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Daredevil (1964) #275-276
Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus
The Acts of Vengeance are here, and no hero is left untouched! Witness one of the most unexpected battles of all time! Wolverine vs. Tiger Shark! Dr. Strange vs. Hobgoblin! The Punisher vs. Dr. Doom! Daredevil vs. Ultron! Power Pack vs. Typhoid Mary! And while the Fantastic Four fight against the passing of a Super Hero Registration Act, Psylocke is changed forever at the hands of Mojo!
750 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2011
About the author
Walter Simonson
1,294 books175 followersWalt Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned work Star Slammers, which he inaugurated in 1972 as a Rhode Island School of Design thesis. He has also worked on other Marvel titles such as X-Factor and Fantastic Four, on DC Comics books including Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion, and on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 22, 2017
I liked this one a little more than most, and I admittedly have to chalk a lot of it up to nostalgia. I was a teenager when these came out and I still have several of the issues included in this collection. Actually, several of my favorite comics from that time were included.
My standouts were the Wolverine issues where he battled Tiger Shark as well as The Punisher issues where he faced Dr. Doom and Bushwacker. The Punisher War Journal issues also featured Jim Lee art, and I loved his art on the Punisher. It was still a novel idea to see the Punisher battle "supervillains" rather than street level crime, so these were a cool change. I also liked the Moon Knight/Punisher crossover issues. The X-Men issues featuring Psylocke also included early Jim Lee art on the X-men, but Claremont's stories were a little hard to follow at the time.
The stories were mostly unconnected, just a very loose "Acts of Vengeance" thread that triggered many villains switching up their usual adversaries.
On average, when you compare the writing and dialogue of these issues to comics written post 2000, it does show things were a little primitive back then. But to me this was still a great read and a nice trip down memory lane. Comics sort of took a nose dive just a few years after this, with the art becoming the focus and the writing getting really bad, at least in many cases.
For any fans of 80s Marvel, this is worth picking up. For more modern readers, you'll probably enjoy these, but keep in mind most mainstream comics were a little less refined at this time.
My standouts were the Wolverine issues where he battled Tiger Shark as well as The Punisher issues where he faced Dr. Doom and Bushwacker. The Punisher War Journal issues also featured Jim Lee art, and I loved his art on the Punisher. It was still a novel idea to see the Punisher battle "supervillains" rather than street level crime, so these were a cool change. I also liked the Moon Knight/Punisher crossover issues. The X-Men issues featuring Psylocke also included early Jim Lee art on the X-men, but Claremont's stories were a little hard to follow at the time.
The stories were mostly unconnected, just a very loose "Acts of Vengeance" thread that triggered many villains switching up their usual adversaries.
On average, when you compare the writing and dialogue of these issues to comics written post 2000, it does show things were a little primitive back then. But to me this was still a great read and a nice trip down memory lane. Comics sort of took a nose dive just a few years after this, with the art becoming the focus and the writing getting really bad, at least in many cases.
For any fans of 80s Marvel, this is worth picking up. For more modern readers, you'll probably enjoy these, but keep in mind most mainstream comics were a little less refined at this time.
March 8, 2018
This crossover is huge! The Acts of Vengeance served as Marvel's bridge from the 1980s into 1990, so they went overboard!
The premise: Red Skull, Kingpin, Doctor Doom, The Mandarin, The Wizard, and Magneto team up. They decide to fight heroes that they have never faced in order to get the advantage of surprise. They are brought together by a mysterious, powerful other player who they believe is just a servant.
Through this book, other Trade Paperbacks, Marvel Unlimited issues, and some single comic issues, I was able to track down and read the entire crossover. It was fun and interesting...definitely no dull moments.
This crossover gets a bad rap from several readers for the unfocused and meandering way it is executed. I really liked it for the same reason. There is no real central book that must be read. there is no specific sequence. A reader can just pick their favorite characters to read and get just as much enjoyment. To get the real ending, a person should read all the Avengers and Avengers West Coast issues (but they are not included in this volume). However, even without the Avengers titles, the main idea gets across and every series gets a good, fun story.
For Marvel super-fans: Some big continuity items are introduced in this book.
1. The Super Powers Registration Act is introduced for the first time in Fantastic Four #334. It doesn't pass - but if you know anything about Civil War, you know it will be back.
2. The Mutant Liberation Front first appears in New Mutants #86.
3. Ninja Psylocke is introduced in Uncanny X-Men #256.
4. Caliban and Apocalypse begin a new campaign in X-Factor #50.
This crossover also served as introductions for The New Warriors, Magneto's renewed focus on Mutant superiority, and Captain Universe powers in Spider-Man. Oh and the Avengers Mansion is back where it started in New York.
This is a fun read, even if you don't pick up any of the other parts of the crossover. It was the perfect way to usher in a new decade...especially since the 90s are set to be the Crossover Decade in Marvel.
The premise: Red Skull, Kingpin, Doctor Doom, The Mandarin, The Wizard, and Magneto team up. They decide to fight heroes that they have never faced in order to get the advantage of surprise. They are brought together by a mysterious, powerful other player who they believe is just a servant.
Through this book, other Trade Paperbacks, Marvel Unlimited issues, and some single comic issues, I was able to track down and read the entire crossover. It was fun and interesting...definitely no dull moments.
This crossover gets a bad rap from several readers for the unfocused and meandering way it is executed. I really liked it for the same reason. There is no real central book that must be read. there is no specific sequence. A reader can just pick their favorite characters to read and get just as much enjoyment. To get the real ending, a person should read all the Avengers and Avengers West Coast issues (but they are not included in this volume). However, even without the Avengers titles, the main idea gets across and every series gets a good, fun story.
For Marvel super-fans: Some big continuity items are introduced in this book.
1. The Super Powers Registration Act is introduced for the first time in Fantastic Four #334. It doesn't pass - but if you know anything about Civil War, you know it will be back.
2. The Mutant Liberation Front first appears in New Mutants #86.
3. Ninja Psylocke is introduced in Uncanny X-Men #256.
4. Caliban and Apocalypse begin a new campaign in X-Factor #50.
This crossover also served as introductions for The New Warriors, Magneto's renewed focus on Mutant superiority, and Captain Universe powers in Spider-Man. Oh and the Avengers Mansion is back where it started in New York.
This is a fun read, even if you don't pick up any of the other parts of the crossover. It was the perfect way to usher in a new decade...especially since the 90s are set to be the Crossover Decade in Marvel.
October 23, 2012
Interesting, got to see a lot of characters I've not seen before. Despite the changes in main characters depending on the comics, the continuation and the combination of the recurring theme "Acts of Vengeance" is well put-together, though the dialogue can be quite confusing at times. Would have liked to see more characters, or the build-up leading to the Acts of Vengeance.
And as always, the art is amazing!
And as always, the art is amazing!
June 9, 2016
"In addition to all this, the Damage Control mini-series is collected in its totality, and there are some great one-off issues of The Incredible Hulk and Power Pack. All said, the good and the bad balance each other out fairly well."
Read the full review on TheBookCloset
Read the full review on TheBookCloset
December 5, 2023
I really enjoyed the core of this crossover which was collected in the Acts of Vengeance Omnibus. This book collects the odds and ends of the event, including the “epilogue” battle between Graviton, Brothers Grimm, Goliath, Thundra, and Trapster against Spider-Man in Web of Spider-Man Nos. 64 and 65. Marvel really caters to the completist rather than the mythological mainstream bookstore buyer that DC keeps on chasing, and god bless 'em for it. Marvel's collected editions are exhaustively researched and amazingly complete. DC's often omits covers, for chrissakes.
Many of these issues are mediocre, although there is some gold in this sand. The aforementioned Web of Spider-Man, Power Pack, Doctor Strange, and Alpha Flight issues all rank as highlights for me. The Moon Knight, Punisher, and Wolverine issues were also highly entertaining. Others, such as the second Damage Control mini-series, will be skipped over when I re-read this book in the future. The writer of that title, the late Dwayne McDuffie, would go on to do vastly superior work on Fantastic Four and the Ben 10 Alien Force cartoon.
The worst issues in the book are probably the favorite of the under 30 crowd: the Uncanny X-Men issues with the idiotic Claremont/Lee collaboration which turned Psylocke from a British telepath from the UK Captain Britain strip to an Asian ninja. This is asinine and has never been undone. Ninjas in general are often lame, and ruining a perfectly good character when you could just create a new character is just plain dumb.
Also horrendous is Jubilee, whose color scheme is just like Robin's. Yes, Robin, as in Batman and Robin. Horrendous costume designs were just coming into vogue during this time and would last for the better part of the '90s. I find Jim Lee to be the most overrated artist in the history of comic books. He's okay, but people act like he is the lord and savior of comic book artists. He still sells, so I am in the minority, but in my opinion he is a huge part of the problem with comic books, not the solution.
Is this an essential, must-own book? No way, Jose. Is this a fun, albeit uneven, read of one of Marvel's earliest crossovers? Absolutely positively. There is some good writing and good artwork throughout the book, but that's all it is: good. Never really good, or even very good. Strictly second and third gear stuff. If you go into this book with that in mind and read this book in small doses you will enjoy it. I couldn't plow through more than five issues at a time. I quit comics as this crossover was gaining steam and didn't come back until the early aughts. Read whatever you want into that.
I love the Marvel Omnibus format. It may seem like I don't review a lot of them, but that is because they take forever to get through. This beast was over 750 pages.
Many of these issues are mediocre, although there is some gold in this sand. The aforementioned Web of Spider-Man, Power Pack, Doctor Strange, and Alpha Flight issues all rank as highlights for me. The Moon Knight, Punisher, and Wolverine issues were also highly entertaining. Others, such as the second Damage Control mini-series, will be skipped over when I re-read this book in the future. The writer of that title, the late Dwayne McDuffie, would go on to do vastly superior work on Fantastic Four and the Ben 10 Alien Force cartoon.
The worst issues in the book are probably the favorite of the under 30 crowd: the Uncanny X-Men issues with the idiotic Claremont/Lee collaboration which turned Psylocke from a British telepath from the UK Captain Britain strip to an Asian ninja. This is asinine and has never been undone. Ninjas in general are often lame, and ruining a perfectly good character when you could just create a new character is just plain dumb.
Also horrendous is Jubilee, whose color scheme is just like Robin's. Yes, Robin, as in Batman and Robin. Horrendous costume designs were just coming into vogue during this time and would last for the better part of the '90s. I find Jim Lee to be the most overrated artist in the history of comic books. He's okay, but people act like he is the lord and savior of comic book artists. He still sells, so I am in the minority, but in my opinion he is a huge part of the problem with comic books, not the solution.
Is this an essential, must-own book? No way, Jose. Is this a fun, albeit uneven, read of one of Marvel's earliest crossovers? Absolutely positively. There is some good writing and good artwork throughout the book, but that's all it is: good. Never really good, or even very good. Strictly second and third gear stuff. If you go into this book with that in mind and read this book in small doses you will enjoy it. I couldn't plow through more than five issues at a time. I quit comics as this crossover was gaining steam and didn't come back until the early aughts. Read whatever you want into that.
I love the Marvel Omnibus format. It may seem like I don't review a lot of them, but that is because they take forever to get through. This beast was over 750 pages.
May 13, 2026
The most nonsensical and boring crossover Marvel has produced. Acts Of Vengeance was poorly conceived, miserably executed and poorly concluded. The story rarely stretches beyond a single issue, almost everything is simply a B or C grade villain taking on a hero or group. And while there are some good individual issues, as a whole this becomes tedious very quickly. To top it off, there’s no consequences to anything, except for the start of the Magneto-Wanda storyline. Marvel still hadn’t figured out how to tell a cohesive story, and as a consequence all the titles involved suffer damage creatively.
April 12, 2022
Another slog, but finished it off as non-primary characters deal with the fallout of the main Acts of Vengeance.
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July 26, 2015Čekal jsem, že to bude horší. Už hlavní série Aktů pomsty byly dost béčkové, ale myšlenka tohodle eventu se mi prostě líbí (ikdyž provedení HODNĚ skřípe) a bral jsem to jako zajímavou sondu do Marvelu let 89/90. Stručně jde o to, že se největší záporáci domluvili, že zahájí obrovský útok na superhrdiny a vymění si nepřátelé. Díky tomu vznikají některá WTF kombinace jako Daredevil vs. Ultron.
Nejvíc mě překvapivě bavil Moon Knight a příjemným objevem byla i Damage Control, naopak jsem trpěl u Punishera (Punisher vs. Doctor Doom), Doctora Strange (nesedla mi kresba a moc jsem se neorientoval v tuně vedlejších postav). Příliš mi nesedly ani X-Meni, ale tam za to částečně může vytržení z kontextu. AoV není nic, co bych doporučil ke koupi/čtení, ale koupě obou omnibusů nelituju.
Nejvíc mě překvapivě bavil Moon Knight a příjemným objevem byla i Damage Control, naopak jsem trpěl u Punishera (Punisher vs. Doctor Doom), Doctora Strange (nesedla mi kresba a moc jsem se neorientoval v tuně vedlejších postav). Příliš mi nesedly ani X-Meni, ale tam za to částečně může vytržení z kontextu. AoV není nic, co bych doporučil ke koupi/čtení, ale koupě obou omnibusů nelituju.
Currently Reading
March 20, 2015So far I am really enjoying this book due to all the characters and villains involved. There are some great match ups in here. It goes off topic it seems in some of the stories, but I still enjoy it!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews