higher. The Avengers line-up here is not one that could have lasted but makes for a good team with its own internal problems facing down a major threat to the whole world in the Marvel tradition. Although the story is overlong and could have done with the Lemuria and Atlantis element it nevertheless makes for a strong climax to what has been a rather disappointing crossover.


2nd story: The High Evolutionary: Beyond Life
Story: Mark Gruenwald
Breakdowns: Ron Lim
Finishes: Tony DeZuniga
Letters: M. Yee & J. Rosen
Colors: Gregory Wright
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Chief: Tom DeFalco

The final chapter recounts the High Evolutionary's last appearances before this event. It's a straightforward summary of how Counter-Earth was moved across space by a race of alien beings call the Beyonders and placed in a museum with the whole encounter convincing the Evolutionary that despite being the most evolutionary advanced human in existence he was not a god but merely insignificant. This led to despair as he sought to commit suicide but found himself trapped in his armour that prevented him from using his powers on himself. So he manipulated the Hulk into attacking him to rip open the armour then he devolved himself all the way down to a single celled organism. The final page shows how the armour restored both itself and its occupant, who now regained his confidence and concluded that humanity on its own would never evolve to the level of the aliens he had seen and instead the race as a whole needed a guiding hand which he would give.

This final chapter shows how the character had come back to life after what seemed to be a pretty conclusive death and uses the last stories to provide a convincing explanation as to how the character has expanded the scope of his vision to the scheme seen in the event. It also restores an element of dignity that was lacking in the final Hulk story. As a later chapter recounting ongoing comics rather than stitching together multiple backstories the result is invariably straightforward but it serves to bring readers up to date with the character and provide a springboard for the main event.


Because of the length of the main story there are no other back-ups or features in this annual. Instead the whole thing is devoted to the resolution of the big crossover. Space could have easily been found for features by trimming off the unnecessary part of the main tale but that raises the question of just what would have been contained in the features since there was no regular Avengers team at the time. Also with issue #300 on the horizon it was perhaps better to leave the features for that and instead here have an extended climax to ensure the whole event goes out with a bang.

Thor 414 - Acts of Vengeance Aftermath

In a break from recent issues this one contains a full-length story which follows up on Loki's henchman from last issue.

Thor #414

Words & Plot: Tom DeFalco
Pictures & Plot: Ron Frenz
Finished Art: Joe Sinnott
Inks: Mike De Carlo
Lettering: Michael Heisler
Colouring: George Roussos
Editing: Ralph Macchio

It's unclear whether the henchman's identity was ever meant to be a secret - last issue he was not named and shown wearing a giant suit and visor sunglasses but (although the orange skin and brown beard rather limited the disguise). But here the cover announces him as Ulik from the outset and inside he sheds his Earth clothes and announces his name fairly quickly as though there was never any doubt. Yet another mystery man is introduced in this issue, a mysterious new crime lord with some strange tastes in architecture. Coming so soon after both Loki in "Acts of Vengeance" and a possible Ulik mystery it suggests overkill of the concept.

The issue sees Thor's human alter ego, Eric Masterson, continue to struggle with the competing demands of everyday life and being the alternate form of an Asgardian god. Not only are hero duties interfering with work commitments but also his ex-wife is seeking to retake custody of their son, and it's looking to shape up to be a nasty fight that Thor won't be able to do anything about. Hercules is also suffering from a strange outbreak of fear that weakens his effectiveness in battle, especially when Ulik uses a magical talisman to increase his size and strength.

Oddly the hero of the day turns out to be police Lieutenant Marcus Stone, on the verge of resigning from the force at his wife's insistence. With Thor and Hercules trapped under a pile of cars (and Thor reverted to Eric out of reach of the hammer), it's Stone who intercepts Ulik on a rooftop and shoots at him until Ulik falls and knocks himself out. Stone (one of a number of characters who suffers brief race changes at the hands of George Roussos) would go on to command the special unit Code: Blue and it's an early sign of how under DeFalco and Frenz the title might maintain a retro Silver Age look and feel, but it would also veer heavily into the mortal world, showing the potential of humans in the face of great odds. Unfortunately here it comes across poorly that despite the presence of both Thor and Hercules it takes one mortal man's courage to succeed; this sort of moment would have been better left to an untransformed Eric.

Overall this issue does the job of finishing off the loose end from the last issue, with Ulik acknowledging he was brought to help in the "Acts of Vengeance". The artwork is as ever solid and brilliantly retro, whilst the continuing plots of the problems in Eric's life work well. However the story goes a bit too far in breaking down the existing heroes in order to elevate the ordinary humans and there are better ways to approach this.

Thor #414 has been reprinted in:

• Thor: In Mortal Flesh (2017 Epic Collection)

X-Factor 50 - Acts of Vengeance

A simple glance at the cover shows the struggling demands, with banners for both "Acts of Vengeance" and the conclusion of "Judgement War" trying to fit into the top right-hand corner. Being a double-sized anniversary issue the prospect of having to give it over to a line-wide crossover must have irked even more than most. And so this issue is divided into two stories covering the two demands.

X-Factor #50

Writer: Louise Simonson (all)
Penciler: Rich Buckler (main)
Penciler: Terry Shoemaker (back-up)
Inker: Allen Milgom (main)
Inker: Hilary Barta (back-up)
Letterer: Joe Rosen (main)
Letterer: Michael Heisler (back-up)
Colourist: Tom Vincent (all)
Editor: Bob Harras
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The lead story sees the conclusion of X-Factor's adventures on an alien world full of mutants as they seek to free themselves before the Celestials destroy the planet, eventually coming to unite the planet's different factions. The story is very much a metaphor for the team's aims on Earth as they inspire others to rise up and work together. It's also the conclusion of some long running threads in the series, in particular Marvel Girl struggling from having absorbed the personality and memories of Madelyne Pryor and in turn Phoenix. This is one of the least explained elements so for new readers dipping in it becomes a confusing struggle. It seems clear that this story was written under the assumption that issue #49 would also carry an "Acts of Vengeance" banner and thus that issue would serve as the introduction for readers arriving via the crossover, whereas here everything gets on with the action. Read in isolation this tale offers classic new reader confusion.

The back-up story is a six-page piece "Meanwhile on Earth" as Apocalypse confronts the mysterious strange who soon reveals himself as Loki. This issue officially came out the same day as Thor #413 and so in theory this would not have broken the secret. However big crossovers have a frustrating habit of shipping out of order, made worse by the higher demand sometimes making it harder to find regular issues. And there's nothing in either of the two issues explicitly stating which way round they should be read. (It's a problem repeated by some of the attempts to create a general Marvel chronology that have found the off-Earth epics in both X-Factor and New Mutants to be significant problems for the chronologies of both "Acts of Vengeance" and "Atlantis Attacks" in the 1989 annuals and wind up having to put this issue right near the start.) It's also a surprise that Loki so willingly reveals his identity, shocked that Apocalypse hasn't worked it out. Notably Loki is depicted here in the costume introduced by Simonson's husband Walter during his run on Thor, whereas the main chapters of the crossover opt for his classic Silver Age look, again emphasising the disjointed nature of the story. Both this and the revelation feel like more failures of co-ordination and communication. The rest of the story is predominantly a fight in both physical and verbal form as Loki and Apocalypse trade blows and arguments about why the "Acts of Vengeance" are failing, the nature of humans and of being worshipped, until Caliban intervenes and then Apocalypse demonstrates the Celestial technology under his control. Loki some storms off in a huff.

Overall this issue is trying its best with demands that are clearly irritating the writer. It may not do a good job at explaining the ongoing storyline to new readers drawn in by the crossover banner, but given how well the previous issue did that one must assume that it was meant to have the banner as well. And although the "Acts of Vengeance" demands clearly irritate Simonson to the point of having the book's lead villain drive Loki out of the issue, it's done in a reasonably solid way. But given when this issue was published it was a very dubious idea to use Loki's real identity as it could have wound up as a spoiler. Overall this back-up is an okay little sideshow, but the lead story isn't really of interest on its own.

X-Factor #50 has been reprinted in:

• Essential X-Factor volume 3 (2009)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011 - second story only)

Thor 413 - Acts of Vengeance

This issue may not carry an "Acts of Vengeance" banner, yet it includes one the key moments for the entire arc. It's a surprising omission, especially given the issue is written by the-then editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.

Thor #413

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

Once again, the issue follows the two-story format, with the back-up feature concluding Beta Ray Bill's encounter with space pirates as he seeks to free the slaves whose mind power is tapped to fuel the ship. It's a good combination of action and willpower.

The lead story sees Thor trying to get the bottom of his recent problems to discover why he has been suffering spells of weakness and just who is behind the attacks on the super heroes. Meanwhile his alter ego of Eric Masterson is trying to get control of his own life as he faces a battle with his ex-wife for custody of their son. And Hercules is experiencing moments of sudden fear. Then a magazine cover inspires Eric to seek help from Doctor Strange to try to sort out Thor's problems and this leads to the "Inner Questing" ritual as Thor and Strange venture into the thunder god's subconscious to discover the answers. Elsewhere the mysterious strange monitors Thor's actions and sends his henchman to deal with Thor, Hercules and Strange. However Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum is protected by magic and so the henchman withdraws, followed by Hercules.

Inside Thor's subconscious he encounters a foe wearing his old armour, leading to a classic "my enemy - myself" fight that Strange and Eric can only watch. Finally Thor subdues his foe and removes the masked helmet to reveal the cause of his weakness. It's Loki. Elsewhere the stranger confirms this, revealing his true form for the first time in the crossover.

To put it mildly, this is not a particularly dramatic revelation. (It was also given away in What The--?! #6 but this is the first confirmation it's the same in the regular reality.) The mysterious stranger has various magical abilities and has been shown monitoring things from a throne room with monitor screens in flames. He has an especial hatred for the Avengers, identifying in particular the Wasp and Hank Pym. And the most blatant giveaway is the central alliance of super-villains. Consisting of the traditional strategic archenemies of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man & Daredevil and the Human Torch, it's an alliance that could have been put together at any time since the mid-1960s. The absence of Thor's archenemy, who also caused the Avengers to be formed in the first place, was highly telling and there was no attempt to give Loki any alibi elsewhere. (Other candidates, such as Baron Mordo and Immortus, have been shown during the crossover.) The only unclear point is just how Thor determines that Loki is behind the "Acts of Vengeance" as well as the loss of strength, since he doesn't see the scenes the readers do.

This is a surprisingly key moment in the crossover, yet it went out of its way to hide it from contemporary readers, perhaps so another moment that we'll come to could serve as the official discovery. This is a pity as Thor is the title with the strongest retro Silver Age feel to it, especially thanks to Frenz's Kirby homage artwork, and "Acts of Vengeance" has a strong Silver Age throwback to it. This really deserved to be put on a stronger pedestal.

Thor #413 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Omnibus (2011) - lead only
• Thor: In Mortal Flesh (2017 Epic Collection)

Thor 412 - Acts of Vengeance

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

Thor #412

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

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

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

Thor #412 has been reprinted in:

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

Thor 411 - Acts of Vengeance

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

Thor #411

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

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

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

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

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

Thor #411 has been reprinted in:

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

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme 13 - Acts of Vengeance

The final Dr Strange issue of the crossover is once again divided in two.

Dr Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #13

Writer: Roy Thomas (all)
Writer: Dann Thomas (main)
Writers: Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier (back-up)
Artist: Jackson Guice (main)
Artists: David Day and Dan Day (back-up)
Lettering: Janice Chiang and Michael Heisler (main)
Lettering: Joe Rosen (back-up)
Colours: Max Scheele  Tom Vincent (all)
Assistant Editor: Mike Rockwitz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The back-up story is a further chapter from "The Book of the Vishanti", continuing the story of the Darkhold and the Montesis guarding it, along with the rise of both the Ancient One and Dracula. It feels a more coherent piece than the previous chapter, not least because of the easily recognisable elements of the existing mythology.

The lead story follows on from the previous issue and sees the Enchantress force Arkon, the ruler from another dimension, to attack Doctor Strange. Arkon is additionally motivated by a desire to make Clea his queen, allowing him to add the Dark Dimension to his realms as well. This leads to a somewhat unlikely hand to hand duel with Doctor Strange, who has never been much of a physical fighter and although his survival is explained at the end it just seems bizarre that he would ever agree to such a fight. Much of this issue, and indeed the previous one, has focused on the strength of the relationship between Stephen and his wife Clea even though they are usually dimensions apart. Each faces an alternate admirer of a kind and each rushes to the defence of the other in their own ways.

Arkon's motivations are also easily understood - he's two stages removed from the central "Acts of Vengeance" conspiracy and thus isn't motivated by that at all but rather simply by the fact the Enchantress has stolen his thunderbolts that can get him home. Still it solves the general problem of finding foes who can present a sufficiently powerful challenge to Doctor Strange and at the same time come under the direction of a conspiracy of distinctly mortal villains.

Overall this is an uptick after the previous issue but not the most dynamic and there's increasingly a sense that this is a series that wants to hurry up and finish its part in the crossover and then get back to telling its own stories. It's a reminder that with such a sweeping event not every creator is always enthusiastic all of the time.

Dr Strange Sorcerer Supreme #13 has been reprinted in:

• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)

Thor 410 - Acts of Vengeance

Although it doesn't have a banner proclaiming the crossover, Thor #410 effectively starts it.

Thor #410

Words & Plot: Tom DeFalco (all)
Pictures & Plot: Ron Frenz (lead)
Finished Art: Joe Sinnott (lead)
Illustrated: Herb Trimpe (back-up)
Lettering: Michael Heisler (lead)
Lettering: Richard Starkings (back-up)
Colouring: Tom Vincent and George Roussos (lead)
Colouring: Nel Yomtov (back-up)
Editing: Ralph Macchio (all)

Coming almost midway through the run by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, this issue mainly focuses on the conclusion of a story in which Doctor Doom steals Thor's hammer to use in his latest scheme again the other Doctor Doom, also known as Kristoff. A back-up story tells a tale of Volstagg of the Warriors Three.

The back-up is one of many "Tales of Asgard" that expand the mythology of the series. It's a straightforward comedic piece, as Volstagg focused tales tend to be. The lead story includes a team-up with Hercules and She-Hulk but the latter doesn't really contribute much beyond a few comedic moments and being an extra in a fight. Otherwise this is a relatively tame tale of Hercules and Eric Masterson (a mortal man Thor has been merged with) battling with Doctor Doom's Defence Droids whilst Doom uses a device to freeze time in Latveria and invade the castle, only to find his alternate self is prepared.

As the most prominent villain in the Marvel it's inevitable that Doctor Doom will be seen a lot in the coming crossover, so this issue is handy as a quick introduction to his status quo in the period - during a period when he was assumed to have been destroyed, a record of his personality and some memories was implanted into his young ward & designated heir Kristoff who came to believe he was the real Doctor Doom. Kristoff has held power in Latveria and regards the returned real Doctor Doom to be an impostor. As a result the latter has been operating in exile, trying to regain his kingdom through a variety of schemes. Given Doom's arrogance it's unsurprising that he blames the failure of this one on Thor even though the Thunder God's involvement was inevitable once the hammer was stolen. So it's understandable when at the end a mysterious stranger appears and proposes "an Act of Vengeance!" that Doom is interested.

However Doom is not normally a Thor villain. It's a strange route to bring him into the plot and an early sign of just how poorly disguised the stranger's identity is. Otherwise this issue is a relatively straightforward tale in the Silver Age homage style that DeFalco and Frenz had refined on the series. For much of its run Thor has had a feeling of the old fashioned about it, but for a series starring a character from mythology that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Thor #410 has been reprinted in:

• The Warriors Three Unleashed (2011 Premiere Edition Classic hardcover) - back-up only
• Thor: In Mortal Flesh (2017 Epic Collection)