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)

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)

Fantastic Four 336 - Acts of Vengeance

And so we come to the third and final Fantastic Four issue, this time promising "the most fearsome villains" in the universe, a claim that fails to convince the Thing.

Fantastic Four #336

Writing: Walter Simonson
Penciling: Ron Lim
Inking: Mike De Carlo
Lettering: Bill Oakley
Colouring: George Roussos
Editing: Ralph Macchio
Editing-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story continues at the Congressional committee with yet more lame villains showing up and being merely a distraction from the central discussion about the proposed Super Powers Registration Act. So we forego the opportunity to see Ben, Sharon and Johnny dealing with the Owl, the Armadillo, Baron Brimstone, Whirlwind, the Man Ape, Still Man and Orka the Killer Whale and instead see Reed and Susan engaging their brains to argue the case against the potential constructions of a Registration Act. Some of Reed's put downs of various Congressional representatives are particularly fun, ranging from undermining a critic for being late without discipline through to pointing out the lack of a clearly defined purpose for registration. Still the resolution to the proposal sees Reed also deploy his scientific expertise both to demonstrate the problems with detection and to analyse the mysterious mental control box.

A showdown comes with Doctor Doom, who here seems highly dismissive of the whole "Acts of Vengeance" scheme, though it's soon shown there's more to Doom than it first seems (and a later Simonson issue would take the idea and run with it much further). Still, despite appearances by the Super Adaptors, Hydro-Man and Water Wizard, the encounter is a sign that a lot of writers have problems with the general premise of the crossover and for good reason.

For many villains their relationship with the heroes is a deeply personal one and they want not just their foe's destruction but also the satisfaction of having achieved it themselves. Indeed some of them have actually saved heroes' lives in order to keep open the opportunity to personally dispose of them. And thus a trading scheme should be of no interest to them. As a result Doom has instead been testing equipment and deliberately using lame villains to limit the risk, with the bonus of embarrassing the Five in the process. The nature of Doom here is such that we have to exercise a degree of caution in accepting his words at face value. So far, he's been the most used of the leading villains and consistency isn't the easiest thing to achieve with such heavy use in rapid succession.

Nevertheless this issue, written by Walter Simonson and drawn by Ron Lim, is a good conclusion to a surprisingly different take on both the crossover and the series. Political debate can be dry to some but here a major proposal and the underlying philosophies are explored with respect and nuance whilst the regulars are given strong characterisation that shows the new writer has a good grip on them.

Fantastic Four #336 has been reprinted in:

• Fantastic Four Visionaries: Walter Simonson Volume 1 (2007)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Fantastic Four Epic Collection: Into the Timestream (2014)